au animal must be of full growth to produce 
the sa me result. 
To-day the Iona grape, the Eumelan, the 
Wilder and the Catawba, perhaps, are the 
really best grapes for those who can obtain 
plants grown from •well-ripened wood in the 
open ground and for those who want them 
for their own use. To the above we would 
add the Croton, but to be planted as one to 
four or five of the above. 
The Wilder and the Barry, two of the 
Rogers seedlings, once the people can be in¬ 
duced to plant them, will supersede the Con¬ 
cord. But these things move slow, and it 
takes about a quarter of a century to change 
any popular taste or teach the masses of cul¬ 
tivators what is for their interest. 
Euch year brings out new grapes, as wall 
as now poars, peaches, etc. Many of them 
arc praised, and speculating growers obtain 
and propagate from them, using every srnull 
cutting, feeble growth or imperfect bud to 
make a plant. Tho result is that the tree 
and grape buyer, nine times out of ten, in 
buying of these now loudly-praised and 
widely - advertised new varieties, buys a 
sickly baby- when he supposes he shall get a 
healthy and profitable child. 
Writing, however, upon nil of this is, as 
the Turkish saying ha3 it, Bosh ! “So mote 
it be." F. R. Elliott. 
We agree fully with Mr. Elliott in regard 
to tho importance of correspondents who ask 
information upon grape culture being very 
specific in giving the minutest details of their 
soils' surroundings, as well as for what pur¬ 
pose the fruit produced is designed, whether 
for home use, market or wine. But we can¬ 
not agree with him (hat the enfeebled con¬ 
dition of some varieties at this time has been 
brought about by injudicious methods of 
propagation. To say that our propagators 
Of the grape are less capable or less honest 
than they were thirty or forty years ago, is 
not very complimentary, to say the least. 
We fain would believe that our horticultur¬ 
ists of to-day have not so little regard for 
their reputations as to palm off upon their 
customers vines that will not thrive “ in 
soils and situations favorable to them ami 
where the best of care is given them,” as 
Mr. Elliott declares to be the case. 
Besides this, Mr. Elliott knows full well, 
from personal observation, that the failure 
of the Catawba, Isabella and several other 
old sorts commenced long before the hot¬ 
beds, forcing-houses, and short or green 
wood cuttings from vines grown under glass 
came into vogue. Therefore tho partial or 
total failure of the old standard sorts in cer¬ 
tain localities cannot lie attributed to this 
cause, even if it. has had some effect upon the 
new varieties, which we very much doubt. 
Our own study of tho physiology of the 
grape vine leads us to believe that a plant 
produced from a single bud is not necessarily 
less vigorous or valuable than one grown 
from a cutting containing a half dozen or 
more. In fact, L our American system of 
propagating the vine by using less wood 
thau they do in Europe for cuttings is not au 
advanced step, we must confess ourselves 
imbeciles and not capable of learning any¬ 
thing from experience. 
There is no doubt that there have been large 
numbers of poor, weakly vines produced 
from feeble green or half-ripened wood ; but 
the same is true of vines grown in the “good 
old way,” from large, strong wood, planted 
in the open ground. 
We shall also have to disagree with Mr. 
Elliott in regard to the value of the vari¬ 
eties named by him as the “ really best 
grapes,” as few persons would think of 
planting either largely, except in some few 
very favored localities. Good plants grow 
from strong, matured wood, and in the open 
ground <mn be obtained of the four sorts 
named and in quantises, quality, and at a 
price which would suit the most confirmed 
skeptic in such matters, but the demand is 
light, for other excellent reasons well-known 
to vineyardists generally. 
The Rogers seedlings have been before the 
public almost as long as the Concord, and if 
they have not become as popular, it is be¬ 
cause they are not worthy of the public con¬ 
fidence, and not owing to indifference or ig¬ 
norance. 
in the case of fruit trees that did not sot their 
fruit well, it was of service to thin out the 
blossoms or to pick off the early petoJs of the 
dowers to insure the remainder setting well. 
Mr. Du Breuil has been experimenting in this 
matter. Iu L872 he operated upon twenty es¬ 
palier pear trees of the Doyenne d'Hiver 
pear, taking out tho central blossom from 
each bunch of flowers on every alternate 
t rco in tho row. When the fruit was gath¬ 
ered he found that there was no perceptible 
difference either in the quantity, the quality, 
or size of tho fruit. Iu 1878 he repeated tho 
experiment upon twelve trees, operating 
upon an alternate six. In this case the trees 
operated upon produced sixty-five fruits and 
the 6ix not operated upon produced sixty - 
eight fruits. lie therefore concludes that, 
whilst the theory appears rational enough, 
practice does not sanction its correctness, 
tied that the operation has no influence upon 
t he abundance of tho product. 
Lucy Greve Pear .—The London Ga?-den 
speaks of having received from Mr. Peter 
Gbeve a now seedling pear with this name 
of which it says :—“ In shape it is somewhat 
intermediate between William's Bon Chre¬ 
tien and Marie Louise, t he flesh being white 
and agreeably perfumed like that of the Jar¬ 
gonelle. It is of excellent flavor and deserves 
to take a place among first class dessert 
pears.” 
Cranberries. —A correspondent of the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker asks if cranberries should 
be gathered before they are ripe. We answer, 
No, except for immediate use. Many people 
gather and cook them about the time they 
begin to color ; but they do not so gather 
them to put on tho market. They should be 
ripe, for market. 
TOUCHING GRAPES 
PEACHES IN MICHIGAN 
The South Haven (Mich.) Pomological So¬ 
ciety at a late meet ing took up the consider¬ 
ation of the best varieties of the Peach for 
market culture, and the Sentinel reports 
what the members said about them as fol¬ 
lows : 
“ Mr. Blackmoro said he chose the Barnard 
for his use. 
“H. Chatfiekl i(referred Crawford’s Early 
and Late, Old Mixon, Jaques 1 Rareripe and 
Stanley Late. Was going to set this fall. 
“George Griffin spoke in favor of Hale’s 
Early, Wheeler’s Early, Barnard's ami Stan¬ 
ley’s Late. Would set trees in the fall. 
“ C. H. Wiggles worth would set Hale’s 
Early ; didn’t know about Wheeler's Early ; 
something is needed to fill in between Halo’s 
Early and Crawford’s Early. The Barnard 
such a year as this should bo discarded ; it 
does not sell well when there is a glut in 
the market as there was this season. He 
liked Okl Mixon, Jaques’ Rareripe, Late 
Crawford and Stanley’s Late on heavy soil. 
The Old Mixon stood tho highest this year in 
tile Chicago market and was very popular ; 
thought a person would bo perfectly safo to 
set in fall on high ground and then bank 
them up ; should set us early in the fall as 
they could be taken up from the nursery. 
“Daniel Pierce recommended the Yellow 
Alberge, Barnard, Early Crawford, Jaques’ 
Rareripe and (Stanley, Tho Smock’s Free is 
too late for this locality. I like the Old Mixon 
well; they bear well and come in after the 
Barnard. I would not put out any later than 
the Stanley. The Delovan is later than the 
Stanley. 
“Mr. Cheesebro said A. T. Linderman rec¬ 
ommended tho Hale, Early Crawford, Jaques’ 
Rareripe, Late Crawford and Hill’s Chili 
(Stanley Late.) The Society seemed to think 
the Wheeler’s Early the only peach that 
came in between the Hale’s Early and Craw¬ 
ford’s Early. 
“Mr. Lathropspoke favorably of the Hale’s 
Early; said it was the most profitable peach 
to him ; thought it, was an excellent peach 
for canning ; it was so sweet, though, it 
music cl up more than some other kinds in 
the can ; liked the Barnard better than Craw- 
lord Early, and thought, a great deal of the 
Old Mixon and Stanley Lute ; would not set 
anything later than Stanley for market pur¬ 
poses. On being asked what ho would set if 
going to plant an orchard of a thousand trees, 
he gave the following list for market pur¬ 
poses Hale’s Early 100, Crawford’s Early 
100, Barnard 150, Jaques’ Rareripe 150, Old 
Mixon 800 and Stanley Late 200.” 
Almost daily come to us inquiries as to 
what grape to plant. This question is rarely 
founded upon any basis, i. e., it gives us no 
statement of what the inquirer wants to 
accomplish. We have in the question no 
knowledge of the soil or the location in 
which he designs to plant and grow grapes. 
Nor have we, from his question, an item to 
guide us as to whether he wants to plant for 
his own family and friends to eat free gratis, 
or whether he has money on the brain and 
is looking forward to a crop at a price per 
pound. 
The Grape, its variet ies and qualities, its 
habits of growth, liabilities to disease, its 
adaptation to soil and climate, its value to 
meet the taste of veftucment iu pomology, 
or its value to meet the showy, appreciative 
eye of the vast multitude of the critics, who 
rarely are enabled to distinguish a room from 
flavor, or appreciate aught but a sharp, juicy 
sweet, with size ami show, lias long been 
with us a study. We have studied it, and 
to-day feel that the answering of the ques¬ 
tion of “ i chat grapes are most valuable to 
plant ” is one of difficulty aud doubt. But, 
giving our readers the foregoing as n basis, 
and saying to them that, what wh write we 
do with a confident belief in our knowledge 
of fruit, after over thirty years of daily ac¬ 
quaintance therewith, we yet say that the 
more wo study, tho less wo feel that wo 
know. Climates and seasons change. Grow¬ 
ers of plants make many from imperfect 
organization, but under their forced culture 
the want of true vitality is not kuown, and 
the buyer and planter may not know it for 
two or three years. 
When the Catawba first had its drawback 
of value because of its enfeebled vine und 
disposition to decay ore ripe, we wrote, as 
wo then thought and still think, that the 
cause of the failure of fruit was not in itself, 
but in the system which had been pursued 
in its cultivation. 
It is in vegetable life as with animal life— 
an overstraining of the system is liable to 
produce disease. If product comes from the 
system in that condition, it must, of course, 
be of a more feeble character than that of 
the original plant. No man who breeds ani¬ 
mal life, looking to advancement and profit, 
of Ibe progeny, will attempt to breed from 
the weak or sickly ; nor will he continue to 
keep close connection of relationship. Hu¬ 
manity and brain are both destroyed by a Loo 
close connection of blood and by a too great 
and excessive use of passion. Let us take this 
fact of auimal life, which is commouly ap¬ 
parent and appreciated, into our vegetable 
kingdom, aud wc shall sec at once where the 
producer of a vine or plant, from au imper¬ 
fectly ripened bud or seed, has pursued the 
course producing the same feebleness as that 
of animal breeding from stock deficient in 
vitality. 
It is measurably, if not strictly, to this 
cause that large numbers of varieties of our 
fruits are subject to failure in soils and situ¬ 
ations favorable to them and where the best 
of care is given them. 
I hesitate to say one word of censure 
touching the course that has been pursued 
by many growers and sellers of vines and 
trees, etc.; but if all the growers and dealers 
had done as they did twenty-five years since, 
viz., grown plants only from well-ripened 
wood, in the open ground, and offered them 
for sale when they exhibited a healthy, vig¬ 
orous growth of two years, we should have 
had far less of this want of knowledge 
touching the variety to plant and the soil 
and climate s uited to them. To this want 
of maturity and vitality of the stock or buds 
from which plants and trees Lave been 
grown, by artificial or forced, stimulated 
means, may we plainly, as I look at it, con¬ 
sider the cause of valuation in growth and 
product of vines and trees upon grounds 
where all have the same care. I have visited 
acres of grounds planted with fruit of all 
varieties, each and every tree or vine from 
its first planting having had the saiuB care 
and culture. I have seen fifty plants of Iowa 
grapevines in a row, all planted at the same 
time and cultured alike, but only four or 
five of them were even moderately vigorous, 
while many of them were no larger than 
when first plauted. The same has been 
known to me with regard to Eumelan, Cro¬ 
ton and many others of the past fifteen 
years’ introduction, and sales from plants 
grown of imperiect maturity of parentage— 
for a bud must be fully ripe and perfect in 
order to produce a healthy plant, as much as 
STRAWBERRIES AS ORNAMENTAL 
PLANTS.” 
“ Daily Rural Like” bauds us the fol¬ 
lowing extract from a letter received from 
Helena, Montana, dated Oct. 24 “ T was a 
little amused at, an article, a few months ago, 
in the Rural New-Yorker, headed “Straw¬ 
berries as Ornamental Plants.” Why do you 
not come to Montana and raise strawberries 
where men have got money to buy them ? 
I have about three acres of strawberries— 
two of Wilson’s Albany and the balance in 
fancy varieties. I sold my whole crop at 
$1 per quart, with the exception of a few 
hundred quarts that I sold to festivals at 80c. 
per quart. Does that sound like raising them 
for a mere, ornament ? Tho Wilaon does well 
but the Juounda is the strawberry for any 
country where it will produce such fruit as 
it docs ou my grounds. My Ever-bearing 
strawberries were all destroyed by the grass¬ 
hoppers.” 
RUNNING OUT OF PEARS, 
We have heard much of the “ running-out- 
tbeories” iu regard to fruits of various kinds. 
Dr. Knight, mora than fifty years ago, tried 
to make the world believe that some of the 
good old pears and apples of England had 
run out through old age, hut they are still as 
good as ever. There are a few pomologists 
among us who still hold to this doctrine, and 
whenever a variety fails in a locality the cry 
comes, “ It’s run-outbut seldom a word 
is said about a “run out soil,” in which the 
trees are cultivated or any change which 
may have been produced in the climate of 
the locality by the destruction of forests or 
from other causes. 
Tho old White Doyenne (or Virgalieu) pear, 
is frequently referred to as a case in point, it 
formerly being one of our most popular sorts 
in tho neighborhood of this city ; but of late 
years it fails to come up to the old standard. 
But that this old favorite “still lives” in 
many other localities we have ocular demon¬ 
stration in the barrels of fine specimens which 
annually reach our markets. 
In many localities in the Western States it 
is still a great favorite, as the following note 
from O. F. Tallont, Burlington, Iowa, to 
the Prairie Ear ner shows. He says: 
This standard old favorite in Western New 
York has never foiled to give good crops. 
Trees 25 years old. Size, very large, nearly 
all being one-half pound and upwards in 
weight, most beautifully colored and of un¬ 
surpassed quality. A neighbor is very suc¬ 
cessful with this variety grafted on a specie* 
of thorn. His crop is not abundant, but the 
size is enormous, weighing nearly or quite a 
pound each. This variety has been aban¬ 
doned in the East from its liability to crack. 
We have never had anything of the sort her*-. 
The quality is always best, and cannot well 
be surpassed for flavor. 
GARDENERS’ NOTES, 
Mulching or Protecting Lac. Strawberry 
Plant for the Coining Winter .—The protec¬ 
tion of the strawberry from frosts of winter 
has been repeatedly advised; and sowing 
oats or buckwheat in September has been 
recommended. Not doubting the advantage 
of this mulch— i. e., the decayed foliage of 
oat or buckwheat at coming of frosts—we 
query whether it will prove as desirable as 
would the keeping of the ground clear and 
loose until near the time of winter freezing ; 
then, as soon as frost has penetrated two 
inches, cover the whole ground, plants and 
all, with two to three inches of oat, rye, 
wheat or buckwheat straw. The cost of 
growing a patch of either of the ubove, in 
our opinion, is less than tho exhaustion of 
the soil caused when tho mulch is grown 
among the vines.—E. 
“ Marblehead Squash.”— Aunt Lou writes : 
“ I received from Bliss & Sons a package of 
seed of the Marblehead Squash. The vines 
grew and bloomed finely, but the. blooms 
dropped off leaving their stems but no fruit, 
i had given seed to three of my neighbors 
who met with the same luck. Now what is 
the cause of this i I have had my seed from 
this firm for years, beside filling orders for 
my neighbors, and this is the first time I have 
known their seed to fail to be j ust what they 
were represented to be ” We have no ex¬ 
planation to give for we don’t know any that 
would be satisfactory to ourselves. 
Sawdust, for Earthing Celery.—The editor 
of the Journal of Horticulture, London, says 
sawdust is a good thing for earthing celery, 
placing itbetweeu the rows and around the 
plants after the leaves und stalks have been 
brought together, pressing the sawdust about 
them, so as to lio compact and insure blanch¬ 
ing perfectly. It is better, he thinks, than 
s ii, not being so liable to cause the stalks to 
rot, and is a good protection against frost. 
Grape Vines on Low Grounds .—Can you 
inform me whether grape vines will grow 
and do well where tbe water stands several 
inches deep for a few day* in early spring ? 
Isabella aud Concord grapes are w hat I wish 
to set out next spring, and of course they 
will have to be taken from their supports iu 
tbe fall aud mulched. Will the water injure 
the vines as they lay on the ground 1—H. C. 
Fred way, Jeff. Co., N. Y. 
Land which is so low as to he overflowed 
with water at auy time of the year, would 
scarcely answer for a vineyard. Better se¬ 
lect a steep side hill facing south for a locality 
so far north as Jefferson County. 
POMOLOGICAL GOSSIP 
Thinning Fruit Blossoms.— Some of the 
older writers on fruit culture suggested that 
