236 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



vinous and very rich. Vine vigorous 

 and pi'oductive, with healthy foliage, 

 but its leaves have a yellowish tint by 

 which plants of this variety may be 

 quickly and sui-ely identified. It ri[)en- 

 ed September 1." th. 



Lindley: — One of Rogers' red varie- 

 ties, has done so well in several local- 

 ities as to be esteemed one of the best 

 red grapes in cultivation. Like all 

 hybrid grapes, it develops faults occa- 

 sionally which are often of slight im- 

 poi'tance, but frequently serious under 

 certain unfavorable circumstances. So 

 far as I know, its greatest defect is that 

 of failing to set a full crop regularly. 

 One of its striking characteristics is its 

 beautiful color, a bright, clear shade of 

 red which attracts the eye to it at once, 

 even when it is surrounded by larger 

 and more showy grapes. Nor is it one 

 liable to be disappointing after tasting it. 

 Its good quality renders it a favorite 

 immediately, and the })leasure it gives 

 the palate is not easily forgotten. We 

 regard it as one of the best red grapes 

 in our vineyard, and from what we know 

 of it, we should rank it among the stand- 

 ard sorts for the garden or vineyard. 

 Strange to say, for some cause or another, 

 this variety of the Rodgers has not been 

 disseminated to the same extent as 

 some others less worthy. It ripened 

 September 1,5th, a week before the 

 Concord. 



Duchess. — One of the new white 

 grapes, is said to have been produced 

 by crossing a white Concord seedling 

 with Delaware or Walter. The bunch 

 is medium to lai-ge, long, shouldered, 

 very compact, somewhat crowded ; 

 berries of medium size, but not uniform, 

 some being quite small ; form roundish ; 

 skin thick, generally dotted with small, 

 black spots, about the size of a pin's 

 head ; color light green at first, becom- 

 ing greenish yellow when ripe ; fruit 

 almost transparent ; flesh tender, with- 

 out pulp, jucy, sweet, crisp, rich, and 



in quality it holds the highest place. 

 Vine vigorous and productive, and the 

 foliage that I have seen is healthy, 

 though in some places it is said to mil- 

 dew badly. Grown with care, the 

 Duchess will, no doubt, prove to be a 

 valuable white grape for the amateur, 

 and, perhaps, in favorable localities 

 may be cultivated successfully on a 

 larger scale for market. It ripened 

 September 18th, with Rebecca, five 

 days before the Concord.— W. C. Barry 

 in the Country Gentleman. 



IMPROVED STRAWBERRIES. 

 I thought that varieties which proved 

 so su})erb on my own grounds would 

 do as well elsewhere; but I had much 

 to learn. There had been a rage for 

 novelties, a disposition to think that 

 the past "would be utterly eclipsed. 

 VV^e should be slow in discarding old 

 and well-tested varieties. Their appa- 

 rent deterioration usually results from 

 bad treatment and careless propagation. 

 This tendency to part with the good 

 qualities which once made a variety 

 famous should be checked, and a pro- 

 cess of higher development entered 

 upon. I think it can be done in this 

 simple way. I am referring to old 

 standard kinds. For instance, take a 

 bed of Wilson's seedling, select a plant 

 that for some reason exhibits all the 

 earliest and best Wilson characteristics. 

 In every garden or field there are such 

 plants that are head and shoulders 

 above the others. Clear a space around 

 such plants, and pi-ojiagate from them. 

 Repeat the pi'ocess with the best child- 

 ren of these progenitois. We all know 

 how well-known breeds in live stock 

 and old varieties of vegetables are de- 

 veloped and improved by a careful and 

 continued selection and propagation 

 from the best. Apply this principle to 

 the standard strawberiies, and a new 

 competitor must be great, indeed, to 

 rival them. In the futui'e, as in the 



