1858.] REVIEWS. 441 



The Culifornian Farmer. 



Some unknown friend of ours or of the ' Phytologist's' sent a 

 copy of the abovenamed transatlantic paper to our office. For 

 this the sender is well entitled to the Editor's cordial thanks^ 

 Avhich are hereby transmitted to said correspondent. This 

 journal from the far-west appears to be conducted in a genial 

 spirit^ as well as in a spirited manner. Little indeed of its con- 

 tents can be transferred to our pages^ yet we have the pleasure 

 of bidding our contemporary " good speed/^ and of congratulat- 

 ing the citizens of the rapidly advancing State of California, on 

 their having a periodical so wide awake to perceive the capabili- 

 ties of the province, and possessed of a staff of editors and con- 

 tributors so efficient in setting them before the public. The sub- 

 joined notice will speak for itself. We have not room for the 

 cut which heads the article, of which only an extract or two 

 are given, but if the cut is not an exaggerated representation of 

 the fruit, the Lawton Blackberry is as large at least as a Green- 

 gage Plum. 



" The New Rochelle or Lawton Blackberry. — We give below a descrip- 

 tion of the fruit, etc., and can recommend it safely to our farmers here, as 

 a most valuable acquisition, and one that will repay handsomely for the 

 slight amount of investment. Mr. Seymour in his letter, says : ' The New 

 Eochelle Blackberry sends up annually large and vigorous upright shoots 

 with lateral branches, all of which, under common cultivation, will be 

 crowded with fine fruit, a portion of which ripens daily in moist seasons 

 for six weeks, commencing about the middle of July. They are perfectly 

 hardy, always thrifty and productive, and I have not found them liable to 

 injmy by insects or blight. The vines grow quite large, — many of them 

 over an inch in diameter, and the fruit hanging in very thick clusters, — ^in 

 size more like the large Greengage Plums than ordinary Blackbemes. 

 The flavour is not apparently diminished by its large size, and the few 

 seeds is not its least recommendation. We think this berry a valuable 

 acquisition to our domestic fruits, and worth a place in every garden.' " 



After some directions for cultivating the plants, there is the 

 following description of the fruit, which is such as to make the 

 mouth water : — 



" The fruit is juicy and fine-flavoured, with very few seeds. The size 

 can hardly be appreciated by those who have only seen the common 

 varieties — sixty to eighty berries of about the ordinary size will fill a 



N. S. VOL. II. 3 L 



