THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



261 



they stand side by side are very evident. 

 This method of testing the varieties 

 cannot be too highly recommended, and 

 each grower of small fruit stock sliould 

 have a portion of his ground devoted 

 to this experimental work. 



Among the blackcaps that looked the 

 most promi^in^ was the Centennial 

 Black, an early variety and one of the 

 best, the quality being fine and well 

 suited for marketing. The Seehauken 

 is one of the new comers, and has the 

 important point of being early, in 

 quality it is not far from the old F)oo- 

 httle. The Mammoth Cluster was in 

 its prime with its full clusters of large 

 plump berries. This variety comes 

 very close to the Gregg, which is quite 

 generally accepted as leading in the 

 race of the blackcaps. The Gregg is 

 somewhat larger than the Mammoth 

 Cluster, has more bloom upon the 

 berries, but in productiveness, quality, 

 and fitness for marketing — that is firm- 

 ness — there is no great difierence. One 

 could not go amiss by selecting the 

 Centennial Black for the early sort, and 

 the Gregg for later fruiting. 



At Mr. Lovett's I found the pickers 

 doing a profitable business among the 

 Turners — one of the vigoro\is varieties 

 of the red sorts, bearing an abundance 

 of fruit of good flavor, though lacking 

 in firmness, and therefore needing care 

 in marketing. The Reliance is also a 

 vigorous grower, very productive, and 

 the dark berries are of more than aver- 

 age quality. Its growing near the 

 Belle de Fontenay (or Henrietta) made 

 a comparison between the two easy, 

 and the differences are far from strik- 

 ing. The Herstine is one of the earliest 

 of the reds, and being quite soft is unfit 

 for marketing, but one of the best 

 varieties for family use, to be eaten as 

 soon as picked. Mr. Roe had the Chris- 

 tine, a new sort which is very late, a 

 few of the most forward berries being 



ripe. It was not a fair trial, but the 

 tiavor of those tasted was not equal to 

 some of the others. 



The berry, of all the varieties of red 

 raspberries, is undoubtedly the Cuth- 

 bert, it having so many of the import- 

 ant qualities of this small fruit. The 

 vines are wonderfully vigorous, stand- 

 ing far above all its competitors in the 

 " experimental plat," and very produc- 

 tive. The berries are large, and what 

 is of most value in a money point of 

 view, they are firm, making it suitable 

 for shipping to a considerable distance. 

 The quality of the berry is high, and 

 withal, the Cuthbert must stand at the 

 head, purely on its merits. The Pat- 

 rican is a larger berry than the Cuth- 

 bert — in fact it is the largest of the 

 " reds." It being something quite new, 

 more time must be given it before its 

 place can be assigned. From the ^dgor 

 of the vines, the large size of the berries, 

 its productiveness — to judge from the 

 few canes which were seen — and fine- 

 ness and flavor of the fruit, this variety 

 will stand high. Its origin is not 

 known. 



Of the light-coloured varieties, tlie 

 Brinckle's Orange is still the type of 

 excellence among all raspberries. . Next 

 to it, among those of the same shade of 

 color, comes the Florence, it being a 

 profuse bearer, and the fruit rich in 

 flavor and fair to look upon. — Country 

 Gentleman. 



Fertilizers for House Plants. — 

 When plants are in a growing state they 

 may be stimulated by the use of guano 

 water. A small teacupful of Peruvian 

 guano dissolved in a pailful of rain water 

 is strong enough ; water the soil with this 

 once, or at most twice a week. The Water 

 of Ammonia (Hartshorn) of the shops is 

 about as good, and can be had everywhere. 

 If of ordinary strength add a fourth of an 

 ounce (two teaspoonfuls) to a gallon of 

 water, and use as above stated. — American 

 Agricvlturist. 



