254 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



deeply worked ; and for the black rasp- 

 berry a fine, well cultivated, dry, clay 

 loam soil. It is quite a question how 

 to prevent the crop from suffering so 

 much from drouth, but some locations 

 are better adapted to its successful 

 growth than are others. These must 

 be selected. Before the raspberry was 

 fairly done 



THE BLACKBERRY CROP 



was in upon us in all its beautiful 

 grandeur. I think I have never seen 

 any berry crop so abundant and per- 

 fectly beautiful as was this crop this 

 season. The conditions for the success- 

 ful production of the crop were fulfilled, 

 and the result was a charming crop all 

 over the county. Even wild roots, 

 where there were any, were heavily 

 loaded with fine fruit. Any good strong 

 soil is suitable for the growth of this 

 fruit, but it is very impatient of drouth. 

 The sorts most grown are Snyder and 

 Kittattinny, and these are very good 

 indeed. 



THE CHERRY CROP. 



This popular fruit, though a great 

 favorite with our people, is not in its 

 production anything approaching a suc- 

 cess in the county. Neither our con- 

 dition of climate nor of soils seems at 

 all favorable to its healthfulness and 

 growth to maturity. The young trees 

 apparently do well enough in the first 

 periods of their growth and seem to 

 thrive admirably for a time, but just as 

 they are expected to come into fruitful- 

 ness they begin to decay, and finally 

 wither away, either through the attacks 

 of fungoid parasites or the severity of 

 the winters. This has of late been the 

 case with all the better and more 

 valuable European varieties we have 

 yet tried. The Old Virginia red cherry, 

 being the only one that will produce 

 plentiful crops of fruit, is planted very 

 largely almost on every farm. This 

 sort this year was very fruitful in most 



localities, and the crop consequently 

 was unusually large. The fruit was 

 very fine in its beauty and perfection, 

 and was placed upon the market so as 

 almost to glut it, and at very low prices 

 by the i>ailful. 



THE GOOSEBERRY CROP. 



The crop of this growingly popular 

 fruit was this season very fine indeed, 

 and remarkably large. I think T never 

 saw so many gooseberries before put 

 into our local markets, and, of course, 

 the prices ran very low. The soils of 

 our county are well adapted to their 

 most perfect growth and development, 

 and the time is not far distant when we 

 can have our gooseberries shows as in 

 England the old. 



THE CURRANT CROP. 



Like the preceding, this crop of 

 popular fruit for the heated summer 

 time was very large. We can grow 

 them in highest perfection, and that in 

 many colors and varieties. The best 

 black are Black Naples and Lee's Pro- 

 lific. The best whites are the White . 

 Grape and the White Dutch, and the 

 best reds are Bed Dutch, Fay's Prolific 

 or Cherry, and Raby Castle. These fine 

 sorts all do well, and this year were very 

 fine, clear and perfect. 



THE GRAPE CROP. 



The cold and severe frosts of early 

 spring tended very much to the injury 

 of this valuable and delicious crop in 

 this county. In many places the leaves 

 were severely cut and the joining-point 

 branches blasted. Otherwise the indi- 

 cations are becoming apparent that 

 many favored locations of our county 

 may eventually become very highly 

 noted for the growth and high perfec- 

 tion of their grapes. In vineyards 

 planted in favorable localities, on high, 

 warm, well-drained soils, the crop of 

 handsome^ well-formed and perfect fruit, 

 is something to astonish one not ac- 



