lOO JVotcs and Gleanings: . 



That the Hatch beet and Dewing's Early are valuable acquisitions, any one 

 who has given them a trial will readily admit ; but how can they be brought into 

 general cultivation ? The seedsman can hardly afford the time necessary to con- 

 vince his customer of their value, and the seeds, as yet, are in too small supply, 

 as well as too costly, to allow of their introduction into the boxes left by the 

 Shakers and others, to meet the requirements of the retail trade throughout the 

 country. I suppose, however, as in the past so in the future, the new will grad- 

 ually supersede the old, and I doubt not, Mr. Editor, ere long we shall see the 

 seeds of these new beets sold in our market by the ton^ as the seeds of the com- 

 mon turnip-rooted beet are disposed of there to-day. 



The Kirtland and Hadley Pears. — Truly this is a puzzling case, for the 

 evidence of the origin of this pear at Hadley, Mass., and at Poland, Ohio, seems 

 to be about equally balanced. I do not know that I can throw any light on it ; 

 but I will remark that so far as I have seen it under the name of Kirtland, the 

 quality hardly comes up to the reputation generally given it, and instead of 

 showing affinity to the Seckel, from the seed of which it is said to have origi- 

 nated, it resembles the old American Orange pear more than any other that I 

 know of. 



I cannot find it in my heart to conclude these notes without adding my tribute 

 to the memory of one to whom pomologists throughout the world are so much 

 indebted as Robert Thompson — a man who might well be taken as a model of 

 thoroughness and exactness in all that he did. Though unknown to many of the 

 horticulturists of our day, the last edition of his great work, the Fruit Catalogue 

 of the London Horticultural Society having been published nearly a generation 

 ago, we commend his example to all cultivators, with the certainty that if fol- 

 lowed, the condition of pomology would soon exhibit a wonderful change for the 

 better. Bismarck. 



Girdled Trees bearing Fruit. — Our readers have heard of the great 

 atrocity of girdhng fifteen hundred bearing fruit trees at Benton Harbor, Mich., 

 near St. Joseph, by some unknown miscreant enemies of Martin Green. The 

 neighbors turned out and bandaged the trees with the cloth strips dipped in gi-eat 

 kettles of heated grafting-wax. A second lesser raid of the rascally spoilers was 

 similarly met, and now for the sequel. Every tree lived, and has come out of 

 the trial bending under such a fruitage as has never before been seen in Benton 

 Harbor. All Benton Harbor, and the region round about, is filled with the 

 marvel, and an orchardist has promulgated a new theory of fruiting trees by 

 girdling them. Whether or not it will be deemed necessary, as in Charles Lamb's 

 story of the discovery of roasting pigs, to go through the whole process of 

 girdling an orchard over night, and to have the village turn out and repair dam- 

 ages the next day, remains to be seen. Those wise in fruit matters believe that 

 though the interception of the sap has caused fruit to grow instead of wood this 

 season, the real trial of the trees will come next year. As to that, time will show ; 

 meanwhile the trees are giving a magnificent yield, if it is to be their final one. 



Chicago Republican. 



