36 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



SEASONABLE HINTS, 



Strawberries. — New beds may still be made, 

 and on dry soil, up to the time when heavy 

 frosts occur. Potted plants set out even at this 

 season will produce a partial crop next June. 

 Keep the ground clean and loose, but do not 

 work deep near the roots. Cover lightly with 

 straw, leaves, or any light material after the 

 ground remains frozen in day-time. There 

 is more danger in 

 covering too early 

 than too late, and 

 too heavy than too 

 light. 



Raspber ries. — 

 Wherever the 

 ground c an be 

 brought in proper 

 condition, it is 

 m u c h b e 1 1 e r t o 

 plant during fall 

 than spring. It is 

 the experience of 

 most growers that 

 less loss results from 

 fall than spring 

 planting. By apply- 

 ing a light mulch 

 around the newly 

 set plants, the roots 

 of hardy kinds do 

 not suffer in the 

 least, a n d c o m- 

 mence to grow 

 as soon as frost 

 gets out of the 

 ground. 



Grapes. — Now is 

 a good time to make 

 visits of inquiry 

 among your more 

 progressive neigh- 

 bors, learn what 

 varieties they are 

 growing, sample the 

 fruit, observe the 

 character of foliage 

 and methods of cul- 

 tivation. There are 

 still too many who 

 continue to grow 

 Isabellas and Cat- 

 awbas, which never 

 or rarely ripen in 

 their grounds, while 

 others suppose that 

 nothing better than 

 the Concord can be 

 grown out-of-doors. 

 We trust that most 

 of our readers have 

 learned that, while 



the Concord is well worthy of the high estima- 

 tion in which it is held, it is of short dura- 

 tion, and that there are better varieties that 

 keep better, and prolong the season consider- 

 ably. A succession and variety in Grapes is as 

 desirable as in Strawberries and other fruits. 

 Among the black varieties, Concord, Warden, 

 Moore's Earhj ; among the red, Brigh ton 

 and Delaware; among the white, Martha, 

 Elvira, PocMington, succeed almost every- 

 where. The latter is highly spoken of, and 

 is considered by many the most desirable 

 White Grape for outdoor culture. 



MOORE'S RUBY CURRANT. 

 It is a matter of surprise that, while every 

 year witnesses the production of an endless 

 number of new Strawberries, Grapes, and 

 other fruits, the Currant has received hardly 

 any attention from our hybridizers and orig- 

 inators of novelties; and yet few other 

 fruits offer so inviting a field for improve- 

 ment. 



Mr. Jacob Moore, the originator of the 

 Brighton Grape, however, seems to have 

 been aware of the possibilities of the Cur- 

 rant. In 1867, he raised a large number of 



clearly traits of both parents. It is of fairly 

 vigorous growth, producing shoots longer 

 than the Cherry and heavier than the White 

 Grape. Foliage as free from disease as that of 

 any variety that I know of. It has fruited with 

 me for five years without extra fertilizing or 

 cultivation, and has always been well loaded 

 with handsome, long clusters of fruit, with 

 the exception of one year, when a late frost 

 injured the crop. 



"The fruit is of large size, next to the 

 Cherry and La Versaillaise in that respect, 

 borne on much larger stems and more abun- 

 dantly than with the 

 varieties named. 

 The color of the fruit 

 is a beautiful bright 

 red, not quite so 

 dark as the Cherry; 

 ripens at nearly the 

 same time ; the 

 flavor a very agree- 

 • able mild acid, 

 somewhat similar 

 to the White Grape, 

 and fully equal to 

 that of any variety 

 with which I am ac- 

 quainted. From 

 what I have seen of 

 it, I think it a great 

 acquisition — the 

 best Currant I know 

 of for family use, 

 and I see no reason 

 why it may not also 

 prove the best for 

 the market." A Cur- 

 rant combining so 

 many desirable 

 qualities cannot fail 

 to become popular 

 as soon as it be- 

 comes known. We 

 are informed that 

 no plants will be of- 

 ered for sale before 

 next fall. 



MOORE'S RUBY CURRANT. 



seedlings by crossing of the best-known va- 

 rieties. After several years' trial and care- 

 ful selection, the variety represented in the 

 accompanying illustration was selected as 

 the best, and appropriately named " Moore's 

 Ruby." 



Not having grown it ourselves we cannot 

 give a more accurate description than by 

 quoting from a letter of Mr. C. M. Hooker, 

 the well-known nurseryman: " The ' Moore's 

 Ruby' Currant was originated by Mr. J. 

 Moore, from seed obtained by crossing the 

 Cherry and White Grape, and shows very 



HARDY RASPBER- 

 RIES. 



The hardiness of 

 Raspberries is a 

 somewhat mooted 

 question, but so 

 much seems well 

 established, that the 

 amount of cold 

 which the canes 

 can withstand de- 

 pends mainly upon 

 the degree of ripe- 

 ness of the wood. 

 While a fully ripen- 

 ed cane may survive almost any possible de- 

 gree of cold, an immature one may be killed 

 by a few degrees below freezing point. 

 Many varieties which we are in the habit 

 of calling "perfectly hardy" were killed 

 last winter by the unusual earliness — before 

 the plants had ripened their wood — not by 

 the intensity of cold. "Turner," "Brandy- 

 wine," and even wild kinds, were killed 

 down to within a few inches of the ground, 

 while the same degree of cold, if it had 

 occurred a few weeks later, would not have 

 injured them in the least. 



