jgVSjRpR 
NEW YORK ■ JULY 30, 1881 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by the Rural New-Yorker, in the offieo of the Librarian of Confess at Washington.] 
Jtointlteral 
is too small and. unproductive, as compared 
with the foregoing. 
Duncan is vet the best, with me, of very early 
strawberries. Its season may be put with those 
before named, or a day or two later. The plant, 
however, is so vigorous and regularly product¬ 
ive, even under unfavorable circumstances, 
that I esteem it decidedly the most valuable 
very early berry of my acquaintance. To this 
I may add that the firmness, large size and 
high quality of the fruit add greatly to its 
value, and may even render It desirable to lead 
the market as the opening variety. 
Shirtb commenced to ripen about June 14, 
and maintained its character as productive and 
a strong grower. The fruit also is large, dark- 
crimson or scarlet, and of fine quality—too 
soft for remote marketing. Much to my sur¬ 
prise, both this and Monarch of the West 
growing in adjacent rows under the same con¬ 
ditions, although they withstood the last Sum¬ 
mer’s sun satisfactorily, have suffered more 
severely from the past Winter than any other 
of the older standard varieties growing near 
them, among which I may name Sharpless, 
Seneca Chief, Wilson, Charles Downing, Dun¬ 
can and Cumberland Triumph. 
Crescent has shown its usual ability to pro 
duce both plants and fruit; but it must certain¬ 
ly, with me this season, yield the palm of pro¬ 
ductiveness to 
Champion (Windsor Chief), which has this 
year exceeded itself. 
Sharpless has shown its usual vigor, com¬ 
ing through the Winter unscathed, and pro¬ 
ducing a fair crop of fruit, mostly of fine, large 
size ; but I regret to say that they were gen¬ 
erally hard at the tips, apparently the re¬ 
sult of a slight drought just before the Beaaon 
of ripening. Other varieties In adjacent rows 
were little, if at all, affected from this cause. 
Marvin Is said not to withstand the sun at 
the East. With us, however, this has uotbeen 
a difficulty, although it cannot be said to be as 
strong as Sharpless. It is only a moderate 
producer of plants. It has suffered from the 
severity of the past Winter, though to a leBS 
degree than Shirts and Monarch of the West, 
in adjacent rows. Its first matured specimens 
were gathered this season from the 20th to 23d 
of June, but specimens may now (July 16) be 
found upon the plants In various stages of un¬ 
ripeness. Our exemption from Summer injury 
may be due to a lacustrine climate and a con¬ 
sequent exemption from extremes of heat. Be 
that as it may, my plants, though on rather 
light soil, are as fresh as could be desired un¬ 
der the excessive heal and bright sun of the 
past month. The past Winter with us has been 
decidedly exceptional, and, whatever Eastern 
planters may do, we at tho lake shore may 
venture to plant the Marvin extensively for 
the market. 
Woodruff’s No. 1 is a berry originating 
at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has now fruited 
with me two years. I am not confident that 
it will be found very desirable, although it Is 
productive and of good quality. The fruit is 
long, conical and pointed, and has the rare 
peculiarity among long berries of ripening 
fully and even first at the tip. It ripened this 
season on June IS. 
Woodruff’s No. 2 from the same source, is 
said to be a cross of Jucunda upon Agricultur¬ 
ist. The fruit is of fine size and quality, in 
form truncate-conical to oblong-ovate; con¬ 
siderably elongated—a peculiar form; and, like 
the foregoing, it ripens first at the tips. 
Rbd Jacket, President Lincoln, New Do¬ 
minion, and a few others have this year shown 
much promise; but. considering the peculiari¬ 
ty of the season I omit further notice of 
them till they can he observed under less ex¬ 
ceptional circumstances. 
Cumberland Triumph has done wonder¬ 
fully well, and has established Itself yet more 
firmly in my confidence as a highly desirable 
berry for the table, and a profitable one for 
the good cultivator aud for a near market. 
CHINESE WISTARIA. 
Hardlueim a Relative Term, 
PROFESSOR J. L. BUDD. 
In the notes from the Rural Grounds I have 
just noticed the statement that the standard 
specimen of Chinese Wistaria is killed to the 
ground. In our trying climate I have grown 
it in nursery rows and on trellis for a number 
of years and have not known it seriously in¬ 
jured. During the past month I have noticed 
several fine, strong plants on trellis, in the 
central portion of Iowa, on which scarcely a 
terminal branch was Injured during our past 
terrible Winter. On one vine, on the grounds 
of G'apt. C. L. Watrous, of Des Moines, I no¬ 
ticed a number of very large and well filled 
pods yet clinging to the vine in June. I men¬ 
tion this to give an opportunity for saying that 
the term hardy may have a varied meaning. 
The hardiness of a plant depends often on its 
habit of determinate growth and the perfect ri¬ 
pening, in Autumn, of its wood cells. Plants na¬ 
tive to the hot, dry portions of northern Europe 
and Asia may thrive perfectly in the hot, dry 
Summer air of Iowa, and the advent of severe 
frosts in Autumn finds them prepared for zero 
weather. On the other hand, in the moister 
callosa, Hydrangea paniculata, Lonicera 
confusa, Aralia cordata, and Prnnus triloba, 
far more seriously injured by the past eevere 
Winter than in Central Iowa. On the con¬ 
trary, plants indigenous to moister climates, 
such as cotoneaster, cytisus, hibiscus, and 
apple, pear, plum and cherry trees from the 
south of Europe, endured tho Winter far better 
in Michigan than on our prairies. 
Ag'l College, Ames, Iowa. 
SOME OF THE NEWER STRAWBERRIES 
IN THE WEST. 
PRES. T. T. LYON. 
This fruit has, this season, ripened here 
somewhat later than usual. Tho crop has not 
anicttitaraL 
ROSA RUGOSA AND FRUIT.—Fig. 353. 
and cooler air of New York or Michigan the 
leaves of such plants may Iobs perfectly do 
their work of storing the cell structure, caus¬ 
ing them to be ranked as half-hardy or even 
tender. 
I had an opportunity to take lessons In this 
direction last week in Michigan. Around 
Lansing, and on the grounds of the Michigan 
Agricultural College. I was surprised to find 
such Chinese plants as Diervilla Japon- 
ica, Forysthia, Spiraea prunifolia, Spiraea 
been as large nor the fruit as perfect as is com¬ 
monly the case. The markets, consequently, 
have not been so overloaded as to seriously 
affect prices. Hence growers of this fruit are 
jubilant. 
Crystal City was onr first ripe berry, the 
first specimens having been picked on June 6. 
It is hardly likely to take a high position, ex¬ 
cept for earliuess. 
Metcalf ripened with the foregoing ; but it 
has only its earliness to recommend it, while it 
THE JAPAN ROSE—R08A RUGOSA. 
SAMUEL PARSONS, JR. 
The interest in the mixed border that con¬ 
tains a general collection of hardy flowering 
plants is becoming a distinct feature of the 
horticultural taBte of the present day. The 
abounding, if not Buperabounding, fancy for 
bedd in g plan te—coleuses, centaurias and the like 
—is, comparatively speaking, already checked 
somewhat, and employment is given more and 
more to a general collection or border of hardy 
herbaceous plantB, wild flowers, blooming flrBt 
one and then the other throughout the season. 
I believe far more of the numerous beautiful 
varieties of bedding plants will be used in the 
future than in the past, but bedding plants in 
a more advanced condition of horticnltural 
taste, will not be used so exclusively as is often 
the case at the present time. A more discrim¬ 
inating taste will serve to have more or less of 
all the different classes of plants suitable for 
the lawn. 
One of the most Interesting plants for the 
mixed border is the rose, and among the kinds 
that succeed best—for roses are, as every one 
, knows, much exposed to mildew, rose bugs, 
etc.—l waut to call attention to the compara¬ 
tively new Japan rose, Rosa rugosa. The first 
feature of this plant that strikes us in June is 
the appearance of its flowers. They are single, 
of a lovely roay-plnk color, and in one variety 
even white, aud not numerous. It is the sin¬ 
gle-flowering quality, however, that strikes us 
as most peculiar. Aeeustomed, as we are, to 
innumerable varieties of roses, hybridized into 
every conceivable form and combination of 
petals, it is refreshing to happen once more on 
a single-flowering species that resembles the 
lovely wild roseB that we pluck by the way- 
Bide. It Is a question whether many would 
not confess, if they were disposed to be frank, 
that they really preferred these single flowers 
generally to the double ones. Nor are the sin¬ 
gleness and color of the flower of the Rosa ru¬ 
gosa its only charming features. The shape 
and set of its petals and charming yellow sta¬ 
mens, imbedded in bright, healthy foliage, are 
equally attractive. But we are too much in¬ 
clined to dwell exclusively on the charms of 
the flower of a plant that is also attractive in 
other ways. And herein lies one special value 
of Rosa rugosa—while it Is essentially a flow¬ 
ering plant, with all the beauties of a rose 
flower developed In a high degree, it is also at 
the same lime a charming shrub by right of its 
foliage. The leaves, more rounded and ser¬ 
rated than those of other roses, and of a dark, 
rich, healthy green, are never, to my knowl¬ 
edge, dimmed with mildew or blight of any 
kind, or Injured by insects. These leaves are 
close-set aud vigorous, and the general habit 
of the plant is strong und rugged in a striking 
degree. There are altogether a richness of hue 
aud un evidently hardy, enduring nature that 
make it a plant of the very first rank for the 
mixed border or general shrub groups, or even 
for occupying Isolated single positions. It is, 
to all intents and purposes, a new plant, and 
seldom found on any lawn, although it has ex¬ 
isted in rare collections nearly 40 years. Late¬ 
ly, however, It has been gradually emerging 
from its obscurity and obtaining the recogni¬ 
tion it has so long deserved. 
[This rose, as will be remembered, has been 
of late referred to several timeB in these col¬ 
umns. Our illustration is re-engraved from 
the London Garden or Gardeners’ Chronicle— 
we are in doubt which.— Eds.] 
