132 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



As a street, lawn or park tree it is 

 justly valued as one of the best Ameri- 

 can trees. It is thrifty, comparatively 

 free from insects, and is sure to grow 

 into a well-balanced tree in nearly 

 every locality. The shade is very 

 dense, and yet grass will grow quite 

 freely under single specimens where the 

 wind blows away the leaves. 



In planting to prevent monotony it 

 is well to intersperse other trees of 

 different outline. The gorgeous autumn 

 hues of our forests are largely due 

 to this maple. I witnessed at New- 

 burg, N". Y., on a cloudy fall day in 

 suburban home grounds, laid out by the 

 lamented A. J. Downing, the very best 

 effects in the varied hues taken on by 

 this tree ; interspersed among other 

 kinds, each with its own peculiar 

 autumn color, and some stiJl green, but 

 the rock maple outshone them all. — 

 Boston Traveller. 



THE PRENTISS GRAPE. 



The following is from T. T. Lyon, 

 the well-known pomologist of Michigan, 

 written for the Rural New Yorker : — 

 The Prentiss grape is not fully tested 

 away from the place of its origin, hence 

 little can be said of it from personal 

 experience. I have found it a vigorous 

 grower with healthy foliage, and have 

 yet to hear of any objection to it in this 

 respect. If I may judge from speci- 

 mens seen at various exhibitions at 

 which I have been privileged to test it 

 in comparison with many others, I 

 must characterize it as one of the finest 

 of the new white grapes, so far as ap- 

 pearance and quality are concerned ; 

 while the bunch is of medium size, and, 

 from its compactness and the toughness 

 of its skin, it is, to all appearance, well 

 qualified to bear the rough handling to 

 which a market grape mast be subjected. 



The following is also taken from the 

 Rural New Yorker: — This new and 



delicious grape has been widely dissem- 

 inated. The cluster is of moderate size, 

 very compact ; berries a little belo\v 

 medium, of a greenish white, and gen- 

 erally crowding in the clusters; the skin, 

 though thin, is tough and it bears hand- 

 ling very well, and it is an excellent 

 keeper. Next to the Duchess, I think 

 the Prentiss the best white grape in 

 quality , but in hardiness it surpasses 

 the Duchess, though not equal in this 

 respect to the Concord. I have planted 

 some fifteen oi* eighteen vines in my 

 vineyard, and think it promises well ; 

 next year I shall expect fruit. Like 

 the Delaware it will need the best care 

 and management to make it success- 

 ful. — P. M. Augur. 



SORGHUM. 



The promise of sorghum as a sugar- 

 producing plant is now large. It seems 

 safe to predictate that before many 

 years, through the improvement of this 

 plant and through the better acquain- 

 tance with its habit of growth, we shall 

 be enabled to so increase its percentage 

 of sugar, and so decrease the unfavor- 

 able combinations which disturb the 

 manufacturer as to secure for consump- 

 tion homegrown susfars. Before this, 

 however, shall be accomplished, it will 

 be necessary to determine experimen- 

 tally or empirically, many points con- 

 cerning the plant. While the appar- 

 ent interest of the grower and the 

 manufactuier may not at first seem 

 identical, yet it will be found in the 

 end that their interests are in common. 

 It is well worthy of trial, whether or 

 not. the growing of sorghum for sugar 

 purposes may not require more distant 

 intervals of planting, so as to secure 

 the maximum of light and the mini- 

 mum of shade to the growing plant. In 

 Trinidad it is claimed that sugar canes 

 which are exposed to the light during 

 growth give far better results in sugar 



