546 Pomological Gossip. 



Mr. Cabot also favored us with a handsome fruit, of which 

 we shall give an outline and a descriptive account in our 

 next volume. 



The Diana Grape. Mr. Longworth, of Cincinnati, is so 

 fearful somebody will pay fifteen dollars for a vine of the 

 Diana, that he deems it important that its quality " should be 

 made known as speedily as possible, to save our fruit growers 

 time and expense." Has our old friend forgotten how the 

 Boston pomologists were humbugged by the celebrated 

 " Longworth's Ohio, or Cigar Box Grape" ? for which they 

 paid five dollars apiece for vines sent by Mr. Longworth, and 

 which proved to be more worthless than the fox grape of our 

 woods ; so worthless, indeed, that we do not believe, out of two 

 hundred vines sent east ($1000 worth) there is one now left. 

 Mr. Longworth says that " none of our fine native grapes will 

 succeed in New England." This is true to a certain extent, 

 though the Isabella does well in four seasons out of five. 

 But Mr. Longworth knows nothing about the Diana. It is 

 for the very reason that it will succeed in New England, that 

 it is prized so high. It not only is so early as to be certain 

 to ripen its crop here, in all seasons, early or late, but it sur- 

 passes the Catawba, or any other American grape, in flavor. 

 We first described it in our Magazine, and have been ac- 

 quainted with the variety for eight years ; and we hesitate 

 not to pronounce it preferable to the Red Chasselas, the Espe- 

 rione. Miller's Burgundy, and several of the French grapes. 

 And so far as its value not being worth fifteen dollars — why, 

 rather than not have it in a collection, we would give double 

 that. But it is not in this view, we presume, that the gen- 

 tleman thought of paying that sum, but probably for com- 

 mercial purposes ; and every cultivator knows that, though a 

 single plant or fruit of any kind may not be intrinsically 

 worth fifteen dollars, yet for the purposes of propagation it 

 may be worth five hundred dollars. Twenty-four plants of 

 the Stanwick Nectarine brought at auction, in London, one 

 hundred and sixty-four pounds sterling — about eight hundred 

 dollars. Now, if the Stanwick nectarine is worth, for gen- 

 eral purposes of cultivation, eight hundred dollars, we venture 



