40 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the forests are stripped off there is le^s snow, and the winter weather 

 more changeable. There may be some truth in this theory, for it is a 

 fact that as the country becomes more open the fruit trees are less shel- 

 tered from the cold winds. Almost all fruit trees are benefited by pro- 

 tection, and this is emphatically true of the peach, for if we could train 

 our peach trees horizontally and near the ground so that we could easily 

 cover them as we do vines, there can be no doubt a crop of peaches would 

 be the reward. Plant some peach trees every year, plant in tubs or 

 boxes, and remove them into the cellar in winter, and thus protect them. 

 Fine peaches can be grown in this way. 



The past season has been a very unfavorable one for grapes. There 

 was a short crop, and even this did not fully ripen. It is said by the 

 best observers that in the West there was not more than half a crop of 

 grapes. The cold and wet season was particularly unfavorable for good 

 flavored fruit. We have tasted no grapes that have fully sustained their 

 reputation, and we shall not venture to express decided opinions from 

 our experience and observation of the past season. There was much 

 mildew on some varieties, and few or none were entirely free from it. 

 The Deleware suffered severel}^ losing nearly all its leaves, and in many 

 cases failing to ripen its fruit. The Creveling was troubled in much the 

 same way. The lona held its leaves well, but hardly ripened its fruit. 

 It requires a full season. The Adirondac was fully ripe, but was little 

 better than sweetened water in quality, being destitiite of that fine flavor 

 it possesses when grown under favorable circumstances. The Concord 

 held its leaves well, but the fruit rotted some. The Hartford Prolific 

 did well. The Eebecca suffered from mildew, but ripened its fniit, and 

 it is a ciirious fact, as we found on a recent vi,sit to Bangor, Maine, that 

 this variety ripens there nearly every year, and is regarded as almost 

 sure. Israella shed its leaves badly, the result of mildew. The Rogers 

 Numbers did very well, except what we believe to be number seven, that 

 proves worthless on account of its susceptibility to mildew. Allen's 

 Hybrid failed in nearly every instance. The fruit mildewed more than 

 the foliage. The Diana hardly ripened. The grapes sent to market this 

 year, while they were colored, were not ripe, and did not possess the good 

 qualities that a drier and more favorable season would give them. 



The show of grapes was large at the Annual Exhibition, both of foreign 

 and native sorts. The arrangement for the display of this fruit, on the 

 long table in the library room, gave both the exhibitor and the visitor 

 very general satisfaction. Never perhaps have we had a greater number 

 of contributors, or a more interested crowd of visitors, than were seen 

 during this show. Mr. Dingwall, of Alltauy, New York, took the 

 trouble to bring many numbers of the Rogers Hybrids, with other grapes 

 to our exhibition, all of which added much to the interest of the occa- 

 sion. Davis & Bates, W. C. Strong, F. Dana, C. E. Grant, J. B. Moore 



