Sometimes our labors seem as lost 



And all our yearnings seem in vain. 



And blessings that we pn;e the most 



Are blown in winds or dropped in rain. 



Showers are singing, clouds are flowing, 

 Ocean thunders, croons the rill. 

 Hark ! the West his clarion's blowing ! 

 Hark ! the thrush is fluting shrill. 

 And the blackbird tries his trill, 

 And the skj lark soars to sing ! 

 Even the sparrow tunes his quill. 

 'Tis the Symphony of Spring I 



— Henley. 



Chestnut Orchards. — Several parties in New Jer- 

 sey are preparing to graft large areas of natural chest- 

 nut suckers in timber clearings with Numbo, Paragon 

 and other large varieties, with a view to creating chest- 

 nut orchards of them. — Samuel C Moon, Penn. 



Piece Roots and Whole Roots. — T. V. Munson 

 speaks as follows in Texas Farm and Ranch concerning 

 the relative merits of piece and whole roots for apple 

 trees ; 



'' During the last 20 years I have grown some hun- 

 dreds of thousands of apple trees from cions set upon 2 

 to 2 ^-inch pieces of roots, and in nearly every block 

 of such trees have had a solid stand, in which 80 to 95 

 out of every 100 would grade No. i. They were always 

 well-rooted, and often my one year trees would stand 

 5 to 6 feet, many with well formed heads, and two-year 

 trees have frequently been 6, 7 and 8 feet, well headed 

 and stocky, some producing much divided, shallow 

 spreading roots ; others few, strong, deeply penetrating 

 roots, according to variety grown." 



" After carefully considering the principles involved 

 in the growth of the apple, and all the evidence from 

 practical sources bearing on the subject, I grow trees 

 from vigorous cions grafted on pieces of vigorous roots, 

 simply because I am satisfied that I furnish my patrons 

 better trees than can be grown on long pieces, or even 

 whole roots. The difference in cost is not worth con- 

 sidering." 



Gooseberries in Southwestern Michigan. — "Can 

 gooseberry growing be made profitable in this vicinity ?" 

 brought out the following discussion before the West 

 Michigan Fruit-growers' Society ; 



J. G. Ramsdell : The Downing rarely drops its leaf, 

 while Smith does sometimes. Several others, includ- 

 ing the Industry, are hardly worth planting. They mil- 

 dew badly. Drouth seems to be most severe on goose- 

 berries, and seems to affect the Downing least of all. 

 This variety seems best for all purposes in this vicinity. 



A. Hamilton : The gooseberry has been in the past 



profitable : but now there seems to be a disposition to 

 plant largely, and I fear it will be overdone. A few 

 years ago crab-apples were in great demand, but now the 

 price is so low that it does not pay to ship. 



J. L. Hopkins :□ The supply of gooseberries is very 

 great now, but the demand is so great that if one-half the 

 land on the lake shore were planted to gooseberries, there 

 would be none too many. The Downing is preferred. 



J. C. Gould : I think no fruit except pears should be 

 picked green. It injures the market, and all fruit is 

 better ripe than green. 



E. C. Reid . As to the gooseberry, there is a growing 

 liking for the ripe fruit, but green gooseberries are very 

 nice for sauce and preserving, and they can be sent even 

 to the Rocky mountains. I have the Smith Improved, 

 which dropped its leaves somewhat last year, but is a 

 thrifty, strong grower, with fruit of excellent quality. 

 □ W. A. Taylor : It makes some difference as to the soil 

 on which the gooseoerry is planted. The Houghton 

 does well on light, sandy soil. The Downing will some- 

 times mildew on heavy soil. 



H. Chatfield : I think California will take lots of our 

 gooseberries. They cannot raise them there — it is too 

 hot. Colorado will take quantities, and it is one of the 

 best fruits we have for canning or preserving. 



Japanese Fruits. — J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louis- 

 iana, writes as follows to the New Orleans Tiiiies-Deino- 

 cral, concerning the Japanese fruits which he has intro- 

 duced ; 



KaivacJii orange, the largest of all Mandarins, and fully 

 as hardy as the Satsuma or Oonshiu. 



Japan lualnut, a small nut, but very prolific. 



Boiigozime plum, the earliest of all Japan plums ; ripens 

 the loth of May in this latitude. It blooms with the 

 Kelsey ; fruit about 5's inches in circumference, of a 

 beautiful golden yellow. Tree a vigorous grower and a 

 profuse bearer. This variety was imported by ex-Gov. 

 Hubbard, of Texas, while minister at Japan under the 

 Cleveland administration. 



Hattonkin No. 2, a fine plum on the order of the Kel- 

 sey, but much earlier. 



Hanayuina , not yet fruited with me. Brought over by 

 ex-Gov. Hubbard from Japan. 



Japan apricot, the earliest, the largest and best flav- 

 ored of all apricots ; a valuable acquisition ; no doubt 

 will be largely planted throughout the Gulf states. It is 



