Pomological Gossip. 57 



in the Gardeners^ Chronicle, of the opening number for 1852, 

 which reads as follows : — 



" Speculative gardeners have long expected to find some 

 useful hardy novelty among the wild fruit-bearing trees of 

 countries little visited by Europeans. If the old world has 

 given peaches and apples, and cherries and strawberries, why 

 may not the new world produce good fruits of some other 

 race ? Undoubtedly no reason to the contrary is apparent, 

 but it so happens, that up to the present day, we are without 

 an instance of such a discovery having been made ; and 

 with the two exceptions of the American strawberry and 

 cranberry, (for the grape vines of the United States do not 

 deserve the name of useful fruits,) their Osage Orange is an 

 orange only in appearance, and their mulberries, plums, 

 and other small berries, would only be admitted to the des- 

 sert of an Indian savage." (The italics are ours.) 



Why Doctor, dear Doctor, you dont say so ? Are you sure 

 the Osage Orange " is an orange only in appearance ? " Where 

 did you learn this ? Are you certain that it is not considered 

 a finer dessert fruit than the orange of Havana? If we 

 were to tell you it was better, would you believe it ? If you 

 ever visit our country and sit at the table d'hote of the Revere 

 or Astor, perhaps you will be surprised to find it really is 

 very much unlike an orange, though " an orange only in ap- 

 pearance." 



As to the grape vines <si the United States, what wilj Mr. 

 Longworth say to your opinion of them ? What will our 

 friend Dr. Underbill say of your opinion of his Croton Point 

 Isabellas ? Perhaps you will not admit that the New Yorkers, 

 who devour them by tons, know what a " useful fruit " is. 

 Doubtless they don't. And finally, our plums, according to 

 your estimate of a fruit, " would only be admitted to the 

 dessert of an Indian savage." 



Perhaps you have no better knowledge, Doctor, of our 

 plums than you have of our oranges ; and, therefore, no fault 

 can be found with your opinion of them. We will be can- 

 did, however, and say that American plums very much re- 

 semble the fruit known by the same name in England. If 



VOL. XVIII. NO. II. 8 



