40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTtTRAL SOCIETY. [1877. 



The Horticultural Society of Kew Jersey reports that the Herstine and 

 Clarke, at first supposed to be hardy, are really tender and of little value 

 for the mai'ket ; which, of course, leaves unaffected their worth for the 

 table. That Society adopts the Doolittle and Mammoth Cluster for 

 Black-caps ; and the Brandywine and Philadelphia for Red varieties. 

 This list curiously illustrates one point upon which your Secretary has 

 never failed to give warning alike to the sanguine or inexperienced: — 

 the matter of hardiness. He lays it down as an axiom that no variety of 

 Ruhus Idaeus will survive the winters of New England and yield profit- 

 ably, without protection. They richly merit it ; but the cultivator who 

 cannot or will not bestow it, might as well give up the idea of growing 

 Raspberries. The canes may endure for one or two seasons, apparently 

 uninjured ; but their constitution is impaired and the crop surely di- 

 minishes in proportion to this loss of vitality. 



Of the kinds above specified as exhibited upon our tables, all, with the 

 exception of the Clarke, are of first-rate quality. The Hornet is a new 

 comer among us, and its adaptation to our soils remains to be tested. In 

 all other respects, it brings with it a character from the skillful cultivators 

 of our own and sister States, that leaves nothing to be desired. 



The newspapers of the day, in their haste of publication and zeal to 

 gather the earliest intelligence, are very apt to mislead. Especially is 

 this the case in Horticulture, — a science, if such it may be called, pecu- 

 liarly tentative, and whose every hazard ought not to be accepted as an 

 exact and legitimate result. Thus, one journal,* which has ever shown a 

 deep interest in the welfare of this Society, gave currency to the curious 

 statement, during the last 'summer, that it " had specimens of second 

 " crops of 'Davison's Thornless Black-Cap Raspberry,' and of the 'North- 

 " umberland Fillbasket Red Raspberry,' grown in the grounds " of an 

 active and enthusiastic pomologist, who " tells " the editor that " these 

 " second crops are as regular and certain as the first crops." What mi- 

 raculous effect might be produced upon a variety, by ils simple translation 

 from Oak Street to the Holden Line, could not be predicted by your Sec- 

 retary when giving to his friend those plants of ll^orthumberland Fillbas- 

 ket. But, as they had never borne a second crop, while under his own 

 care; nor lived so riotously in their original plantation ; he may be ex- 

 cusable for not suspecting, much more detecting, such latent, unprece- 

 dented fecundity. Surely, some check should be imposed upon their 

 exuberance, lest they yield still a third crop upon February 14th, or even 

 a fourth upon the First of April I 



Currants were shown in fair, although not unusual, quantity. There 

 is no decent excuse for the common neglect of this hardy and wholesome 



* The Massachusets Spv. 



