LIGHT FROM THE SOCIETIES. 



prolific, beginning to ripen late or the first of August 

 with me, and remaining in fruit from four to six weeks. 

 The berries are of the largest size, rather soft, and of 

 good though not high quality. It is not very hardy, 

 its position being between Wilson and Lawton in this 

 regard. I do not think it would prove profitable to the 

 market grower anywhere, owing especially to its late- 

 ness in ripening. 



Currants. — North Star gives promise of being a 

 valuable variety, especially for the market grower. 



Block Chninpion is an improvement upon the old 

 Black Naples. Berries are larger and produced in 

 greater abundance. 



The Crandall has, I am pleased to state, some merit 

 for culinary purposes. It is of strong growth, exempt 

 from the attacks of insects and disease and very pro- 

 lific ; but the fruit is too harsh and austere to be ac- 

 ceptable as a dessert fruit. The berries are exceedingly 

 large, almost equaling in size the Delaware grape, and 

 are decidedly attractive. A good jelly can be made 

 from it. 



A New Fruit. — Elivagnus longipes is interesting. Did 

 it ripen in late autumn instead of July its value would 

 be greatly enhanced. The bush is of low spreading 

 habit, densely clothed with pretty foliage, and comes 

 into bearing as quickly as a red currant. Its yield is 

 simply wonderful, the berries being literally crowded 

 upon the under side of the branches. The fruit is borne 

 upon slender stems about an inch and a half long, is 

 of cinnabar color with numerous small light gray dots, 

 and about three-quarters of an inch long by a half inch 

 in diameter. It is tender and juicy, with one large, 

 long, sharply pointed seed in each berry, but so acid as 

 to render it utterly unfit for use as a dessert fruit, but 

 useful for tarts— in fact, for all the purposes for which 

 the cranberry is used. — Abstract of paper by J. T. 

 Lovctt, vad before tJie Anterican Poviological Society. 



American Pomological Society. — The attractions which 

 Washington, D. C, with its fine parks, public grounds, 

 choice specimens of trees and plants from all quarters of 

 the globe, and its many other things worth seeing, offers 

 to the visitor in general, and the horticulturist at this 

 time of the year in particular, did not prevent a fairly 

 full attendance during all the sessions of the society in 

 the lecture hall of the National Museum, held Septem- 

 ber 22 to 25. On the whole, the meeting, so far as the 

 number of the members present, the interest manifested 

 in the discussions, and the quality of the papers read, are 

 concerned, was a decidedly successful one. 



The Fruit Exhibit. — This was decidedly creditable. 

 We have not seen a better one in recent years. A lot of 

 seedling quinces exhibited by Luther Burbank, of Califor- 

 nia, were real beauties. Ellwanger & Barry had on exhi- 

 bition a collection of 112 varieties of pears, among them 

 Bartlett's of higher color than we ever had seen before. 

 A number of varieties of Japanese persimmons and ori- 

 ental pears were shown by President Berckmans. The 

 exhibit of Henry L. Lyman, as representative of the Vir- 

 ginia State Board of Agriculture, consisted of 335 plates 



of apples, 27 of pears, 78 of grapes and 5 of plums. It 

 received the Wilder silver medal. The Wisconsin Hor- 

 ticultural Society, the Jewell Nursery Co., P. S. Dins- 

 more of California, J. W. Porter and J. L. Babcock of 

 Virginia, also exhibited many plates of fine apples. 

 Special mention is due to the Albright peach, exhibited 

 by H. M. Engle of Pennsylvania, who also had fine 

 specimens of Paragon chestnuts ; the Excelsior peach, 

 exhibited by J. H. Hale, of Connecticut; the Brilliant 

 grape, exhibited by E. Williams. The Albright peach is 

 of mammoth size, white with red cheek. Excelsior, or 

 Hale's Hardy, is only of medium size, but high color, the 

 tree said to be quite hardy in buds. The Brilliant grape 

 is one of T. V. Munson's seedlings, very handsome, 

 somewhat like Brighton, and of superior quality. 



Small Fruit Talk. — One of the most interesting 

 things brought out at this meeting was an informal ad- 

 dress on the subject " How to Make Small Fruit Culture 

 Pay," by J. H, Hale, who claims to have made some 

 marked successes, and more marked failures, and thinks 

 he sees now how the failures could have been prevented. 

 Thorough preparation of the soil and liberal manuring 

 are named as the necessary foundation of success. 

 Three-fourths of the soil is not well enough prepared for 

 profit. We can not dispense with deep plowing and 

 thorough pulverization of the surface afterwards. Manure 

 should be used freely on all soils not naturally rich 

 enough. The fertilizers should be rich in phosphoric 

 acid and potash. Much nitrogen in the manure applied 

 in fall stimulates the growth of foliage in spring, and 

 blight may follow. The best source of potash, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Hale, is cotton-seed-hull ashes, next wood 

 ashes. Phosphoric acid can be applied in fine ground 

 bone most economically. Wood ashes can be applied at 

 the rate of 200 bushels per acre. In the selection of 

 manures, however, discrimination and good judgment 

 must be used. Sometimes a little nitrogen will be bene- 

 ficial. The Marlboro raspberry, for instance, is a slow 

 grower, and nitrogen will help it to make stronger growth. 

 The Cuthbert does not need such help. 



The question of variety is purely a local one. The 

 best advice is that which you get from your neighbor, 

 and at your nearest market. What will succeed in one 

 place, may be an absolute failure in another, and perhaps 

 not a great distance from where that variety prospered. 

 Growers usually allow too many plants on their fields, 

 sometimes two or three times as many as are good for 

 best results. Mr. Hale is an advocate of hill culture, 

 and of giving each plant plenty of space. His raspber- 

 ries are six feet apart each way. Thus he finds it easier 

 to take care of the plantation, and gets larger and better 

 berries than when plants are crowded, and as many 

 quarts per acre. Altogether, there is too much grass and 

 too many weeds grown in our berry patches. The point 

 where many growers fail is at the market end. Some 

 growers produce good fruit, and then lose all profits by 

 not studying the best methods of marketing. The fruit- 

 grower often works too hard and thinks too little. As a 

 rule the man who packs best and studies the marketing 



