lorindturf 
MATILDA AND NICHOLS STRAW 
BERRIES. 
FLORAL TRANSMUTATION—A 
CURIOSITY. 
In the Rural of .July 17th there appears an 
article under the head of The Matilda Straw¬ 
berry, casting- reflections upon myself, written 
In a manner so unwise, discourteous and unfair, 
that you must allow me “ fair play ” by way of 
explanation. 
1st. Your article asserts that the first commit¬ 
tee of the Fruit Growers’ Club, who declined 
to serve, were “ gtnttcm tn of an excellent eclec¬ 
tic ?i," but insinuates that the second committee 
was “indifferent to the welfare of tlic piMic and 
tlu cchtbU'U>H of the elrdAvhenien .’' 
2d. It insinuates that I forced myself forward 
as "a committee of the whole," Investigated, de¬ 
cided, Are., and made tho awards to an unworthy 
variety, In order to "keep ttu,money fromgoing 
back into the trcamuy of the Club," 
3d. It insinuates that the Prize Strawberry was 
not exhibited according to conditions, nor on 
Club days, ami the single plant shown on ohc 
Club day was much Inferior to the Matilda. 
4th. It assort* positively, from tho writer’s ex¬ 
amination, that the Matilda was the best ex¬ 
hibited, was fairly entitled to the premium, and 
possesses such valuable excellences that it will 
be heard of again wit h much praise. 
To all of which 1 will reply us briefly as pos¬ 
sible. 
1st. That the Committee Consisted of Chas. 
Downing, A. S. Fuller, C. D. Bkagoon, ll. J. 
Dough, If. H. Summed myself; that the sec¬ 
ond and third parties retired* declining to take 
part; that Mr. Downing did his duty as far as he 
Could bo present — which was only for a single 
day and that tho entire burden wits thrown up¬ 
on tho three lust named. 
2d. That each and all of those three gentlemen 
attended three limes ouch week for two weeks, 
observing tho various collections, and nil with a 
diligent euneern for the public welfare and con¬ 
siderate regard for all exhibitors, that the award 
Anally made was by the entire unanimous vote 
of all who were present, and not of any single 
individual, and was ail honest, impartial award 
in every respect. 
fid. That twenty-live seedlings were exhibited, 
nearly all of which on other than Club Days; 
Dio conditions of award permitting exhibition 
during the continuance of tho Fair, and not 
confining il to any part icular day. The fact that 
your Kdilor was not present to taste or see tho 
dclicluus plate of fruit which decided the first 
prize, is certainly not ground enough for an 
abusive article. 
till. The part that I took In tho Committee 
was that of an honest, disinterested person, as I 
was not acquainted with any of the Exhibitors, 
and t he successful competitor was as much sur¬ 
prized at the decision of tho Committee as 
though he had received the announcement of 
an immense legacy, 1 value the reputation of 
The Horticulturist, as well as my own, too care¬ 
fully to permit any other than the most honor- 
aide methods of doing business. 
fitli. 8o far is it from the truth that the corn- 
mil Ice aimed “to keep tho prize money from 
returning back to Die Treasury of the Club,’” 
and so confident am l that, the decision of the 
Club Committee will bo most enthusiastically 
sustained the next season, that I herewith offer 
the challenge that tho two si raw berries shall be 
exhibited next year, both plants and fruit side 
by side, that a oarcful committee shall be ap¬ 
pointed then who shall decido as to their merits. 
If the Matilda Is decided the best I will forfeit, 
tho sum of twenty-five dollars Into the Treasury 
of The Fruit. Growers' Club; bur. if, on the other 
hand, the Nichols Seedling — the prize straw¬ 
berry of ibis year —shall bo decided still worthy 
of its prize, then the editor of the Rural is to 
retract his article and give me due credit, 
0th. The merits of tho two strawberries are 
simply these; The Matilda was stimulated in 
tlu' highest manner, and of course the plant, us 
exhibited was very large. The fruit stalks wore 
very long, very few of them, and producing only 
a few large berries on each stem; the general 
character of the plant was vigor, but not. pro¬ 
ductiveness. The fruit was beautifully colored, 
light scarlet, but a tendency to softness, and a 
very acid taste, more so than the Wilson, with 
which it was faithfully compared, side by side. 
The public have laid enough of sour berries, and 
i hold that anything new, with any greater acid¬ 
ity to it than tho Wilson, is not worthy of a 
prize; and also, anything new that is too soft 
for market, is not desirable on any account, 
whatever other qualifications it may possess. 
On the other hand, I took the trouble to ex¬ 
amine a lied ol' the Nichols Seedling, after the 
award of the prize, — to salisfy my seif fully 
wliet her iis growth was as good as Its flavor, and 
1 have been more than ever satisfied with the 
decision of Die Committee, ll. is a chance seed¬ 
ling, perfectly hardy. Grown side by side with 
the WilsQli Albany, it is as vigorous, us product¬ 
ive, as hardy, free from all small berries, per¬ 
fectly solid all through; a line texture to Die 
flesli, very firm, and a delicious flavor, resembling 
the Itussoll, but free from its sickish, sweet taste, 
and more highly perfumed. The berry is very 
Can any naturalist or scientist, or any 
writer for the Rural, account for the fact of 
a yellow rose changing to a red one in the 
growth? The fact is a veritable one, 
whether the solution of its mystery is within 
the grasp of liumun philosophy or not. 
In the pleasure grounds of my neighbor, 
A. P. Crandall, Esq., at his residence in 
this village, grows a rose bush of Die orien¬ 
tal sweet briar species, which, in its present 
place, for over twenty years until this season, 
has annually produced the common single 
yellow rose in great profusion of blossom. 
This year, while that variety of rose, which 
is an early one, was in bloom in other 
grounds, it was noticed as a singular fact 
that this bush had presented no buds. As 
the season passed, and the ordinary time of 
the general appearance of roses came on, 
the defaulting briar came out. in a flaming 
red presentation! and that is the show it. 
now makes. The rose is semi-double, slightly 
fragrant, and much larger in diameter than 
the yellow one it formerly bore. It has a 
marked, different general appearance from 
any other rose I ever saw, having (so to 
speak,) a strange or wild look. 
There has been no grafting or other 
change of stock or root by artificial means 
in this case. Near the mysterious bush, 
along a piazza, are growing in great thrift i- 
ness the Michigan, Boursault and Queen of 
the Prairie climbing roses. The changed 
briar is apparently in the best of health, and 
is unusually vigorous in its growth. 
Another remarkable feat ure is the presen¬ 
tation of two very different classes of leaves 
—the one a small variety like those of the 
original yellow rose — the other the full size 
of the ordinary rose leaf of other varieties. 
The latter are now growing luxuriantly, 
while the smaller or first crop of leaves seem 
to be failing and dropping oil'. 
This case, so novel and wholly unparal¬ 
leled within my information, is a perfect 
puzzler to the hundreds of observers of the 
anomaly hereabouts, including the writer. 
Its next year’s appearance will be awaited 
with much curiosity. The ease may not 
properly be called one. of lusu* natural . Is 
it a miracle? Or what is the cause of this 
extraordinary transmutation ? An answer 
is the object sought by this publication. 
Palmyra, N. Y., July 10,1809. P. Tucker. 
ItKIN K/F'l'K 
will rank with the Charles Downing', Triomphe 
do Gaud, and Hoyden’s No. fiO in quality and 
other desirable characteristics. Hunky T. Wil¬ 
liams, Editor llort ieulttirM. 
Remarks,— To the foregoing we reply,— 
Mr at, that we most cheerfully, respectfully 
and fully retract whatever may have ap¬ 
peared in our article on tlu; Matilda Straw¬ 
berry, in our issue of July 17th, which the 
editor of tin; Horticulturist may deem “ dis¬ 
courteous,” “ unfair,” or “ abusive." 
Second, that on one of the days of the 
regular meeting of the Club the editor of 
the Rural, named as a member of the com¬ 
mit lee, was accosted by a gentleman (whom 
we do not recollect,) who said, “ I under¬ 
stand you are a member of ihc Seedling Com¬ 
mittee?” Our reply was, that we had heard 
nothing about it, but could not serve if we 
had. That is all we ever heard of our con¬ 
nection with the committee. 
Third, that we 
Fruit, — Size large to extra large; form 
varying, generally roundish flattened, slight¬ 
ly oblique, angular, much ribbed, especially 
toward the crown or calyx; sometimes the 
form is almost oblong and quite smooth; 
color light greenish yellow, with frequently 
a faint blush of red on the sun-exposed side; 
many small, dark green specks, surrounded 
with light green suffused beneath the skin ; 
stem short, set a little inclined on one side 
in a deep, open cavity; slightly rime ted • 
calyx with short divided half-open segments 1 
basin with prominent ribs; flesh yellowish, 
white, juicy, crisp, tender, sharp, sub-acid, 
sprightly, aromatic; core small, compact; 
seeds very dark brown, almost black; season, 
December to May. 
Tree .—A very strong, vigorous, upright 
grower while young, forming a large spread¬ 
ing, open orchard tree, quite hardy, product¬ 
ive and profitable. An old French variety, 
described nearly two centuries ago. 
The continued vigor of tree and excellence 
of fruit possessed at this day by this old 
variety, disputes strongly all theory of natural 
life duration of sorts. In strong heavy soils 
its strong, open spreading form and product¬ 
iveness, together with its large-size fruit, 
make this variety one of the most valuable 
sorts for family iiro or home market. For 
distant transportation, no white or light- 
colored apples are found to equal those with 
red skins. 
forming a small round, spreading head ; very 
productive annually; young wood, dull yel¬ 
lowish brown, short jointed. 
Fruit below medium to small, roundish 
oblate, slightly oblique; clear pale yellow, 
with a rich browning red blush cheek in 
sun, small, irregularly scattered russet dots, 
and occasionally a rough russet patch. Stalk 
rather slender, sot in a broad, open, deep 
russclted cavity, and projecting a little be¬ 
yond the surface. Calyx small, closed, set 
without depression, and surrounded with 
radiating ribs, star-like. Flesh white, fine 
grained, lender, moderately juicy, sharp, 
brisk sub-acid, good to nearly very good; core 
small,- seeds broad, oval, flattened ; season, 
April, May and June. f. h. e. 
BERRIES IN THE SOUTH. 
have no doubt “ the suc¬ 
cessful competitor was as much surprised at 
the decision of the committee as though he 
had received the announcement of an im¬ 
mense legacy." So were sundry other gen¬ 
tlemen of good pomologieul repute. 
Fourth , that if the Nichols Seedling—of 
which we have never professed to know 
anything beyond what we learned from a 
small, fruitless plant proves to be all that 
our distinguished contemporary hopes for it, 
we shall very cheerfully say so. 
Fifth , that, our information is, that the 
plants of the Matilda were not stimulated; 
that the fruit exhibited had been washed by 
rains, affecting its flavor — which statement 
was confirmed subsequently by other sam¬ 
ples which wo had ample opportunity to 
test, and which proved to our satisfaction 
that its acidity is not so great as the Wilson. 
We regard its flavor quite as good as the 
Charles Downing and Boydoti’s No. SO, and 
it suits our palate better than the Triomphe. 
Sixth, that we shall greatly rejoice if 
either the Matilda or the Nichols, or both, 
prove acquisitions to the present strawberry 
list. Our publication of the engraving of the 
Matilda was without t he proprietor’s solicita¬ 
tion, consent, or knowledge (until after the 
engraving had been made,) but simply be¬ 
cause we, with other men of good judg¬ 
ment, regarded it, from what we saw and 
learned of it, very promising. If the Nichols 
These are esteemed really sweeter than the 
cultivated. Of course, they are not nearly 
so large in the average. Raspberries succeed 
the strawberries — supplying the tables of 
those who take care to he furnished with 
them, from about the middle of June till the 
first week or two in July, in North Carolina. 
These are not tended with any care. They 
are generally found along the fence of the 
garden or along hedges. They need rich 
soil, and a good deal, but not too much, of 
shade. They are sometimes found growing 
wild, probably from seed scattered by 
birds. Blackberries grow in great quan¬ 
tities everywhere briars can flourish, No 
one dreams of giving them any attention, 
except to gather the few that are wanted 
\ for t he table, Jbr wine and to dry. Recent- 
\ ly it is becoming a popular,because it has 
proved a profitable, work to dry them. 
One county in Nort h Carolina last year 
is said to have sold $100,000 worth. That 
/ county is said to be building a railroad 
/ with the money gathered from this source. 
As the crop this year is immense, much 
may be made by the poor in this way in 
a short time. As these several berries 
grow* spontaneously in the South, it must 
prove exceedingly profitable to cultivate 
them there as at the North.— h. 
arbrnrr 
ABOUT ANGLE WORMS. 
I .have a garden which has been cleared 
from the forest about fifteen years. It has 
been cultivated thoroughly and manured 
freely, and lias seldom failed to produce 
good crops; but for tho last four or five 
years the angle worms have worked in it—a 
few at first, hut now innumerable. They 
eat the soil and work it over and over until 
it is like mortar and the life is ail gone out 
of it. I manure every year, and raise good 
crops of fruits and most kinds of vegetables, 
but turnips, radishes and potatoes 1 think 
they spoil. 
My garden, which was at first a nice, dry, 
loamy soil, is now so hard and lumpy that it 
is almost impossible to work it. Still the 
worms increase. My liens eat thousands of 
them, but they increase faster than the hens 
can cat them. 
I think that if salt were applied freely 
enough to kill the worms it would kill all 
my fruit trees and hushes,— in fact, every 
green thing growing in the garden. 
I am well satisfied that the worms have 
caused the ground to become hard and 
lumpy and dead; hut how to get rid of them 
is more thuu I can tell. Who can ? 
Freedom, Wis., 1809. E. N. 
THE SWASEY APPLE 
Tiie Swasey is an apple disseminated 
twenty-five or more years since by Colonel 
Bela Latham (now deceased) of Columbus, 
Ohio. It is a fruit of small size and of qual¬ 
ity, lo rank, according to pomologieul rules, 
as “ good,” to nearly “ very good.” The 
tree very hardy, a moderate grower, forming 
a round, spreading top, and producing its 
lruil in clusters, very profusely. If l>r. E. 8. 
IIcll knew it, I presume he would class it 
us among his list of “ varieties exempt from 
the attacks of insects,” it being rare to find a 
specimen punctured by any insect. Singu¬ 
larly enough, although many years in culti¬ 
vation, it lias, so far, been overlooked by all 
writers, and at this time 1 fail to find any 
record of it in any horticultural or pomologi- 
cal publication. The character of the tree, 
its habits, <fcc., together with the keeping 
quality of the fruit, induce me to think it a 
variety of promise for Northern or Southern 
latitudes, where such varieties as Melon, 
Tompkius County King, &c., either fail in 
the hardihood of tree, or mature their fruit, 
too early in the season. 
Li one of my old note books, 1853.1 find a 
short description made from fruit of a tree 
then in my possession, but I am, at this time 
of writing, May 10,1809, indebted to Prof. 
J. P. Kirtland for specimens of tho fruit, 
and directing attention to its probable value 
for certain sections. 
Description. — Tree a moderate grower, I 
A New Fruit.—Z. SHlULRY, Lexington., Yr.., 
writes;—“ I tlilntr I tun e found something new. 
I tls in ev ery respect a blackberry until it ripens, 
when it is perfectly white, resembling white 
wax ; it. is of fine flavor, and not so acid as the 
blackberry. I um satisfied if it were cultiv ated 
it would become a great taVorite. Please tot me 
know what you think of it." We cannot tell 
what we think of it until we see the fruit. Wo 
have seen and tasted very good white blackber¬ 
ries. Let us know more about it. 
Ouion Maggot.—Will you or some of your cor¬ 
respondents please Inform us what can be done 
for our onions? On examination we find a little 
worm, or maggot, which seems to begin at the 
root and work upward in the stalk. I find as 
many us five or six in a single stalk; they 
vary from one-sixteenth to three-eighths of 
an inch in length. I think that i his trouble is 
general in this section, as I have heard several 
speak of the some tiling.—A, W, Oaths. 
Onion cultivators have destroyed this maggot 
by pouring a small stream of boiling water along 
the drills near the roots of the plants. This is 
done thi'oe or four times during the season. The 
hot water does not seem to injure the onions. 
Strawberry Culture. I am nhout to renew my 
strawberry patch, and desire a little more light 
before commencing the work. I have hereto¬ 
fore set in rows, but most of my neighbors seem 
to prefer setting tn hfllA. Will you or some of 
your readers, l hrough the Ruhal, advise me as 
to the preparation at the ground, and the proper 
course to be pursued thereafter? — A. Brooks, 
JonawtUe, JV. I'. 
Head carefully the previously issued numbora 
of Rural for current year. 
Apples for Name. I have two varieties of ap¬ 
ples, of which I have seen no description. I 
think they are something new. 1 know 
they are yood. What shall l do with them? I 
wish to submit samples to competent judges for 
their examination. To whom shall I send them ? 
—8. Carson Bower », Salem, Fa. 
Send them to F. K. Elliott, Cleveland, O., or 
to P. Harry, Rochester, N. Y. 
CANADA REINETTE APPLE. 
F. R. Elliott furnishes the Department 
of Agriculture with the following concerning 
this apple: 
Synonyms. — Canada Pippin, Portugal 
Canadian Hcinette, Jauaurea, Pomme de 
Caen, De Bretagne, Reinctto de Grosse du 
Canada, German Green, YVahr Reinette, 
Reinette du Canada Blanche, Gross Reinette 
d’Angleterre, Reinette du Canada a Cortez 
White Pippin, (erroneously,) Yellow Newton 
Pippin, (erroneously.) 
Saif ami Onions.— In answer to the Wattesville 
correspondent, I will state that I have tried salt 
on onions. It will icill weeds, and it did not kill 
my onions; it should be applied on a sunny day. 
Apply around the roots.—SUBSCRiRER, Havana , 
N. l r ., July 8. * 
Peach Nomenclature. — Let n “Far-Wester” 
suggest to Mr. Wilkinson, April 24th, page 205, 
that he is still wrong except in sound. Old- 
mixon is an ancient family name in England, 
and from thence in the United States; and the 
name of the peach follows it, and is “ Oldiuixon’s 
Free," not Old Mixon Free.— One of the Old- 
mlxon Blood. 
Transportation of Plums.— The Japanese, in 
bringing living plants to this country, wrap 
their roots in a mixture of earth and carrots 
ground together. 
Notes on New Garden Vegetables mid Fruits 
will be very gratefully welcomed to our columns 
if they come from practical men and women. 
mittee did, he would have been delighted, for it 
