October 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



183 



For the Western Pomologist: 



Raspberries and Apples. 



As the raspberries liave tiuislicd their har- 

 vest, allow me a word of commendation of 

 the Ciucinnatti Red, which has been the 

 most profitable with me of any variety for 

 field culture for the last twelve years. It is 

 of fair quality, fine color, good size and pro- 

 lific of fruit and suckers, the last is its great 

 objection for garden grounds ; it will bear 

 carriage to market tolerably well, is in bear- 

 ing about four weeks, and escapes the drouth 

 better than Philadelphia, or Purplecane, and 

 suflicieutly hardj' for Southern Wisconsin. 

 If the Davison's Thoruless proves prolific it 

 will be a great accession to the Blackcap 

 family — ten days earlier than Doolittle, and 

 two weeks earlier than Miami, botli of which 

 bore the first fruit this year with me, and 

 the Miami has done splendid. 



Why farmers do not raise enough of rasp- 

 berries for the supply of their own table the 

 year round I cannot see. If they would 

 give one-fourth acre of ground set to rasp- 

 berries, the same culture they would if 

 planted to corn, it would pay them in health 

 and enjoyment, in dollars and cents, more 

 than any other one-fourth acre on their 

 farm; and I think, four to one, and pay too, 

 the j-ear after planting. 



" Can't get the plants," do you say? The 

 plants can be sent any where by mail in the 

 United States, and the postage will not 

 be one half cent each. 



With the same care and expense for the 

 first fifteen years, more bushels of raspber- 

 ries can be raised from the same amount of 

 ground than of any other kind of fruit, and 

 never an entire failure of a crop. Who does 

 not like raspberry jam, raspberry pie, rasp- 

 berry canned, raspberries the year round? 



The drouth was so severe with us the last 

 spring and summer, that very much of the 

 apple crop has fallen. The varieties that liave 

 held their fruit best are Sops of Wine, St 

 Lawrence, Kirkbridge White, Tallmano's 

 Sweet and Golden Russet. 



Sops of Wine has been disseminated large- 

 ly throughout the Northwest, under the 

 names of Wm.'s Favorite, which is almost 

 identical though not as good a fruit, and the 

 Earlj' Washington. I liave the true Sops of 

 Wine under the three names from diflferent 

 sources. The tree is a fine grower in the 

 nursery, bears 3'oung iu the orchard, and its 

 apples arc souglit after by the boys early iu 

 harvest, a little before Red Astrachan. Tree 

 perfectly hardy and every way worthy a 

 place in every collection. 



St. Lawrence is too great a favorite to need 

 any commendation from us ; rather tardy in 

 coming into bearing, and on the prairie in- 

 clined to rot before maturity, yet being so 

 hardy, and fruit of first quality, it cannot be 

 omitted from any collection. 



Kirkbridge White, rather a new variety in 

 the West, is as profitable as Duchess for the 



first ten years from planting. Not perfectly 

 hardy, yet I have never lost a tree in orchard, 

 and but few in nursery. Tree very upright, 

 bears very young and full. Apple rather 

 below medium, but the choicest eating apple 

 for August and September, of any of the 

 many kinds I am fruiting. 



Geo. J. KELLOoa. 

 Belle Cottage Nurseries, JanesvUle, Wis. 



The Vine Lock. 



We here present the illustrations and de- 

 scription of a very simple contrivance for 

 securing grape vines to the trellis, stakes, 

 sides of buildings, or any other object, in lieu 

 of twine or any other material used for a 

 similar purpose. It is made of small wire, 

 and shaped and ap- 

 plied as seen in the 

 illustrations. The 

 hooked ends clasp the 

 wire of the trellis 

 and secure the vine in its place with ample 

 room for growth. 



When vines are trained to stakes, wooden 

 trellis, or on the sides of buildings, a nail or 

 staple is used as a substitute for the trellis 

 wire. If a nail is employed, the clasp liook 



is placed towards the head of the nail. For 

 securing horizontal shoots or canes the de- 

 vice has a different form. It may also be 



used on small fruit and ornamental vines and 

 caues requiring support. This convenient 



and economical device is the invention of 

 Mr. B. F. UnderhiU, of Broctou, N. Y. 



No. 1 represents the Vine-Lock designed 

 for upright or oblique shoots or canes. 



No. 3 represents it as applied to the wire, 

 with one hook closed that it may remain 

 permanently on the trellis. 



Nos. 3 and 4 represent it with tlie shoot 

 or cane enclosed and secured to the wire. 



In pruning the ripened wood, the cane is 

 cut close to the Vine-Lock and then disengag- 

 ed, leaving the latter suspended for use an- 

 other year. 



The advantages claimed by the inventor 

 for .his Vine Lock is a saving of two thirds, 

 the labor required for tying, unskilled work- 

 men in tying can perform the labor, the vine 

 is secured from breaking away during high 

 winds, no danger of the vine being girdled — 

 its durability, (in comparison with twine, 

 bass baric, willow or any other like materi- 

 al) lasting for many years. Another consid- 

 eration is cheapness — the cost per 1000 not 

 exceeding sevent3'-five cents. 



Cropping Orchards. 



I noticed recently in your journal commu- 

 nications on the bad policy of cropping 

 orchards with grain. No doubt your cor- 

 respondents are right, so far as half way 

 culture is practised. But, under good culti- 

 vation, no such condition as stunted trees, or 

 mouse-car leaves of a velvety color, will be 

 seen. Ever since I came to this neighbor- 

 hood, I have been a close observer of the 

 different kinds of fruit raised here, which is 

 a very profitable branch of agriculture. Not 

 only has there been marked success in the 

 raising of apples, but also in peaches, quin- 

 ces, and grapes. Of the latter, over sixty 

 acres are planted out on an area of about four 

 miles, fronting on Lake Erie. But to return 

 to the subject of apples, I will try to show 

 that grain-growing iu orchards is not all 

 moonshine. 



Thirteen years ago a neighbor of mine 

 had about three acres ot orchard, containing 

 old trees. He planted the remainder of the 

 field, about three acres more, the old as well 

 as the young trees being mostly R. I. Green- 

 ings. Every alternate year the orchard has 

 been in fall wheat, yielding from twenty-five 

 to thirty bushels to the acre, the other years 

 it would be put iu with, sometime barley, 

 peas, beans, or corn, always yielding a heavy 

 crop. As for the fruit crop it is spokeu of 

 far and wide, and all admit that Mr. Stover 

 alwaj-s has a heavy crop of apples. But Mr. 

 Slover has a valuable receipt which he sup- 

 plies to both land and trees. Every fali all 

 the manure made during the year is put iu 

 the orchard to be plowed under. In the 

 spring every tree is looked to, and all unnec- 

 essary wood, young shoots and sprouts from 

 the root removed. The trees are then 

 washed with lime and wood ashes, the mix- 

 ture applied with a splint broom, which 

 efiectnally removes bark-lice and moss from 

 the trees. And I doubt very much if your 

 correspondents ever saw much thriftier trees, 

 old and young, or that bore better crops of 

 finer fruit. 



I could mention other orchards, set out 13 

 years ago, and treated pretty much the same 

 way, witli the same results. — C&r. Canada 

 Farmer. 



