52 iardmr's JHonthlg. 



rapid and with a somewhat columnar growth. It 

 is not so handsome as the Austrian. 



Our own native pines, P. ruhra, P. mitis and P. 

 rigida^ are well worth growing for their rapidity, 

 hardiness and beauty. There are few things, how- 

 ever, which for these points can excel the White 

 Austrian and Scotch Pines. Amongst the spruces 

 the Hemlock and Norway are well known. The 

 Douglas spruce is only occasionally hardy ; speci- 

 mens with hardier constitutions than others some- 

 times live through a severe winter, but most of 

 them get injured. The Menzies Spruce, Abies Men- 

 ziesii, appears much hardier, and a beautiful tree 

 every way. None of the Fir tribe [Picea] are of 

 rapid growth enough for hurried western wants. 

 CupressiLS Lawsoniana, Thvjiopsis borealis, and 

 Lihocedrns decurrens, are all hardy and extremely 

 beautiful, keeping green through the winter, but 

 they are all of the arborvitse kind of trees, and 

 will not probably be vigorous enough for timber 

 screens, though invaluable for hedges and close 

 shelter.] 



Climate op Racine Co., Wisconsin.— C. M., 

 Rochester, Wis., writes: "The past season was 

 dry and cold to near harvest, when it commenced 

 to rain, and rained almi^st constantly until the 20ih 

 of September, when we had two hard frosts, which 

 killed the corn and buckwheat, which was about 

 half ripe at the time. After the frost we had a 

 long spell of dry, warm weather. Frost to kill veg- 

 etation seldom comes until October. Our land is 

 fit to sow about the first of April ; cattle are fed 

 from the first of December to the first of May. 

 The weather at the present time (Dec. 6) is mild ; 

 no frost in the ground ; plowing is going on." 



Low Evergreens for Edgings— Mrs. I. C, 

 Mechanicsville, N. Y. — What very small growing 

 evergreen is there that is hardy for a low hedge, or 

 edging a Httle larger than Box, which is not hardy 

 here except in sheltered situations, and has to be 

 covered with boughs to keep the sun from killing 

 it in spring ? Please answer in the Monthly.'' 



[Thuja ericoides, Thuja globosa, and Iberis Sem- 

 pervirens are the best things we know for such pur- 

 poses. The last, however, is no hardier than box.] 



Bartlett Pear AND Delaware Grape.— "I 

 had intended to respond fully to the article pub- 

 lished in your November Monthly, page 327, on the 

 questions as to the Bartlett Pear and Delaware 

 Grrape, but I cannot devote thereto the requisite 

 time at present. I wish, however, to record this 



much. Robert Manning, Sr., and myself, investi- 

 gated the question of the identity of the Bartlett 

 pear, so-called, because Mr. Bartlett, near Boston, 

 brought it into notice there, with the' Williams' 

 Ban Chretien of England, and we were fully satis- 

 fied of their identity; and I have never seen aught 

 to reverse that opinion. And in regard to the Del- 

 aware Grape, its origin in France, and its introduc- 

 tion to our country, it is as clearly traced as is the 

 introduction of the Caucasian race to these shores ; 

 and if this were not so, the peculiar, distinguishing 

 traits which characterize the varieties of the Vitis 

 vinifera from all our American species, are so con- 

 vincingly manifested, that I would as soon think of 

 claiming the African negro as belonging to our 

 Aborigines, as to class the Delaware grape as one 

 belonging to any of our American species. Had 

 our cultivators of the Grape adopted the facts and 

 positive evidences as to this vine, which I presented 

 in my " Descriptive Catalogue of Foreign and Na- 

 tive Grapes," issued in 1859, instead of being led 

 astray by interested parties, they would have saved 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars, which are now 

 being sacrificed by the rejection of this grape from 

 their vineyards. Wm. R. Prince. 



[Mr. Prince asked if he might have space to 

 reply to our remarks on the contradictory accounts 

 of the history of the Bartlett Pear, and on the for- 

 eign origin of the Delaware grape, and we pro- 

 mised to let him. We do not know that this is 

 any reply, for we have not disputed the fact that 

 Mr. Prince and Robert Manning regard the Bart- 

 lett and Bon Chretien as identical ; nor have we 

 made the identity of the two so much a question 

 at all as the incidents of its history ; and in regard 

 10 the Delaware grape, if any " positive evidences, 

 clearly tracing its introduction to our country from 

 its origin in France," have appeared in print, we 

 have not seen such clear account.] 



Pear from a Mountain Ash Stock.— This 

 curious fact we have before alluded to, and have 

 since had so many interesting letters in reference 

 to it, that we append the following, which was not 

 written, as will be seen, for publication : — 



Geneseo, Oct. Sth, 1866. 



I am glad my account of this obtruding pear 

 sprout interests you. To me it is very interesting. 

 I would rather eradicate and cast out one of my 

 best bearing pear trees than loose that sprout. 

 The tree was grafted 6 or 7 years ago, and moun- 

 tain ash sprouts have come out each season at 5 or 

 6 places within a foot of the pear. I have rubbed 

 them off, leaving a rough place. They come again 



