1882.] 



THE SUPERB RASPBERRY, 



This new candidate for public favor origin- 

 ated some eight or nine years ago on the 

 grounds of Mr. J. Churchman, of Burling- 

 ton, N. J. On fruiting it he was so well 

 pleased with its appearance that he decided 

 to retain the variety and extend its cultiva- 

 tion, which he has continued to do up to the 

 present time. 



He now has a patch of about an acre and 

 a quarter, which, by invitation of that gen- 

 tleman, I visited on the 4th of July last. 

 Picking had already commenced in a small 

 way some days previous, but I found the 

 canes still well loaded with a large crop of 

 good-sized berries in the various stages of 

 development. 



The plants, in foliage, fruit, and other 

 respects, strongly resemble the Montclair, 

 though it suckers much more profusely, and 

 appearances seem to indicate its Philadel- 

 phia parentage, as supposed. The berries 

 were large, the best measuring three-quar- 

 ters of an inch in diameter; color rather 

 dark, flesh firm, with a rich 

 sub-acid flavor ; quality 

 among the best. 



Mr. Churchman assured 

 me that the size was much 

 below the usual standard, 

 owing to the want of moist- 

 ure, the ground then being 

 very dry and hard. This 

 was undoubtedly the case; 

 but this fact, in connection 

 with the cool weather that 

 had prevailed, furnished the 

 best possible conditions for 

 producing a rich, solid fruit, 

 of good keeping qualities. 



It was these conditions 

 that enabled me to keep 

 specimens, brought away in 

 good condition, for three 

 days. 



Had the weather then 

 been as moist and hot as it 

 was during the latter part 

 of September, I could not 

 have done this — the berries 

 would have melted down in 

 half the time. 



It is this condition of 

 weather and growth, previous to and during 

 the season of ripening, that decides the 

 ability of this fruit to stand shipment to 

 distant markets. 



A berry may exhibit one season admirable 

 carrying qualities, and another prove a de- 

 cided failure, solely from these climatic 

 differences. This fact alone shows the im- 

 portance of not being too hasty in jumping 

 at conclusions from a single season's trial. 



Mr. Downing recently wrote me that he 

 thought five years' fruiting and observation 

 was necessary to form a just and careful 

 estimate of the true value of a Grape ; and 

 he is right. Anything short of that can only 

 be regarded as impressions, subject to change. 

 Another fact the general reader will do well 

 to remember, and that is the ground on 

 which an opinion rests. The only absolute 

 merit the Superb or any other Raspberry 

 could possess, in the minds of some, would 

 be its ability to stand shipment to market. 

 This, with earliness and productiveness, 

 would make it the best in existence, as 

 it opens the door to the alluring picture of 

 profit so deftly held out to view. I think 



the Superb has other merits quite as valu- 

 able. We want fruit to eat as well as to 

 sell, and should the Superb do as well away 

 from home, with others' care, and remain 

 healthy, I think it will prove a valuable 

 acquisition to our list of good and really 

 hardy Red Raspberries. 



But the editor asks, • ' If it is so near like 

 the Montclair, what is the need of it "? " I 

 reply, it is a more acid berry than the Mont- 

 clair, and some people prefer the pleasant 

 acidity of the one to the rich sweetness of 

 the other. Tastes will differ, as we all 

 know, and they must be gratified. 



E. Williams. 



LABELS THAT NEVER FAIL, 



During many years past I have been ac- 

 customed to use a style of labels for fruit 

 trees which I have never seen noticed in any 

 agricultural or horticultural journal. The 

 device simply consists iu cutting small let- 



THE SUPERB RASPBERRY. 



ters in the bark, on the body of the tree to 

 be labeled. About eight years ago I re- 

 ceived an invoice of choice Peach-trees, all 

 of which were labeled by means of small 

 pieces of wood, each bearing the name of 

 the variety to which the piece was attached. 

 With the point of my penknife, I selected 

 a smooth place on the stem of each tree, 

 and drew the cutting edge of the point 

 through the bark, so as to represent letters 

 of the alphabet. For example : To label 

 the Early Beatrice Peach-tree, an E was 

 made, then a period, and then the name of 

 the fruit, thus — E. BEATRICE. These 

 letters were made one below the other in- 

 stead of horizontally, as they appear here. 

 Those trees are now in full bearing, and the 

 name of each variety can be read distinctly 

 on the bodies of the trees. 



It is not necessary to cut out a V-shaped 

 strip of bark. Let the point of the knife be 

 drawn through the bark, cutting at least 

 half-way through the live bark. Do not 

 thrust the point of the knife so deep as to 

 cut into the wood, as the wound may injure 

 the growth of the tree. When labeling a 



Plum and a Peach-tree in this manner, the 

 point of my knife cut entirely through the 

 bark and into the tender wood, and I ob- 

 served that gum continues to exude from all 

 such places where the tender wood was 

 wounded. S. E. T. 



UNHEATED FRUIT-HOUSES. 



The expense and amount of attention nec- 

 essary in ordinary fruit-houses warmed by 

 artificial heat deters many from providing 

 for themselves the most delicious luxuries. 

 The following plan, described in the London 

 Garden, may require some modification in our 

 j climate, yet may suggest some points to 

 j those of our readers who may contemplate 

 the erection of graperies : 



These houses were constructed merely for 

 experiment. They are of small size, twenty- 

 five feet in length only ; one is a vinery 

 containing three hundred bunches of Royal 

 Muscadine Grapes ; another, a Peach house, 

 with two trees, one of 

 which bore over three hun- 

 dred fruits. The houses 

 run north and south — no 

 other aspect will answer — 

 and are made something 

 like a wedge, seven feet 

 wide on the floor, and three 

 feet at the roof. The raft- 

 ers run down to the ground, 

 and are eight feet in length. 

 They are grooved, and the 

 glass is slipped in ; there 

 is no putty or paint, but the 

 wood requires to be brushed 

 over, when quite dry, with 

 petroleum, which penetrates 

 the entire wood and pre- 

 serves it. A coat of paint 

 will produce a good effect, 

 but it is not necessary. 

 Each square of glass is kept 

 in place by means of thin 

 pieces of copper ; there is a 

 door at each end. 



The doors are open from 

 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., to give 

 firmness to the leaves ; they 

 are then shut, and a tem- 

 perature of one hundred degrees is secured 

 when the sun shines. In a house built in 

 this shape the rays of the sun glance off, 

 and we get no burning and no red spider. 

 It is presumed that a house of this shape, 

 built twenty feet in height, might answer, 

 if the proper angle for the rafters be pre- 

 served. 



KEEPING APPLES, 



In whatever respects the views of fruit- 

 growers may differ as regards the best meth- 

 ods of keeping Apples, all are agreed that Ap- 

 ples, in order to keep well, should be picked as 

 soon as their stems separate easily from the 

 tree, i. e. , as soon as they are ripe. Every day's 

 delay after that period lessens their keeping 

 qualities. They should also be kept in as 

 cool a place as possible, without actually 

 freezing. Whether it is best to bring the 

 fruit to the cellar as soon as picked, depends 

 largely on the condition of the cellar. Most 

 growers use barrels for storing, yet many 

 consider low bins preferable, and still others 

 succeed with keeping their Apples in open 

 bushel boxes placed on top of each other. 



