54 Progress of Horticulture in Indiana. 



seem fanciful — may prove so ; but they are analogical. Nor, 

 if I inherit my three score years and ten, do I expect to die, 

 until the apple crop of the United States shall surpass the 

 potato crop in value, both for man and beast. It has the 

 double quality of palatableness, raw or cooked, — it is a ])er- 

 maneyit crop, not requiring annual planting, — and it produces 

 more bushels to the acre than corn, wheat, or, on an average, 

 than potatoes. The calculations may be made, allowing an 

 average of fifteen bushels to a tree. The same reasoning is 

 true of the Pear ; — it and the apple, are to hold a place yet, 

 as universal eatables, — ^ fruit- grain., not known in their past 

 history. If not another tree should be set in this county, 

 (Marion Co.) in ten years the annual crop of apples will be 

 200.000 bushels. But Wayne County has double our num- 

 ber of trees, — suppose, however, the 90 counties of Indiana 

 to have only 25 trees to a quarter section of land, i. e. to 

 each 160 acres, the crop, of fifteen bushels a tree, would be 

 nearly two millions. 



The past year has greatly increased the cultivation of 

 small fruits in the State. Strawberries are found in almost 

 every garden, and of select sorts. None among them all is 

 more popular, — or more deservedly so, — than Hovey's Seed- 

 ling. We have a native white strawberry, removed from 

 our meadows to our gardens, which produces fruit of supe- 

 rior fragrance and flavor. The crop is not large — but con- 

 tinues gradually ripening for many weeks. The blackberry 

 is introduced to the garden among us. The fruit sells at our 

 market for from three to five cents, — profit is not therefore 

 the motive for cultivating it, but improvement. I have a 

 ichiie variety. ' What color is a 6/acA:-berry when it is 

 green ? ' We used to say red^ but now we have ripe black 

 berries which are lohite, and green black-bexx'ies which are 

 red. Assorted gooseberries and the new raspberries, Fran- 

 conia and Fastolff are finding their way into our gardens. 

 The Antwerps we have long had in abundance. If next 

 spring I can produce Rhubarb weighing two pounds to the 

 stalk, shall I have surpassed you? I have a seedling which 

 last year without good cultivation produced petioles weighing 

 from eighteen to twenty ounces. My wrist is not very del- 

 icate, and yet it is much smaller in girth than they were. 



