124 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Apples. — A single dish of the Melon (N'ortori's 

 Melon) was exhibited. This apple originated in 

 the State of New York, is slow of growth wliile 

 young, but proves prolific, is a handsome apple, of 

 deiicious flavor, and is in eating from November to 

 February. Red apples, on a yellow or russety 

 ground, command a good price for the table, when 

 it would be dithcult to dispose of such as have a 

 green skin. For this reason, the Gracenstein^ 

 HuhharcUton^ Fameuse, Polish^ Mother, and Bald- 

 win, are sold readily for dressing otf tables. Sweet 

 apples, during winter, also command a good price. 



Blackberries have been brought in abundantly 

 during its season, and for a much longer time than 

 ysual. Mr. James Nugent continued to show them, 

 for the reason that the first shown were gi-own on 

 a southern exposure, while those shown at a later 

 day were grown under a northern exposure. The 

 variety shown by Mr. Nuoent wa.s the Dorchester, 

 and it will be noticed that every premium was 

 j&arried off by the Dorcliester, though the Lawton 

 was shown in abundance. And it is worthy of 

 mention, that in each and every instance where the 

 Committer questioned the contributors for the pur- 

 pose of learning their individual opinion as to the 

 merits of the one or the other variety for market, 

 there was not a single dissenting voice as to the 

 superiority of the Dorchester over the Lawton — in 

 fact, nearly all said tbey should abandon the culti- 

 vation of the Lawton as not repaying them sufliici- 

 ently w-ell while they could have the Dorchester. 



Though some of iShe Oeimmrttee believe both 

 possess merit, a large minority do not deem the 

 Lawton -even worth cultivating, except for a small 

 garden, where they can be picked and such as are 

 ripe selected for the table ; if picked previous to 

 maturity it is not even palatable. While the Dor- 

 chester is not lacking in any one requisite which the 

 Lawton possesses, it is superior in many respects to 

 the latter. The Dorchester is of superior flavor; 

 the berry is much larger; is equally as hardy, and 

 fully as prolific, and w^hen ripened bears carriage, 

 and therein is decidedly superior to the Lawton. — 

 The former retains its black lustral quality, while 

 the latter, immediately after picking, changes to a 

 reddish bronze, and to most tastes its sour or 

 acidulous flavor is not agreeable, and it would 

 require an additional amount of sagar to make it 

 palatable. The Committee have carefully tested 

 them during the last two years, and opinion is 

 unanimous in favor of the Dorchester. The Dor- 

 chester ie a seedling; eo, also, is the Lawton, 

 (tbeugh it is a mooted questioa,) and not the com- 

 nion blackberry, which springs up by the wayside, 

 and is sometinies transplanted for garden cultiu-e in 

 the ^.ain hope of its proving equal with the two 

 abov« named. 



We would again remind our cultivators that to 

 -ensure a prolific crop it is absolutely necessary to ti-ain 

 the stalks iiorizontally in order that shoots may break 

 at every eye, while, if allowed to grow upright, 

 they only break at the top. Mr. Merriam, who 

 bas had most eminent success in fruiting it, says 

 he does not obtain a full crop until the third year 

 of planting. 



Gooseberries. — ^There does not seem to have 

 been much headway made in the culture of goose- 

 berries since the introduction of Iloughton\'i Sced- 

 Ung, some twenty yeai's since; and we are surprised 



that no good seedlings have been brought to notice 

 till within the last year or two. We now have 

 the promise of a superior seedling, raised from the 

 Houghton, which, like the ori^nal, is not subject to 

 mildew. It was produced by~Mr. Charles Down- 

 ing; another by the Shakers at Lebanon, N. Y., 

 and still another by Mr. Smith of Vermont. All 

 three give good promise as to quality, fruitfulness 

 and freedon from mildew. 



Grapes. — A letter from J. Fisk Allen to Ebkji 

 Wight, the Chairman of the Fruit Committee, 

 contains the following: — 



In reply to your queries I would say, that tlie 

 noticeable fact in grape culture in our vicinity the 

 past season of 1857, has been the great increase of 

 mildew, and the crop of fruit has been greatly 

 diminished thereby. The wild grape, as well as 

 the Isalella and Diana, have been attacked — the 

 Clinton, in my garden, being the only variety that 

 has not been affected. The Diana escaped with 

 only slight injury, but the fruit suffered somewhat 

 from the rot, a rare occurrence with any variety in 

 our section. Notwithstanding an unusual amount 

 of rain and cloudy weather, tiie mildness of the 

 autumn enabled the Isalella and Diana vines to 

 ripen crops of fine grapes, when sulphur bad been 

 used in quantitj' sutficient to check tlie mildew. — 

 A vine on the south of my dwelling yielded one 

 hundred pounds of as rich, sweet fruit as ever the 

 South produced ; and this vine, for thirteen years, 

 has never fiiiled to mature a full crop. 



The Uni/)n Villa//e and the Rebecca both mildewed 

 more than the Diana. The Delaware, in our vicin- 

 ity, did mildew some, but sliglitly. 



It appears that the prospect for success in the 

 field or vineyard culture of the grape in Massa- 

 chussetts is not very flattering. On walls fronting 

 from south-southeast, round on the southern side 

 to west-northwest, they will do well; an eastern 

 exposure is subject to mildew. 



The question relative to the Barharossa grape 

 may be considered as settled. The Prince Albert 

 and Barharossa, if not identical, are so like as not 

 to be worthy of distinctive names. The foliage 

 and manner of growth, which is peculiar, is simi- 

 lar in both. The fruit is sweet, hard, good and 

 valuable for its late maturity, but it is inferior to 

 the Black Hamburgh. I have suspended a part of 

 a bunch of the Barbarossa with the Prince Albert 

 on a fruiting vine. By testing the flavor and firm- 

 ness of the berry in eating the fruit, first of one and 

 then of the other, and by comjiaring the size and 

 form of the berry, I have concluded that I can 

 discover not the slightest difference between them. 



Grapes — Open Culture. — It is but a few years 

 since we could speak of our native grapes in higher 

 commendation than we now speak of the wild grape 

 of the woods, of a foxy smell and hard pulp. — 

 Such vines are often transplanted from their wfld 

 state to the homestead, with the expectation of an 

 improvement in quality. The object is futile, for 

 all manuring and care will never divest it of its 

 hard pulp or foxiness. There are some who never 

 have tasted anything better, and still adhere with 

 tenacity to a hard pulp and strong foxy flavor, 

 believing it the best grape grown. Such an one 

 wa''. the man who was recently shown a handsome 

 bunch of the Rebecca^ and advised to plant a vine 



