1882.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



133 



THE HANSELL RASPBERRY. 



What a kind old lady is Dame Nature, yet 

 how exacting and how arbitrary ! She can 

 be coaxed to do wonders, but cannot be 

 driven the slightest degree. By the judi- 

 cious use of fertilizers and proper cultivation 

 she can be often led to perform feats that 

 would astonish Jove ; yet, without fertilizers 

 or without cultivation, she might utterly 

 refuse to perforin at all. In the production 

 of new varieties of fruits, however, it would 

 seem that she can hardly be either coaxed 

 or driven — reserving the awarding of such 

 prizes to her own free will. This is certainly 

 the case in the field of Small Fruits. 



In evidence of this statement I refer to the 

 efforts of Mead, Parry, Huntsman, Samuel 

 Miller, and others, extending over years 

 upon years, to produce superior varieties 

 of berries from seeds of crosses and choice 

 specimens, to say nothing of Durand, who 

 has produced thousands and tens of thou- 

 sands of Seedlings, many of which have been 

 introduced, and of the 

 whole there are but 

 few to which he can 

 point with pride. On 

 the other hand nearly 

 every popular vari- 

 ety of the day is a 

 chance seedling that 

 has appeared in some 

 unlooked for place. 

 Thus it is with the 

 Sharpless and Man- 

 chester Strawberries, 

 the Cuthbert and 

 Gregg Raspberries, 

 the Kittatinny and 

 Snyder Blackberries ; 

 and thus it is with 

 the subject of our 

 sketch — the Hansell. 



Whether it is that 

 unknown and un- 

 heard-of millions of 

 seedlings are con- 

 stantly coming into 

 existence in various 

 parts of our land, 

 and those that are ~ ' \ 



brought forward and _ — 



introduced possess 

 such merit that, in 

 their neglect, they 

 persist in being wor- 

 thy, until recognized and transferred to bet- 

 ter surroundings, and thus prove "the sur- 

 vival of the fittest," as advocated by Darwin, 

 I would not undertake to say. I merely 

 present the facts as they exist. 



The history of the Hansell is not without 

 interest. Some eight years ago, it was no- 

 ticed growing among weeds and Grass, by 

 the side of a barn in Burlington County, 

 New Jersey, a spot so unfavorable for a Rasp- 

 berry, that only a variety of great inherent 

 vigor could live there. Here it remained for 

 two years, where, in the meantime, it was 

 eaten down by a cow tied near by. By rare 

 good fortune (for it was purely by chance) it 

 escaped being dug up in clearing the ground 

 of Elders and other "trash." After a time, a 

 branch attained sufficient age to bear fruit. 

 These first few berries, in their half-buried- 

 alive position, were so fine as to attract the 

 attention of the owner of the property — the 

 late J. S. Hansell, a practical and eminently 



successful fruit grower. On being transferred 

 to the field, it proved so signally fine and 

 profitable, that Mr. H. set about increas- 

 ing and planting it, as rapidly as prac- 

 ticable, until at the time of his death (in 

 1881) he had ten acres of it growing, while 

 his successors continue to plant more. The 

 name, which is synonymous with justice in the 

 region where he formerly lived, is given the 

 seedling, as peculiarly appropriate, to com- 

 memorate the name of a good and estimable 

 gentleman well worthy of emulation. 



The variety itself, under ordinary culture, 

 may be described as follows : Canes, very 

 hardy, of vigorous growth, and productive. 

 Color of berry, brightest crimson. Texture, 

 very firm. Size, medium to large. Quality, 

 best — unsurpassed. Season, extra early, 

 ripening in advance of all other Raspberries, 

 whether black, red, yellow, or purple. It 

 will thus be seen, that while it is unsur- 

 passed in other respects, its chief value lies 

 in its extreme earliness. 



times tried to vind such for her, but I vinds 

 him much not." 



With a Raspberry so firm and so early 

 as the Hansell, it is scarcely reasonable to 

 expect the size of the Cuthbert and Fran- 

 conia ; yet the size is surprising, considering 

 its many other excellences. In conclusion, 

 I cannot refrain from repeating what a noted 

 horticulturist said of the Hansell: "In judg- 

 ing it as one would an animal, I think there 

 is no other Raspberry that will score so 

 many points." 



J. T. Lovett. 



MARKETING GRAPES. 



THE HANSELL RASPBERRY. 



However, the Hansell may have its faults, 

 — else it would be the first fruit ever found 

 without them — but I can truthfully state 

 that they remain yet to be developed. I am 

 aware that, as it is but natural for a lover to 

 be blind to the faults of his sweetheart, or 

 for a mother not to detect the short-comings 

 of her child, so may the originator of a new 

 fruit overlook the defects of his favorite, or 

 try to explain them away. Nevertheless the 

 public demands too much. It expects to 

 find a fruit that shall be perfect in every 

 respect, and, consequently, the originator, — 

 arguing, that if he is to deal with the public, 

 he must please the public — claims unquali- 

 fied perfection for his seedling. As an 

 illustration of this perplexing situation, I 

 refer to the German Florist who said: "I 

 am so droublod mit de lady vot comes to 

 puy my Rose. She wants de Rose as is 

 fragrant, as is hardy, as is ever-blooming, 

 as is white ; all in one Rose. I haves many 



The styles of packages for shipping Grapes 

 vary more than with any other fruits, from 

 twenty-pound returnable boxes to small 

 boxes packed in skeleton cases of all sizes 

 and shapes. The three-pound box, once so 

 popular, is superseded by a ten-pound bas- 

 ket, particularly by the growers in the 

 vicinity of New York, 

 who use small bas- 

 kets and boxes packed 

 in berry crates. Of 

 course the crates 

 are returned to the 

 growers, while the 

 baskets arc weighed 

 and sold with the 

 fruit. 



One of the most 

 important consider- 

 ations in packing 

 Grapes is to be care- 

 ful not to disturb 

 the bloom which adds 

 materially to the 

 fresh appearance and 

 the market value of 

 the fruit, 



The principal va- 

 riety grown in the 

 Hudson River region 

 is the Concord, which 

 here develops a per- 

 fection hardly equal- 

 ed elsewhere. West- 

 ern N. Y. raises large 

 quantities of Dela- 

 ware and Catawba, 

 while N. J. growers 

 confine themselves 

 mainly to Concord. 

 I desire to call the attention of growers to 

 the peculiar evaporation which takes place 

 in the Concord after picking, in consequence 

 of which, complaints of purchasers about 

 short weight are not rare. Several experi- 

 ments have been made to demonstrate this 

 peculiarity; yet I trust that other growers 

 will be induced to test this more accurately 

 this season, and report the results in the 

 American Garden, for the good of all. 



Mr. Rogers states that Grapes picked on a 

 warm, dry day, will, when placed in water, 

 gain twelve j>ev cent, in weight, Grapes cut 

 immediately after a rain or heavy dew, then 

 packed in boxes and kept in a dry room, will 

 lose from five to ten per cent. And again, 

 Grapes cut on a clear day, after a night 

 without rain or dew, packed tightly and 

 placed in a damp cellar, will increase ten 

 per cent in weight, Consequently, in pack- 

 ing, due allowance should be made for 

 shrinkage. C. W. Idell. 



