300 



BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



valuable seedlings (as our's is a hard climate), would like 

 to have a list of them. A cross has been made on the 

 wild crab by C. G. Patten, of Iowa. If we remember 

 correctly, he used the pollen of the Duchess. He im- 

 proved the size and got quite a showy apple, but nearly 

 all the astringent crab flavor was retained in it. The 

 Iowa State Horticultural Society, with the best skill in 

 the state and at considerable expense, crossed during 

 last season a large number of blossoms of the wild crab. 

 The tree upon which the work was done produces the 

 finest and most showy wild crabs that have been found 

 in the history of the society. At this writing I have 

 some samples on my desk. They are larger than the 

 Soulard, a little flatter (looking somewhat like an under- 

 sized Janet), greenish yellow and russeted around the 

 stem, which is set in a very shallow basin. The blossom 

 is rather deeply set, slightly corrugated around the basin, 

 which has a few dots scattered over it and some russet 

 streaks. The stem is from two to three inches long. 

 The native odor of specimens is strong, and they are in 

 every way handsome crab-apples. It is the intention of 

 the society to breed a new race by crossing on this stock, 

 and if possible to put the hardiness of the wild crab into 

 a new race of apples having the flavor of Grimes Golden 

 Pippin, Jonathan, Roman and others. — W. M. Bom- 



BERGER, loxva. 



Still More About the Sparrow. — You express my 

 opinion and experience on the sparrow question precisely 

 in the following: "After seventeen years experience in 

 gardening (in which period we have always been sur- 

 rounded by the lively little European), we have yet to 

 record the first serious objection to the bird, coming under 

 our own observation." I have for twenty years watched 

 the little fellow carefully, scrutinizing his every move- 

 ment, and I now have to say in all sincerity that so far as 

 all these charges are concerned but one is true on my 

 premises. The exception is the charge of filthiness, but 

 this at my place is not a serious objection. The English 

 sparrow here does not drive off other birds, but is him- 

 self driven from boxes and gourds placed about my 

 grounds for bluebirds to nest in, by the rightful owners. 

 I grow all kinds of fruits adapted to this latitude, but the 

 English sparrow does not molest any of them. I have 

 seen him frequently with caterpillars, cabbage-worms 

 and other insects in his mouth. He sometimes partakes 

 sparingly of wheat, oats or rye that may be scattered on 

 the ground around the barn. I have never seen him de- 

 stroying grain in the field as has been charged. I only 

 wish the blackbird, robin and cat-bird were as guileless 

 as the sparrow. I verily believe that the unpopularity 

 of this bird grows out of an unaccountable and wicked 

 prejudice against anything imported from Europe. — 

 Sylvester Johnson, Marion Co., Ind. 



The Japan Golden Russet Pear. — (Page 86 ) I 

 do not know how the story could have originated that 

 the American Minister to Japan sent me the Japan 

 Golden Russet pear. Certainly there is no truth in it. 

 About 30 years ago I was attracted by the appearance of 

 a remarkably vigorous pear tree, with dark greenish 



brown wood and large luxuriant glossy foliage, which 

 grew in the garden of a retired sea-captain, in the vicinity 

 of Boston. The seed of the tree was brought from 

 China and the variety was indentified as a seedling of the 

 sand-pear. The tree was enormously productive, but 

 the fruit was valued only for canning. The great vigor 

 and healthfulness of the tree induced me to raise seed- 

 lings from it, with the purpose to use them as stocks on 

 which to bud our dessert varieties. I think some of these 

 seedlings went west. It is possible that some one has 

 given the name "Japan Golden Russet" to one of these 

 seedlings. It is putting a variety of fruit within a nar- 

 row limit to say that it is good only for canning. So far 

 as I have seen this is all that can be claimed for the 

 Chinese and Japanese pears. If they had a high flavor 

 or spiciness, like the quince for example, and only re- 

 quired cooking and sugar to make them palatable, they 

 might still be of great value. But we fear they are de- 

 ficient in flavor. That they have other qualities, such 

 as vigor and productiveness, in a remarkable degree, is 

 certainly true ; and we may reasonably expect, not only 

 that they will be useful as stocks for grafting, but also 

 that they may give rise to hybrids with our table varieties, 

 which may combine the excellencies of both parents. 

 They afford an interesting field for experiments. — Wm. 

 C. Strong, Massachusetts. 



The Japan Golden Russet Pear.— (Page 86 ) Sew- 

 ard Morris states that the " Strong Japan pear " is prob- 

 ably the same as the "Japan Golden Russet" of eastern 

 nurserymen. We have received a catalogue from a west- 

 ern nursery firm, offering a Japan pear under still another 

 name and claiming it to be identical with Japan Golden 

 Russet. We procured two of the trees and a sample of 

 the fruit and could not recognize the latter either in tree 

 or fruit. The fruit sent us and the picture of the same 

 in their catalogue closely resembles the cut of Strong 

 Japan in American Gardening, which is not so flat as 

 Japan Golden Russet while the stems of both are 

 much longer than those of Japan Golden Russet, which 

 are very short. Our stock did not come from Mr. Strong 

 as Mr. Morris suggests, or from the same source as that 

 of the western nurserymen. The trees received, instead 

 of having the short dwarf, stubby growth of Japan 

 Golden Russet (which seldom attains more than two or 

 three feet in height in one year) were five to six feet high 

 at one year old, and resemble in growth Mikado, Von Sie- 

 bold and other Japan sorts. This pear was received by us 

 in the following manner : Several years ago in an importa- 

 tion of Japan persimmons we noticed a tree different 

 from any with which we were familiar. We planted it 

 and found it to be of vigorous, though short, stubby 

 growth, with the large luxuriant foliage common to the 

 Japan type of pears. At three years of age it produced 

 several pears of medium size, very flat, ripening in Sep- 

 tember and October ; color, beautiful golden yellow ; 

 flesh crisp, juicy, rather sweet ; not unpleasant in flavor 

 and unsurpassed for canning and preserving. It blooms 

 late and so escapes injury from late frosts. — Jno. R. 

 Parry, A>zc' Jersey. 



