40 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



March 



More Compliments to Kansas Fruit 

 Gro'wers. 



The following which transpired at the Febru- 

 ary meeting of the Leavenworth County Hor- 

 ticultural Society explains itself: 

 To the Leavenworth Counly Horticultural Society: 



Mr. Pkesident,— In September I forwarded 

 to my native State, New Hampshire a few 

 specimens of Kansas Iruit witii the desire that 

 they would be exhibited at the State Fair. I 

 sent them simply to show my friends that 

 bleeding Kansas, with droutli and grassliop- 

 pers, was a blooded State, and would show as 

 tine specimens as her older sister States. 



The specimens on exhilMtion were as the 

 leading papers of New Hampshire say, the most 

 attractive feature in the fruit line there. The 

 result was tliat a few weeks ago I received a 

 diploma from the New Hampshire State Society 

 which they awarded the fruit, and which I pre- 

 sent to your Society with my best wishes. Most 

 respecllully, your's, B. E. Thompson. 



The Prlsident, on behalf of the Society, made 



the following reply: 



Mr. Thompson, Sir;— Allow me In behalf of 

 the Leavenworth County Horticultural .Socie- 

 ty, to express to vou and your good lady tlie 

 warm and heart felt thanlcs of its members for 

 the rich diploma which you have done them 

 the honor to present on this occasion. Scarce 

 seven weeks have elapsed since our State So- 

 ciecy was honored by the presentation of the 

 Great Gold Medal of the Penusylvauia State 

 Society for tlie exhibition of fruits grown in 

 Kansas, whicli were unsurpassed Ijy anything 

 shown in the city of Philadelphia, at the great 

 national show of 1869, for size, beauty and ex- 

 cellence of flavor. And now, sir, the State of 

 New Hampshire has stepped forward and given 

 the fruits of Kansas, grown in Leavenworth 

 County, a high and distinguished character, 

 by awarding to your friend, Mr. Shepherd, who 

 exhibited the fruits, this spieudid diploma, as 

 an evidence of the high appreciation in which 

 those fruits were lieid by lier State Agricultural 

 Society. This award for fruits grown in Leav- 

 enworth County, when she was placed in com- 

 petition with a whole State, (perhaps with 

 many,) is as flattering to our fi-uit yrou-ing pride, 

 as was the gold meilal to the State Society.— 

 Will you now, sir, together with your goo 

 lady, return to the State Agricultural Society, 

 of New Hampsliire, through your friend Mr. 

 Shepherd, our kindest regards, for having so 

 dislinguished our county, for fruits of great 

 size, beauty and excellence. 



Grape Growers Mebtikg. — The third annual 

 meeting of the Mississippi Valley Grape Growers 

 Association will be held at the office of the St. 

 Louis Fair Grounds, April 6. The meeting will 

 convene at 10 A. M., and continue in session two 

 days. The Planters and St. Nicholas hotels will 

 entertain members at a reduced price from reg- 

 ular rates. 



Members, and all grape growers, are urgently 

 solicited to send in statistics for 1869. 1st. The 

 Dumber of acres, or number of vines planted in 

 the year, and distances apart. 2d. The number 

 in bearing. 3d. The total number. 4tb. The 

 amount of grapes sold, and average price. 5th. 

 The number of gallons of wine made. 6th. Ex- 

 tent of injury sustained by unfavorable weather, 

 insects, birds, etc. 



BuRTjtiG Applks in PiTS. — A Correspondent of 

 the Western Farmer says Col. David A. Lee, of 

 the town ot Marquette, Green Lake Co., Wiscon- 

 sin, having raised 2.000 bushels of apples the last 

 year, has now (Mivrch 1st) lOObushelsof the Gilpin 

 apple buried, the apple? being covered with about 

 one foot of straw, and over this about four or five 

 inches ('f earth, in the manner commonly adopted 

 in burying potatoes. He confidently expects 

 tbese apples will come out in good condition June 

 Tst. Last ye:tr he sold apples, of this variety, 

 buried in this way at $1 75 per bushel. 



For the Western Pomologiet. 



The Sugar Maple. 

 Mark Miller, Dear Sir .—Has the Sugar 

 maple any enemies in this country ? or is there 

 any reason why it would not pay to put out s 

 grove of 25,000 of them for beauty, shelter and a 

 "sugar bush;" and if not, how near would you 

 set them to each other ? Further, is the Sugar- 

 maple the same as the Hard maple, or are they 

 distinct varieties. One man told me he thought 

 there was a borer that destroyed the sugar maple 

 as the locust is destroyed. — E. H. Q., Des Moines 



Kemahks — The sugar maple is known under 

 the name of both " Hard and Rock maple." The 

 borer that works upon the soft maple, so far as we 

 know, has not attacked the hard maples, nor is it 

 probable that it will ever do so, on account of the 

 extreme firmness of their bark and woody tissues 

 We would recommend the same rules in planting 

 the maple, whether for a "sugar bush," or for 

 timber, as given for the Chestnut in the January 

 number. 



The Sugar maple of the Eastern States se^gis 

 less at home with us at the West, than its near 

 relative the Black maple, {aeer nigrum ) As a 

 rule the {acer sacckarinuvi) is not found plenti- 

 fully in our western forests, while the black ma- 

 ple is quite generally found in all timber districts. 

 Fortunately, our hard maple is in all respects 

 the best tree. Its wood has a better and hand 

 somer grain ; it is fully as valuable for sugar 

 making ; as an avenue or shade tree it is more 

 regular and symetrical, with a larger and deeper 

 green leaf, and above all, it grows more thrifty 

 and erect, while young than the Eastern sugar 

 maple. The seeds of the black maple ripen 

 last of September. They should be mixed with 

 pure sand before becoming dried, and kept in a 

 box in a moderately dry celler, for spring plant- 

 ing. 



" Number 1 3." 



For the Western Pomologist. 



The Haas and Ben Davis. 



We have a Farmers' Club here of which I am 

 a member. I wish two others were called upon 

 to make out a list of hardy apples for general 

 cultivation We recommended the H.xas .ind Ben 

 Davis. There was consider.ible discussion upon 

 the new varieties which closed with a recommen- 

 dation of them for trial. 



I have been raising and experimenting with 

 fruit in Wisconsin for twenty years, and am satis- 

 fied, as your able President, (Mr. Mathewsjof the 

 Iowa State Horticultural Society says, that we 

 should double work, or top graft many varieties 

 of theapple I have root grafted and topgrafied, 

 and my experience coincides with that of Mr. 

 Mathews. I have aseedlingof a Siberian variety 

 that I am root grafting for stocks upon which to 

 top worli other varieties. I am highly pleased 

 with the Pomologist. It is just what we West- 

 erners want. 



B. P. Mason, Ripon, Wisconsin. 



Forest Trees. 



Ed Pomologist.— The February number of 

 the Pomologist is full of good things for those 

 who are trying to raise fruit and forest trees. I 

 wish to plant five acres of forest trees in the 

 spring of 1871. Can I find any thing better than 

 the American Chestnut for this part of the State. 

 This county (Wayne) is largely prairie, and some- 

 whitt elevated — main level some six hundred feet 

 above low water mark of the Mississippi at Bur- 

 lington. 



0. G. Allen, Corrydon, Iowa. 



Kemarks. — You can find no more valuable tree 

 than the Chestnut. But in making a plantation 

 of five acres, our selection would not only include 

 the Chestnut, but others — the White ash. Black 

 and White walnuts, Rock and White maples and 

 some of the elms, and some of the soft timbered 

 irees — Cottonwood, Ac, Ac. 



For the last nine or ten years, Prof. James 

 Mathews, President of the Iowa State Horti- 

 cultural Society, has had under cultivation a 

 grape under the above title, and of which the 

 accompanying engraving is a truthful illus- 

 tration copied from a cluster as it laid upon 

 our table. As the grape is one giving no 

 ordinary promise, and its origin somewhat 

 involved in mystery, we propose to speak of 

 its history, so far as known, ard of its char- 

 acteristics. 



Mr. Mathews obtained the vine from Mr. 

 E. S. Rogers, of Salem, Mass., in the spring 

 of 1863, as "Rogers' Hybrid, No. 13," but 

 which has proved not to be that variety. In 

 some way, Mr. Rogers, who is generally 

 very correct, made a mistake in regard to 

 this grape, as it is not his No. 13. What one 

 among Mr. Rogers' numerous seedlings it 

 may be, has not yet been satisfactorily de- 

 termined, nor is that very material for our 

 purpose if the fruit is all right. From all 

 that can bo learned concerning this grape 

 {ilr.d Mr. Mathews has been unsparing in his 

 efforts in this direction,) we are led to believe 

 it a chance seedhug .sent out by Mr. Rogers 

 undetected, as his No. 13. Until, however, 

 tliis question shall have been fully settled, if 

 ever, Mr. Mathews has thought best to ad- 

 here to the original name — " No. 18." 



The vine received in 1863 (a two year old) 

 produced a few fine clusters of fruit the next 

 season (1863), and has borne a regular and 

 abundant crop every season. Mr. M. has 

 now some thirty to forty vines of the same 

 variety in bearing and is still extending the 

 number. 



It has been our good fortune to have 

 an opportunity of eating the " No. 13 " in its 

 season, for tliree years past, and being so fa> 

 vorably impressed with its excellence, we 

 took occasion last fall to visit Mr. Mathews' 

 grounds with the express purpose of exami- 

 ning the habit, character and hardiness of 

 the vine, as well as its fruitfulness. And af- 

 ter a careful scrutiny, and taking into con- 

 sideration all qualities, together with the ex- 

 treme unf.ivorableaess ot tlie season, we 

 were forced to the conclusion that " No. 13 " 

 stands out prominent among the most desir- 

 able varieties with which we are acquainted. 

 That exquisite foreign, or Muscat flavor it 

 posesses, must, in our opinion, recommend it 

 to all good judges of the grape. 



If any vine is entitled to the appellation of 

 " iron clad " it is " No. 13." At the time of 

 our visit, these vines were surrounded by a 

 large collection of other varieties, the most 

 of which were so mildewed and scabbed, as 

 to render the crop totally worthless. Hart- 

 ford had dropped aUWa fruit before maturity 

 — the ground being literally covered with 

 the fallen berries. And even the Concord, 

 so renowned for its exemption from disease, 

 was much injured by mildew and scab ; while 

 the Delaware, standing at a distance of ten 

 feet, was a total failure — the vines leafless as 



