THE CANADIAN HOB'nCDLTURIST. 



173 



being victimized by ah!\r])ei'S, by read- 

 injj the publications of this society. 

 Wlien the information which would 

 save him from the loss, and what is as 

 hard to bear, the chagrin of being made 

 th^ dupe of some sharp dealer, can be 

 had at the cheap cost of one dollar a 

 year, there is much soundness in the 

 verdict of Professor Beal upon the man 

 who is cheated, " Served him right." 



The writer remembers an incident 

 in point. At a meeting of our Fruit 

 Growers' Association at Gait, some 

 years ago, a gentleman brought in some 

 samples of a strawberry which a dealer 

 was introducing in that neighborhood 

 as a new and very valuable variety, 

 and was selling the plants at corres- 

 ponlingly high prices. The fruit was 

 at Oiice recognized by members present 

 as an old and well known variety, plants 

 or' which could be readily procured at 

 less than half the price asked for them 

 by this enterprizing introducer of old 

 fruits under new names. 



Truly, more than half the cheating 

 would be stopped, if planters would use 

 the means so freely and cheaply put 

 within their reach of informing them- 

 selves, and if they will not do this, 

 have they reason to blame any one but 

 themselves if they suffer by reason of 

 their own ignorance 1 



THE PRENTISS GRAPE. 

 Ml-. T. C. R-obinson, of Owen Sound, 

 writes to the Canadian Farmer that 

 he has been slow to realize the value of 

 this grape ; that after growing it for 

 two years and having eaten the fruit, 

 and noticed its tine, clear color, good 

 siz^ ^f berry and bunch, compact clus- 

 ter, and delicious tlavoi-, with no trace 

 of foxiness, or acidity in pulp or skin, 

 he fairly surrenders to its charms, espe- 

 cially in view of its native origin and 

 healthiness and vigor, as vouched for 



by so many and exhibited on his own 

 grounds. He found the largest berries 

 to measure three-quarters of an inch in 

 the longest diameter, the average run- 

 ning at five-eighths or over. He adds 

 a word of caution to those who live in 

 a climate so cool that the Concord 

 sometimes fails to color, and generally 

 does not get its flavor even when it 

 turns black, intimating that in such 

 localities the Prentiss cannot be con- 

 fidently recommended. 



FRUITS IN MINNESOTA. 



A correspondent of the Fruit Rc- 

 ( order who resides at Dover Centre, 

 Minnesota, writes to that paper, that 

 the winters of 1877 and 1880 were too 

 severe for the Hcxas, Walbridge, Fam- 

 euse and Red Astrachan, but the 

 Duchess of Oldenburg, Wealthy, and a 

 few others came through all right. 



Nearly all the Crabs have stood the 

 winters bravely and given plenty uf 

 fruit. Grape vines that have bwen p.c- 

 tecte.l during winter do well and bear 

 abundantly, but neglected vines are 

 mostly killed to the ground. The best 

 method of protection is to cover with 

 earth, but straw, hay, or any otliei* 

 good covering will answer. In ra-^p- 

 berries Mammoth Cluster, Turner, 

 Highland Hardy and Brandywinc di<l 

 well, and Philadelphia and Purple Oane 

 gave an immense crop, although the 

 mercury fell several times to forty 

 degrees below zero, and once to forty- 

 six below. Of blackberries the Snyder, 

 Taylor's Pi-olitic and Stone's Hardy all 

 stood the winter well, but Kittatinny 

 was somewhat injured. His way of 

 protecting raspberries is to put down 

 scraggy sticks here and there throuL:h 

 the rows before the ground freezes, and 

 in early winter throw a little straw on 

 the rows. The sticks hold up the 

 sti-aw so that the canes are not injured. 



