THE ILLINOIS FA^RIMEH. 



183 



the faci^ that every hive now before the 

 public, that is considered of real practi- 

 cal importance, involves to a greater or 

 less extent an infringement on the 

 " Langstroth Hive.'' No one thinks of 

 couuterfeiting the currency of a broken 

 bank. 



I shall be very happy at a future time 

 to present the claims of the several bee 

 hives which have been patented, and are 

 entitled to consideration, to the readers 

 of your valuable journal, and show the 

 relative value of each, should you deem 

 it advisable to publish this. 



R. C. Otis. 



Kenosha, Wis., September 18, 1860. 



Remarks. — We think many of the ag- 

 ricultural journals lessen their usefulness 

 waiting to have all the good things 

 placed in their advertising columns, 

 where a full and free discussion would 

 be of great value to their readers. As 

 a general thing, when a person adverti- 

 ses any article it is passed over in si- 

 lence by the editor or a favorable notice 

 made of it, not so much on its merits but 

 is considered courtesy to the advertising 

 patron, you take his money, and of 

 course must protect his interest. This 

 is all right to a certain extent, but no 

 further. We do not intend to be cur- 

 tailed within any such narrow limits and 

 intend to discuss the merits and de- 

 merits wTiether advertised or not, and if 

 the discussion benefits any person, 

 good, if not, we cannot help it, humbugs 

 must stand from under while merit shall 

 be protected. 



We have never seen the School Visitor 

 nor has the copy alluded to come to hand, 

 the extract in question was cut from some 

 one of our exchanges. Our remarks in 

 relation to patents were not intended 

 specially for the Longstroth patent, for 

 even if legally not entitled to pay for it, 

 it is among the most valuable improve- 

 ments of the age, and if Ilubur did use 

 the movable frame, to Mr. Longstroth is 

 due the credit of introduciug it to the 

 bee culturist ; and as there is no humbug 

 about its value, it is out of the list of 

 humbugs, but the day of humbug hives 

 is not over, as can be seen at our State 

 and County Fairs. In the general prin- 

 ciple of the Longstroth and Phelp*s hives 

 we can see no particular difference, and 

 we think the movable frames are substan- 

 tially the same. In the construction or 

 form of the hive there is a difference, 

 but we think these differences are not 

 patentable. We hear a good deal about 

 prosecuting for infringement and it may 



be that important suits will grow out of 

 it. We care not to 'take part in the 

 quarrel between the owners of hives, 

 but we do want to know who has the 

 best hive and who the right to sell, if 

 patented, so that our readers may not 

 be compelled to pay twice for their hives, 

 or the right to use. 



As a good hive is of tbe first impor- 

 tance to the bee keeper, we shall be glad 

 to hear froni our friend Otis on this sub- 

 ject, as well as others interested. Assur- 

 ing them that if they use any big words 

 that we cannot understand, legal tech- 

 nictalities beyond our reach, or become 

 too personal, we shall draw our pen over 

 all such weak points. Gome on, gentle- 

 men, with your bee hives and bee cul- 

 ture, we will receive you with all the 

 honors hat in hand, we like honey, and 

 so do our readers, but a good many of 

 them deprive themselves of this great 

 luxury, simply, from not knowing the 

 whys and wherefores, and to this end 

 wish them fully posted ; we want this 

 land to flow with milk and honey, and 

 to enjoy *' wheat bread and chicken 

 fixings," instead of "com bread and 



common doings.'' 



Ed. 



-»♦.- 



Freeport, III., Sept. 10, I860. 



Editor Illinois Farmer : — Drar JSir. 

 — I notice your article in the Illinois 

 Farmer relative to the "Purple Gane" 

 Raspberry. I presume you refer to these 

 I seat you last spring — ^the same variety, a 

 sample of which was lately sent by our mu- 

 tual friend, Charles Rosensteil. to Emery, 

 and by him recommended ia the Prairie 

 Farmer, two weeks since. 



Mr. Rosensteil informs me the Illinoia 

 Horticultural Society decided the variety to 

 be the " Purple Cane," and he gives it the 

 same appellation on their authority. In 

 this, I am confident the Society are in error. 

 This variety was common in Saratoga Co., 

 N Y., forty years ago, known as "English 

 Brown." I made its acquaintance in my 

 frither's garden, as early as I could pick ber- 

 ries. Mr. DeForest, of this place, says it 

 was highly esteemed in Connecticut many 

 years ago for its hardiness, and that it is de- 

 scribed in old horticultural works. Perhaps 

 you may have access to some old work in 

 which it may be found, Mr. DeForest 

 thinks it was described as English Hed, but 

 I fancy he is mistaken in the red, as the 

 fruit when ripe is a brownish purple. 



A lady who resided in Galena, twenty 

 years ago, says the same berry was then cul- 

 tivated in that vicinity and called " English 

 Brown." ;.;;,. 



The parents of the great number of plants 

 now srowing in the neigh borhoo'l, were sent 

 from Central New York to my wife's mother 

 eighteen years ago without any name, but 

 said to have been purchased from Thorburn. 

 I have grown these extensively for eight or 



ten years, and supplied Rosensteil, Wheeler 

 and all who desired them. 



Last spring I received from Dr. Edward 

 Taylor, of the Cove Dale Nurseries, (Jleve- 

 laud, a few plants of the " Purple Cane, or 

 Ohio Seedling," which bore no perfect fruit 

 this summer, but the difference in the cane 

 is very apparent to a careful observer — the 

 general appearance is similar — the spines on 

 the English Brown are half an inch apart 

 and curved — on my Purple Gane they are 

 thickly set and straight. 



I think there is also a marked difference 

 in the fruit stem. I hope another season to 

 be able to point out more fully the differ- 

 ence. 



The berry is wortliy of all the praise that 

 has been bestowed upon it, by cutting the 

 canes of a part of your plantation in the fall 

 or spring within a few inches of the ground, 

 you will get a full crop wit;iout resorting to 

 the humbug, " Catawisa"— the fruit of 

 which so nearly resembles the '' Eugli.sh 

 Brown" when fully ripe, that I have been 

 unable to distinguish one from the other, 

 either by the size, color or flavor. 



The old English Brown deserves a better 

 fate than being christened in its old age, 

 " Purple Cane," a name which is as appro- 

 priate to nearly every other Raspberry, let it 

 retain its homely appellation, at least, until 

 horticulturists can find one better than Pur- 

 ple Cane. 



The Lake Superior Raspberry which 

 you refer to I do not consider worthy of 

 general cultivation, it is with mc, almost as 

 tender as the Antwerp, and the fruit ripens 

 so gradually that very few berries can be 

 picked at one time. I have plowed up my 

 patch of 100 stools of Lawtou's dtid thrown 

 them over the fence, the young suckers are 

 coming up finely, eo that I shnll probably 

 have enough left to supply all of your friends 

 that wish to attempt there cultivation. 



Yours very truly, 

 ' ' ^ ■ Oscar Taylor. 



Remarks. — The raspberry in question, 

 we received from our friend Taylor, also, of 

 Mr. RDsensteil, and also of Dr. J. A. War. 

 der. We do not recollect that any action 

 in regard to the name was taken by the 



State Horticultural Society. 



At the State 



Warder was 



H. Rosensteil 



raspberries in 



Fair, held at Freeport, Dr 

 present, and a guest of G. 

 who had a large lot of these 

 hia garden ; the Dr. prunouuccd them the 

 " Purple Cane" and they have been so called 

 since. It is possible that the Dr. was in 

 error, if so, he will doubtless make the cor- 

 rection. He had grown them several years, 

 and considered them the most hardy and 

 prolific of all the raspberry, tabe for the 

 prairi 



eople are running wild after 



it is refreshing to see some 



dards of value rescued fmni 



Had it not been for the accidental 



w 



something 

 of the old 

 oblivion 



visit of Dr. Warder to Freeport, this valua- 

 ble raspberry might have continued to please 

 a few of the good people of Freeport with- 

 out attracting any particular attention. Ac- 



