FRUIT GATHERER.-EXHIBITION, ETC., OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 313 
either in fi\uit. Mr Bnist deems his perfect in both 
organs, in All the blossoms, and I trust he may find 
farther cultivation to confirm his belief. The Ross 
Phoenix I do not believe always to be so, as I discover 
in the plate of this fruit an ill-shaped berry. Cod- 
man’s seedling js spoken of by an eastern horticultural 
editor as very productive, and the largest of all straw¬ 
berries. Yet the length and breadth he gives it, 
would only make it about four inches in circumfer¬ 
ence, more than one-fifth less than Hovey’s seedling. 
But he admires the various shape of the fruit. This 
speaks volumes. It decides it to be a staminate plant, 
partially defective in the female organs. Many of 
the berries will be small and ill-shaped, and a por¬ 
tion of the blossoms barren. But this variety will be 
valuable to impregnate pistillate plants, and where 
raised only for family use, to cultivate by itself, for 
in general I have found the staminate fruit of fine 
flavor. But in raising on a large scale for market, 
by a gardener, who will carefully keep down an ex¬ 
cess of staminate plants, 1 believe nine-tenths pistil¬ 
late, and one-tenth of Buist’s seedling, will, on an 
average of ten years, produce double the quantity of 
fruit that can be raised on the same ground from 
staminate plants by themselves, and five times the 
quantity produced by the present method of cultiva¬ 
tion in the eastern states, as I find many private 
gardens with beds sufficient to supply a large family, 
not producing a single fruit. N. Longworth. 
Newark, N. J., Aug. 14, 1845. 
FRUIT GATHERER. 
This instrument is 
formed of a round block 
of wood, a, 5 or 6 inch¬ 
es in diameter, in the 
centre of the bottom of 
which is inserted a 
handle b , which may be 
made of any desired 
length, in the sockets, in 
the rod, or otherwise, as 
may be deemed best. 
Near the edge of the 
block are four holes, into 
which are inserted as 
many wires, having 
little rings at their, 
top c c c c, through which 
passes a string d, which, 
being drawn, brings the 
tops of the wires toge¬ 
ther. There are also 
several smaller wires, or 
a net work, &c., as may 
be preferred, around the 
wires, to retain the fruit 
when gathered. The Fig. 71. 
operation of the instrument is as follows: Being held 
in the right hand by the usual handle, aud the string 
laid hold of at the bottom by the other hand, the 
fruit is inclosed between the wires, and the string 
being pulled, draws the tops of the wires through it, 
pressing them close together, thus plucking the fruit 
on its stem from the bough. The fruit being thus 
received, and the string being relaxed, it is applied to 
another apple, &c., and so on, untit 4 he whole space, 
which is large enough to hold two quarts or more, is 
filled, when it is taken down and emptied. The 
fruit is thus gathered without being bruised or injur¬ 
ed. It is particularly valuable for gathering fruit 
which cannot easily be reached by hand. For 
smaller fruit, there may be a tin or cloth casing to 
prevent it dropping out between the wires. 
The above instrument has been patented by Dr. A 
McWilliams, of Washington, D. C., who has trans¬ 
ferred his entire right for the United States, to Simeon 
P. Smith, hardware merchant, 93 Maiden lane, New 
York, who will receive orders for the instruments or 
sale of rights in the various States, &c. The price 
at retail is from 37 cents to $1, according to the style 
of execution. It will be exhibited at the Fair of the 
American Institute this month. 
EXHIBITION AND FESTIVAL OF THE MAS¬ 
SACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
It has rarely been my lot to witness a more taste¬ 
ful and beautiful display of fruits and flowers than 
was presented in the Boston Horticultural Rooms, on 
the 17th, 18th, and 19th of September. The spa¬ 
cious hall was filled with dishes of luscious looking 
fruit, and bouquets of beautiful flowers, while at 
either end rose some twenty feet from the floor, three 
beautiful temples, each different from the other, and 
each displaying a degree of taste and skill well 
worthy the horticultural fame of our sister city. 
Robt. Manning, of Salem, exhibited 140 varieties of 
peats; J.F. Allen, of the same place, some 25 vari¬ 
eties of foreign grapes raised under glass, while nu¬ 
merous collections from other gentlemen, of apples, 
pears, peaches, plums, and grapes, filled the various 
tables. The white Doyenne pears were all remark¬ 
ably fine, entirely free from any defect, and of good 
size and color. Some fine specimens were shown of 
Van Mons Leon le Clerc pear, and some other rare 
varieties. The show of flowers was not equal to 
the usual display, but I noticed some fine dahlias and 
pansies, and a beautiful specimen of the Chromatella 
rose, fully sustaining its character. 
The Committee of Arrangements were exceedingly 
attentive to strangers, and kindly invited me to be 
present at their festival on the evening of the 19th, in 
Faneuil Hall. It is difficult to conceive of a more 
brilliant display than this “ old cradle of liberty” pre¬ 
sented on that evening. The hall was filled with 
tables loaded with an abundance of the choicest 
fruits, and decorated with numerous bouquets of 
flowers. With the exception of a few sandwiches, 
nothing in the shape of meat was allowed on the 
tables. The hall was also highly decorated; the 
galleries bore the names of eminent horticulturists in 
ornamented letters, and the columns were twined 
with wreaths of evergreens and flowers. As the 
hour approached, the room began to fill with the 
beauty and intellectual nobility of Boston, and one 
after another, Daniel Webster, Caleb Cushing, and 
Edward Everett, took their seats amid the applause 
of the audience. Among other distinguished guests 
was the widow of Alexander Hamilton, in honor of 
whom, when she left the hall, the audience rose en 
masse. When the company were all assembled, the 
hall presented indeed a brilliant appearance. The “ sea 
of upturned faces,” the look of happy enjoyment, of 
intellectual earnestness, and of zealous interest, ren¬ 
dered it a scene of no ordinary entertainment. 
After the fruit was partially dispatched, then com* 
