1872 The Western Pomologist and Gardener. Jf^ 



good on Mahaleb, but the sweet cherries for the West must be grown on Seedling Morello 

 stocks. So grown, their first year will be about two and a-half feet high, with branches 

 from within four inches of the bud. Root prune these in November ; after the first sea- 

 son's growth, leave them to grow. The second season, root prune again in November ; 

 and transplant to the orchard as soon in spring as frost will admit. 



THE PEAR AND ITS CULTUHE. 



I must take exception to your talented and careful corresponding editor's remarks as to 

 the soil suited to the Pear. He cites New Jersey, Long Island and California as sandy loam 

 instances, whereon the Pear is especially a success. Now, please let me ask him to point out 

 such locations, and if they are not based on deep, strong, heav}' loams, I will accord him 

 all credit. Again, let me say to him that some of the oldest Pear trees, healthy as known 

 in the States, are situate in the clay, shady soils of Ohio, the deep loams of Michigan, the 

 heavy lands of St. Genevieve, in Missouri ; and so, touching the wholt matter, I don't 

 believe he or I, or anyone else as yet knows aught of certainty wherefrom to advise the 

 planter. Only let us all join in advice to plant pears, whatever soil may be at hand. 



THE PEAR ON MOUNTAIN ASH. 



Robert Douglass, as always, is here with his good, reasonable common sense, and while 

 he accords to the Jlountain Ash a value as stock for the pear, it behooves him and all of 



us who so advise, to say what varieties do so succeed. I note Bune AniauUs panachee, 

 Doyenne Skiille, as two that for twenty years have grown and fruited well, grown on 

 Mountain Ash stock. 



GROWING GRAPES ON TREES, ETC. 



Our worthy but eccentric friend. Prof Turner, of Illinois, some years since started the 

 slitting and bark peeling item, and then he came out on the Elm tree as the great feature 

 of grape growing. I know no man of more capacity than the Professor, and since the 

 death of Wm. R. Prince, I know no man who likes better (by some apparent simple sys- 

 tem of culture, but egrcgiously erroneous,) than does he, to bring out men. In a four 

 years' constant study of the vine and its training, relative to disease, etc., it came to my 

 lot to visit, here, there and elsewhere, vines growing on trees, long trellises, etc., et';., in 

 some four different AVestern States. My conclusion was, that no exemption from disease, 

 no additional hardihood, was obtained, while the size of bunch and berry and the quality 

 of fruit were reduced. 



The Benonl"It8 Pecnliar Qualities, -•Porter. 



By Dr. James Weed. MuscAT^^•E. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener:— I began propagating the Benoni about thirty years 

 ago from one tree, the only summer apple with a small list of varieties received from 

 Ohio. Unexpected difficulties and delay in getting a general stock of varieties from the 

 East, compelled me to propagate it extensively ; although as it was new to me and I could 

 only find a brief and common-place description of it in Kenrick's Orchardist, I had great 

 apprehensions that it would prove to be an indiiTerent or worthless apple. 



About the time I commenced growing nursery trees in Iowa, root-grafting was much 

 praised at the East. My first experience in this method was with Alexander, Baldwin, 

 Benoni, Danvers' Winter Sweet, Newtown Spitzenburgh, Red Sweet Pearmain, and Yel- 

 low Newtown Pippin. Soon complaints came from all parts of the West of bark-bursting 

 in root-grafted trees. I found Alexander and Benoni entirely exempt from this evil 

 ■while the others were more or less damaged — Yellow Newtown Pippin and Baldwin. so 

 badly as to preclude their profitable culture by this mode. Benoni was remarkable in its 

 habit of growth, forming uniformly straight, nice, young trees, and for several years all 

 my root-grafts weie mostly of this variety, with the purpose of double-working standard 

 high with other sorts. Some were thus grafted, but when it gave evidence of beinn- the 

 best apple in the orchard the purpose was relinquished, and this was an additional rea- 

 son for the great number of Benoni trees disseminated in this region. 



