Answers to Correspondents. 93 



ing, taken from a superb specimen last summer, which we intended should 

 accompany our article; our plants last season were the admiration of all, 

 some of them producing sixty flowers. In the mean time we advise plant- 

 ing in a compost of leaf mould and peat in equal parts, with a small quan- 

 tity of sand. 



The best varieties of Apples, Pears, Cherries and Plums. — S. D. 

 Redfield. — The earliest and best four summer apples are the Early Har- 

 vest, Bough, Red Astrachan and Williams's Favorite: the best four Fall , Por- 

 ter, Gravenstein, Fall Pippin and Lyscom : the best four Winter, Baldwin, 

 R. I. Greening, Russet and Northern Spy. The earliest and best three 

 summer pears, are the Citron des Carmes, Jargonelle and Bloodgood : the 

 best three Fall, Williams's Bon Chretien (Bartlett,) Louise Bonne de Jer- 

 sey, Paradise d'Automne : the best four Winter, Beurr6 d' Aremberg, Win- 

 ter Nelis and Glout Morceau. The two earliest and best cherries, are 

 the Mayduke and Black Tartarian : the two best late. Downer's late Red and 

 Sweet Montmorency. The two earliest and best plums, Bradshaw's and 

 Green Gage : the two latest and best, Jefferson and Coe's late Red. In 

 giving these names, we should remark that there are many others equally 

 deserving of the same rank. The Strawberry grape is a very good native 

 variety, quite new, but well worth cultivation. 



Mildew on Grapes in Vineries. — M. C. Johnson. — Old vines are in 

 no way more subject to mildew than young ones, so far as our experience 

 goes : and we believe this is the opinion of grape-growers generally. How 

 far Mr. Kenrick's views are correct in relation to trailing on or near the 

 ground, we have no knowledge, as we do not think the experiment has been 

 tried here. We do not doubt ourselves, but that a trellis over an inclined 

 plane paved with brick or stone would be highly advantageous and greatly 

 promote ripening as well as check mildew, from the greater humidity which 

 they would enjoy. In an account of a very successful mode of cultivation 

 of the grape in houses without heat, which we gave in a previous volume, 

 (IX, p. 86) the excellence of the fruit was in a great degree attributed to the 

 paved floors, which were watered when they became heated by the sun, 

 and thus gave off an abundance of moisture of a genial temperature. Prob- 

 ably paving in the open air would have a similar effect ; and by watering 

 induce a humidity which would check the mildew. We hope our corres- 

 pondent will try this mode, and we should be glad to know the result. 

 The objection of Mr. Johnson is a good one, viz : — that the flowers as well 

 as fruit might suffer from the effects of heavy rains : to obviate this, the 

 distance of the trellis from the pavement should be increased. In the vine- 

 yards of France, the vines are trained to stakes about three feet high, but 

 we gathered very fine fruit within one foot of the ground — and the crop, 

 so far as we observed, was exceedingly good — satisfactory results can only 

 be arrived at by actual experiment. 



Plants. — L. P. Hopkins. — As you invite questions from your subscri- 

 bers, I propose the following': — 



1. Should Gloxinias and Gesneras be kept absolutely without water 

 during the winter, and allowed to die down to the ground ? 



