ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 
VOL. XII. JANUARY, 1890. NO. 1. 
Black Raspberries— The Progress. 
Many of our readers will doubtless re- 
member the introduction or Doolittle’s Im- 
proved Blackcap and what a stir it made 
among fruit growers and 
the horticultural frater- 
nity generally, and with 
good reason. This was fol- 
lowed, as will be remem- 
bered also, by the advent 
of Miami or Mammoth 
Chaster and many others. 
The Doolittle (the name 
invariably provokes a 
smile from the fact of its 
inherent productiv e n e s s 
and ability to succeed and 
give a supply of fruit on 
all sorts of soils, and under 
the most adverse circum- 
stances), however, stead- 
ily maintained its position 
as the most reliable and 
valuable of all the early 
sorts, monopol i z i n g a 1 - 
most this enviable distinc- 
tion for at least thirty 
years until in fact it be- 
came enfeebled with age. 
The invention of fruit 
evaporators gave such an 
impetus to the culture of 
Blackcap varieties that the 
universe may almost be 
said to have been ransack- 
ed in search of other and 
better sorts than were in 
cultivation, resulting i n 
bringing to the front Sou- 
hcgan or Tyler (evidently 
an offspring of the old 
Doolittle) for early , O h i o 
(sometimes called Alden 
in honor of that pioneer 
inventor of fruit evapora- 
tors from its value as a variety for evap- 
orating) as a main or midseason crop and 
the Gregg as a late or last of the season va- 
riety. There are, of course, several others, 
hut the fruit growers of the country have 
now generally accepted the three just nam- 
ed as the best of their season, all things 
considered, notwithstanding the fact that 
each one has one or more serious defects, 
among which may be mentioned the lack 
of vigor or strength of cane of the Souhe- 
gan and lacdk of hardiness of cane of the 
cAegg. 
The world continues to move surely, and 
although progress in methods of transporta- 
tion and the transmitting of information is 
constantly being made and we hear much 
Exposition and in the Badge Book and Re- 
port of the American Association of Nur- 
serymen, etc. , under the same name — Park- 
er Earle. The variety which I advertised 
was produced by Mr. Munson himself from 
seed of Miner’s Prolific and designated as 
No. 3. The real Parker Earle is a seedling 
produced in 1886 by Mr. J. Nimon from Cre- 
scent crossed with Munson’s No. 3. or Park- 
er Earle, so called for a time, and thereby 
hangs a tale reflecting 
great credit upon the ori- 
nator of No. 3. 
Mr. Munson sent me No. 
3 for trial and introduc- 
tion, should it prove meri- 
torious, but not otherwise; 
stipulating that if intro- 
duced it should be named 
after a gentleman whom 
we all love to honor — Park- 
er Earle. Although telling 
tales out of school, yet I 
cannot resist the desire to 
relate that Mr. Munson 
and myself entered into a 
contract in regard to the 
variety, and I paid him 
quite a sum of money on 
it, pending its trial. The 
variety was so wonderful- 
ly promising the first year 
that I felt sure it would 
prove worthy of introduc- 
tion; hence my advertising 
it as I did. I naturally grew 
a large stock of plants of 
the variety also. As our 
brightest hopes often end 
in disappoint m e n t — so 
with No. 3. The second 
season it developed a weak- 
ness. This was promptly 
reported to the originator. 
The answer came: “then 
let it be destroyed,” and it 
was destroyed. I will add 
that, accompanying Mr. 
Munson’s letter to destroy 
the variety, was a draft 
for the amount I had paid 
upon it, which I confess I did not look for 
or expect. Thus ended Munson’s No. 3, 
called for a short time only, Parker Earle, 
— J. T. Lovett. 
After nearly half a century of strawberry 
growing, I am satisfied that the cheapest 
way is to fruit the plants but once, renew- 
ing the beds annually, on land cleaned of 
weeds by previous careful cultivation. In 
this way we get larger fruit and more of it, 
at a minimum of cost. It is my practice to 
grow beans between the rows the first sea- 
son, and turnips the second, after turning 
the plants under. I prefer chemical ferti- 
lizers, ground bone and unleached hard 
wood ashes, to stable manure. — T. H. Hos- 
kins. 
of them, yet improvements in matters hor- 
ticural are almost, if not quite, as astonish- 
ing. In the subject of our sketch, the Pro- 
gress Raspberry, we have a sort similar to 
the old Doolittle and Souliegan in some re- 
spects, yet unlike anything else in some very 
important properties. In earliness it is 
quite the equal of either, fully as large or 
larger, jet black, of equally good quality, 
much firmer and very much stronger in 
Progress Raspberry. Fig. 146. 
growth of cane; equaling in vigor and strong 
growth the Ohio or any other variety we 
know; of ironclad hardiness and so enor- 
mously productive that it yields as much as 
Souhegan, while that variety is giving pick- 
ings and as much more afterwards, thus 
doubling the yields and the length of the 
season. In brief, altogether a remarkable 
raspberry is the new and appropriately 
named Progress. 
The Parker Earle Strawberry. 
The strawberry now being advertised and 
offered for sale under the name of Parker 
Earle by T. Y. Munson, of Denison, Texas, 
is a different and distinct variety from the 
one advertised by me at tiie New Orleans 
