tributcd t,o Mr. JamesF. Lester, an amateur 
fi'iiit grower of Marengo. This is said to be 
a seedling found in the rows of an old seed¬ 
ling nursery of apple stocks; and up to the 
Spring of 18158 never received any care or 
cultivation. The original tree of “ Marengo” 
is thought to be about eighteen years old ; 
and for fourteen years Mr. II, ]). Kelley 
states that he knows it to have fruited with¬ 
out a failure. 
pearance. Fruit, medium to large for a crop; 
oblate, clear, smooth, greenish yellow, with 
jjomolorpcal 
TABLE GRAPES: 
Is their Cultivation Overdone? 
BY P. BARRY. 
CRAB APPLES. 
Fruit for the Extreme Northern Latitudes- 
The Pyriis baenta, or Crab Varieties. 
v»nriy,uic vigoroi me plants, the season, 
Ac., must all he taken into account. Let us 
take, for example, the Delaware. A vine of 
this variety, of any given age, (say three 
years from planting,) in a congenial soil, and 
under good management, might yield ten 
pounds of well-matured grapes, while under 
less favorable circumstances the yield would 
not be half that quantity. The same may 
he said of all other varieties. The vigor of 
the plant, condition of foliage, soil, season, 
management, etc., controlling the produc¬ 
tion. Nothing, save actual experience, will 
enable the cultivator to judge correctly as 
to the quantity of fruit his vines are able to 
mature. The earnest and careful cultivator 
"'ill soon discover, as he watches from day 
to day the development of his crop, whether 
ids vines be overloaded or not, and hold 
himself in readiness to apply the remedy, 
which is the thinning of the bunches. 
I will close these observations by repeating, 
that those who aim at growing good 
grapes — grapes lit for lire table, (and 1 might 
say for wine, but I propose to take up this 
branch of the subject, hereafter,)—must se¬ 
lect. varieties that cun be relied on to ripon 
perfectly in their locality before the average 
13V E. It. ELLIOTT. 
With the rapidly increasing settlement of 
our Northwestern States and Territories and 
the universal desire of an intelligent people 
to cultivate fruit, the subject of varieties 
adapted to the climate becomes yearly more 
and more important. Although it has been 
somewhat, extensively discussed, the vital 
point, even at Ibis time, is comparatively but 
little understood. That the apple, in some 
of its varieties, can be grown wherever a 
crop of corn can be ripened, is beyond 
doubt; yet. the selection of varieties, to com¬ 
mand success, has thus far been an item of 
costly experiment, and to-day is but imper¬ 
fectly known. But one single variety, be¬ 
longing to the class designated by botanists 
as Pr/rus mains, named and described in 
the books as the Duchess of Oldenburgh, 
has fully sl*od the test uninjured in all loca¬ 
tions. Many others prove comparatively 
hardy ; and, us both variety as well as period 
of maturity are required, the planter has 
necessarily had to assume a risk in selection, 
which, in some eases, lias been well rewarded 
■while in many others it has failed. The 
record of one dealer is, that "out of one 
hundred thousand apple trees, comprising 
varieties such as Northern Spy, Fall Pippin, 
Ac., sold by him and planted in Minnesota, 
not one hundred remained at the expiration 
of ten years.” It may be this is an extreme 
case; but certainly the failures have been 
more numerous than the successes, until 
many have said our Northwestern States 
were not adapted to the growth of any hut 
the small fruits, such as currants, gooseber¬ 
ries, 6te., &c.. Enthusiasm, careful observa¬ 
tion and perseverance, however, in this, as 
in all pursuits, is destined to secure success; 
and to this end we find the fruit, growers, 
both professional and amateur, of the North¬ 
west have, during''the past, few years, de¬ 
voted themselves so assiduously that tlie 
exhibition tables of Horticultural Societies 
have this past season been supplied with a 
new class oQuiplos, which,while klioy have 
not the a large proportion of old 
named varieues of the Pyrm vudvs, possess 
richness of flesh and eatable quality almost., 
if hot quite,‘‘equalling them ; and from their 
botanical character in tree—the Pt/rutt bac- 
cutu —a hardihood that insures success to 
the planter. 
I have pursued an extensive correspond¬ 
ence relative to the varieties successful 
SO CJ, A HD 
outline. 
many minute, suffused, dark green dots; 
stem, short for a crab, slender, set in a nar¬ 
row, but regular cavity ; calyx small, closed ; 
basin medium, or rather deep, broad, and 
slightly corrugated; flesh white, hitter, astrin¬ 
gent, unfit for anything except eider. This 
is presented as one of the stumbling blocks 
which purchasers should avoid. 
Marengo — Outline. 
The foliage is dark green and abundant; 
leaves large, broad; shoots curved, vigorous, 
reddish brown, with the gray specks, bloom 
and scaly cuticle peculiar to lira Siberian.” 
The fruit is large for its class in form 
roundish, flattened at blossom end, blight, 
warm red, on yellow ground, u ax m, with 
a few scattered gray or light russet dots; 
flesh yellowish white, crisp, jui* y a little 
harsh until fully ripe, when it is a mild and 
pleasant sub-acid ; stem long, slender, set in 
a narrow cavity; calyx closed; basin broad, 
open, corrugated; core medium, or large 
for tin size of fruit; seeds broad, oval, with 
long point. In eating from early Winter to 
late in Spring. 
Coral. 
This is a new variety, and although small 
is really excellent in quality. Fruit, small, 
conical, flattened at ends; rich, warm yellow 
ground with a Vermillion check; stem long, 
slender, set in a narrow, acute cavity, slightly 
russetted; calyx closed, surrounded with 
agmett the rams had well distributed the 
suit which I strewed over my top-dressing of 
manure; and it occurred to me that a sprink¬ 
ling of plaster (gypsum) would assist 
in retaining the volatile essences of the 
manure, so 1 gave the bed a dressing—at the 
rate of about one and a half bushels to the 
acre. 
Some of my strawberry plants I covered 
early In December with about two inches of 
manure. On looking them over, I found 
occasionally a crown Unit seemed rotting, as 
it were, with “too much of a good thing.” 
1 took a light rake and removed it. Other 
plants that. I covered with leaves and light, 
litter, had got uncovered by the blowing- 
winds, and those l re-covered, putting, as far 
as 1 had litem, some poles along on the edge 
of the crowns of the plants to hold the litter 
in its place. 
I went through my vineyard a day or two 
since, and, although I thought I hod dressed 
them vciy carefully, by plowing and draw¬ 
ing the earth up to them in November, yet I 
iound several vines where the earth had so 
settled away that the water stood all around 
the crown. Of course 1 took care to renew, 
and so I think shall he well paid for mv time 
Coral—Outline. 
corrugated ridges, hut with little or no basin; 
llesli yellowish, crisp, sprightly, juicy, rich, 
mild sub-acid, almost tender, excellent; core 
small. An early Whiter sort, keeping until 
about February. 
CliiraKO. 
This is new—same origin as Marengo. 
Fruit similar to Coral in general appearance 
— a little longer or more completely oblong; 
flesh not as deep colored as Coral, but quite 
crisp, sprightly sub-acid, and by many would 
he preferred to Coral, although it is not as 
rich, As a cooking variety, it is superior ; 
season, December to March. 
1 have drawings and descriptions of others 
named Transeendant, Akins’ Winter, Maid¬ 
en’s Blush, Orange, Arc., which I will send for 
another number of the Rural New-Yorker. 
Hvslop—Outlines. 
rich, dark, almost black red on the side ex¬ 
posed to the sun, and with a Hunt, shade of 
yellow on the shady side; the stem is like 
all the crab.-,;lender, nearly one inch long, 
set in a narrow, deep, acute, corrugated 
cavity; calyx closed, with flat compressed 
segments; basin shallow, with eight to ten 
corrugations or ridges; flesh yellowish, 
rather dry. and without any special character 
or flavor. 
The Catawba Grape 
A correspondent from 
Cleveland, Ohio, wri t os us that lie has “ just been 
eating of Catawba Grapes, grown by ,T. C. Sax¬ 
ton, East Cleveland, on the Col la in cr Ridge, and 
that in many years of acquaintance with the 
.crape he never sav. finer 1 •ranches or ate sweeter 
grope*. The bronchi--- wore latere amt the berries 
just ii3 fresh and as firmly attached lo the bunch 
a- when i ir .-1 picked, Mix g wvno. 11 t year kept 
(Allowbus in perfect condition until March, and 
now has about ten tons, with every prospect of 
their keeping until the lovers of the grape shall 
cat them. On account of t he Catawba fuJIiug to 
ripen this p;.'. j r reason in some localities on the 
lake.-In ;;v. i cuctnit have said some hard things 
of it ; but the public generally believe iu it as 
the be.-t and most profitable late grape known ; 
ami wherever. high, hilly lotit ion with clay soil 
is to be planted, ,t wit! continue lobe cultivated 
by all who calmly examine its merits and under¬ 
stand the best mode of training to perfect it,” 
Illinois Grape Growers’ and Wine Makers’ 
Society.— Dr. II. Scinto mm writes the Prairie 
Funner that the annual meeting of this Society, 
December 1, was a failure. 1 to recommends for 
wine grapes,for Central and Northern Illinois, 
the Concord, (first,) Ives' Seedling, Hartford, 
Delaware, Israel hi, Martha and Salem; says 
years ago, he was of the opinion that the 
Catawba, Norton’s Virginia and Delaware 
could be safely recommended for the same pur¬ 
pose; but time and practice have taught him 
better. It would bo unkind on our part, we 
suppose, to suggest that Dr. !>. has made his for¬ 
tune out of tho last named and now seeks other 
pomologicat conquests. 
Marenao. 
The discoverer of this variety, as well as 
its identity with the Siberian Crabs, I'yrus 
baocaia, as a tree, is, by Sir, Andrews, at- 
JSnulard. 
An old sort, of little value, except in ap 
