November i6, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



547 



they sell better than if they tasted delicious and were less at- 

 tractive to the eye. 



Brighton and Lindley are my favorite red Grapes, and both 

 succeeded remarkably this season. Both are liable to fail in 

 setting sometimes, but this defect has not been noticeable this 

 year. These grapes were near perfection, and I am glad to be 

 able to delect a growing appreciation for fruit of such excel- 

 lent quality. The late Lowell Mason once had some Brighton 

 grapes fordessert, and when inquiring where they came from 

 he was surprised to find that they were grown in his own gar- 

 den from vines which I had sent him. On verifying the word 

 of his gardener, he said, with emphasis, " Well, if we can grow 

 such grapes out-of-doors, there is no need of bothering with 

 hot-house varieties." Brighton is early and sometimes loses in 

 quality late in the season. But the Lindley is later and supplies 

 the place of the Brighton when its quality fails. 



quality. It would seem as though such a season as this would 

 have secured the best development, but I was not satisfied 

 with it. 



Green Mountain promises to be the earliest white Grape, 

 with Colerain a close competitor. Eaton has size and good 

 looks to recommend it, but it lacks that quality of sweetness 

 which makes Worden and Cottage so desirable. Howevergood 

 a grape may be in other respects, if it lacks sugar with its 

 acidity it is a failure. There is the same lack of sweetness in 

 Grein's Golden, Missouri Riessling, Noah and Elvira. Lady 

 Washington is better than ever, and Brilliant would delight the 

 taste of a most exacting amateur. The new white Grape, 

 Esther, fruited here for the first time and proves to be of good 

 size, both in berry and in cluster, and of fair quality, although 

 another season will be required to fully test it. The same may 

 be said of Rockwood, and both appear to be late in ripening. 



^'is- 93- — Stump of Sequoia gigantea, on land of the King's River Lumber Company. — See page 541. 



Niagara still holds its own against all competition thus far 

 among the white Grapes for the size of berry-clusters as well 

 as productiveness, while the quality meets with universal com- 

 mendation when grown as I grow it and fully ripe. 



Worden, Cottage, Wilder, Marianna and Herbert hold their 

 own as desirable black kinds. Cottage sometimes drops badly, 

 but this year the fault has not been apparent, showing that 

 there is something in the season to counteract this failing. 

 There is little to choose between Delaware and Berckmans. 

 They are identical in size and color, and equally good in qual- 

 ity. The latter fails in fertilizing sometimes, which may be due 

 to lack of proper company, but both are rather too small to 

 prove profitable for me. Diamond has never reached the 

 ideal which I had formed of it from high commendation in 

 other sections. I am still hoping that another year will give 

 an increase in size of berry and cluster as well as in good 



Catawba, Highland and Black Defiance ripened fairly well, 

 which they do not usually do here. 



Anthracnose was the only serious malady which troubled 

 our vines, and there is very little mildew or rot, both of which 

 can be brought under control. The early season came on 

 slowly, and was very wet, which made cultivation difficult and 

 troublesome. Warfare with weeds had to be constantly waged, 

 with the advantage usually on the side of the weeds. The vines, 

 too, felt the same exhilarating influence, and grew abnormally, 

 so as to make pruning a great task. Since July, however, we 

 have had a continuous drought, with only enough vi'ater 

 in occasional showers to lay the dust on two or three oc- 

 casions. Strawberry-plants have not made half their usual 

 growth, and there has been far less fall setting than usual 

 this year. 



Montclair, N. E. Wt'/h'amS. 



