44 Notes and Gleanings. 



Fruit-Growing in California. — We had t'.ie pleasure of a short call 

 from Mr. L. A. Gould of Santa Clara, Cal., who is one of the largest fruit grow- 

 ers in that State ; having this year raised twelve hundred bushels of Vicar-of- 

 Winkfield pears alone. He had shipped a car-load of grapes and pears to Chi- 

 cago, a part of which were forwarded to Boston ; but finds t!ie high freight-tariff 

 an obstacle to the profitable shipment of fruit to the East. Mr. Gould packs 

 his pears in close boxes, first wrapping each one separately in paper ; and the 

 grapes in boxes open for ventilation, pressing them in while packing as firmly 

 as possible without bre.iking the skins ; filling the boxes about an inch above 

 the top, and then pressing down the cover. Both pears and grapes arrived in 

 perfect order. 



Strawberries are gathered in California from April to January ; Mr. Gould 

 liaving sent to market a considerable quantity on New- Year's Day. The varie- 

 ties which succeed best with him are Longworth's Prolific and Jucunda. Wilson 

 is also planted, and does well ; but the flavor is no better there than here. 



We have tasted some of the Vicar of Winkfields grown in California, which 

 ripened in October. They were of fine size, yellow, and fine fl.ivored, equal to 

 the best of those grown here ; though we saw none with tlie red cheek which 

 commonly marks the finest-flavored Eastern specimens. 



The Western Triumph Blackberry. — This is a chance seedling, found 

 upon the open prairie in Lake County, 111., in 1853, by Mr. Biddell of Muske- 

 gan, 111., and by him removed to his garden, where it has since that time proved 

 hardy and very productive, not being injured when Kittatinny and New Rochelle 

 have been killed. 



The fruit is medium to large, very abundant, roundish, elongated, obtuse in 

 form ; granules coarse, large, apparently firm, yet very rich and sweet ; carrying 

 well, and without any harshness of core, or acidity, so peculiar to New Rochelle, 

 Wilson, &c. 



The leaf is very broad and thick, irregularly and rather coarsely serrated ; 

 spines abundant, stift', and strong. 



Mr. D. G. Smith of Waukegan writes, that the plants, so far, have been 

 grown in poor clay soil ; and he thinks the fruit not, therefore, as large as it 

 would be were it grown in richer and better soil. The fruit is certainly one of 

 the sweetest of all blackberries. — Rural New -Yorker. 



Cabbages ix Philadelphia. — A Philadelphia reporter lately counted at a 

 single market in that city, the arrivals for one day, eighty-two large country- 

 wagons, containing, in all, about fifty thousand heads of cabbage. It was all 

 taken up quickly at a good price. Cabbages arc never in excess in Philadelphia, 

 it is said. Of peaches and grapes they sometimes get an over-supply ; of the 

 raw material for manufacturing sauer-kraut, never. 



California Grapes. — One Chicago fruit dealer received during the first 

 week in October ten tons of California grapes, which arrived in good condition, 

 and were sold at lower prices than those raised in the Central States. 



