FIRST FR UITS. 



499 



of the fruits he mentioned are not fit for use at all, and 

 some are not to be had, because they are very scarce 

 and not under culture. All plants imported from here 

 or Messrs. Berger are true to name, and the customers 

 are made acquainted with the true value of the fruits." 

 We should be glad to receive from our Japanese readers, 

 for publication, notes on any of these fruits and other 

 plants suitable for introduction to America. 



Twelve Acres of Roses in Bloom. — The Post- 

 Express says that Ellwanger & Barry's plantation of 

 twelve acres of roses is the largest in America, as is 

 probably true. The collection comprises about 100,000 

 plants, and last June when the whole area was a mass of 

 bloom it was a magnificent sight. 



Among the firm's recent additions are the Japanese 

 roses [probably Rosa rugosa. — Ed.], remarkable for 

 their robust, vigorous growth, great hardiness and re- 

 markable blooming qualities. These varieties are not 

 only ornamental by reason of the beautiful flowers which 

 they produce, but also on account of their handsome 

 foliage and the showy fruit with which the plants are 

 covered in autumn. The Japanese rose will prove 

 valuable, especially for regions where rose culture has 

 been unsuccessful heretofore, owing to the severity of 

 the climate. Madame George Bruant, of the last type, 

 is a striking representative, producing large white flow- 

 ers, highly perfumed and in every way charming. 



The following are new roses raised in Ireland, near 

 Belfast, and have produced a great sensation among the 

 rose lovers on account of their remarkafcle beauty : 



Caroline d' Arden. Pure, soft rose color ; large, per- 

 fectly formed, and of most delightful fragrance. 



Earl of DHjferin. Large, perfect symmetry, and most 

 delightfully fragrant ; velvety-crimson, shaded with 

 dark maroon. 



Ijady Arthur Hill. Beautiful rosy-lilac color — a shade 

 hitherto unknown to roses ; blooms large, full, perfectly 

 symmetrical in form. 



Lady Helen Stewart. Bright crimson-scarlet, highly 

 perfumed. — F. F. 



Meaty Things from the Nurserymen's Convention 

 [Continued). — The splendid record of the American Pom- 

 ological Society in straightening out the nomenclature 

 of fruits has required forty years of constant effort. 

 The work for the present is the raising of seedling fruits. 

 It is a work for all young nurserymen to engage in at 

 once, and there is no section where the demand for 

 seedling fruits is so great as in the northwest, where 

 hardy sorts must be had. 



How to Sell Nursery Stock. Editor Grant, of Tlu: 

 Americaji Florist. — If a florist were induced to plant on 

 his place a sample of a varied collection of ornamental 

 stock, when his customers saw them at their hey-day, 

 wouldn't they be apt to place an order, for delivery at 

 the proper season, if similar specimens could be sup- 

 plied ? 



Wouldn't it be an advantage if the florist could make 

 his prices reasonable, and then be ready to send a man 

 who knew which end of the tree to put into the ground ? 



The florist is generally found where agents have pretty 

 well drummed and too often left unfavorable impres- 

 sions. The people do not care to buy any more cats in 

 a bag. They want to deal with some one they know to 

 be reliable, and whom they can find again. The florist 

 dealer being right on the ground all the time can soon 

 determine in his trial-show ground what is best for his 

 locality and direct his sales accordingly, thus giving an 

 additional satisfaction to buyers and promoting trade. 



Fruit in Minnesota . S. B. Green. — Apples tried and 

 found wanting : Ben Davis, Baldwin, Yellow Bellflower, 

 Roman Stem, Golden Russet, Winesap, etc. The Wealthy 

 is all right, and the Russians are coming forward, like 

 Duchess, Tetofsky, Hibernial, Autumn Streaked, Ostro- 

 koff, Glass, White Pigeon, Charlamofi, Green Streaked 

 and Yellow Annis. The hardy American plums have a 

 great future here. Grapes succeed admirably around 

 our lakes, of which we have 1,000 or more. Concord 

 leads. Ours is not a polar climate. 



Several of our native fruits, notably the sand cherry 

 (Prnniis pumila) and the buffalo berry [Sheplierdia ar- 

 gentea), in addition to the plum, will well repay careful 

 cultivation, being very prolific even in their wild state. 



Forest planting has been extensive. Many formerly 

 treeless counties now have nearly as many growing trees 

 as those which were considered heavily wooded. 



Varieties for Special Localities . Col. C.L. Watrous, of 

 Iowa. — At one of the splendid Boston exhibitions of the 

 American Pomological Society a shrewd observer re- 

 marked that "premium specimens of any variety of 

 fruit have come from a region close by the place of ori- 

 gin, showing that the seedlings have been saved, because 

 of their excellence at the place of their origin, and as 

 they spread out from there they meet with difficulties, 

 which have changed these sorts until they have finally 

 developed diseases." I said, "Why may we not here in 

 the west grow a race of fruit by using our own wild 

 fruit ?" and a great many others thought of it at the 

 same time, and the work has gone on. 



The State Horticultural Society has established twenty 

 permanent stations, where are planted any fruits or 

 plants that the committee deems worthy of trial. We 

 have now a hundred crosses on our native crab, some 

 with fruit almost as large as small Winesaps. The pol- 

 len is taken from such apples as the Jonathan, Grimes, 

 Northern Spy, Baldwin and other large apples of high 

 quality, preferably of red color and late keeping quality. 

 That is the way we are trying, as pioneers, to grow a 

 race of fruit. We found that the imported fruits and 

 their seedlings suffered injury in the straits of our severe 

 season, while the natives seemed to enjoy life just as 

 well after as they did before. 



We are pursuing the same course with the plum, using 

 pollen from European varieties ; likewise the cherry 

 and currant. 



