NEW FRUITS IN AMERICA, 



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melting, juicy flesh ; Lady Clapp, a large, hand- 

 some, yellow, smooth-skinned, vinous sort, of fine 

 quality, succeeding the favourite old Bartlett ; Wor- 

 den's Seckel, a seedling of that multum in parvo the 

 Seckel, perhaps equal in quality to its parent, and 

 exceeding it in size and keeping qualities ; and 

 Gans' Seedling, which precedes the Bartlett and suc- 

 ceeds the Tyson, and which has proved an acquisi- 

 tion to the list of summer pears. Neither should 

 the comparatively new and most excellent autumn 

 variety Frederick Clapp, a fine-grained, lemon- 

 yellow, rich and aromatic sort, be omitted. 



Yet who shall say that any of these surpass many 

 of the older sort, such as Urbaniste, with its de- 

 licious rose fragrance and flavour ; Beurre Hardy, 

 Beurre Superfin, Duhamel du Monceau, Fred. 

 Baudry, and the delightful Petite Marguerite, Dr. 

 Reeder, and Dana's Hovey ? 



Coarse pears, like the KiefFer, with its quince 

 flavour, which are easily grown in the nursery rows, 

 and plums like many of the Japanese sorts, and nu- 

 merous native hybrids, are raised in abundance, and 

 find a ready market ; as do rank, " foxy " grapes 

 like the Niagara, Lady, and Pocklington. Yet what 

 discriminating palate would compare a Japanese 

 plum to many of the Reine Claudes or Gages, 

 and especially that most luscious old offspring of 

 the Gage, McLaughlin, a variety of American 

 origin. 



Plums. — Of plums of recent introduction one 

 may choose among the following, and then be all 

 the more impressed with the virtues of the old : — 

 Abundance and Red June, both of Japanese origin, 

 and not without their qualities ; the Burbank, Giant 

 Prune, Wickson, Chalco, Climax, and Sultan, hy- 

 brids of large size, raised by Mr. Luther Burbank, 

 of California. 



Peaches. — The Champion, Crosby, Elberta, 

 Greensboro, and Triumph are new peaches worthy 

 of recommendation, notably the Elberta, raised in 

 Georgia. This is a large handsome variety, and an 

 excellent shipping sort. The Champion, also a 

 large attractive variety, is probably the best of the 

 newer sorts in quality. None of the recently-intro- 

 duced kinds, however, are equal to the favourite old 

 Crauford, Surpasse Melocoton (a Rochester pro- 

 duction), Coolidge's Favourite, Old Mixon Free, 

 and many of the white-fleshed kinds, which are now 

 more highly appreciated and more extensively cul- 

 tivated than formerly. Nectarines are little grown 

 in the United States, being specially subject to the 

 attacks of the curculis. Indeed, a nectarine is no- 

 where as fine as the glass-grown fruit caught in a 

 net in England. 



Grapes. — McPike and Campbell's Early are 

 two novelties in large-berried grapes of considerable 

 value, the former being a seedling of the Worden, 



with a fine vinous flavour, and producing both 

 handsome clusters and blackberries of immense size, 

 with a flavour recalling somewhat that of the Black 

 Alicante. Winchell is the earliest white native 

 grape, with the Duchess, Moore's Diamond, and 

 Rebecca to take its place if necessary, so far as 

 quality is concerned. The dark Concord continues 

 to be one of the varieties most largely grown, as 

 also the big foxy Niagara ; while, for choice table 

 use, the various Rogers hybrids, Nos.4, 14, 19, and 

 53, or Wilder, Gaertner, Merrimack, and Salem are 

 highly esteemed. 



Rochester and Brighton, both products of the 

 City of Flowers, are among the finest of our early 

 red grapes. The Mills, recently introduced by 

 Rochester horticulturists, a cross between the Mus- 

 cat Hamburg and Creveling, is an entirely distinct 

 variety, which, when properly ripened, has no su- 

 perior and hardly an equal as a dessert fruit. The 

 berry is large, jet black, and covered with a thick 

 bloom; the flesh firm and juicy, strongly recalling 

 the flavour of the Muscat type ; the vine vigorous 

 and productive, and the large, compact, shouldered 

 clusters sometimes weigh over twelve ounces. 



Blackberries. — Of blackberries the Rath- 

 bun, with extra large berries, is a promising new 

 comer. Those who wish a striking novelty, some- 

 what at the expense of quality, may find it in the 

 Iceberg, a Californian variety producing white ber- 

 ries. Perfection is a new red currant which has not 

 been sufficiently tested as yet to pronounce upon 

 definitely. Red Cross and Wilder are two large- 

 fruited new sorts, very productive and of fine 

 quality. The old Cherry among the reds, and the 

 White Grape among the whites, are still extensively 

 cultivated. Of raspberries, Fastolf, Belle de Fon- 

 tenay, Herstine, Superlative, and the delicious 

 Brinckle's Orange are considered among the best of 

 foreign varieties and their seedlings. Of American 

 species and varieties, Cuthbert or Queen of the 

 Markets holds the highest place at present. For 

 such as are partial to the seedy Black-cap there is 

 a long list of new kinds to select from, with few as 

 good as the Kansas and the Gregg. 



In strawberries, the fine old sorts like Triomphe 

 de Gand and others have been superseded by newer 

 kinds, both good, bad, and indifferent. The 

 McKinley, which made its bow in Rochester, and 

 the Marshall, an improvement on the well-known 

 Sharpless, are among the best of the berry beloved 

 by Dr. Boteler and Linnaeus ; while among the 

 newer kinds Gladstone, if not yet pronounced 

 hors concours, is regarded as among the most pro- 

 mising. 



George H. Ellwanger. 

 Mount Hope Nurseries, 

 Rochester, N.Y. 



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