184 
October, 1889. 
[ O IS? C H ^ /rn'd* At El N 
unlike Alexander): the flesh is coarse in 
grain, but juicy, soft, and pleasant to the 
taste, with a distinct individuality of flavor. 
The tree is a good and symmetrical grower, 
holding its fruit firmly t.ntil quite mature. 
The stem is short and stout, in a narrow 
and shallow cavity: calyx open, in a shallow, 
slightly plaited basin. 
Quality in Fruits. 
There appears to me to be a disposition 
on the part of too many, even among ex- 
perienced cultivators, to decry all varieties 
of fruit that are not of the highest dessert 
quality. Aside from the fact that a large 
proportion of our choicest dessert fruits 
have counterbalancing defects, which make 
them costh . and otherwise objectionable to 
the commercial grower, it must not be foi- 
gotten that fruit is put to many uses besides 
eating out of hand. We must also allow for 
a great variety of tastes, so that fruits re- 
jected by one are highly relished by anoth- 
er. This is particularly shown in the mat- 
ter of acidity: what one would call “screech- 
ingly sour, ' another would eagerly eat. To 
many, delicately flavored fruits, highly ap- 
preciated by those of acute senses, are quite 
insipid. It is a curious fact that such pe- 
culiarities may be general in a large com- 
munity. Sweet apples cannot be sold at all 
in Montreal. Again, there are many whose 
sense of taste is so fully developed that they 
are controlled chiefly by the eye in the se- 
lection of fruit, and high color is irresisti- 
bly attractive to them. Altogether, if we 
are guided, as we must be, by the facts of 
daily experience, we must acknowledge that 
for commercial profit the easily grown, pro- 
ductive and attractive-looking fruits of me- 
dium quality are those which will give the 
producer the most satisfactory returns. 
Only under special conditicns will the 
choicer sorts be as profitable to the grower. 
Plnm Notes. 
The four western plums, Wild Rose, 
Rollingstone, Minnesota and De Soto, ripen- 
ing in the order given, are quite satisfac- 
tory in their class. They are all attacked 
by the curculio, and the crop somewhat 
thinned, but the yield is not seriously les- 
sened. They also have thick skins, so that 
they carry well, and are sweet and well fla- 
vored, without austerity. 
* * • 
Among the native red plums of Northern 
New England and Canada, selections might 
be made fully equal to those above named; 
but a firm skin is very rare among them. 
Our experiment stations ought to make col- 
lections of the best native plums, eastern 
and western, and try to improve them by 
crossing them together, and with the Eu- 
ropean and Asiatic varieties. As they all 
come early to bearing, results would soon 
be obtained. 
* * * 
Mooer’s Arctic Plum is rapidly growing 
in popularity along the northern border of 
plum culture. Its vigorous growth, J pre- 
cocity in fruiting, hardiness, and resistance 
to the curculio, all commend it to growers; 
while as a market fruit it has many merits, 
and finds a ready sale. Farther south, some 
complaint is heard of its dropping, but noth- 
ing of this is seen northward. It bears very 
toung, and tends to overbear, even to sui- 
cide. It is not strictly iron-clad, yet is 
plainly the hardiest among the varieties of 
European origin, barring the Russians, of 
which we as yet know but little, though that 
little is encouraging. — T. H. Hoskins, M.D. 
Pear-eating Crows. 
Crows have the reputation of being great 
thieves; but has any one ever heard of their 
stealing Pears? We have once before in- 
directly, and now quite positively. In Au- 
gust we saw in a large pasture lot a pear 
tree growing in a hedge by the fence, and 
well laden with fruit. A careful examina- 
tion proved it to be a seedling. Being 
pleased with the distinctiveness and size of 
the fruit, and being told that it did not ripen 
on the tree, we begged to have some speci- 
mens sent to us at the proper time. The reply 
was, “You shall have them if the crows 
don't get them all.” “Why, do the crows 
pick them?” “Yes. They never leave any 
for us, and we don’t know what kind of a 
pear it is. I’ve olten seen them at it.” As 
the tree is growing in an isolated spot, the 
crows can have a quiet time for their “love 
feast” of pears. The end of it all, for this 
season at least, is a letter from John, stat- 
ing, regretfully, that the crows have already 
denuded the tree of every fruit, and we have 
no doubt they rejoiced “cawfully” over 
their feast. If their rejoicing is not turned 
into yelling cholera morbus it will not be 
because we do not wish it. Vermont crows 
may be a peculiarly vicious breed, but we 
should like to know how many readers of 
Orchard and Garden have personal know- 
ledge that crows steal pears. — P. B. Mead. 
'I lie New Apricot Acme. 
The history of this new Chinese apricot, 
which is now being introduced and creat- 
ing much interest at the Northwest has been 
given to us by Prof. Budd as follow's: “It 
was obtained from me under the name of 
Chinese Apricot and was grown here from 
pits received from a missionary located at 
the Province of Sheuse in N.W. China. After 
testing the hardiness of the tree and value 
of the fruit I named it Sheuse. It is a fine 
grower with large, handsome, thick foliage 
and an early bearer of large and good fruit. 
In all respects it is the best hardy apricot 
I know of, and much better than any Rus- 
sian sort I have seen in this country or in 
Russia.” 
A correspondent of the Country Gentleman 
claims to have found a possible preventive 
of pear blight in the liberal application of 
bone and potash, with copious watering of 
the roots in September and again in March 
or early April. He believes that deficient 
moisture and nutrition are the cause of pear 
blight and that the supplying of both at the 
proper time will prove a preventive. 
When usury presents a note. 
On which your autograph you wrote. 
Your heart within you rattle.-: 
You struggle in the days of grace 
To raise the value of its face. 
Or get the sheriff on your place. 
Then— good-by goods and chattels. 
Nature is just as persistent when she presents her bill 
for vigor spent. Then is when you struggle to right 
matters. Here are resourses: 
Drs. Starkey & Paler: 
Your Compound Oxygen Treatment is the remedy 
for me. It certainly seems to have removed the asth- 
matic difficulty. 
J. M. Hocghtox. 
Montpelier, Vt,, May 15, 1889. 
Drs. Starkey & Paten: 
I used your Compound Oxygen Treatment for two 
successive years. During the months of July and Au- 
gust and September for hay asthma, and derived much 
benefit froth it. 
W. M. Wilson, 
Prof, of Greek in Central University, Richmond, 
Ky., May 22, 1889. 
Drs. Starkey & Palen: 
You are at liberty to use my name in any way that is 
favorable to your Compound Oxygen Treatment. 
It has certainly benefltted me « onderfudy. I suffer- 
ed from nervous prostration, accompanied by dyspep- 
sia and iudiycstion ■ I commenced the use of Com- 
pound Oxygen Treatment in December, 1888. 
1 have greatly improved and gained nine pounds in 
weight. I speak of your Compound Oxygen Treatment 
and its good results daily. 
C. D. Hodson, Esq. 
La Grange, Ga., March 18, 1889. 
Drs. Starkey & Palen: 
I give you permission to publish my case, with my 
name, if you desire to do so. It would be impossible 
for me to state In words all that your Compound Oxy- 
gen has done for me, and equally impossible for me to 
describe the horrors of nervous prostration to which I 
was subjected before I began taking it. If I could pre- 
pare a full and commensurate statement of uoth, I am 
sure it would be a telling plea for Compound Oxygen. 
When I have more leisure I will prepare a concise 
siatement for you in better shape t lan anything I have 
sent you. I do what 1 can to advertise your medicine 
by handing out the printed matter I received from you, 
and by telling what the Compound Oxygen has done 
for me. 
Mrs. Jeannie C. Goff, 
Almond, N. Y. June 15, 18S7. 
Drs. Star-key <fc Paten: 
Having observed the benefits of your Compound Oxy- 
gen Treatment in asthma, I am dispostd to recommend 
it to my patients who suffer from that distressing 
complaint. 
E. West, M. D. 
Ill Washington Place, New York City. 
Drs. Starkey & Palen: 
I am delighted with the improvement in my condition . 
1 have del ived a very great deal of benefit from your 
Compound Oxygen Treatment in a ease of asthma and 
in general invigoration. 
Miss A. Beall. 
Cuthbert, Ga., May 10, 1889. 
Drs. Starkey & Palen’s office records show over 50,000 
cases in which their Compound Oxygen Treatment has 
been used by physicians in their practice.and by invalids 
independently, (over 1000 physicians and more than 49,- 
000 invalids) In cases of consumption, bronchitis, 
asthma, catarrh, dyspepsia, nervous prostration, rheu- 
matism, neuralgia, and all other complaints of a 
chi onic nature. Their brochure of 200 pages will be 
forwarded free of charge to any oi e addressing Drs. 
STARKEy & Palen. No. 1529 Arch Street, Philadelphia. 
Pa.; 120 Sutter St., San Francisco, Cal.; 58 Church St., 
Toronto, Canada. 
