284 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Among the smaller fruits there are strawberries ; 6 

 ouly are suitable for general cultivation, and one is a 

 seedliug of Prof. BIirtland. Of raspberries, 17 va- 

 I'ieties are in Class 1 ; 9 are seedlings produced by 

 by Dr. Brinkle and Col. Wilder. 



In the class of fruits, there are many which are 

 noted as being well adapted for general cultivation 

 that are new, and it is quite doubtful if they have 

 been fruited in half a dozen localities ; while others, 

 of the most reliable kinds, having been cultivated in 

 all sections for many years, and have proved them- 

 selves to be first class in every particular, are placed 

 as unfit for general cultivation, and worthy the atten- 

 tion ouly of the amateur. 



Upon this point Mr. Barry says: "It strikes us as 

 rather strange- that such varieties as Bethlehemite, 

 Challenge, Cornish Aromatic, Fallenwalder, Fort 

 Miami, Golden Ball, London Sweet, Melting, Rich- 

 mond, Rome Beauty, and many others as little known 

 as these, should be published as worthy of general 

 cultivation, while such well-known sorts as William's 

 Favorite, Summer Queen, St. Lawrence, Keswick 

 Codlin, Holland Pippin, Pumpkin Sweet, 131ue Pear- 

 main, Twenty Ounce, &c., are classed as new and un- 

 tested, &c., in Class 2." 



Of pears, he says : " In the first class we find such 

 varieties as Beurre Langelier, Brandywine, Black 

 Worcester, Coit of Ohio, Doyenne dAlengon, Honey, 

 Kirtland, Knight's Seedling, Nouveau Poiteau, Soldat 

 Laboureur Van Assche, and many such new and little- 

 known sorts, while in the second class we find An- 

 drews, Bloodgood, Paradise d'Automne, Bergamot 

 Cadette, Beurre d'Amalis, Capiaumont, Duchesse 

 d'Angouleme, Henry IV., Napoleon, Summer Franc- 

 real, and several others of the very best and most 

 widely-kuo\vn varieties in cultivation." 



Among cherries for general cultivation we find Dr. 

 Kirtland's new kinds — Black Hawk, Brant, Cleve- 

 land, Doctor, Delicate, Early Prolific, Governor 

 Wood, Joc-o-sot, Kirtland's Mary, Kirtland's Mam- 

 moth, Late Bigarreau, Logan, Osceola, Pontiac, 

 Powhatten, Rockport, Red Jacket, Shannon and Te- 

 cumseh — to the exclusion of the world-wide known 

 sorts, such as Black Eagle, Tellow Spanish or Bigar- 

 reau, Holland Bigarreau, Knight's Early Black, May 

 Duke, Napoleon Bigarreau, Elkhorn, and many others. 



In the first class he enumerated no peaches, plums, 

 apricots, &c., but those of Eastern origin. 



Every one must view it as very singular, and fancy 

 at first that some mistake was made in its arrange- 

 ment when printed ; but upon a careful examination 

 we are led to believe that these are the sentiments of 

 the author. Unless this work is speedily altered, it 

 will produce much mischief that wiU take years to 

 correct At the West, where less opportunities have 

 occurred to become acquainted with fruits, it will be 

 viewed as authority, and the greatest mistakes may 

 arise from it. In its present state, it would be far better 

 for every planter of trees if such a work had never 

 been published, as it is so full of errors and egregious 

 blunders. 



Already a correspondent of ours, from the interior 

 of Indiana, has wi'itten us desiring a few hundred 

 Cherry trees to plant, wishing to grow the fruit for 

 market. He had in his possession this book, and 

 had selected three-fourths of the quantity from Dr. 



Kirtland's seedlings. We advised him at once of 

 the error he had been led into, and the liability of 

 others to follow the same course. We suggested the 

 utter impracticability of a man producing nineteen 

 varieties of cherries in one year which were worthy 

 of general cultivation, while the same party could 

 find only eleven out of two hundred sorts or more, 

 which originated with others and at other localities, 

 that were fit to be placed with his nineteen. 



It would be quite immaterial, though these two 

 hundred kinds had been the united production, 

 aided by the experience, of eminent horticulturists of 

 America as well of Europe, for the past fifty years, 

 and had been tested in nearly every locality in the 

 United States and Canada. This is truly a fast age, 

 far out-stripping anything that our fore-fathers wit- 

 nessed; therefore it is well for no one to be surprised 

 at whatever may appear now-ardays. It is quite 

 probable that Mr. Elliott could produce in another 

 year eleven more sorts, so that the only cherries fit 

 to grow in the United States would all have origi- 

 nated under his fig tree, which would be truly honor 

 enough to shine upon one man. 



As a suggestion, would it not be well for the va- 

 rious Horticultural Societies in the United States to 

 secure Mr. Elliott's services at once, thereby saving 

 much time, labor and expense, and have him try his 

 hand at apples the coming season, the next year 

 pears, then peaches, and so on through the catalogue? 

 Then we should have truly a fine array of fruits ; it 

 would also obviate the necessity of importing any 

 further from Europe, as we would have a source that 

 could be available at any time, by merely drawing 

 for what was wanted. However fertile his imagina- 

 tion might then be, he would have enough subjects to 

 which he could apply his Indian and other proper 

 names. 



The following we find in the August number of 

 the Horticulturist, which was cut from the Inde- 

 pendent, a popular newspaper in New Tork, edited 

 by Mr. Beecher, which touches some other points. 

 After treating upon other matters connected with 

 this publication, it says: 



" We should be glad to let the matter rest hera 

 But American horticulture and pomology suffer for 

 lack of firm and just criticism. 



" 1. Mr. Elliott has been led to make his book 

 cover a larger ground than was needed, except for 

 bookseller's reasons. Had he given a monograph on 

 apples, or a thin volume devoted chiefly to the apple, 

 the cherry, and the pear, and as a catalogue 7-aison- 

 nee, he would have shielded himself from just criti- 

 cism ; but there is no advance on Mr. Downixg's 

 work which justified so large an undertaking, and in 

 a literary view it falls far below it. 



" 2. For Mr. Elliott has the unpardonable vice of 

 fine writing — unpardonable in any body, and in any 

 department of literature ; but to the last degree un- 

 becoming in a practical and scientific work ; and ren- 

 dered more r idiculous when attempted by persons 

 who can not even write grammatically. Fine writing 

 is the scrofula of literature. The only way to cure it 

 is for the author to burn his manuscript. 



"We are surprised that Mr. Elliott's publishers 

 should not have urged him to entrust his MSS. to 



