92 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



of these, Rubus parvifolius, is of a low, half-running habit of 

 growth ; the fruit is red but very loosely constructed and soft in 

 texture. The flavor is good, but the impossibility of handling 

 without reducing to a mush makes this fruit nearly valueless 

 except to eat from the bushes. I have cultivated two other 

 species in my garden. One of these of the same habit of growth 

 as our common red raspberry but with unusually stout canes and 

 suckering over-freely, produced small, seedy, black fruit of no 

 value. The other, Rubus phmnicolasius, has the Black Cap 

 habit of growth, the canes, in good soil, stout and tall, not 

 requiring artificial support, but with unusually soft and harmless 

 prickles. This is the species about which so much has been 

 written within the past year under the name of Child's Japanese 

 wine-berry. The fruit is produced in large clusters, is of fair 

 size, and being of a beautiful translucent scarlet color, it pre- 

 sents an exceedingly attractive appearance. It is fairly firm. 

 In flavor it is quite different from anything we have. There is 

 less of the distinctive raspberry flavor and slightly more acid 

 than in our varieties, and it is very juicy. Upon telling friends 

 who visited my garden when the fruit was ripe, that I had brought 

 it there to see if I could improve it, I was several times met 

 with the remark " I don't see why you should wish to improve 

 this," which perhaps suflSciently indicates its quality. I 

 would not, however, over-praise this fruit. It is dis- 

 tinctly less rich than our common varieties and would not 

 suit those especially fond of the raspberry flavor. It is, how- 

 ever, a hardy, productive, and beautiful species, which may 

 prove valuable in its present or some derivative form. A 

 peculiarity in its habit of growth should be mentioned ; the 

 growing fruit is entirely covered and protected by the reddish 

 pubescent calyx until just as it begins to ripen. Whether from 

 this peculiarity or because it is not so sweet, it is certain that 

 this fruit was always remarkably free from worms, while 

 American varieties in my garden were sadly infested. Ameri- 

 can varieties of both raspberries and blackberries do well there. 

 The Yesso chestnut, very abundant in many sections and 

 much used by the aborigines of the island as well as l)y the 

 Japanese, is in size and quality almost identical with the 



