274 



The Horticulturist and Journal 



A Day with Charles Downing. 



THERE is not much that is either new or 

 interesting in pomology this season ; in 

 fact, there has been a dearth of novelties for 

 several years past, and one's eye for new 

 fruit begins to grow dim from want of use. 

 A visit to-day from Mr. Charles Downing, 

 the veteran pomologist, brought to mind the 

 enthusiasm of former days, if not the objects 

 which caused it, and we traveled over again 

 in thought and words some of those old jour- 

 neys in search of facts in regard to many of 

 the once new but now old fruits of our gar- 

 dens. 



The name of Downing has been so long 

 and intimately connected with American 

 horticulture, that some of the younger mem- 

 bers of the profession, who have been born 

 since the fame of the Downing brothers was 

 established, can hardly realize the fact that 

 the elder of the two (Charles) is still in the 

 field, doing an immense amount of labor 

 towards purifying the nomenclature as well as 

 for the general advancement of American 

 Pomology. Few men have ever devoted 

 their lives more unselfishly and constantly 

 than Charles Downing to the good of a 

 science which so directly benefits his fellow 

 man ; and as he was but 72 years old yester- 

 day (and for aught that I can see to the con- 

 trary, as young as when I first knew him, a 

 quarter of a century ago), we may hope that 

 his days of usefulness are far from being 

 over. 



While musing thus, he reminds me, as he 

 has often before, that time is passing and 

 growing more precious to us all as we grow 

 old, therefore a run through a part of the 

 garden before dinner will be just so much 

 saved from the woi-k proposed after dinner. 



Of course, I shall not attempt to report 

 private conversation, but will remark, inci- 

 dentally, that we first visited my currant 

 patch, where I ha,ve every species and variety 



of currant that will grow in this climate, be- 

 sides some that won't without nursing. For 

 a selection of six, I would name Red and 

 White Dutch, Versailles, Cherry, White 

 Grape and Victoria. The latter is a little 

 later than the Red Dutch, otherwise no better. 

 There are plenty of sorts equally as good as 

 those named, but no better, consequently one 

 gains nothing by adding them to a collection 

 unless for the purpose of studying their 

 peculiar characteristics. La Hative and La 

 Fertile de Angers, resemble the Cherry in 

 growth, leaf and color of fruit, but the bunches 

 and berries are smaller. Champagne is a 

 pretty pink or light rose colored sort, always 

 appearing to be about half ripe. Glorie des 

 Sablons is a striped variety, each berry dis- 

 tinctly striped with red, the ground color 

 being a dull, yellowish white. I might go 

 over the whole list in this manner, but the 

 story has been told over and over again in 

 our fruit books as well as in the horticultural 

 papers. 



" Nothing new among currants," said Mr. 

 Downing, as we passed on to tlje raspberries ; 

 "but when you and I are gone, some young 

 enthusiast will go over the same field and 

 these varieties will be new to him and his 

 associates." 



An hour among the raspberries, which are 

 exceedingly abundant this year, owing to 

 favorable weather, enabled us to discover some 

 of the strong as well as weak points in the 

 old as well as newer sorts. Among the Black 

 Caps, the Fay ranks first as a very early sort, 

 and the fruit is of good size, firm, black, with 

 very little bloom — a first-rate market sort, 

 not becoming dull or of a faded color in 

 rainy, damp weather, as usual with those 

 covered with heavy bloom, like the Ontario 

 and Manmioth Cluster. I may also remark 

 that the canes of the "Fay" have very few 

 thorns, which is another decided merit. 



The "Surprise'" is another very distinct 

 and valuable variety, although not very gen- 

 erally known among the cultivators of small 

 fruits. The berries are large and of a coni- 

 cal shape, which is quite unusual among the 

 black raspberries. It is a strong and vigor- 



