ScuppemongR, and hundreds of Black Hamburgs 
are annually set out. The sorts that have proved 
best for this State ore Hartford Prolific. Concord, 
Delaware, Herbemont, Ive’s Seedling, and Nor¬ 
ton’s Virginia. 
Brenham, Texas. 
--—♦ ♦ ♦- 
CALIFORNIA FRUIT CROP OF 1877. 
BY W. C. It. DKLW. 
Tub fruit crop in California, is not nearly up to 
the average in quality or quantity. This could not 
be otherwise in view of the drought of last winter 
followed by a vory hot summer. 
Grams Crop.— The vineyardista nearly all 
agree that there is uot more than a full half 
crop this season. The berries are much smaller 
than usual. In the early part of the season the 
bunches filled out well and the berries were 
of average size, but during the extraordinary 
hot spoil wo had during the latter part of the 
summer, the berries wilted and many fell 
Although the crop is only one-half, there is an 
abundance to fill all demands. Fully one- 
quarter will decay on the viues of what there are. 
Those who are buying grapes this season are 
doing so merely to turn them into brandy, and to 
take advantage of the new warehouse law. Prices 
realised will hardly pay the cost of picking and 
trimming. In this vicinity, El Dorado, they 
are selling at from *5 to 67.50 per tou. In other 
raised from stones of the “test Peach tree in I 
the country,” or imported from Alabama or Ken¬ 
tucky. Farmers plant Peach orchards for their 
hogs with excellent results. Peach trees grow 
thriftily and bear enormously, and either for 
home consumption or the market are highly re¬ 
munerative, the fruits of one tree of Hale’s or 
Crawford's Early, often fetching a higher price 
than the yield of an acre of cotton. The trees 
arc much neglected in pruning, consequently 
they become unshapely, limb-heavy, and short¬ 
lived ; whereas, timely-cared-for trees, that is, 
those that have a two or three years’ early train¬ 
ing, become beautiful, symmetrical specimens, 
longer-lived and more productive. The peach, 
blooming early, is subject to he destroyed by 
“northers” or cold, wet weather and the crop 
entirely ruined, but in “ good” years the yield is 
enormous. The finer varieties arc budded on 
the seedlings as a general rule, but some of the 
best and most productive trees of my acquain¬ 
tance are on Plum roots. Tbiuning the fruits 
with an oyo to greater perfection in those left 
is beyond the notion of the masses; but the 
very earlier sorts, if on Plum roots, are so bene¬ 
ficially affected by thinning that a peck of them 
iB worth more money in the market than a bushel 
of “ as-thev-run.” We used to graft our Peach 
trees as we did the Apples, but so unsatisfactory 
was the work, that we ceased it entirely in favor 
of budding. Clingstones are more in demand 
than freestones, and I believe they withstand 
the long, hot summers with greater impunity ; 
at any rate they do not drop their fruit so much 
as freestones do, in protracted drought. Among 
the best freestones are ltivcrs' Beatrice, Louise 
and Early Rivers, Halo’s Early, Troth's Early, 
Mountain Rose, Early York, Amelia, Stump the 
World, Old Mixon, Early and Late Crawford. 
Susquehanna, Great Eastern, Smock and Lady 
Parham. Chinese Cling is the lion among 
Peaches, and in its class White Euglish, Con¬ 
gress Cling and Thomas’ November also stand 
high. 
NECTARINES 
grow as freely and yield as abundantly as Peaches 
do ; in fact, I never saw Nectarines iu such tine 
perfection as I did at Palestine, on the J. G. N. 
Railroad, but somehow or other, the people have 
no favor for them. 
FIOS 
as old and established bushes bear very freely, 
but young plants, and often the points of the 
shoots of old plants, get considerably winter- 
killed. They are more adapted for southern than 
for northern Texas. Some bushes in sheltered 
Post-oak land at Leona, 1 know to ripen two 
crons a year, and for weeks they bear move than 
Railroad, and is advertised for sale by Lockett 
A Edwards, of Brenham. 
Mulching young fruit trees, particularly in 
the case of Apples and Pears, is almost impera¬ 
tive, and although beneficial in the case of 
Peaches, they may also go ahead all right with¬ 
out it. Cow Peas aud Sweet Potatoes are grown 
in young orchards hb a mulching, and very ser¬ 
viceably, too. An idea prevails that Cereals in 
the orchard are killing to the trees, and cerlainly 
corn is deleterious if near enough to shade the 
trees. 
in November and keep till April; here it ripens 
four or five weeks earlier. 
Judging from the constitution of this Apple 
tree and it» partiality to warm and well drained 
soils, and a sunny climate, I think it is worthy 
of a trial in our Southern States where Red 
June, Hominy, Gravensteiu, Mangum, Ben Davis, 
Willow Twig, and Shockley, thrive. Good Post- 
Oak and Hickory lauds, as well as a deal of the 
richer Pinoy-wood lands, would bo very likely 
to suit Cox’s Orange Pippin, but prairie lauds 
might be iu opposition to its taste. 
Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, Mass. 
Mulchings of litter are seldom used. 
I try to impress on the people to plant trees in 
November and December, instead of February 
and March, as it is of vast benefit to them. 
Fall-planted trees make a footing through the 
winter and usually go ahead sprightly iu spring, 
but early spring planting is so often succeeded 
by hot, dry weather, that the trees grow before 
the roots take hold, consequently they get weak¬ 
ened and checked. 
“ Poisoned” spots of land occur on nearly all 
farms, aud on these spots, Apple, Pear and 
Quince trees die the first year, and though 
Peaches may live a year or two, they also ulti¬ 
mately succumb. Here it is that the Plum stock 
is preferable to the Peach, for some Plum roots 
live unhurt. Cotton dies on these spots, and 
potatoes rot soon after they sprout. 
Iu the southern part of the State cut-leaf ants 
are a fearful pest to fruit trees, particularly as 
they denude them of every green leaf. A so¬ 
lution of cyanide of potassium keeps them in 
chock. When practicable, flooding (heir towns 
with water is an excellent practice, and some 
people attempt to destroy them by injecting 
fumes of sulphur into their dwellings. 
APPLES 
are grown as low-stan dards, that is, with a clean 
stem 18 inches to 24 inches high, instead of 3 
feet to 4 four feet, as is the case in the northern 
States; this is necessary so that the branches 
may the more fully protect the stem from the 
sun. While the trees arc young they are fenced 
off against the intrusion of stock, the ground 
cultivated with the plow, and Sweet Potatoes or 
Cow Peas grown in (lift orchard, chiefly to act as 
a mulching to the tree roots, and much good 
A little hay or a piece of 
BONNE DU PUITS ANSAULT 
At our request Messrs. Ellwanoer aud Barry, 
were kind enough to furnish the Bonne du Puits 
Ansault Pear from which our engraving is 
made, and also the following remarks. Of 
three specimens tho engraving represents the 
largest. 
“We found on inquiry that most of the 
specimens of Bonne du Puits were gone. The 
two we sent were not first-rate. The larger 
is rather above average and coarse. We send 
you some small ones which show the natural 
appearance, form, color etc. Tho description 
is as follows. Size medium to large, varying 
from 2>jj to 3 Inches in diameter and same in 
length: form obovate, varying to roundish. 
Stalk au inch long, moderately stout, set in a 
very slight depression. Calyx, small, closed 
in a narrow aud rather deep basin. Skin yellow 
with a sprinkling of russet much like Goldou 
Beurre of Bilboa. Flesh very fine-grained, 
melting, juicy, sweet, vinous with flavor and 
aroma of a fine Brown Beurre. Quality best. 
Shoots, stout, stiff, short-jointed, light brown 
with prominent buds and small white speck; 
foliage abundant, thick or leathery and per¬ 
sistent, Tree a moderate or rather slow grower 
aud on this account will not be very popular 
aB a nursery-tree. Hardy, extremely produc¬ 
tive- trees bearing when quite young. It has 
a tendency to overbear, and then the fruits 
are small, but it never fails in quality. The 
fruit should be carefully thiaued—so flue a fruit 
deserves extra care. It will rank as a fine ama¬ 
teur fruit." 
Messrs. E. and B. also inform us that they 
have Cox’s Orange Pippin (see cut) in their 
specimen orchard, but the trees are young and 
have not borne. They do not expect that it 
will prove as valuable hero as it is in England. 
this practice does, 
sacking is often tied on to tho south-facing side 
of tho stems of young trees as a protection 
from the sun. In winter the stems are rubbed 
over with bacon-nnd as a preventive of rabbit- 
damage. Flat-headed borers arc troublesome aud 
enter the tree some feet up the stem as well as near 
the ground. They are sometimos traced and cut 
out with a knife, or bruised to death in their 
holes with a wire. Apple trees, if planted on 
land whore cotton dies, die also, and they also 
dislike black-waxy or hog-wallow soils. The 
fruits are usually poorer-llavored than those 
grown in northern States, aud their keeping 
qualities are meager. We find the following 
kinds among the best:—Rod May, Rod June, 
aud Yellow Jime ripen from mid-May to mid- 
June, and are succeeded by Sweet Rough, Hom¬ 
iny, Pomme Royal, Gravenstien, Y’ellow Belle- 
flenr, Maiden’s Blush. Twenty Ounce, Mangum, 
Carter’s Blue, Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Wine- 
sap, Nickajack, Hall’s Red, Limber Twig, Shock- 
ley, and Pippins of most lands. 
PEARS 
are grown as dwarfs on Quince stocks, or 
standards on Pear or Apple stooks. and in 
case of two-yoav-olds, cost 50c., 75c., or 61 a 
piece. At least eighty per cent, of the Pear 
trees sold by Texas nurserymen are “ northern- 
raised,” because it is difficult to get that strong, 
clean growth right- away that can he got in New 
York. Pear trees do splendidly in Texas where 
the soil and other conditions suit them ; when 
they grow vigorously aud bear prodigiously, and 
it is a frequent occurrence for the trees to ripen 
a second crop of two or three, or a dozen fruits 
in one season. Farmers buy dwarfs mostly ; they 
believe dwarfs fruit earlier than standards, but 
in the long run standards are certainly the best. 
Pears grafted or budded on Apple roots, take 
kindly and grow freely, but they are short-lived; 
besides, the stocks sucker so persistently as to 
become a great nuisance. Duchesse d’Augou- 
leme is the Texas favorite. Doyenne d’ Ete and 
THE MEXICAN APPLE 
Thk Gardeners’ Chronicle places before its 
readers a life figure of the so-called Mexican 
Apple, Casimiroa edulis. To look at, it quite 
resembles an Apple though more nearly related 
to an Orauge. It is a native of Mexico where 
it is found in a wild aud cultivated state. It is 
of a greenish-yellow color when ripe, and has a 
delicious melting flavor, like that of a Peach. 
These are yellow, red and crimson, large aud 
small fruited kinds, that keep up a succession 
from mid-May for nearly three months, and are 
pleasant to oat, but in quantity very deleterious 
to children. The bushes grow anywhere, even on 
the highest and poorest knolls, and by means of 
seeds and suckers, tbey spread rapidly. 1 armers 
are now planting them as hog pastures, as they 
come in at a time when grass is burned up and 
neither corn nor Peaches are ready for feeding, 
and hogs are passionately fond of aud fatten on 
those Plums. The finer garden Plums are bud¬ 
ded on the Peach stock on which they grow 
freely; but it is a mistake, for Plums on Plums, 
so far as I have seen, have proved the best for 
Texas. In southern Texas 1 must say from ex¬ 
tensive observation, that neither Plums, Cher¬ 
ries nor Apricots are a flattering crop, but in 
northern aud eastern Texas I have seon good 
crops of the two first named. 
THE PEAR MONSEIGNEUR DESHONS 
Tnxs was raised from Rousselet do Ebeims. 
In France it does well upon Quince. It is of 
medium size aud shapely form—of a greenish- 
yellow suffused with dull red and spotted with 
gray. The flesh is melting, buttery, sweet, 
perfumed aud ripens in August. 
FRUIT CULTURE IN TEXAS 
BY W. F.—NUMBER TWO. 
their orchards and fruit gardens, letting the 
hogs cultivate, and the stock prune them: 
whereas, again, some farmers and lot-owners 
pride thomselves on their fruit trees, and be¬ 
stow considerable care in that direction. The 
most suitable lands for fruit culture are cleared 
timber lands, black-sandy and clayey soils; the 
hog-wallow or black-waxy is rather distasteful to 
cultivated trees. Apple trees flourish iu many 
instances in northern aud eastern Texas, hut in 
the south aud on waxy prairies, better paying 
crops might bo substituted. Pear trees do 
splendidly north and south, and there is a great 
future before them here. Peaches and Grapes 
will almost compete with those in any State. 
Pomegranates frttit abundantly, and grow freely. 
Almond trees grew like Willows, but I have not 
seen a ripe Almond in the State. “Northers” and 
cold rains often destroy the Poach. Nectarine, 
Apricot, aud Almond flowers. Small fruits, as 
Strawbrries, Blackberries and Dewberries grow 
and bear well it carefully treated, but Goose¬ 
berries and Currants are, in most cases, a com¬ 
plete failur e. A white, fruiting Dewberry grows 
wild between the Brazos and Colorado, near the 
track of the western branch of the H. & T. C 
