November 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



IS7 



Pears and Grapes. 

 We have fruited this year over 30 varieties 

 of pears, aud about as many varieties of 

 grapes, aud liave carefully watched the 

 growth aud time of ripening of the fruit 

 from both trees and viues. In common with 

 all other kinds of fruit, they have suffered 

 greally from drougrit. 'J his has been very 

 severe, aud we have reason to fear that per- 

 manent injury has eome to our trees. Pears 

 and grapes have ripened prematurely, arid 

 in many cases imperfectly, and the quality 

 of tlie i'ruit is affected. We can, however, 

 judge in ameasureof the comparative merits 

 of tlie dittereut varieties, and, in the light of 

 past experience, are able to name those best 

 adapted to our climate. In New England 

 we must make our list of really good pears, 

 which can be successfully and profitably 

 grown, much shorter. In three orchards of 

 iOO trees each, on diftVrent soil-^, and with 

 different exposurts, and subjected to similar 

 treatment, we find gnat dilferenccs in the 

 thrift and productiveness of trees. Tliere 

 are not more than 10 varieties which will 

 flourish upon our soils. Xhe Glout Morceau 

 is a failure with us, and so are most of the 

 so-called " winter varieties." There are but 

 few of these that do ripen before Christ- 

 mas under the best condiiions for keeping 

 that we can devise. The Barttett, Duchess: 

 Seckel, Buffum, Louise Bonne de Jersey, and 

 Swan's Orange are the varieties that do best 

 in our orchards. The only early pear really 

 worth cultivating is the Doyenne d'Ete. This 

 is indeed a delici<uis little pear, aud we get a 

 taste of its rich qualities by the middle of 

 August in ordinary seasons. It is rather a 

 vigorous stock, but it needs a moist, reten- 

 tive soil in which to grow. Osburu's Sum- 

 mer Seedling is only fair, and it is later than 

 the Doyenne. 



Among the new varieties of grapes, the 

 Adirondack is worthy of praise. We have 

 fruited it three consecutive seasor.s, and it 

 is the earliest and sweetest of all our vari- 

 eties. It has also proved to be a good 

 bearer, hardy, and the fruit holds well on to 

 the stem. It is a magiiiliceiit grape for wine, 

 affording a variety resembling true Malaga. 

 It is so exceedingly saccharine that it needs 

 to be watched closely and handled intelli- 

 gently, in manipulating for wine. The 

 Israeila, of Grant paternity, is also a good 

 and early grape. It cIosel_y resembles the 

 Adirondack, but is inferior in several re- 

 spects. The Israeila is upon the whole a fail- 

 ure. The clusters are beautiful, and the 

 grape a good one ; but it ripens late, too late 

 for this locality, and then the ripening is 

 singularly eneveu and imperfect. We have 

 hunches which contain berries fully ripe, 

 others partly ripe, and still others as hard 

 and green as Concords in July. This grape 

 will not do for this section, and we doubt if 

 it prove entirely satisfactory in auy locality. 

 The grape and pear crop is abundant this 



year. — Boston Journal of Chemintry. 



^ 



The Boker and the CtiiicULio. — W. B. 

 Wilkes of Aberdeen, Miss., says in the 

 Modd Farmer : " The apple and peach 

 borer, and the curculio, all so di structive in 

 orchards, increase with a.stonishing rapidity, 

 in the absence of pigs to eat the diseased 

 fruit as it falls, and destroy the worms of all 

 kinds. We know by experience that an 

 apple or pear will never grow healthy where 

 either has grown aud decayed; neither will 

 a peach grow where one has formerly stood, 

 but an apple or pear will grow where a 

 peach lived and died, and the peach will 

 thrive where the apple or pear grew. 



If they are so mixed, the orchard soon 

 presents an unsightly and ragged appearance. 

 The difficulty of growing the same kind of 

 tree on the same soil presents so interesting 

 a field for discussion that the subject will be 

 defcred till the next communication. 



loUjtr g|itrtrm. 



November 'Work. 



Ilyacinthsin Winter. — Easa of management 

 renders the Hyacinth one of the most desi- 

 rable flowering plants that graces the parlor 

 aud drawiug-room during our long, desolate 

 winters From the simplicity of its man- 

 agement, and the facility with which it 

 may be forced into bloom, the H^'acinth has 

 become exceedingly popular as a winter 

 flower. A light loam, rather sand3', enriched 

 with very fine rotten manure, makes an 

 excellent compost for potting this and 

 other winter blooming plants. Leaf mould 

 from the forest, with sandy loam, makes the 

 best of plant-potting material. Hyacinths 

 have been successfully grown in a drawing- 

 room in this wise .• A quantity of moss was 

 placed in a water tight box about eight 

 inches deep, into which the bulbs were 

 placed and duly watered. 



Dahlia iJoote.— These, to ripen up well for 

 winter preservation, should remain in the 

 ground until the foliage of the plant is 

 withered and dead. Lot them ^remain 

 in the ground as long as the weather 

 or season does not threaten a final freeze 

 up. They should be taken up in a 

 dry day, and at once exposed to the sun 

 until well dried, so the adhering earth will 

 brush off freely. Then pack in dry sand, 

 intermixed with a little air slacked lime, 

 place the box iu a dry, cool cellar for the 

 winter. Manj' fail in preserving their 

 Dahlia roots fresh and sound through the 

 winter from various causes. If kept too 

 moist, or at an undue degree of temperature, 

 decay and rot speedily follow. To insure 

 success, the roots must be packed in some 

 kind of material that will exclude the air 

 and not imbibe but little if any moisture. 

 If hung up, or laid upon shelves exposed to 

 the open air of the cellar, they are very sure 

 to wither aud lose their vitality. As with 

 potatoes and other vegetables, the lower the 

 temperature above the freezing point where 

 kept, the better. 



For Cannas. — Follow the sameections dir 

 for wintering as given for the Dahlia. They 

 should be taken up earlier, however. 

 We are inclined to think that a sliglit freeze 

 or frosting of the leaves of the Canna is in- 

 jurious to the roots. 



Herbaceous Perennials. — As Phloxes, Die- 

 lytras, Paeonies, &c., if of more than one 

 year's standing, should be taken up early 

 this month, divided and re-set. 



Parlor Plants.— 'Remove all dead leaves 

 from plants for the winter, dust and wash 

 the plant.s, and tie up to rod if need be. 



Protect tender Roses. — Bind straw around 

 them, or lay down and cover with earth, or 

 straw. All half hardy plants, or shrubs, 

 should be protected iu like manner. We 



find a covering of earth with a little 

 straw throw upon it, the very best protection 

 for the rose. Herbaceous perennials shonld 

 also have a slight covering of straw to pro- 

 tect them from sudden extremes of winter. 



A little attention to the hints here given, 

 if acted upon in due time, may save a deal 

 of loss, 'to say nothing of grievious disap- 

 pointment on the return of spring. We 

 always hear more or less complaint from the 

 inexperienced iu wintering bulbs and roots, 

 especially those of the Dahlia and Canna. 

 What little we know about it has cost us 

 dearly. 



Climbing Herbaceons Perenials. 



Everlasting Pea [Lathyrus latifolios) — A 

 very desirable summer climber, very profuse 

 in lioweiy, a much neglected ])laut. 



Chinese Yam (Dioscorca batatas.) — This 

 plaut, of which so much was expected as a 

 valuable culinary root, has had the misfor- 

 tune of at first being over-jiraised aud then 

 under-rated. It is, however, well worthy of 

 praise for its mere ornamental beauty, for a 

 covering for arbors, &c. It spreads with 

 great vigor, covering a large surface iu a few 

 Aveeks ; and while Ihe roots are perfectly 

 hardy, they possess the additional merit of 

 afloj-ding nutritious food. A plaut combin- 

 ing these qualities merits attention, aud 

 should not be consigned to neglect. 



Virgin flower (Clematis.)— Jhc-ve are 

 many species and varieties of this plant in 

 cultivation, some of them with brilliant 

 flowers, mostly blue. 



Passion Flower (Pas-nflora Incarnata) and 

 double Convolvulus ('Calystegia pubescens.) 

 Both of these climbers, although desirable 

 iu a collection, are inclined to spread aud to 

 send up suckers from the loots, so that they 

 are apt to become troblesome in some situa- 

 tions. 



Climbing Fumitory {Adlnniia cirrhosa.) — 

 A native plant of very delicate fdiage ; re- 

 quires to be grown in a shaded place where 

 it can find support on a I'jw trellis. — ^Report 

 of Conir of Agriculture. 



Conover's Colossal Asparagus. 



The editor of the IlorticuUurist reports 

 that he has examined the original plantation 

 of this variety at Jamaica, L. I., consisting 

 of four acres. The ground was not rich — 

 the plants stood four by five feet apart. The 

 stalks measured a full inch in diameter — 

 being fully double the size of the common 

 sort on adjoiniug plantations, which were a 

 year older, aud richly manured. There is 

 no question that the large size of the Cono- 

 ver was owing to the ample room given to 

 each plant, namely, tweuty square feet to 

 every plant, according to the statement we 

 have quoted. We have seen the common 

 sort, planted iu good soil at ordiuary depth, 

 but with wide space, much larger than that 

 growing in deeply prepared and enriched 

 beds, but closely crowded. The practice of 

 making asparagus beds two or three feet deep, 

 and with copious admixtures of manure, in- 

 duces the owner to try for a large crop by 

 close planting, and the consequence is small 

 stems. Those who purchase plants of the 

 new sort and plaut them too thickly together^ 

 will be likely to lose a p. rt of its advantage 

 in large size. 



