48 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to ripen thoroughly at least three years out of four. That variet}', 

 somewhat to my surprise, is in the vicinity of Sapporo the freest 

 from disease and altogether the most certain and delicious of all 

 American sorts. German varieties of man}' kinds are now under 

 trial ; but these, like the American, often fail to ripen, and I am 

 confident that the ill-advised attempts at wine-making which have 

 now been in progress some eight or nine years are doomed to 

 disastrous failure. The autumns are too wet and cloudy to per- 

 fect the grape, although, as was usually the case, frosts severe 

 enough to injure it hold off until about the 20th of October. 



Of that fruit, the Kokuwa {Actinidia arguta) , which is peculiar to 

 Japan, and which finds its most perfect and abundant develop- 

 ment in the primeval forests of Yesso, I presume you have all 

 heard. Much has been written and said about it within the last 

 few years ; though, strangely enough from my point of view, it 

 has been urged upon the public attention as an ornamental 

 climber. Now far is it from ray wish to detract from its merits 

 as such. It is certainly a vigorous, not to say a rampant, grower 

 and its luxuriant dark green leaves and waving stems have a 

 beauty of their own. F«r the purpose of covering arbors or 

 "forming wild entanglements," as one writer has expressed it, 

 from tree to tree it is certainly suited. Its effects upon the trees, 

 however, I will not answer for ; its coils I fancy will be found to 

 hug " closer than a brother." Still it is a beautiful climber, 

 though I believe that Yesso can furnish several more beautiful 

 and far more manageable ; but I would caution not to plant it 

 against verandahs or buildings. Unless looked after far more 

 closely than most will find time for, it will be found to overgrow 

 all desired bounds, to displace eaves spouts and to make itself a 

 nuisance generally by its omnipresence. 



It is for its fruit, however, that the plant is mostly prized in 

 Yesso, where in many localities it is abundant and very largely 

 collected. The fruit, which is a berry, runs in size a little larger 

 than the Green Gage plum ; the skin is green ; the pulp when ripe 

 soft, and the seeds, which are numerous, very fine. The flavor I 

 cannot liken to that of any other fruit ; it is ver}' agreeable to 

 most ; but it is sui generis. There is an astringent principle in 

 the skin, which must not be sucked too much or it will make the 

 lips, tongue, and throat sore. It is not difficult, however, to suck 

 out the pulp without encountering this trouble. The effect of the 



