admit; but never yet was it quite first-rate to a very 
critical palate, nor will it ever be so. The texture 
of Louise Bonne (grow it where you will) is not close 
and velvety. Without this perfection pears may be 
refreshing, delicious, and all that, but they cannot 
be the cream of cream. As for Williams’ Bon Chre¬ 
tien (Bartlett) ever being a most exquisite pear, I 
must dare to suggest that “ Observer’s” palate is 
gratified with a coarse aroma, if he finds it even 
tolerable. The texture 5 b often decent, though with 
grit towards the centre, and the juice is pretty 
copious, (if you gather the fruit unripe,) yet it is a 
penalty to eat more than a slice. The pear has a 
“ yellar” taste. I cannot express my meaning more 
clearly. D< gmtibus , Ac. Winter Nelis is some¬ 
times good, but never quite fir6t-rate. Josephine de 
Malines always beats it in size, appearance and 
quality. Never yet have I tasted beurre Banco 
above the rank of a 6eeond class pear. 
Chestnut Grafted on Oak .—The Revue ilorticole 
gives an account of an instance of grafting a chestnut 
upon an oak, that would seem incredible were it not 
so well authenticated. The seeds of the European 
white oak ( (Juercttepedunculata) were sown in place, 
and when the young oaks were four years old, two 
of them were cut off at about fifteen inches from the 
ground and grafted with the chestnut by the ordinary 
cleft method, and three others were budded the 
same year with chestnut. The budded ones failed, 
but the grafted ones succeeded. One of these was 
broken off by the winds, but the other grew, and 
now stands in the botanical garden of Dijon, being 
over thirty years old. The chestnut at first outgrew 
the stock very rapidly, and made an enlargement at 
the point of union. This tendency was In good part 
overcome by making longitudinal incisions in the 
enlargement of the Btock, The stock each year 
proves its identity by throwing out a number of oak 
sprouts. The fruit does not perfect itself, though 
it sets abundantly. This is attributed to tbe use of 
a graft from an unproductive tree, rather than to any 
unfavorable influence of the stock. 
ITow to liaise Fimas .—The Rural World says:— 
“ There is a secret about plum raising. We have 
discovered it in traveling over the country. We 
never visited a large plum orchard in our life that 
we did not find plenty of the fruit. And we never 
visited any place with eight or ten trees and found a 
good crop of thiB fruit. Now these facts set us to 
thinking; and the result of our thoughts is this 
that it is very easy to have all the plums you want 
to eat and sell. The secret connected with plum 
raising is to plant plenty of trees, so as to give fruit 
to the curculio and to yourself also. If yon will 
plant fifty or a hundred trees, yon will have fruit 
enough for everybody. Every such orchard that we 
ever visited had plenty of ripe fruit. Some even 
complained that the curculio did not thin out the 
fruit enough—that the trees were overloaded. So 
we say to our readers, if you plant plums at all, plant 
fifty or one hundred trees—then yon will be sure to 
have all the fruit you want. It sells for five to ten 
dollars a bushel in the St. Louis market, and is one 
of the mo3t profitable crops raised.” 
and ten cows, to ask how she Is to stop work at ten ? 
I conclude Jennie has no dairy, as she mentions no 
skimming of milk, churning <t butter, or making of 
choose, among her morning’employments. If bad 
management keeps me around till 3 P. M. I want to 
know how to avoid it. W'e rise at five, and break¬ 
fast at six. I have two “hired girls” and our regu¬ 
lar family, In summer, >5 fifteen. Sometimes it is 
over twenty during the erain harvest, and with the 
inllux of summer visitor-. 
There is butter and cheese to make and care for, 
washing, Ironing and cooking to be done, for us all. 
Eight sleeping rooms, (more, of course, If there are 
visitors, or extra help,) two dining-rooms, cheese- 
room, milk-room, pantries and store-room, kitchen, 
back-room, the common parlor, halls and verandas, 
are to be “put to rights” each day we live. 
Through haying and harvesting the men have lunch 
In the forenoon, and drink of some kind mixed at 
Intervals all day. Whether cold coffee, ginger beer, 
or iced milk and water, it is better fox the house¬ 
mother to look after it. Now I do not complain — 
and when housekeepers with small families and 
small dairies, write of the benefit of system, l 
heartily endorse every line, for I could not get on 
without it for a day. But my duties are many, and 
my cares legion; the care of Jive, three of whom 
were her husband and children, looks almost like 
play-work to me, and Jennie will pardon my tired 
brain for thinking so, I know. 
The problem i wish solved, Is this:—If one pair 
of hands can do the work for five, In five hours, 
ought not three pairs to do it for fifteen in just the 
same time ? How shall we be ready to sit down at 
ten ? The milk mast be taken care of, and baking 
done every day, the washing and Ironing gotten out 
of the way, as early in the week as can be to make 
way for cleaning duy& and other extras; moreover, 
inexperiencedhands cannot expedite work like your 
owu, when you plan the best you can. If there is 
green sauce to be gotten from the garden, and peas 
or beans to shell, meat to roast or broil, Ac., dinner 
cannot be prepared and cooked in an hour. I 
scarcely expect my girlB to sit down in the morning. 
It needs good planning for them to be able to do so 
in the afternoon; but I am anxious to save more 
time for myself if possible; it is an absolute neces¬ 
sity—physical, mental, and Bocial. Will Jennie 
please plan for me? A Housekeeper. 
August 8, 1868. 
I presume your readers are aware that the rasp¬ 
berry immediately succeeds the strawberry, and for 
once the crop was not marketable until the straw¬ 
berries were all out of the way. When they did 
come there was a strong demand for them, and the 
first arrivals of Antwerps sold at 75 cts. per quart. 
This variety has been very scarce the entire season; 
in fact, as a crop, it haB been considered a failure, 
and consequently it has sold very high. I think 
the price will average 45 cts. per quart during the 
entire season. 
Some Doolittles were received rather earlier than 
the Antwerps, from Southern New Jersey, but there 
proved to be but little demand for them at any price, 
as strawberries were still plenty and cheap. After 
the Antwerp were out of the market, the Doolittles 
arrived in large quantities from Central New York, 
and the preservers not being able to purchase suffi¬ 
cient quantities of the former at prices that were 
profitable to them, purchased heavily of this variety, 
paying 25 cts. per quart for all they could get, for 
about one week, when the. arrivals increased so 
largely they gradually lowered their prices until 10 
cte. per quart was all they would give. Even at 
this price there was more offered than they could 
make use of, and some were sold to the peddlers. 
As was stated in a former article, this berry is not 
popular with our citizens, and very few of them are 
consumed in our city. 
Some very fine Clark Raspberries were received 
and sold readily at 68 cts. per quart. They carried 
well. Tbe Philadelphia was more plenty, but sold 
for about 35 cts. per quart. These berries do not 
bear transportation as well as either of the above, 
and the fruit being Irregular in shape does not look 
as fine on arrival as it really is. This variety is val¬ 
ued by the simp dealers on account of its richness, 
the size or shape being no objections to them. 
Gooseberries have also been very scarce and high; 
beginning at $4, the prices ran up to $6 per bushel, 
where they remained until the close of the season. 
This berry is used in large quantities by the pie 
bakers. 
Currants were not an exception to the general 
rule of light crops; in fact, there never has been 
such a small quantity of them received in our mar¬ 
ket. The price at the start was 12 cts., and they 
reached the enormous price of 25 cts. per pound, 
although 18 and 20 cts. was the general price at 
which they were sold. The preservers purchased 
all they could procure at 18 cts. As a general thing 
our city ladies went without currant jelly this sea¬ 
son, waiting for the price to lower. They waited 
too long. Cherry currants were sold from 18 to 25 
cts. per pound. They were also very scarce. The 
demand for this fruit increases every season, and a 
full crop would be hailed with pleasure by thou¬ 
sands or invalids, who will necessarily be deprived 
of it this year. Let me again remind farmers living 
at a distance from our city that this fruit can be 
sent in good order by using grape boxes, packed in 
skeleton cases. 
Blaekberries, for quantity, compare very favor¬ 
ably with currants ; even the Delaware crop was not 
larger than the New Jersey, which was very light, 
for some growers consume their entire crop. The 
Dewberry, or wild, low bush, began to arrive about 
the first of July from Delaware, and sold from 25 to 
to 30 cts. per quart. The cultivated varieties ar¬ 
rived about the middle of the mouth, and sold from 
40 to 45 cts. per quart. On the 21st some Dorches- 
ters from E. H. Bancroft, Del., arrived In fair con¬ 
dition and sold readily at 45 cts. This fruit was 
well ripened, and though not large was greatly ad¬ 
mired by consumers for their sweetness. The Law- 
tons from Delaware were not large, but sold on an 
average at 10 cts, per quart. July 24th received 
some very fine Wilson’s Early from Wm. Fary’s, 
(Jinnuminson, N. J., which sold readily at 50 cts. per 
quart, and continued to sell at that price the entire 
season. This fruit was large and fine and attracted 
a great deal of attention from all parties. In size 
compared with the Lawtons from the same farm, 1 
would state that it was two-thirds larger and car¬ 
ried better than the former. (?) I think growers can 
rely upon this fruit as a superior berry. New Jer¬ 
sey Lawtons were rather common,—that is small 
and soft,—yet they will average not far from 35 cts. 
per quart. The Staten Island crop was larger and 
fruit better, and sold higher. Of the Klttatinny I 
can say nothing, for I sold none of them, nor has the 
sale of them come under my personal observation. 
New York, Aug. 20th, 1S08. Now and Then. 
Infallible Cure for Dysentery.— Dr. Page, 
of Washington, communicates to the Republican of 
that city the following simple remedy, long known 
in family practice, and which was recently tried in 
the camp of the New York 22d regiment, where 
there were from eighty to one hundred cases daily, 
and with rapid cures in every case: 
Recipe .—in a teacup half full of vinegar, dissolve 
as much salt as it will take up, leaving a little excess 
of salt at the bottom of the cup. Ponr boiling wa¬ 
ter upon the solution till the cup is two-thirds or 
three-quarters full. A scum will rise to the surface, 
which must be removed and the solution allowed to 
cool. 
Dose .—Tablespoonfnl three times a day till re¬ 
lieved. 
The rationale of the operation of this simple med¬ 
icine will readily occur to the pathologist, and in 
many hundred cases 1 have never known it to fail in 
dysentery and protracted diarrhoea. 
This variety was first disseminated from a patch 
of plants found in a fence corner on the grounds of 
Prof. J. P. Kjrtland, Cleveland, Ohio. It is not 
known precisely how this patch originated, but it is 
supposed from seed. The fruit is medium to large 
in size, round in form and bright red in color. The 
quality is above medium, all judges placing it above 
the Philadelphia, but some below the Clark, Ant¬ 
werp and Naomi The canes are moderately strong, 
and it is perfectly hardy. Geo. W. Campbell, Dela¬ 
ware, Ohio, says he has never givon it winter protec¬ 
tion In the course of twelve years’ culture, and it has 
never failed to give a full crop. He also states that it 
is a week earlier than any other raspberry he has. 
beat as to size, quality, and productiveness by any 
other berry yet discovered. 
The bush is a strong and healthy grower, perfectly 
hardy, withstanding the severe cold of last winter 
without killing, though standing in open ground, 
without any protection. The whole hush from the 
ground to the tip is as destitute of thorns as the 
sample sent to you. It must be a great acquisition 
to those who wish to cultivate small fruits. The 
common blackberry has been nearly destroyed by 
the drouth; they seem to be much more injured in 
the same field than the thornless, which would go 
to show that the thornless is decidedly hardy. 
We have had hut little rain here for the last six or 
seven weeks, and if we do' not get some soon the 
crop of corn and potatoes will be a total failure. 
Gowanda, N. Y., Ang. 10, 186S. J. M. J, 
Remarks.—T he sample received is a branch about 
three feet long, and is entirely destitute of thorns. 
The fruit is in quantity enough to indicate fair pro¬ 
ductiveness, but is small and so dried that no cor¬ 
rect judgment can be formed of its flavor. 
HOBTICXTLTXJBAL NOTES 
Fine Cuc umbers.—Wq have received from Mr. John 
Grant Stanuope, Kenka, Steuben Co., three varieties 
cncnmbers, viz: Sion House Improved, CnthUl’s High¬ 
land Mary, and Lord Kenyon’s Favorite. They were all 
straight, smooth, fine specimens and good quality for the 
table. The first named measured eighteen inches in 
length and eight in circuml'erence; the -'ccond twelve in 
length and six and one-half around, and the third eleven 
by six and a half. The scods were obtained of Jas. Vick. 
in a lye made of wood ashes ind vanilla, with the 
addition of a little Jolt an&il. This brings the 
saccharine j|iice to tue surfac-B^d causes the dark 
brown color as well as the canalization of sugar, 
which is so characteristic of thV cheaper fruit. The 
best varieties are simply dried in the sun before re¬ 
moval from the tree. The fruh, is carefully watched, 
and when at the proper stage|jf ripeness the stalks 
of the bunches are partly cut through and allowed 
to hang till dry, the fruit by this means retaining Its 
bloom and being a light color when dry. Among 
the many varieties of raisins known in commerce 
are Valencias, Dcnias, and Lexias from Spain, and 
Malagas from Malaga in Granada. All these varie¬ 
ties of fruit are imported into this country in what 
are commercially called boxes and half boxes of half 
a hundred weight gross. The small, light colored 
raisins, known as Sultanas, we receive from Smyrna, 
and, as everybody knows, these are devoid of stones, 
or more properly, seeds. This seedless form has 
been brought about by a higher state of cultivation, 
and usually fetches a higher price in the market. A 
common, cheap fruit is also imported from Smyrna, 
quite the reverse of the little Sultana, being of a 
very dark color, and having very large seeds. The 
little, black fruits, which in a culinary sense are of 
so much valhe, and which common usage and the 
corruption of a word haB taught us to call currants, 
are likewise a small, seedless variety of grape. The 
word currant is derived from Corinth, which was 
originally the principal place of its cultivation. If 
the ancient Corinth no longer supplies us with the 
bulk of this most useful fruit, the whole of our im¬ 
ports are still brought from the numerous islands of 
the Archipelago and the neighboring shores of Asia 
Minor.— Good Words. 
Worth Trying. — Roaches, it iB said, can be 
exterminated by scattering fresh encumber parings 
about tbe house. Pulverized borax is also said to 
drive them away, if scattered in cracks, corners, Ac., 
where they are prone to harbor. A sure preventive 
of their encroachm ents, I know to be the presence of 
leaves, twigs, or blossoms of the sweet elder bush, 
scattered wherever they are found. 
No fly will alight on a window which has been 
washed with water in which a little garlic has been 
boiled. 
The Bean Crop. —The Brockport Republic states that, 
the bean crop, which Is now in all the stages of blossom¬ 
ing to ripening, promises to be poor. It ripens so un¬ 
evenly that it will be impossible to secure a good crop 
even if there should bo a good yield. We have heard 
complaints from other sources about the unevenness of 
the ripeuing, but aside from ibis the prospect is good. 
ORIGIN OF THE SHELDON PEAR, 
Expulsion of Red Ants.— Mrs. E. B. R., West- 
field, N. Y., writes that she was much troubled with 
red aunts about her premises when a friend recom¬ 
mended a dose of tartar emetic. She adds“ I got 
three cents worth and put about one-half of it in 
two spoonfuls of tepid water sweetened to the con¬ 
sistency of molasses, and placed it in the ant trail. 
They seemed to come with a re-lnforcement and I 
thought it was going to do no good at all. But they 
left, possibly with the stomach-ache, as they did 
not come back.” 
Read Purdy & Johnston’s advertisement of the 
Mammoth Cluster Raspberry, Colfax & Peak’s Emperor 
Strawberry, and their unexcelled assortment of all kinds 
of Small Fruits, in next week's issne. It will well pay 
for careful perusal. 
The following extract from a lecture given by E. 
N. Plank, Esq., of Wolcott, N. Y., on the “ Early 
Settlement of Wolcott aud Vicinity,” is the fullest 
and most correct history of the “Sheldon” Pear 
yet given to the public: 
“ The late Mr. Roger Sheldon moved from Con¬ 
necticut and settled in the town of Huron (adjoining 
Wolcott) in the year 1 SOD. On their way here they 
stopped over night in Dutchess Co., N. Y., at the 
house of a Judge Johnson, some fifteen miles east 
of Poughkeepsie, where tho oldest Bon of the 
family was living. While there, the Judge brought 
in a basket of pears, probably Virgalieus, for the 
family to eat; and while eating them, old Mr. 
Sheldon remarked that, as they were going to a 
new country, they had better take the pear seeds 
along and plant them. 
“ The father’s foresight gave the Sheldon Pear to 
the world. The seeds were carefully saved, carried 
to their new home in the Western wilderness and 
planted. From them sprung a little nursery. As 
the trees grew, they were sold and scattered about 
the settlement, and though all sprung from pears 
taken from the same tree, some produced pears 
only passably good, others fruit scarcely fit for the 
swine to eat. Six trees bore fruit very nearly 
alike, and so good as to be the admiration and de¬ 
light of all who ate them. These six are the 
original Sheldon Pear trees, and five of them are 
still standing in healthfulness and vigor. From a 
careful examination of these old trees, I can find no 
evidence whatever that auy of them were ever 
“worked,” and the fact that they were severed 
when quite young and planted out in different 
farms, repels the opinion advanced by some that 
five of the trees were unworked snekers of the 
other. And I think that I have been able to detect 
a slight varying in the taste of the fruit of the 
different trees, as well as in their coloring. I 
therefore conclude that the origin of six trees bear¬ 
ing pears so good and so nearly alike was a happy 
freak of nature, similar to that frequently seen in 
the unworked apple orchards of that time, where 
we frequently meet with from two to a dozen trees 
bearing fruit alike or very similar.” 
The Lightning Apple Paber. — An illustration of 
this new apple parer will be found in our advertising 
columns. We have tried it and can vouch for its good 
working properties. 
The Michigan Seedling Strawbebby.— The adver 
tieement of this new sort will be found in another column, 
Read it. 
Graham Bread.—“A Young Housekeeper” is in¬ 
formed that the process of making Graham bread is 
similar to that relating to other kinds. As the flour 
ferments easily, especially if unbolted, it will requiro 
less yeast, but, more water, as its power of absorp¬ 
tion is greater than that of fine flour. “ The loaves 
should be well soaked in the oven, but not over- 
dried.” A portion of rye flour is said to improve 
the quality of the bread. 
Fruit and Vegetable Mabkkt— The following were the 
prices of Fruits, Vegetables, &c.,ln the New York market for 
the week ending August 2za: 
Fruits.— Apples, Common, $ bbL, $!@4; Prime, $5,30® 
6 , Pears, Common, $ bbl., $5®s Medium to good, $708; 
Bartlett, $L5<'j.2Q: Duchess, p crate, $507. Peaches, good, 
crate, $5®0; Common, $17 3; Delaware, $6 1 7,50. Plums, 
Gage, ft bu„ $1,50(55; Southern Damson, % bush, $2,2502,50. 
Grapes, Charleston Catawbaa, $1 ib, 20®2."c. Blackberries, 
Lawton, ft quart, 20@J5ft; Common, 15®20c. Whortleberries, 
Yt bn., $5,50<i/B ; III box, 181520c. 
Vegetables.— Garilck, V 100 b'uchs, $10012. Onions, P 
100 strings. $708, Red. * bbl., $6@B,50; Potato, $r>,50@6,50.— 
Com, sweet, p 100 T5c®$l; Potatoes, bbl.. $1,7303,50. Del¬ 
aware sweet. $10. Squashes, marrow. $ bbl., $1,50®1,62. To¬ 
matoes, U bU., $1,28 1,50. Turnips, K) bbl., $1,7502. Water¬ 
melons, * too, $20®50; Nutmeg Melons, bbl., $3,50®1,50. 
H. Capron, Paris, Province of Ontario, appends 
to a business note the following:— “ I read in the 
June Rural great complaints about the striped cu¬ 
cumber bug being very troublesome and destructive 
to the young vines. The New York Sun recom¬ 
mended feeding them by planting radishes or some¬ 
thing they liked better than vines. A much better 
way is to destroy them root and branch, which is 
easily done. As soon as the crop is gathered from 
the vines, pull them up and burn them all up clean 
and you will destroy the incoming crop of bugs. 
When I first tried this a few years ago, there was 
not a bng in my garden the following spriug. A 
neighbor called on me at that time, stating that his 
vines were wholly destroyed by these bugs. I told 
him I had not one in my garden. He would not be¬ 
lieve it. 1 ottered him ten cents a bug for all he 
could catch in an hoar, lie started for the garden, 
thinking he would make a good job of it, and look¬ 
ed over all the vines, but found none. I then told 
him of my plan of prevention, which waB a com¬ 
plete success. Tell the gardeners to try it. It would 
be well, at the same time, to burn all the weeds in 
order to destroy the seeds.” 
To Purify a Sink.— In hot weather it is almost 
impossible to prevent sinks becoming foul, unless 
some chemical preparation is used. One pound of 
copperas dissolved in four gallons of water, poured 
over a sink three or four times, will completely de¬ 
stroy the offensive odor. As a disinfecting agent to 
scatter around premises affected with any unpleasant 
odor, nothing Is better than a mixture of four parts 
ground plaster of Paris to one part of fine charcoal 
by weight. 
HORTICULTT7IL AL GLEANINGS 
Strawberries in Massachusetts,—Th e State Commit¬ 
tee of the American Bornological Society for Massa¬ 
chusetts make the following Report upon Strawber¬ 
ries : — In strawberry culture we make Hovey’s 
Seedling the standard variety by which we test other 
varieties. Brighton Pine fully sustains its previous 
good reputation. Boston Pine, as good as ever 
Hovey’s Seedling, as line as formerly, and the stand 
ardsort. Jenny Lind, not extensively raised, but 
when grown is as satisfactory as formerly. La 
Coust&nte, the most beautiful in form and color; the 
finest foreign variety ever introduced. Scott's 
Seedling is undoubtedly a fine variety, but is not 
extensively cultivated. Triomphe de Gaud, large 
and handsome, but not of first quality. Wilson’s 
Albany, poor quality, poor color, very acid, and 
good bearer. Buffalo is identical with McAvoy'a 
Superior, which was discarded by us years ago. 
Frogmore Late Piue is a new variety, that promises 
well; large size, and quite late. Russell’s Prolific 
is a fair bearer, but of poor quality. The berry is 
wrinkled and ill shapen; not worthy of cultivation. 
The Agriculturist is a stroug grower, a good bearer, 
tolerable flavor when nearly ripe, and of a scarlet 
color, and when fully ripe of a dark dirty color, and 
of decidedly poor flavor. French’s Seedling is a 
scarlet soft berry, of poor flavor, lacking nearly all 
the qualities that go to make up a good strawberry. 
Lenuig’s White, Monitor, Brooklyn Scarlet, Green 
Prolific, Depford White, Progress, Lucinda perfecta, 
and Exposition de Chalons arc all poor varieties. 
The Report is sighed, by J, F. C. Hyde, President of 
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Eben Wight 
and W. C. Strong. 
Estimate of Fears .—An English writer, who ap¬ 
pears quite fastidious in his taste, thus speaks of two 
of our best known and most popular pears: 
Louise Bonne is very good, as again and again I 
To Remove Grease. — Grease may be removed 
from a coat collar by washing it with a sponge 
moistened with hartshorn aud water. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— Being on the invalid 
list for a few days, on account of overwork, I in¬ 
dulge myself in looking over the papers a little 
more than I have time for, when “ on duty.” To¬ 
day I picked up an old Rural (June 13th,) and an 
article headed “ Economy of Time in Housekeep¬ 
ing," very naturally attracted my attention. It is 
signed Jennie, and dated Dundee, Mich. Now 1 
have never appeared in tho columns of the Rural, 
nor indeed any other paper since my school days, 
but 1 am always glad to see articles from the wives 
and daughters of farmers, and I think much good 
may he done by exchange of views. I was particu¬ 
larly interested in this one. A thrifty housewife, 
with no help except, her own hands, accomplishes 
all her Saturday's work in five hours, aud sits down 
to her sewing at ten in the morning. Her family 
numbers five; two men, vo children and herself. 
She rises at five, sponges bread, prepares breakfast, 
washes dishes, washes, dresses, and combs the 
children, and gives them their breakfast, stews 
peaches, makes yeast, sweeps, makes beds, and puts 
the house in order, bakes a batch of cookies, moulds 
her bread and bakes it, bakes pies and sponge cake, 
washes the floors, cleans the lamps, scours the tea 
kettle, washes and' dresses herself, and looking at 
the clock, discoveres that she has finished her 
morning’s work at ten. There is a full hour to rest 
and sew, before getting dinner! Now that is “ right 
smart”—but allow a Vermont woman with ten men 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:—I send yon by ex¬ 
press a specimen of a thornless blackberry found 
growing upon the farm of Mr. Chas. Henry, some 
four miles from this village, last season, at so late a 
period that we did not have time to do anything in 
the way of sending ont samples. We have been 
watching its habits this season, hoping to be able to 
get a good crop and have some nice samples, but 
owing to the excessive drouth the crop is very slim 
and the berries quite diminutive in size to some 
found last season, so much so, that we hardly thought 
it best to send out any this year. I was at yonr of¬ 
fice last spring at which time I made mention of 
this berry to yon, therefore I came to the conclu¬ 
sion to send you a sample, that you might see what 
they were in a dry season. The first berries ripe 
were picked some two weeks since. I think this is 
a berry, as far as I am able to judge, (taking into 
consideration the drouth, &c.,) that is not to be 
The numerous varieties of grapes which produce 
the various wines of commerce are the effects simply 
or different degrees of climate and soil. Thus we 
find that different districts produce fruit more or 
less valued for the abundance or richness of their 
juice. The smaller berries are generally the most 
esteemed for this purpose. In some districts, how¬ 
ever, the produce is quite unfit for wine making, 
and the fruits are then dried and form the raisins of 
our shops. All raisins, then, whether they be Mus¬ 
catels, Valencias, or whatever variety, are in reality 
true grapes, differing from the wine grapes only in 
size, or the absence of the jnicy principle, which, 
to a considerable extent, developes into flesh or 
palp. The best raisins are grown on the Spanish 
This effective implement does its work with 
remarkable quietness, ease and certainty. With one 
horizontal motion of the hand the skin is taken from 
an apple in much less time than it takes to tell of it. 
It is a great improvement over the ordinary styles, 
requiring circular motion, and the knife is so ad¬ 
justed that it works well on knotty or uneven fruit. 
Having taken the first premium at the Paris Exposi¬ 
tion, at the American Institute Fair, and received 
the highest commendation whenever nsed, we are 
warranted in giving it this favorable introduction to 
our readers. Sargent A (Jo., 80 Beekman St., New 
York, are the general agents. 
