153 



miums, in case they are not all present, the mem- 

 bers present to fill the vacancies. The award of 

 the Committee to be final. 



LoNGWORTH Wine-house. 



First Appearance of Mildew. — Dr. C. L. 

 May, of Warsaw, 111., happened in at one of the 

 New York Farmer Club meeting invited to speak, 

 said : 



"He said that the people of Hancock county, Illi- 

 nois, are largely interested in grape culture, having 

 about two million vines under cultivation. The old 

 vineyards are mostly all Catawba. This variety of 

 grape has never failed to ripen its fruit perfectly. 

 Though some of the vineyards have been planted 

 from ten to fifteen years, yet rot never made its 

 appearance until the season of 1865, which was 

 usually wet. From the 15th of June until August 

 10th, rain fell almost continuously. The loss to the 

 crop even in that unfavorable season did not amount 

 to more than one-third. The Delaware and lona, 

 though planted beside the Catawba, whose fruit 

 rotted badly, showed neither rot nor mildew. Con- 

 cord berries dropped from the vines badly; those 

 remaining cracked so as to make them worthless for 

 market." — Iowa Homestead. 



Cause of Pear Blight.— The Virginia Farmer 

 says : "The one which is advocated by Mr. Meehan 

 of the Gardeners Monthly., viz : that the disease is 

 traceable to the absorption of the spores of a fungu:^ 

 by the tree, which being disseminated through the 

 sap, and under peculiar circumstances, germinating, 

 feed upon the tree and destroy its vitality, while 

 more probable we think than the others, is also open 

 to objection. For, if this be th.) cause, why are 

 not ether trees besides the pear affected? There is 

 certainly no reason why the pear should absorb 

 these fungus spores more than the peach, cherry or 

 apple." 



[The apple and cherry do absorb fungoid spores, 

 which take the form of knots, excrescences, and 

 other appearances. Each species favors a peculiar 

 form of fungi. One might ask, if the " oidium 

 Tuckerii," — a form of grapevine mildew, — is really 

 a fungus ; why does it not grow on hop vines, or 

 any other vines? We do not know what species of 

 fungi the Pear blight is caused by, (if at all) ; but, 

 as our contemporary says, so far it seems probable ; 

 and we await further developments before asserting 

 it as a proven fact. — Ed. G. M.\ 



Botany in Massachusetts. — Three gentlemen 

 of Boston have promised $20,000 towards the 

 establishment of a botanical garden in connection 

 with the Massachusetts Agricultural College. 



Erie Grape (.''rop.— The Sandusky Register says 

 that the Lake Erie Grrape crop, the past year, was 

 one-fifth the averasre. About two hundred tons of 

 grapes were shipped from Sandusky during the 

 season. New York, Boston and Chicago took the 

 greater part. The average price was 10 J cents a 

 pound. The quantity of wine light. The wine 

 grapes brought from 6 to 8 cents, — a little less than 

 the previous year. 



California Pears. ~A San Francisco paper, 

 speaking of Pears, says : 



"This fruit grows in this State almost without 

 care or cultivation. The season for the pear here 

 extends through the entire year — commencing in 

 the latter part of April with a small pear, that comes 

 from Los Angeles, called the San Juan Pear, This 

 pear has a good color, but is dry and almost taste- 

 less. It is soon followed by the Madeleine ; then 

 comes the Dearborn Seedling, which is the first 

 really good variety that comes into market. Tlie 

 latter part of June and the first of July the market 

 is supplied with several excellent varieties, among 

 them the Bartlett. August and September we 

 have the Seckel, Fall Butter, Flemish Beauty, and 

 fifty others. October and November, the Winter 

 Nelis, Duchesse, &c. The Bartlett, raised in the 

 "foothills," continue in market up to this time, 

 which makes the season of this one variety five 

 months. In December and January there are a 

 few winter varieties left — the Pound Pear, which is 

 used only for cooking, and the Easter Beurre, a 

 fine large table pear. After this time we are almost 

 entirely indebted to D. T, Adams, of San Jose, for 

 table pears. He has learned the art of keeping 

 the Easter Buerre the winter and spring, and in all 

 its perfection. 



Last year, in April, his Easter Beurres were as 

 juicy and high flavored as in the Fall, and from pre- 

 sent appearances will last this year into May, if not 

 June. This year he has sent into market another 

 pear, that keeps as well as the Beurre Easter. It 

 is the Doyenne de Alencon. It resembles the Win- 

 ter Nelis both in color and flavor. The secret of 

 Mr. Adams' success in keeping his pears so long is 

 known only to himself" 



FIT 



