INDFALLS. 



501 



of paper over the glass. Never use a jelly glass with a 

 tin top. If you have to buy them so throw away the tops, 

 but the commonest grade of tumbler is much the best 

 thing. — Agnes Gregoire. 



The Largest Peach Tree in Michigan. — Oceana 

 County, Michigan, can boast of the largest peach tree in 

 that state, if not in the whole country It stands in the 

 Gilson orchard in Claybanks township, only 20 rods from 

 Lake Michigan. By measurement it is 18 inches in dia- 

 meter at the ground, one foot in diameter four feet up 

 at the limbs, while it has a spread of 32 feet. It is re- 

 ported to be perfectly healthy, has always borne, and is 

 in bearing this year, the thirty-second year of its age. 



Japanese Plums. — I mail you a few samples of Ori- 

 ental plums. One is the Hattonkin No. 2. The fruit of 

 this variety resembles the Kelsey in shape, except that 

 it is a little more pointed and not so large as the Kelsey, 

 but is superior to it in flavor and ripens much earlier. 

 I have two other varieties of Hattonkin imported at dif- 

 ferent times. Hattonkin No. i ripens twelve days earlier 

 than Hattonkin No. 2, the latter part of May ; it is a 

 pale straw color, about twice the size of the Wild Goose, 

 much like No. 2 in shape. It is a delicious plum. I 

 have another kind, the largest of the Hattonkins, not 

 ripe yet on my experimental grounds. This variety was 

 imported by ex-Gov. Hubbard of Texas, while Minister 

 to Japan. It has been introduced as the Hytan Kayo, 

 and the commercial description, which is good, is as 

 follows: " Large to very large. Commences to ripen 

 immediately after Wild Goose. Larger than Wild 



Goose and of a meaty character, much finer, and a better 

 shipper. Conical in shape ; color deep purplish-red, 

 slightly mottled when over ripe ; flavor good, sub-acid. 

 Trees inclining to be dwarf." — J. L. Normand, La. 



Mr. Normand also sends us several other varieties of 

 these interesting Japanese plums, among them the beau- 

 tiful and delicious Burbank, Shiro Smomo, Satsuma 

 Blood, and two new varieties. The new kinds he has 

 named Normand Yellow and Bailey. The Normand 

 Yellow is a fruit of medium to large size, very firm 

 and meaty, with a small free pit, and a very delicious 

 flavor. The color is a clear golden yellow. We are 

 strongly impressed with the variety. The Bailey is 

 perhaps a little larger, a mottled orange ground color. 



overlaid with bright red and covered with a dense bloom. 

 It is a very handsome fruit and apparently of excellent 

 quality. 



Native Wild Fruits. — In the article on native or wild 

 fruits in The American Garden for January, one of the 

 most important and useful was not mentioned, namely 

 the persimmon. There are several varieties, early, 

 medium and late. The early ones are the best and 

 ripen by the last of September. They are a sure crop 

 south of the Ohio river. They bloom in June, and the 

 blossoms are excellent for bees. The fruits, gathered 

 when half ripe and suspended by the branches in a dry 

 place till dry, then put in boxes with a little sugar, are 

 as good as dates for winter use ; are a gentle laxative, 

 and are liked by almost every one, as well as by live stock, 

 chickens, etc. , which fatten on them. The male persim- 

 mon bear only flowers, but swarms with bees when in 

 bloom. Persimmons are easily grown and have few 

 insect enemies. The wood is tine-grained and suitable 

 for plain lumber and for carving. Every one ought to 

 plant persimmons for ornament, for fruit and for the 

 wood. — C. H. English, Missouri. 



Apples on LeConte Roots in Georgia. — "An in- 

 teresting experiment in grafting has been made in Geor- 

 gia, where apples have been grafted on to the LeConte 

 pear. The results have been very gratifying, the trees 

 appearing more hardy than when grown on their own 

 stock, and the fruit produced was large and fine. This 

 branch of horticulture is an inviting field for experi- 

 ment." 



The above was cut from the Home and Farm of June 

 I. That the results of such grafting in Georgia have 

 been in all cases " very gratifying" must be taken (ttin 

 grano salis . I have been experimenting in this line for 

 several years, and have a hundred apple trees of twelve 

 varieties grafted on Le Conte, now, in my test orchard. 

 Budding or grafting apples on the Le Conte above 

 ground has been with me, in all cases, an utter failure, 

 whether done on one year stocks near the ground, or 

 top-worked on branched trees. The scions ceased to 

 grow after the second year. When grafted below 

 ground, unless the apple scion throws out roots, and the 

 Le Conte and apple roots both grow,- there is failure 

 again. The only successful trees I have are those hav- 

 ing both Le Conte and apple roots. My best trees 

 were grafted on pieces of Le Conte roots ; the apple 

 scions were eight inches long and the root pieces three 

 inches. When the root pieces grew off thriftily, and the 

 scion also made roots, I got a good tree ; when the 

 apple scion made no roots a poorly growing tree was the 

 result ; and so, when the apple roots grew and the Le 

 Conte root made little or no growth, the latter soon de- 

 cayed and was thrown off, and I have an apple tree with 

 apple roots only. Crown grafted on one year Le Conte, 

 the apple scion is apt to depend upon the Le Conte for 

 sustenance, and is not so likely to make roots of its 

 own as when piece roots are used. 



Apple trees on apple roots require a cool moist soil, 

 that we have not got here ; but if we go about it right 



