1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



NEW OR RARE FRUITS. 



Early Cluster Blackberry — Is one of the 

 new introductions, which seems to have more than 

 the usual number of intelligent endorsements. 



Wonderful Fruits. — We have before us a 

 circular describing Fay's Prolific currant, and giv- 

 ing a drawing thereof. The bunch is given as six 

 inches long, the berries which show on one side of 

 the bunch are 23, and, to be merciful, we will sup- 

 pose there are only four not visible on the back of 

 the bunch — 27 berries. Not one of these berries 

 js less than an inch and a half in circumference. 

 Most of them are two inches. To say the least, 

 it is wonderful, and there are not many who ought 

 to expect to see such a wonder. 



A Good Californian Pear. — A Chico cor- 

 respondent says : " I send specimens of a promis- 

 ing seedling pear I discovered growing upon 

 Rancho Chico this summer. It is evidently a 

 seedling from Winter Nelis. The tree having the 

 same irregular growth, though in a less degree. 

 Although growing at a disadvantage by the road- 

 side, some of the fruit is larger than any Winter 

 Nelis on the ranch. It is also a little earlier in 

 ripening. When fully ripe, I think it superior to 

 Winter Nelis." 



[This is more conical, or, rather, more tapering 

 towards the stem than in the Eastern grown 

 Winter Nelis; and the lower portion of the stem 

 itself is of a thick, fleshy character, and tapers 

 gradually, being almost fleshy to the apex. The 

 skin is much more russety than Winter Nelis as 

 we grow them ; but we believe it is character- 

 istic of the California-grown pears to be more 

 russety than even the same variety is in the East. 

 The quality is Aiperior to the best Winter Nehs we 

 have ever eaten from Eastern trees. Its exact 

 value will, of course, depend on a comparison with 

 Winter Nelis as grown in the same locality. All 

 we can say is, that the flavor and general quali- 

 ties give it, as eaten here, a very delicious charac- 

 ter seldom experienced in even our very best 

 varieties. — Ed. G. M.] 



A New Plum. — The Gardeners' Chronicle says : 

 "Prunus Pissardi is certainly one of the most re- 

 markably hardy shrubs in cultivation. We know 

 of none which can in any way vie with it in the 

 splendor of its intense red foliage. The fruits, too, 

 even in a young state, are also a deep red color — 

 a character which perhaps does not obtain in any 

 other plum. The species is still rare in gardens — 



indeed, the only locahty where we have seen it in 

 this country is the Waltham Cross nurseries of 

 Messrs. W. Paul & Son — but its rare ornamental 

 character is sure to make it a generkl favorite be- 

 fore long. A colored plate of the foliage and a 

 full description of the plant, together with the his- 

 tory of its introduction, is given in the Revue 

 Horticole iox 1881. The specific name was given 

 by M. Carriere, in honor of M. Pissard (head gar- 

 dener to the Shah of Persia), who sent the plant to 

 France. It is found about Tauris, an important 

 Persian town about 450 kilometres from Teheran, 

 where it is still rare and much sought after on ac- 

 count of the bright coloring of the leaves, and par- 

 ticularly of the fruits, which are deep red even as 

 soon as formed. Before being ripe these are used 

 for the decoration of desserts, and are also eaten 

 with salt ; when quite ripe they are of fairly good 

 quality. M. Carrifere recommends that the plant 

 should be used for enlivening beds or borders near 

 dwellings, as its leaves, flowers, fruit, as well as the 

 deep blackish-red shining bark, constitute a per- 

 petual ornament. Its dwarf branching habit ren- 

 ders it a fit subject to be grown in pots, like spiraeas 

 and other similar shrubs." 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Over-bearing Kieffer Pears. — Mr. Wil- 

 liam Parry writes : " I saw in the Gardeners' 

 Monthly a notice that, 'At the recent exhibition 

 in Philadelphia, two, three and four year old trees 

 were exhibited, on which had grown nearly a half 

 bushel of fruit. Nine out of every ten pears should 

 have been taken off in infancy. Then the fruit 

 would have been delicious.' As the trees referred 

 to were dug from nursery rows and exhibited by 

 me, I take this occasion to state that there were 

 others in the same rows which matured as many 

 as seventy-five large, handsome pears, a few 

 specimens of which I submit for testing, judg- 

 ment and report. I think the Kieffer is proving 

 to be a great success— fully sustaining all that has 

 been said in its favor and disproving what has been 

 said against it. Hundreds of bushels are being 

 sent to market this fall, and sell readily at 50 to 75 

 cents per half peck, and as high as 15.00 per 

 bushel in larger quantities." 



[These specimens tuUy confirm the remark we 

 made. They were very good, jucy, wholesome- 

 eating pears, fully as good as the great majority of 

 kinds which have first-class certificates, and we 

 will repeat, that if these trees had their over-plus 



