The Canadian Horiill'lturist. 105 



KiEKKER Pear. This tree was recommended as one of the best for stock 

 on which to graft other varieties. With regard to the (luality of the fruit itself. 

 Mr. Smith said he preferred the fruit of the Kieffcr to the Clairgeau, but it has 

 a fault of setting too much fruit, and, therefore, needed a good deal of thinning. 

 On the whole, however, the sentiment of the meeting was that the Kieffer pear 

 was of very poor quality, and that the public would not be long in finding it out. 

 Best Varieties ok Plums.— Mr. Powell, of (ihent, said that among the 

 most desirable varieties were the following : (iueii, Bradshaw, Hudson Purple 

 Egg, Reine Claude (the best of the entire list for table and market), Ouackenbos, 

 and Shrojjsjiire Damson. He thought that everyone should have a tree or two 

 of Coe's Colden Drop, not for market, but for home use. 



Mr. VVillard said that of all Damsons he preferred the Prince Damson. His 

 list would include the Field, for it is the earliest, being ten days in advance of 

 the Bradshaw, otherwise very similar, besides being of the very best quality ; 

 then the Prince of Wales, ripening on August 29th, the most productive and 

 stylish of plums, and sells at a high price because of its beautiful appearance ; 

 the Orand Duke, which ripened this year on September 30th, the best of late 

 plums, sells sometimes as high as $1.50 per ten-pound basket ; the Stanton, 

 ripening last year on September 31st, and of a fine color. 



Of the plums least liable to rot, the following are suggested : Reine Claude, 

 Lombard, Damson, Smith's Prune (or Diamond). 



Prunus Simoni, according to Mr. Smith, is handsome, productive and hardy, 

 but of inferior ciuality. It is very showy. Trees three years planted produced 

 a peck of beautiful specimens. 



Mr. Barry said that he had grown it twelve or fifteen years as an ornamental 

 tree, but never considered it of value, except for ornament. The ciuality was 

 not good enough for a dessert plum. 



Cherries. — Mr. Willard spoke highly of the Windsor. He had sold it at 

 Philadelphia at 25c. per pound, which anyone will admit is a paying price. For 

 profit he would grow the Windsor, Montmorency, Napoleon, Biggareau and 

 English Morello. He considered the A\'indsor more profitable than ihe Black 

 Tartarian. 



Apricots. — Mr. Smith said that all the Russian apricots were very poor 

 quality, and the sooner they are dug out the better. The Shense apricot from 

 North China has some value, so has the Harris, which was first planted at Geneva 

 some twenty-five years ago by a man named Harris. It is an old variety, but 

 its name is lost. 



The New York Assembly has voted permission for the raising of one or two 

 old sunken vessels in Lake George, for the purpose of sending them as relics 

 to the Chicago P'air. 



