1895.] ESSAYS. 17 



have been brought out, have lived their allotted time and passed away 

 to make room for others still to come. From a limited garden indus- 

 try, the cultivation of the strawberry has increased to thousands of 

 acres, and the season of fruit from Florida to the Provinces is con- 

 tinued fully three mouths. It would seem, from observing the newer 

 sorts from year to year, that the limit of perfection has been already 

 reached, many of the new seedlings being inferior to some that have 

 passed away ; but a new seedling that promises well always enlists the 

 warmest attention of growers, and it is soon put upon its merits ; and 

 when soil and cultivation are favorable very many have proved decided 

 acquisitions. The Hovey, Wilson, Boston Pine, Scott's Seedling, 

 La Coustante, Brighton Pine, Jenny Lind, Triomphe de Gaud, and 

 four hundred others, have been esteemed varieties, but now are 

 unknown, except by name. 



The raspberry, following the strawberry, adds a favorite fruit for 

 home use and the market. The best sorts are of foreign origin, or 

 seedlings from them ; they are proving even more desirable for culti- 

 vation. They are long-lived and seem almost perpetual. The older 

 sorts remain as good as ever, and are only replaced by newer kinds 

 tluit promise better in flavor, productiveness, hardiness and size of 

 berry. They are not as extensively cultivated as the strawberry, but 

 early in the century only wild raspberries were in use, indigenous and 

 growing all over New England. The older sorts were the Antwerp, 

 Herstine, Hornet, Northumberland, Kneivett's Giant, together with the 

 Black Caps, which form a succession of berries until the blackberries 

 are in season. 



Blackberries, in early times, were growing wild, more especially on 

 newly cleared land, and when once rooted were continued in pastures 

 and on the roadsides. The wild sorts were both high bush and trail- 

 ing ; the trailing were the earlier and larger fruit. They were so 

 abundant in earlier times that they were not much cultivated until 

 williin forty years. .Since that period the cultivation of the blackberry 

 has, and is now, largely increased. Many new seedlings have been 

 brought out and widely disseminated, proving great acquisitions aud 

 well worthy of cultivation, affordiug a continuous season of small 

 fruits until the grape becomes ripe. 



The grapes found growing wild by the Puritans were quite distinct 

 from European sorts. Within the last fifty years increased attention 

 has been given to them in New England, and many hybrid varieties 

 have been introduced through cross-fertilization. These are proving 

 a wonderful success. It requires an early grape to succeed in New 



