1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



321 



Oattlnga and Clons. 



If intended for planting in spring, either currant 

 or gooseberry cuttings may be separated from the 

 parent stoclc any time during the winter, the later 

 the better, though before the buds swell. Both take 

 root so readily and open their buds at a tempera- 

 ture so low, if cut in early winter and stored in a 

 cellar, they are liable to start into growth before 

 they can be put out in spring. 



Grape cuttings in this latitude, as a general thing 

 should be made late in November, or early in the 

 following month. (Jions of the apple, cherry, plum 

 and pear, for either root grafting in winter, or for 

 top grafting in spring, should be made in early win- 

 ter — as soon as the leaves drop and the wood is 

 thoroughly hardened up. We think it better not 

 to cut before the very last of November, or early 

 part of December. For the preservation of cions 

 and cuttings there is no kind of packing material 

 equal to saw dust of about the same degree 

 of moisture as when it comes from green timber. 

 To winter currant and hardy grape cuttings, such 

 as Concord, decidedly the best plan is to bury them 

 in the open ground in moist earth, where they will 

 freeze, and be kept in that condition until ready to 

 plant, which should be done without delay after 

 the frost leaves the ground in spring. 



The Stra-w berry— Winter Protection. 



After the ground is frozen to the depth of four 

 or five inches (not before) give the plants a cover- 

 ing of two to three inches of coarse straw or prai- 

 rie hay, evenly spread. It should be understood 

 that fro.st alone does little or no injury to the straw- 

 berry. It is open exposure to the dry winds and 

 to alternate freezing and thawing that destroys the 

 unprotected plants. First let the ground be frozen, 

 then give it a covering such as will screen the 

 plants from the sun and the extremes of winter 

 weather, and you give just the needed protection. 

 If the covering is applied too early in the fall there 

 is danger of smothering the plants, for if followed 

 by a spell of wet weather, or a fall of snow, the 

 crown of the plant is liable to rot. The ground 

 once frozen and the covering applied to retain the 

 frost, there need be no apprehension for the safety 

 of the plants so long as the ground remains frozen. 

 Nor should there be haste in removing the cover- 

 ing in the spring. It should not be disturbed until 

 hard spring freezes are past ; and even then the 

 finer portions of the straw should be worked down 

 under and around the plants to serve as a mulch to 

 retain the moisture of the ground. No plant likes 

 a cool, moist footing better than the strawberry or 

 is more benefitted by mulching. 



Tlie GoflT Apple. 



Friend Milleh :— In the Fomolooist for Octo- 

 ber, you say : "But the Qoff. Oh ! what an intol- 

 erable sour thing. Why ! the very recollection of 

 it puts our teeth on edge. Perfectly awful ! pray 

 don't afflict us with any more Goffs." 



Well, I won't. But I am going to appeal from 

 your decision to a higher court — that of your wife, 

 to whom I intend to send a basket of the Goff ap- 

 ples next August or September, if I don't forget 

 it; and she can make the best apple pie or tart, 

 or other apple cookery, of any apples ever brought 

 into Des Moines, I think. Who ever before heard 

 of an apple being too tart for cooking, when there 

 is no crabbed, unpleasant taste to it other than acid? 

 I like a sweet baked apple, but I do not like a sweet 

 apple pie. Tlie Alerson's Early is about the same 

 flavor of the Goff, and that I consider the best early 

 pie apple I have ever found. You remind me of 

 the Minister, who had received some cranberries 

 from a friend, and not beirg acquainted with that 

 kind of berries, tasted them and thought they had 

 soured, and threw them out. 



Mr. Aldrich, of Illinois, once wrote me that he 

 used to market apples in Providence, R. I., and said 

 he could always sell very tart apples for cooking 

 much better than he could mild, pleasant, eating 

 apples — that our women want tart apples, and no 

 matter how tart they are. I have said thus much in 

 praise of the Goff, because it is a noble, healthy, liur- 

 dy arul productive tree, and because the fruit is very 

 large, fair and handsome, and one of the finest mar- 

 ket apples that I raise. 



SuEL Foster. 



Muscatine, Iowa. 



Remarks. — Let 'em come — we'll abide the de 

 cision. 



Fruit in rainnefiola.--]>eep Plantlngi—manare 

 Condnclve to Blight. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener : — No doubt 

 some of your readers maybe interested in knowing 

 the results of the fruit crop in Minnesota the past 

 season, especially so far north as the 45th parallel 

 of latitude. The season has been all that could 

 have been desired — just rain enough and no more 

 from April to October, though temperature has 

 been changeable. Farm crops were never better 

 and fruit far beyond our most sanguine expectations 

 in profusion, size, quality and growth of trees. 

 But blight made its appearance in my orchard, and 

 did some damage in that portion set with yearling 

 trees two years ago. The land upon which this 

 portion of my orchard stands is naturally very rich , 

 and has also been highly manured and kept under 

 a high state of cultivation up to the present time. 

 On it are about fifty varieties of the apple on trial 

 8 ome varieties suffered more than others, but none 

 were entirely exempt. 



