May 17, 1893.1 



Garden and Forest. 



217 



• The Herstine Raspberry, the Saunders, Ruby and others 

 were originated by D. W. Herstine, of Branchtown, near Pliila- 

 pelphia,from seed of the Allen planted next a row of Philadelphia, 

 with the expectation that the product would be a cross between 

 the two. Crossing may take place undersuchconditions,butthere 

 is no certainty of it, and the male parentage is at best wholly in 

 doubt. Yet even such careless methods as these, as in this 

 particular instance, have been productive of good results. 



. Another man who rendered most excellent service to Ameri- 

 can pomology was Dr. W. D. Brinckle, of Philadelphia, in the 

 moments spared from a busy professional life. He began 

 with Strawberries cultivated in pots and kept in the windows 

 of his rooms ; from those his attention was turned to Raspber- 

 ries and Pears. He naturally worked from the standpoint of 

 an amateur, and the Raspberry which bears his name is prob- 

 ably the best known of his productions. His experiments 

 were confined to the foreign sorts, and seedlings of such 

 parentage did not prove well adapted to our climate in hardi- 

 ness and vigor, and yet the Brinckle's Orange up to the present 

 day stands as the type of excellence in quality which is to be 

 sought in a Raspberry. 



This line of work is coming to be considered a matter of 

 more and more importance at our experiment stations, but it 

 is safe to say that it is never likely to receive as much atten- 



answer no. In Black Caps it may seem that there is already 

 improvement enough, yet with a fruit so new in cultivation this 

 can hardly be true; and the newer introductions and seedlings, 

 now on trial at the experiment stations, certamly show no indi- 

 cation of having reached the limit. 



In Blackberries we want varieties with the hardiness and pro- 

 ductiveness of Snyder, but of larger size and better quality. 

 And who can yet predict the future of the Dewberry, which 

 has so recently been introduced to gardens ? May it not pos- 

 sess in itsearliness, large size, or some other points, qualities 

 which will unite with those of the upright Blackberry to pro- 

 duce a fruit better than either ? The union is not an easy one 

 to effect by crossing, and the species may be too far separated 

 to produce offspring of value, yet it has been accomplished, 

 and only time and continued trials can show what the outcome 



Cornell .University. rreci. W. Lard. 



Spring Flowers. 



T N this late spring season the display of the earliest spring 

 -'■ flowers in the mixed border of hardy plants is still 

 meagre. Among those which have appeared are some familiar 

 flowers that peep out early each year and are the advance- 



Fig. 34. — Mouth of Putnam's Wolf-den, Pomfret, Connecticut. — See page 212. 



tion as it deserves, because in most cases the results are slow, 

 and we are apt to be engrossed in matters which yield a 

 quicker return. Yet the possibilities of the field are un- 

 limited, while the work itself is most fascinating for the lover 

 of nature. 



The advice of Marshall P. Wilder can hardly be repeated too 

 often : " Plant the most mature and perfect seeds of the most 

 hardy, vigorous and valuable varieties, and as a shorter pro- 

 cess, insuring more certain and happy results, cross or hy- 

 bridize your best fruits." 



Suppose we take the genus Rubus and notice some of the 

 desirable things to be sought for in it. In the Cuthbert we 

 have the standard red Raspberry for the general and late crop ; 

 yet its canes are not entirely hardy, its color is a little too dark 

 to be most attractive in market, and its quality is not the best. 

 Can we raise from it, as one parent, a seedling which will pos- 

 sess its good qualities and improve it where deficient ? The 

 Golden Queen is but its counterpart, with yellow fruit of better 

 quality, and this might improve in two respects. In Shaffer, 

 of the Rubus neglectus type, we have probably the most pro- 

 ductive Raspberry grown, on a vigorous bush, propagated 

 from tips, with no annoyance from suckers, but the fruit is dull- 

 colored and unattractive when ripe. Can we get a bright red 

 berry of good quality on a bush of this character ? I dare not 



guard of the season. They are always in bloom with the Cro- 

 cus, which is a, perhaps, more definite statement than any 

 dates, considering the difference in seasons and latitudes. 



There appear to be, so far as I have noticed, but few hardy 

 Primulas. The bright, early-flowering P. rosea once promised 

 to be hardy, and has lived through our winters, but it has 

 largely died out and is now seldom seen. P. denticulata, which 

 was planted with P. rosea, has proved to be reliably hardy. 

 Without any special care or protection, it comes up strong and 

 flowers annually, along with the pure white form known as 

 P. denticulata nivalis. The latter variety is snow-white and 

 has been making an attractive display for some days past. This 

 Primula likes a moist soil, with shade from midday sun. It 

 thrives amazingly, making a strong growth after the flowering 

 period. It is a native of the Himalayas. 



A new Fritillaria, tried for the first time this season, is F. 

 aurea. The figure given in Nicholson's Dictionary of Gar- 

 dening, under this name, is evidently in error, as the segments 

 of the flowers are shown recurved, as in F. recurva, while the 

 flowers of F. aurea are the same shape and size as F. Melea- 

 gris. The ground color is clear yellow, checked with brown 

 on the inside of the flowers. It is the prettiest Fritillary I know, 

 and has proved perfectly hardy here, flowering a month earlier 

 than F. Meleagris. It is of dwarfer habit, scarcely exceeding nine 



