366 
AMEBICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Mistakes in Names of Evergreens. 
Whoever has carefully noticed the language of 
planters, or read much in books and papers about 
evergreens, must have observed that considerable 
confusion exists in the nomenclature of this class 
of trees. For example : the Arbor Vita; is often 
called the white cedar, while in fact the two are 
very different trees. The foliage of the arbor vitas 
is flat and fan-like, while that of the white cedar 
is clustered and irregular, and more delicate. 
The cedar is a larger tree than the arbor vitee, 
often rising to sixty and seventy feet. It re¬ 
sembles the red cedar and the common Juniper 
more than any other tree. Its natural habitat, 
like that of the Southern deciduous cypress, is 
cold, mossy swamps, where few other trees will 
live. The botanical name of this tree is Cupres- 
sus thyoides; that of the American Arbor Vila; is 
Thuja occidentalis. The white cedar abounds in 
Massachusetts, but the arbor vitae is seldom seen 
there, except where artificially planted. 
The other mistakes to which we will now re¬ 
fer, respect the names of pines, firs, and spruces. 
The Scotch pine is often styled the Scotch fir. 
Mr. Keon, in his book on landscape-gardening, 
makes this blunder. So does that very respect¬ 
able English author, Mr. Kemp. The Norway 
Spruce is often called the Norway Fir, and some¬ 
times the Norway Spruce-Fir. The Hemlock is 
called the Hemlock, then Hemlock Spruce, then 
Hemlock Spruce-Fir. The Balsam Fir is often styl¬ 
ed Abies balsamea, instead of Picea balsamea, etc. 
It must be admitted that there is some botanical 
authority for several of these different usages. 
Some botanists range the Pines, Firs, and Spruces 
under the order Abietine^e, and make only three 
Genera under it, viz. : Pinus, including all the 
pines ; Abies, including all the spruces and firs in 
one family ; and Larix, including all the larches. 
But soma later writers, and practical men of real 
scientific, close knowledge and observation, find so 
great a difference between the Spruces and Firs, 
that they choose to separate them into distinct 
families, viz. : Abies and Picea. And this, we 
must say, even if not scientifically accurate, we 
much like. There is an obvious practical, if not 
botanical, difference between the two. The 
leaves of the firs are quite dark, and generally of 
a bluish cast; while those of the Spruces are of 
a decidedly greenish hue, except those of the 
White Spruce which are a light gray. The 
cones of the firs stand erect on the branches un¬ 
til Winter, when they fall to pieces, scale by 
scale; while those of the spruces are pendent, 
and fall from the tree entire. The leaf-buds of 
the spruces are covered with dry scales, while 
those of the firs are covered with turpentine. 
The foliage of the firs is more decidedly in 
two rows than that of the spruces. The foliage 
and the whole general appearance of the Pine are 
so unlike that of other conifers, that we wonder 
they were ever confounded. The pines have 
their leaves in bundles of two, three, or five, and 
their needle-like leaves are much longer than those 
of other evergreens. 
Mr. Downing, in his “ Landscape Gardening,” 
makes only two divisions, viz.: Pines and Firs, 
including the spruces under the firs. Mr. Sar¬ 
gent, in his “ Supplement,” classifies them as 
Pinus (Pines), Abies (Spruce-Firs), and Picea 
(Silver-Firs). Dr. Warder, in his little work, 
makes three divisions, viz., Pines, Firs, and 
Spruces. Mr. Meehan, author of “ Hand-Book of 
Ornamental Trees,” does precisely the same. 
Most of the catalogues of our leading nurserymen 
make the same classification. And we trust that 
for the sake of brevity, simplicity, and clearness, 
these latter divisions may be generally adopted. 
The confusion of names is annoying to all clas¬ 
ses, and especially is it so to the multitude of 
persons who are now just beginning to study 
the character of our evergreens and their uses. 
The Delaware Grape, 
Much as has been written and said about this 
grape, its superior excellence entitles it to con¬ 
tinued and repeated notice. It was first intro¬ 
duced to public attention, we believe, by Alexan¬ 
der Thompson, of Delaware, Ohio, about the year 
1853. For some time previous to that, it had 
been known to many persons, here and there, but 
not extensively propagated and sold. At the 
time above-mentioned, Mr. Thompson forwarded 
specimens of the fruit to several leading pomolo- 
gists at the East and West, asking their opinions 
of its merits, and inquiring whether it was iden¬ 
tical with any known variety then in cultivation. 
Mr. Longwortli, the veteran grape-king of the 
West, submitted it to several of his most intelli¬ 
gent vine-dressers, then fresh from “ Faderland.” 
They were divided in opinion about it. Some 
said it was the Red Resling , others the Traminer, 
and others the Rose-Chasselas. The majority de¬ 
clared it the Traminer, the most celebrated wine- 
grape of Germany. 
Critical judges elsewhere, disagreed with these 
Germans, forming their opinion from a view of 
the wood and leaf, as well as of the fruit. And 
moreover, the fact that the vine flourished so 
well in our climate, seldom mildewing, or casting 
its leaves prematurely, and being so hardy—was 
enough to throw great doubt upon its foreign 
origin. 
We cannot tell the history of its origin, and no 
one can with any assurance of certainty. One 
story is, that it was first found in the hands of a 
Mr. Maxfield, living between Trenton and Phila¬ 
delphia, and that he brought it from Lisbon, call¬ 
ing it the “ Lisbon wine grape.” Another is that 
it was one of a lot of vines sent more than fifty 
years ago, to a gentleman in New-Jersey, by his 
brother residing in Italy. 
Thence, it found its wav 
to Delaware, Ohio,where 
it was christened, and 
whence it has been wide¬ 
ly disseminated. These 
and the like stories seem 
to strengthen the belief 
of its foreign origin. But 
the careful scrutiny of 
seven or eight years has 
at length satisfied nearly 
all intelligent fruit-grow¬ 
ers that it is a native. 
“If it is a foreigner,” 
says Mr. Longworth, 
“ it is the first, out of 
many hundred foreign 
sorts which I have im¬ 
ported, that succeeds 
well in this country.” 
Mr. Alexander Thomp¬ 
son says, “ My own de¬ 
cided opinion is, that it 
is an accidental seedling, 
originating in a garden 
where foreign vines were 
growing, and possibly 
of foreign parentage.” 
This history of its ori¬ 
gin is very interesting, 
but after all, the great 
question in most minds 
will be,—what is the 
quality of the fruit, and 
what the characteristics 
of the vine 1 That it is 
sufficiently hardy, no 
one can well doubt who 
knows anything about it. Last winter, (which, in 
Central New-York, was quite open and changea¬ 
ble,) we laid down our largest vine, but left a 
portion of several canes exposed. Those ex¬ 
posed were uninjured, and bore fruit the past 
summer abundantly. It is not a rampant grower. 
For the first year after planting, it is apt to lag, 
and sometimes for the second year its slow 
growth discourages the impatient horticulturist; 
but after it has become well established, it grows 
freely, and ripens its wood to the very extremi¬ 
ties. It is not easy to propagate, and will there¬ 
fore be somewhat scarce and expensive for a 
year or two more. But ere long it will find its 
way into every good garden. 
As to the quality of the fruit, we find it diffi¬ 
cult to speak in measured terms. We doubt if it 
has a superior among hardy grapes, unless it be 
the Rebecca. It is sweet, juicy, aromatic, refresh¬ 
ing, never cloys. “ Little bags of wine,” says 
some enthusiastic taster. The berries are not 
large, but Nature often does up her choicest 
things in small packages. We rest satisfied with 
Mr. Barry’s happy comparison, that it holds the 
same rank among grapes, that the Seckel does 
among pears. That is saying just enough. 
We give above an engraving of an average 
size well-grown cluster, furnished by Dr. Grant, 
who is now raising this variety extensively on a 
pretty island of seventy-five acres, named Iona, 
located in the Hudson River just above Peekskill. 
W'e have now on our table a cluster of our own 
raising, which measures 5£ inches in length, and 
