JUNE 20, 1S94.J 



Garden and Forest. 



24 



o 



Apricots, chiefly of the Royal or the Hemskirke types. 

 Newcastle Early, Gooley and Smith's Triumph are all rep- 

 resentative varieties; these resemble the Royal, but are 

 earlier and better in many respects. Flickinger is a Hems- 

 kirke seedling, now being planted in the Apricot districts. 

 Several coming seedlings not yet named are of the Moor- 

 park type, and are said to bear much better. The Peach 

 Apricot is represented by three or four distinct strains. 

 Apricot-growers desire a highly flavored, richly colored 

 fruit that will bear well and evenly, and there are indica- 

 tions that many new varieties will soon come into the 

 markets. During the past year seedling Apricots have 

 been sent to the Experiment Station from almost every- 

 fruit-district in California. 



The seedling Almonds, now planted in large orchards in 

 California, are largely from the nurseries of Mr. Hatch, of 

 Suisun. His I. X. L., Nonpareil and Ne Plus Ultra are all 

 «-ood bearers, and the fruit is excellent. The Commercial 

 is a Tulare County seedling. Golden State comes from 

 Yolo. Lewelling's Prolific originated in Napa. Califor- 

 nia seedling Almonds are now being planted much more 

 extensively than the imported varieties, as they bear bet- 

 ter and are more profitable. It is also remarkable that the 

 proportion of hull and shell to the weight of kernel is 

 much greater in the standard European sorts, such as the 

 Languedoc, than in the new California seedlings. 



The era of new seedling Cherries began a few years ago 

 with the Centennial, a seedling of the Royal Ann (Napoleon 

 Bigarreu) ; the Thompson seedling, resembling Black 

 Tartarian, and the Oregon, a fine large late cherry. Other 

 seedlings are appearing, such as Chapman, Purity and Cali- 

 fornia Advance. The veteran horticulturist, Seth Lewell- 

 ing, of Milwaukee, Oregon, who first carried fruit-trees 

 across the continent, originated a new Cherry, the Bing, 

 which has been extensively planted in Oregon, and is 

 being introduced into California. 



Californians are originating many new varieties of 

 Peaches, and the Oregonians, considering their lesser 

 acreage, are doing nearly as well. In the Hale's Early 

 class. Oregon has probably made an advance with S. G. 

 French and Early Charlotte. Stilson is a large yellow free- 

 stone two weeks later than Late Crawford, very popular 

 with the canners. Jones's Seedling is of a similar type, 

 but earlier. California Cling, Austin Cling and Day's 

 Cling are all very large, solid and showy seedlings of the 

 Orange Cling type. George's Late and Winters are fine 

 new seedlings of the Heath Peach. In the department of 

 Cling Peaches five sorts out of six now planted are likely 

 to be California seedlings ; in other departments, also, the 

 large orchards are chiefly planted with seedling sorts. 

 Muir, for instance, a Vacaville seedling, is now the most 

 popular yellow sort among orchardists. It is beginning to 

 be difficult to keep track of the new Peaches, even in test- 

 orchards. Many kinds show but little variation from the 

 older sorts, and a more rigorous discarding of second-rate 

 varieties is necessary. 



There are many new California seedling Pears of prom- 

 ise. Santa Ana, a large bright golden russet Pear, said to 

 be equal to the Winter Nelis in flavor, is being planted 

 largely. It is a late-keeper. I have seen two Humboldt 

 County seedlings, as yet unnamed, that are among the 

 very largest of California Pears, and they seem to be worth 

 trying. The Fox seedlings are now standard sorts. 



Napa Valley has produced the famous Clyman Plum, a 

 seedling of the Peach Plum, but the fruit is much finer, and 

 equal to the best for shipping to distant markets. A prom- 

 ising Stanislaus County seedling is Uncle Ben, which pro- 

 duces a large late yellow plum that will keep in good 

 condition until near Christmas. 



In the Prune class, Oregon growers now send out a new 

 prune called the Golden, a seedling from the Fellenberg, a 

 very large fruit of the finest quality, also the Oregon and 

 the Champion, both untested in orchards in California. 

 Ruby is a new Lake County, California. Prune of dark red 

 color, and Elmore, lately produced in Shasta, is a very early 



Prune, a Sacramento Valley seedling. Pennant is a new 

 and highly praised Prune from the state of Washington. 



The best table Grape yet originated in California is an 

 Isabella sport from Santa Clara, known for some years as 

 Isabella Regia, but now classified as the Pierce. It has 

 probably the largest berry of any grape of the American 

 type, and the vigor of the plant is remarkable. It is wor- 

 thy of general introduction wherever its parent, the Isabella, 

 is hardy. A large grape from Yuba of the Flame Tokay 

 type is coming into notice. It is called the Bishop. 



In Walnuts, besides the Santa Barbara soft-shell Walnuts, 

 well known in the warm coast valleys, there are now sev- 

 eral new sorts originated in the Sierras by Mr. Felix Gillett. 

 One is the Mayette-shaped Prceparturiens ; another the 

 Cluster Prceparturiens, and a third the California Chaberte. 

 Mr. Gillett's collection of Walnuts in bearing comprises 

 twenty imported varieties. 



Strawberries, Gooseberries, Currants and Blackberries are 

 well represented by desirable Pacific Coast seedlings, but 

 the list is already so long that I hesitate to continue. In 

 every department of horticulture the last few years have 

 shown great gains. For every seedling fruit that is being 

 introduced there are a dozen or more that are still be- 

 ing tested. It is interesting to note that many fruit- 

 growers find profit in seedlings. They plant them in 

 orchards before the general public is allowed to know of 

 their existence, and sell exclusive rights to nurserymen. 

 The nurserymen themselves are trying to produce new 

 kinds. Some of them have found it to their advantage to 

 search through the old seeding orchards of the mining 

 period, where many valuable new sorts have already been 

 discovered. The scientific hybridizer finds peculiarly fa- 

 vorable opportunities for his work in the orchard districts 

 of the Pacific coast from San Diego to Puget Sound. 



Berkeley, Calif. Chillies H. Shltlll. 



Early June in the Pines. 



TIll'^ finest display of flowering plants in the Pines is 

 in early June, when the Laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is a 

 mass of brilliant bloom varying in color from rose-pink 

 to pure white. The Magnolia, too, is then in flower and 

 fills the air with its heavy fragrance, and in many places 

 the Laurel is as tall as the Magnolia. The beautiful effect 

 of the natural massing of handsome trees and shrubs in 

 the damp Pines cannot easily be described. The Fringe- 

 tree, Chionanthus Virginica, still shows its graceful white 

 blossoms, though not as fully as in May. The large, nod- 

 ding clusters of the Stagger-bush, Andromeda Marianna, 

 are at their best, as are also the panicles of A. ligustnna. 

 The Dwarf Huckleberry, Gaylussacia dumosa, with bell- 

 shaped, white flowers, is common in the damp Pines in 

 company with the low Laurel, Kalmia angustifolia, which 

 has rich clusters of deep rose-purple flowers. 



Xerophyllum setifolium is showy and attractive now. 

 Some of the larger plants bear from five to ten stately 

 flower-scapes surmounted with a compact raceme of white 

 flowers which rise from a wealth of vivid green, long, 

 grass-like leaves. Medeola Virginica is also an interesting 

 plant, though not showy. It has a whorl of leaves about 

 half-way up the stem, and is surmounted by a smaller 

 whorl and an umbel of small recurved, lily-like flowers. 

 On pulling the plant up by the roots a strong odor of 

 cucumber is detected, from which it takes its common 

 name of Cucumber-root. Another plant in the Lily family 

 is the handsome Amianthium musecetoxicum, just coming 

 into bloom. Among many other beautiful herbaceous 

 plants now in flower is Arethusa bulbosa, one of our most 

 charming Orchids, which began to bloom in May, and 

 good specimens of its bright rose-purple flowers may still 

 be found. Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata and Spotted 

 Wintergreen, C. maculata, show the first of their fragrant, 

 wax-looking flowers. Schwalbea Americana is now in 

 flower — a downy plant, in touch, like the softest velvet. 

 The (lowers are purple am! yellow, about an inch in 



