- -: T . , .v,, vnrtpr in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 18*2, by the Rural hew roriter, n____ ■■ ■- — 
would seem to justify the title “ Colossal,’ 1 
sometimes imposed upon it. Judging from 
its habit, as well as from the color, texture 
and flavor of the fruit, I am led to consider 
it a hybrid between our two natives, Oeci- 
dentalis and Strigosus. It is said to have 
originated in the town of Wheatland, Monroe 
Co., N, Y., in lS6y. (Green’s Fruit Grower, 
January, 1882.) It ripened a few berries, on 
canes of the current year, about the middle of 
August, 1881. It seems to possess much more 
than the usual vigor of Oceidentalis ; and, so 
far, roots from tips only. The foliage, as well 
as the wood growth, is very vigor; r ■ rod 
healthy. Fruit large, dark hi ed, 
with a very slight bloom. Te. ' ■ rather 
firm, moderately juicy, with rich, add, 
sprightly flavor. 
As to its productiveness and conseqnei't pro¬ 
fitableness, my limited experience d not 
yet warrant an opinion, although its appar¬ 
ent tendency to fruit upon canes o the rst 
year indicates that it will probably be found 
to continue a long time in season, and hence 
that it may prove a desirable variety for the 
kitchen garden. Its color is not clear and 
bright enough to render it attractive in the 
market. 
Reder Raspberry. 
On the 11th of July I received, from Berrien 
Co., Michigan, a package of the fruit of this 
^ supposed-to-be new raspberry; also a speci- 
> men cane carrying its full crop of fruit. It is 
** an accidental seedling, originating about 1878 
to 1880, discovered growing in a plantation of 
other varieties, The habit, as shown by the 
specimen cane, is slender rather than stout; 
old shoots dark brown, with strong spines, 
few' in number. It is said to be a very pro¬ 
fuse bearer. Fruit of medium size, round. 
Color rather dark, hut not objectionably so. 
Texture rather firm. Flavor mild, very 
good. Ripens somewhat in succession. It is 
very hardy for a red raspberry, having stood 
through the trying Winter of 80 and ’81, en- 
long descriptive title may not be particularly 
objectionable, since the long- suffering and 
sadly afflicted pen of the horticulturist will 
most assuredly abridge the title to Fay’s 
Prolific, or to simply, “ Prolific.” 
I earnestly hope that this new-old candi¬ 
date for public favor, which is just now, after 
a long, unusual and to me unaccountable de¬ 
lay of fourteen years, being offered for sale, 
will sulflce to end the long since stereotyped re¬ 
mark that no progress has been effected with 
this fruit for the last twenty years. Indeed, 
the cut given in the Rural, which I cannot 
even suspect of exaggeration [It was a 
true portrait from nature—Eds.] would 
seem to put a favorable and very satisfac¬ 
tory quietus upon this regretful assertion. 
I cannot however, but observe that, in defi¬ 
ance of the usual custom in such cases, the in¬ 
troducer asserts that no one—not even the 
le-ading amateurs, whose endorsements usu¬ 
ally have doue so much to create confidence 
for one or more seasons. I have dwelt thus 
at length upon the matter, not with any dis¬ 
position to embarrass the introduction of a 
meritorious novelty ; but, rather, to give 
voice to what I regard as a justifiable sus¬ 
picion that the refusal to submit this to the us¬ 
ual, and, as I think, in these days of horti 
cultural humbugs, an indispensable test of its 
actual merits, may be due to, at least, a 
doubt of its ability to justify in such ease the 
opinions formed upon specimens grown, se¬ 
lected and supplied by the propagator, under 
a system of manuring, culture, pruning and 
management of which the writers of com¬ 
mendations could know nothing beyond the 
averment of the person chiefly interested. 
Under all circumstances I am disposed to test 
it warily ; and I mistake the tendency of the 
times if planters in general will not be disposed, 
in spite of its abundant promise, to plant it 
largely only after such trial, each for himself, 
Ax old gentleman in the town of Wheat- 
land, Monroe County, N. Y., by the name of 
George Shaffer, a man of line horticultural 
tastes, and the originator of several now 
fruits, invited me to call and see his chance 
seedling raspberry, in 1878. Happening to 
be in that part of the country about harvest 
time, I drove out of my way to accept the in¬ 
vitation. I found Mr. Shaffer was absent. 
Not being satisfied to enjoy the pleasure of 
seeing a brand new variety of a choice earthly 
gift alone, I hailed a passer-by who was noted 
for collecting everything rare, and asked him 
to join me, which be did, doubting what might 
be about to happen. We were soon standing 
before a huge raspberry bush, now known as J 
Shaffer’s Colossal, growing partly in the 1 
shade of large trees. 
This original plant was then about nine 
years old, and had 18 strong canes, all bearing 
berries that would out-measure in diameter 
auy that 1 had seen. It was not a black rasp¬ 
berry, nor a red raspberry, nor a purple rasp¬ 
berry—it was an agreeable reddish brown, 
growing brighter red on the specimens uot i 
fully matured. I tested the quality and found 1 
it iuviting and refreshing, yet nut equal to the 
best. My companion had been of the opinion 
that his collection included the largest varie¬ 
ties, but he acknowledged that he had not 
seen the equal of this in size and vigor of 
plant. I have ofteu visited this original plant 
since. It is now about 12 years old, but ap¬ 
pears as vigorous and productive as ever. 
The next Spriug Mr. Shaffer presented me 
with two plants of his raspberry. These I di¬ 
vided, making four. One of them sent up a 
fruit stalk and bore nearly 100 berries three 
months after planting. I sent the branch en¬ 
tire to Mr. Charles Downing, nearly 300 miles 
distant. Mr. Downing replied:—'“ The seed¬ 
ling is large for its class, being quite firm, 
flesh sprightly subacid. I would think it fine 
for cooking purposes—the color is a little too 
dark to suit the eye for marketing. The 
specimen branch shows that it is very pro¬ 
ductive. It is certainly a promising variety 
of its class.” It could uot be expected thut 
this young plant, not yet fully established in 
the soil, could yield its best results. In suc¬ 
ceeding years it has given much larger speci¬ 
mens, and been a marvel to all who have seen 
it in bearing. Its season is about the same as 
that of Mammoth Clu-ter. It propagates 
from tips. My family eat it with cream and 
and sugar, and eujoy it. It appears to be as 
Witiiin a few days past I have been forci¬ 
bly reminded [but not for the first time), that 
there is one phase of fruit culture that, has 
received altogether too little attention, at 
least in one direction. Wo are rightly at 
much pains to collect and diffuse useful in¬ 
formation about growing fruit; but what is 
wanted—sadly wanted—is some kiud of rea¬ 
sonable security that the farmer shall have 
the use and enjoyment of his fruit after he 
has grown it. It is a lamentable fact, and a 
disgraceful one, that the stealing of fruit in 
this country is too generally not regarded as 
a crime, and to be punished as such. Men 
who think it dishonorable to steal your puise, 
do not think it dishonorable to steul your 
fruit. They may be the victims of some kind 
of casuistry which recognizes a difference 
between the two acts; but I confess that I am 
totally unable to pei'ceive it. It is too much 
for my logic or my common apprehension of 
i right and wrong. Wo talk a g >od deal, and 
to some purpose, about the depredations of 
insects and birds; but it seems to me to be 
quite necessary to talk a good deal more, and 
very pointedly, too, about the depredations of 
the genus homo, who are more destructive and 
more to be dreaded than the insects and the 
birds; for I think it could be easily proved 
| that the fruit-grower suffers more in his 
SHAFFER’S COLOSSAL RASPBERRY.-(From Nature.) -Fig. 19. 
elties—has been permitted to test, as would have sufficed, in advance, if doue by 
mce ; but these are expected, in- half a dozen persons whose standing as care- 
rm and express their conclusions ful and discriminating horticulturists would 
uens supplied to them by the only have given their conclusions, alter actual 
lug a direct interest, at the time, trial, to a great extent the force of law. [M e 
an exaggerated impression re- would remark that we have a specimen of 
> merits | Fay’s Prolific which will probably fruit next 
jtauding the confident assertion of season. ^A.] 
.gator and introducer, that “all Shaffer Raspberry, 
treated alike,” I have cuttings of Last Spring I received for trial a couple of 
erred to be the same, receivel from plants of the above-named raspberry. Its 
, whose correctness I have the ful- growth last season, from last Spi iug tips 
A TRIO OF “NEW” SMALL FRUITS 
Fay’s Prolific Red Uurrant. 
In September, 1880, the Rural gave a de¬ 
scription and cut of a new currant, to which 
the propagator now giveR the decidedly pro¬ 
lix name of Fay’s Prolific Red Currant. This 
