344 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
The Raspberry. 
The season of bearing, now nearly or quite 
over, is a time when the canes are apt to be left 
to take care of themselves. It is not easy to 
realize that the grass and weeds that are allow¬ 
ed to spring up between the rows will injure the 
crop for next year. These should be kept down 
by frequent hoeing or raking, and if the canes 
are not vigorous, manure should be applied, 
either as a surface dressing or in the liquid form. 
The plants, however, should not be stimulated 
later than the first of September, as it is highly 
important that growth should cease and that the 
wood may be well ripened, whether the canes 
remain above ground, or are slightly covered. 
The finest varieties of this fruit in general cul¬ 
tivation are the red and white Antwerp, Fastolf, 
Orange, Cushing, French and Franconia. These 
are good enough in some localities, especially in 
the valley ot the Hudson, and if they did as well 
every where as in favored localities, nothing 
more perhaps could be desired. But the rasp¬ 
berry is not so easily suited with soil and cli¬ 
mate as the strawberry and blackberry. Very 
little has been done to improve this fruit, until 
quite recently, and for eight of the thirty four 
varieties in Downing’s list we are indebted to 
Dr. Brinckle of Philadelphia. It is altogether 
probable that new varieties are yet to be origi¬ 
nated, better adapted to their native localities 
than any thing we now have. This is a very 
promising field for amateurs. 
The production of new varieties is not diffi¬ 
cult. The birds are helping in this work, and 
it is not infrequent that new seedlings are found 
in gardens that can be traced to no other origin. 
If these chance plants that spring up by the 
fence, or in secluded spots in the garden, were 
oftener saved, we should have a much larger 
fist. We are indebted to a chance seedling for 
the best berry upon our own premises. 
The raspberry delights in a moist vegetable 
loam, deep and rich. Its native locality is upon 
hills and mountains, growing abundantly in 
ravines where there are large collections of 
leaves. Wherever the' forest is cleared up, the 
raspberry soon makes its appearance and often 
covers the land. The whole Green Mountain 
region is so abundantly stocked with this fruit, 
and the wild fruit is so fine, that it is undoubted¬ 
ly a hinderance to their cultivation in gardens. 
That is the best variety for you which will do 
best in your garden, whatever the books may 
say. As a special manure for this plant nothing 
can be better than the soap-suds made in the 
family. For methods of training, laying down, 
etc., see June number. 
Cherries. 
We are in no danger of over-estimating this 
delicious summer fruit, coming as it does in 
the heat of Summer, tempting us with an infi¬ 
nite variety, both in form, size, and flavor, har¬ 
dy beyond any other kind of stone fruits, and 
adapted equally for the dessert and culinary 
purposes. We seldom give consideration enough 
to the value of the cherry as an ornamental 
tree, and in a selection of varieties this is most 
important, at least so far as to enable us to place 
the ornamental varieties where they will most 
adorn our grounds and gratify good taste. The 
Black Tartarian, one of the finest of the black 
hearts, is pre-eminent for the beauty of its foli¬ 
age and habit. In the classification of cherries: 
there is considerable difficulty, the various 
groups run so imperceptibly into one another. 
At first it was easy to see four groups: Hearts, 
Bigarreaus, Dukes, and Morellos. We now see 
in the newer varieties the hard-fleshed Bigar¬ 
reaus gradually shading off to half-tender and 
Black Tartarian. Elton. 
tender-fleshed Hearts, and those otherwise of the 
Heart character possessing peculiarities of the 
Bigarreaus. So, too, the sweet Dukes and sour 
Morellos—very similar in the rounded habit of 
the trees, and in bearing fruit on both the old 
and new wood—blend by almost imperceptible 
approximations, but the character of sweetness 
or sourness remains as a convenient distinction. 
These groups, Dukes and Morellos, are by far 
the hardiest of the spe¬ 
cies, flourishing both at 
the north and south 
where the others fail. 
We may take the Black 
Tartarian as a sample of 
the Heart cherries. We 
give a cut of it with the 
more pleasure, because 
it stands so high in pub¬ 
lic favor, and is so wor¬ 
thy of cultivation for its 
many excellences. We 
have specified the beau¬ 
ty of the tree. The fruit 
is very large, with an 
angular or uneven sur¬ 
face, the skin of a bril¬ 
liant black, or purplish 
black color, the flesh 
purple, half tender, and 
very j uicy, bearing trans¬ 
portation perfectly; the 
flavor rich and spright¬ 
ly. It ripens among the 
earliest black cherries. 
The Elton fairly repre¬ 
sents the Bigarreaus, and is an exceedingly fine 
fruit, ripening nearly as early as the preceding. 
The fruit is large, yellow in the shade, but beau¬ 
tifully mottled with colors on the side exposed 
to the light; of a pointed heart-shape; flesh yel¬ 
lowish, firm, but when fully ripe, tender and 
juicy, with a sweet and very rich and agreeable 
flavor. The tree is a vigorous grower, some¬ 
what drooping in habit. 
The Early Purple Guigne, (pronounced geen), 
the earliest of cherries, ripening in this lati¬ 
tude about the first of June in some localities. 
The tree has little beauty, but by pruning while 
young, may be made to take a pretty good shape. 
arly Purple Guigne. 
The fruit is early and excellent, heart-shaped, 
color dark purple when ripe, flesh dark, juicy, 
sweet, and well flavored. The stem is very 
long, and inserted in a narrow basin. This is 
found to be a favorite variety at the West. 
The Bella de Choisy is a very delicious cherry, 
and a pretty fair example of the Dukes, the tree 
having the low, round-topped habit of this 
group, and the fruit the round and slightly de¬ 
pressed form. Skin thin, yellow, and mottled 
with pink, or red, on the exposed side. Flesk 
amber-colored, stained with pink; sweet sub¬ 
acid, rich. It ripens about the first of July. 
Morellos.—As a type of the Morellos, or pie 
cherries, we give the Early Richmond. The 
tree is round-topped and spreading, and very 
productive; the fruit of medium size, round, 
borne in pairs, the calyx usually adhering 
around the short stem. Skin red, becoming 
dark-brown if it hangs long. Flesh reddish, 
juicy, very sour, but of an agreeable flavor. 
The fruit remains on the tree ripe during the en¬ 
tire month of June, and even later. It is an in¬ 
valuable fruit in every garden for culinary uses. 
We have here given a few of the most desira¬ 
ble sorts of cherries of quite distinct character¬ 
istics—there are others which should be added 
to a list of trees to plant. One of the great 
charms of the fruit is the variety which we may 
easily possess. In addition to those already 
Belle tie Choisy. Early Richmond. 
named, we add: Belle d’Orleans, Gov. Wood, 
Coe’s Transparent, Bigarreau, and Great Bigar- 
reau, Black Eagle, Downer’s Late,and Carnation. 
The Currant. 
This is the fruit of all others for dog-days. Most 
people have a very strong craving for its acid, 
and this, perhaps, is a good indication that it 
meets some want in the system. “ Souring the 
crop ” is the very expressive term by which the 
farmer boys indicate a feast of this fruit. It 
should be provided by every one who has room 
to grow the bushes. It is more hardy than al¬ 
most any other of our fruit-bearing shrubs, 
bears fair crops without much coaxing, and is, 
with generous treatment, loaded eveiy year. 
There are some twenty five varieties in culti¬ 
vation, each good for some particular quali¬ 
ties. But most of them are little if any better 
than the old red and white Dutch so widely 
known, so that he who has these may well be 
content. La Versailles has large, long bunches, 
and is among the best of the new varieties. The 
Cherry currant is distinguished for its size, and 
its acidity. It is not so generally known as it 
should be, that this shrub rejoices in a rich clay 
loam. Where it does not flourish, clay would 
make a good amendment to the soil. The fruit 
