THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



187 



and lai'ge and clean was the fruit ; and 

 the market so greedy to obtain them. 

 On tlie 5th July the Nai)oleon Biggar- 

 eau and the Yellow Spanish, those most 

 magnificent of white cherries, com- 

 manded no less than $1.90 per twelve- 

 quart basket in Toronto market. With- 

 out doubt these two ai'e the finest of 

 the Biggareaus, as the Black Tartarian 

 and the Black Eagle are the leading 

 Heart varieties. 



A New Asparagus. — The Scientific Ameri- 

 can speaks of a new variety of aspara- 

 gus which has been discovered on the 

 steppes of the Akhal-Tekiz. It grows 

 perfectly wild ; has stalks nearly as 

 thick as a man's arm, and attaining a 

 height of five or six feet. One of these 

 immense stalks is said to be sufficient 

 for a meal for ten Russian soldiers ! 



Pears. — The Duchess, Winter Nelis, 

 and Seckel are regarded by the Country 

 Gentleman as the pears least liable to 

 blight. The Claii-geau aTid Urbaniste. 

 also promise well. 



In our experience we may mention 

 the Osbands Summer and the Flemish 

 Beauty as among the most subject to 

 this dread disease. 



Tuition in Horticulture was the subject of 

 of Secretai-y Garfiehl's first lecture at 

 Cornell. He shows in it the inade- 

 quacy of books and lectures to teach 

 this science, unless accompanied by 

 practical work in the laboratory and in 

 the field. He also points out the great 

 value of horticultural periodicals, and 

 of the meeting of practical men in hoi'- 

 ticultural societies. 



The Corner Stone of the most ricldy 

 endowed university in the world was 

 laid on the 18th of last May at Pals 

 Alto, in Santa Clara County, Cali- 

 fornia. It is built by Senator Stan- 

 foi"d. upon his cattle ranch of over 

 7,000 acres, and is endowed with about 

 $20,000,000 to heyin loith. The plans 

 are on a gigantic scale, and the curricu- 



lum is to include not only art and science, 

 but courses in practical agriculture and 

 horticulture under the most gifted 

 specialists. 



Does it not appear that the most 

 thoroughly equipped universities of the 

 future are to be those which are 

 founded and sustained by private 

 beneficence. 



Prunus Simoni or Apricot Plum. Prof- 

 Budd of the Iowa State Agricultural 

 College writes of this plum as follows : 

 — "It will be the king of fruits — better 

 than-any apricot. In France it is 

 placed at the head of the plums. Hardy 

 even here (42nd parallel). In all 

 respects it is a botanical curiosity. In 

 color of bark, and in all points except 



r 



PRUNUS SIMONI. 



the net veining and color of the leaves, 

 it resembles the peach. In fruit it 

 comes nearer to a flattish, smooth, 

 brick-i'ed tomato than to any of our 

 stone fruits ; yet in smell and flavour 

 it approaches very near the nectarine." 

 Unpaid. — We regret to find a good 

 many on our lists avIio have not yet 

 ])aid for the year 1887, and yet they 

 have accepted from the post office seven 



