68 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



June 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Advancement of Pomology. 



Editor Pomologist : — The cultivation of 

 fruit, especially the apple, will receive in> 

 creased attention, if the earnest inquiry for 

 trees can be taken as an index of what is to 

 come. In this vicinity the supply is so far 

 exhausted that thrifty trees are not readily 

 obtained. Those desiring to transplant have 

 to rely on nurserymen at a distance, and con- 

 sequently in a short period of time you will 

 hear the old story of failure, and almost feel 

 the storm of indignation that must follow. 

 The nurserj'man is not directly to blame. In 

 closing out he finds a large stock of trees, not 

 of the popular varieties, and with the in- 

 stinct of true Americanism he disposes of 

 them to the best advantage. Many of these 

 purchases have been sold and are selling 

 here at remunerative prices for trees "home 

 raised and true to name." A large quantity of 

 apple trees and grape vines were disposed of 

 last Fall, whose roots were exposed to the 

 bitter cold of October and November, and if 

 they grow it will certainly be a miracle. 

 But those persons imposed upon may demand 

 a large per centage of sympathy from the 

 community for losses sustained, but the read- 

 ing and reflective mind will know how to 

 guage its feelings. If the Pomologist was 

 more generally read and earnest heed paid 

 to its practical teachings, we would have 

 better orchards and hear of fewer failures. 

 It is unquestionably true that most of our 

 farmers have advanced rapidly in pomologi- 

 cal knowledge in the last few years, and this 

 is chiefly due to the attention given to the 

 lessons taught in our agricultural papers and 

 the practical experiments in trying to grow 

 trees of their own. Yet it will be many 

 years before we will expect to see fruit 

 cheap, as the demand increases more rapidly 

 than the production. To what extent the 

 cold snap has aflected the fruit can not now 

 be determined. Some varieties of fruits 

 have suffered severely. 



Observeh, Urbana City, Iowa. 



No Mildew in Miciiigak. — H. E. B., 

 South Haven, Mich., writes the Journal of 

 Horticulture as follows : " On one of our 

 lake shore sand ridges I set out, two years 

 ago next March, on a new clearing, without 

 trenching or plowing, five thousand grape 

 roots, of the following varieties: Delaware, 

 lona, Israella, Allen's Hybrid, Diana Norton's 

 Virginia, Wehawken, Martha, Joanac, and 

 Black Hamburg. They liave all grown 

 finely, without rust or mildew, notwithstand- 

 ing the extremes of drought the first season 

 and wet this year. So mild are our winters 

 that the vines are not taken ofi' the trellis. — 

 Even Black Hamburgs do no winter-kill. I 

 picked up frozen Delawares December 1." 



To Keep a Bodquet Fresh. — Drop a 



tablespoonful of powdered chiircoal into tlie 

 water intended for tlie flower stalks, and 

 they will keep their fnsline.ss and perfume 

 for several days, and look and smell the 

 same as those just gathered. The charcoal 

 settles to the bottom of the vase, the water 

 remaining clear. So says an exchange. 



The Sable Queen Blackberry. 



Within the last ten or fifteen years sever- 

 al new varieties of the blackberry have 

 been presented to the public. But so far as 

 we know, not one has proved a profitable 

 market berry in this latitude. We now 

 have, in the Sable Qdeen, of recent Intro- 

 duction, another for which much is claimed' 

 Mr. J. H. Manning of Reading,Mass., has been 

 principally instrumental in bringing this 

 new variety of the blackberry before the 

 public, and from whom we hav*dcrived the 

 following particulars of its origin: 



" Its size and fruitfulness, quality and ex- 

 ceding beauty, in comparison with the 

 Dorchester and Lawtou blackberries (grown 

 on the same light soils), have so far exceeded 

 these justly celebrated varieties, that those 

 who have compared them do not tolerate 

 their presence. Last season (18G9) it has 

 been tested in our grounds with Kittatinny 

 and Early Wilson. It maintained its claims 

 in quantity and quality of fruit. We assert 

 in the strongest terms it has no competitor 

 yet compared with it. Its season of ripen- 

 ing is one week earlier than the Lawton. 

 Its endurance in cold winters is unexcelled. 



More than twenty years ago, Mr. Daniel 

 graves (now deceased) frequented an old 

 pasture in Essex county, Mass., in the season 

 of fruit, to obtain berries for family use. — 

 He observed, season after season, a single 

 bush or cluster of blackberry bushes, every 

 year excelling all surrounding plants iu 

 amount, size, and quality of fruit. He dug 

 it up and planted it in his garden. Here it 



outstripped its former self, and produced an 

 abundance of berries infinitely superior to 

 anything then known." 



The editor of the Horticxdturist (good au- 

 thority) in his issue for March, 1869, says of 

 the ■' Sable Queen : " 



"In our editorial rambles, last fall, in the 

 neighborhood of Mew York, we discovered 

 in the grounds of a friend a variety of the 

 blackberry which for its dark luxuriant 

 growth and hardiness excited our closest 

 attention and deepest interest. It seemed to 

 promise a decided acquisition to our list of 

 blackberries, and evidently, as far as grown 

 and tried, bore marks of a superiority to all 

 others by its side. In comparison with the 

 Wilson, Kittatinny, and Lawton, the rank 

 growth of this "stranger" afforded a very 

 strong and pleasing ccmtrast. The variety 

 is named the Sable Queen." 



Salt Lake Region. — Joseph Hoopes 

 (President of the Penns.ylvania Horticul- 

 tni-al Society), writes to the Gardners' 

 Monthly that in his trip to the Pacific, he 

 found an excellent fruit region at Salt Lake 

 City. The peaches were mostly seedlings, 

 many fine varieties of clingstones, unknown 

 at the East. The grapes were all exotics, 

 large and handsome, but not of best quality. 

 No destructive insects were seen; not a 

 single curcnlio mark. 



The owner of a vineyard in Niagara 

 County, gives it as his opinion — based on an 

 experience of twenty years — that grapes 

 can be produced at three cents per pound 

 with as great profit as wheat at two dollars 

 a bushel. 



