THE R 
-YORKER. 
©EC. 44 
setting out a new vineyard, we should leant 
many of the new grapes that have of late years 
been announced; but if we could not have 
them all, the Duchess wou d not be one of 
those marked off the list.— Ed ] 
-♦ ♦- 
How the Grape-Vine Bearn Fruit. 
“The grape-vine bears fruit only upon canes 
of the previous year’s growth so says the 
Rural. I am pleased to say if such be the 
case, that i have several vines that are of dif¬ 
ferent behavior, if I rightly understand the 
Rural ; for they put out canes from the pre¬ 
vious year’s growth, and on these new canes 
or shoots the fruit is borne. Is not that the 
usual way? If there are vines which behave 
differently I would like to obtain one. [The 
fruit buds exist on the canes of the previous 
year’s growth. These buds push and bear 
fruit. Now, is not the statement plain enough ? 
—Eds ] The Cuthbert Raspberry plants re 
ceived from the Rural's distribution last year, 
came safely to hand, and they had roots, too. 
very line oues ; but owing to there being snow 
on the ground and that frozen, I covered them 
in a box of soil for a week or two, at the end 
of which I broke up tbo frozen ground and put 
them out; but in the Spring I had to set them 
in a new place, still they made a very fair 
growth from which I hope to oiitaiu a few ber¬ 
ries next season. W. H. White. 
Worcester Go., Mass. 
-- 
The Niagara. —Mr. Woodward writes as 
follows:—“ 1 must confess myself a little sur¬ 
prised that you should pronounce it (Niagara) 
no better than Concord and can only explain 
the fact on the ground that your Concords 
must be much better than ours. Grown side 
by side here with Concords, it is as much bet¬ 
ter than they, as they arc better than Cham¬ 
pions. In fact, 1 have given it to some fine 
judges of grapes side by side with Rebeccas 
grown in the same vineyard, they not knowing 
“which wa& which,” aud have every time 
found them to pronounce it better than that 
famous sort.” 
Do Bees Puncture Grapes l 
The Semi-tropic California says : “ Place a 
bunch of perfectly souud grapes near your 
bee-hives, and in a few hours examine them 
aud see il the bees have eaten any ; if uot. punc¬ 
ture several with a piu and note the effect oil 
the sound grapes and the ones punctured, aLd 
then let us know if the bees really eat grapes. 
We ask for ufull test, and reports from grape- 
growers ami neo-keepers.” 
Having picked up the Rural the other day, 
on looking through it. 1 came across the above 
paragraph and thought I would give you au 
accouut of what the bees aud wasps did for 
my grapes tuis season. Perhaps if is nothing 
new to professional growers, but it is new to 
me and perhaps will be so to other amateurs. 
I have in my garden 12 different varieties of 
Rogers’s best numbers, all bearing aud young 
ones. One vine (tbe number I cauuot tell) is, 
or rather the fruit, is, very much like the Dela¬ 
ware, only the berry is larger and the bunch 
longer and not so compact; but it is very 
sweet, nothing acid about it whatever. To¬ 
wards the eud of the season. I noticed, that 
many of the buacnos had been about hall 
eaten by something, only the skins of the ber¬ 
ries remaining; at first I supposed the injury 
to be done by the birds, but on closer examina 
tion 1 fouud swarms of bees about the grapes 
and noticed that they made a puncture in the 
berry, ur.d afterwards the wasp finished it by 
eating everything inside except the skin aud 
seeds. The skin then dried liatd and the bunch 
became almost unfit to cat. Uu this particular 
vine 1 can safely say more than half the grapes 
were destroyed in this way. For the three 
years 1 have had those grapes, this is the first 
time I have known bees to attack rliem. 1 
may also add the other kinds, such as the large 
aud small blue sorts, in fact, all the other va 
rictles were left uutouched. I do not believe 
there is any remedy lor their destruction. But 
as to all appearance the bees have had their 
first taste of grapes in this part of the country; 
next year they will, perhaps, come in swarms 
eo thatthe people here willhavevery fewgrapes 
to pick after the bees shall have taken all that 
may be good, to make honey for other people. 
Clifton, Out., Canada. L. s. 
fontologiral, 
PEACHES. 
T. T. LYON. 
The Commercial and the Amateur Idea. 
Appearance vs. Quality.— In the. market¬ 
ing of fruits, although none of the yellow 
peaches will compare favorably wfth many of 
the pale-fleshed, eo far as quality aud delicacy 
of texture are concerned, the market persist- 
enlly demands yellow varieties, apparently on 
account of the richer and more attractive color 
of the flesh. Possibly in Eastern markets this 
preference may be less positive; but at the 
West it is so decided that commercial orchards, 
as a rule, are almost wholly made up of the 
yellow-fleshed kinds ; the principal exceptions 
being the earlier varieties which mature be¬ 
fore tbe advent of the yellow favorites. 
The Newer Veiiy Early Varieties, 
Downing, Wilder and Saunders, sent out a few 
years since by Engle, of Pennsylvania, are yet 
too recent to have established a reputation; 
but, su far, ibey have matured little if at all 
iu advance of Alexander and Amsden, aud 
have developed no qualities, whether of earli¬ 
ness, flavor or size, entitling them, or either of 
them, to claim precedence. They seem to be 
similar to the Amsden aud Alexander in most 
respects, including the objectionable tendency 
of the flesh to adhere to the pit. 
Alexander and Amsden are so entirely 
similar in both tree and fruit as to be practi¬ 
cally indistinguishable; hence although cer¬ 
tainly of separate origin, they may. for all 
practical purposes, be treated as identical. 
Like their supposed parent, Hale’s Early, the 
flesh adheres to the pit, and they have also its 
ohjectiouable tendency to rot before maturing. 
In spite, however, of these objections they 
are, at least at the West, becoming Bomewhat 
prominent as market varieties. 
Brigg’s Red May has hardly yet estab¬ 
lished a character on the eastern slope of the 
continent; although where it has fruited it 
seems to have created a favorable impression. 
It is certainly a very beautiful, fine-sized fruit, 
of good quality. The fact, however, that it is 
a serrated-leaved variety will be a mark 
agaiu&tit, only to be wiped out by continued 
and successful experience. 
Early Beatrice can hardly now be called 
a new peach even in this country. It has the 
reputation of being too small ; but its earli¬ 
ness may be considered as iu some sense an 
offset to this objection, while its fine color and 
high quality (for so early a peach) certainly 
render it desirable, at least as a variety to be 
planted for home use. 
Early Louise is open to the objection of 
being too small; but coming in immediately 
after the preceding, it fills a place not other¬ 
wise provided for. In color and flavor it is 
satisfactory. 
Early Rivers, although destitute of red, is, 
nevertheless, a very striking and attractive 
peach. Considering its beauty, fine 6ize and 
excellent quality, it is well worthy of consid¬ 
eration by both the commercial aud the ama¬ 
teur planter. It is rather delicate in texture, 
aud hence will require careful handling; 
besides which the pits arc almost invariably 
cracked open. Notwithstanding these draw¬ 
backs, it is gaining in favor even among 
market planters. 
George the Fourth is one of tbe old 
amateur, pale-fleshed sorts, that cannot yet bo 
dispensed with. It is too delicate iu texture 
for railroad transit to market, notwithstand¬ 
ing which it is not without favor even among 
market planters. 
Hale s Early comes before it. and, despite its 
adhesion to the pit and a tendency to rot 
before ripening, it remains one of the "most 
profitable market varieties, at least in the 
Micbigau fruit belt, where the open, airy ex¬ 
posure, especially upon light soil, seems to 
act as a check upon this tcuueucy. Iu inter¬ 
ior. sheltered localities and on heavy soils, 
the tendency is aggravated; and the variety 
becomes unprofitable. As we go northward 
along the easterly shore of Luke Michigan, 
this liability to rot entirely disappears. 
Serrate Early York is still considered a 
fine peach, where knowu, but its tendency 
to mildew of the foliage is fatal to its popular¬ 
ity at the North. At the South it is believed to 
lie more popnlar. 
Early TillottSON is liable to the same 
objection in even a greater degree, ft also is 
more successful at the South. 
Cooledges Favorite is a fine amateur, 
pale-fleshed peach, in sea.->on afterGeorge IV., 
aud preceding the Early Crawford, coming in 
at a season when it has few competitors, It 
is desirable only for home uses. 
Troth's Early is desirable only as a prolific, 
early market peach, and hardly good enough 
for even that purpose. 
Snow and Snowflake are white, entirely 
without red, and desirable for special uses on 
that accouut. They may prove identical. 
-- 
THE CLARK APPLE. 
Mr. Isaac F. Tillinghast, of La Plume, 
Lackawanna Co., Pa., writes us with regard to 
this apple: 
“ Knowing your interest in new fruits and 
vegetables, I send you by express to-day a box 
containing some apecimeus of the “ Clark Ap¬ 
ple" a variety which originated in this eouuty 
some 25 years ago. The tree is a rapid grower, 
and an early and profuse bearer. The fruit is 
always fair aud smooth, aud is thought by all 
who know it here to be of most excellent qual¬ 
ity—but of that I wish you to judge. It never 
has been brought to the attention of nursery¬ 
men, and I tfiiuk it would become very popular 
if it were only known. Its season is from Oc¬ 
tober 1st to January, though I have seen some 
of its fruit kept till Spring. I think that the 
original tree, a chance seedling, still stands but 
a few miles from my office. Its name was de* 
rived from the farm on which it grew. There 
are no young trees in existence, but cions can 
be furnished.” 
Wc sent some specimens of the fruit to Mr. 
Charles Downing, of Newburgh, N. Y., together 
with Mr. Tillinghast’s accouut of the apple, 
and have received from him the following com¬ 
ments thereon: 
“The Clark apples we.re received in good 
condition. Specimens have been sent to me 
lor two seasons in succession by Samuel Stev¬ 
enson, Clark’s Green, Lackawanna Co., Pa , 
who informs me that it originated with Deacon 
Win. Clark about 100 years ago, aud that the 
tree is still stauding in the village of Clark’s 
Green. Mr. Stevenson saysthatit is very pop¬ 
ular in that locality, but has beeu disseminated 
but little out of the neighborhood of the placeof 
its origin. It is a very tender, pleasant-eating 
apple—not rich, but one almost any person 
can eat without being surfeited. It has just 
sufficient sugar and acid to make it agreeable. 
Mr. Stevenson writes me that the tree is vigor¬ 
ous, aud a prolific bearer on alternate years, 
and the fruit ripens, or rather is in use, from 
October to January. 
There is some little difference in the state¬ 
ments of Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Tillinghast; 
the former states that the tree is 100 years old, 
while Mr. Tillinghast says it originated in his 
county some 25 years ago and the tree still 
stands a few ntile9 from his office. I do not 
know how far La Plume la from Clark’s Green, 
but I have no doubt that they are the same 
apple.” See page 815 for portrait. 
-»♦+- 
The Ella FurK Apple. 
Niue years ago, with grafts of some other 
varieties, I obtained from a nursery in Kausas 
City, a few eious with labels bearing the above 
name. As I was not particularly anxious to 
hasten the fruiting of the variety, these with 
others were root-grafted, and set out in nursery 
rows in the Spring following. Subsequent 
events caused the “ Ella Park" to be overlook¬ 
ed. Four years after planting, the “ block" in 
which they had stood was being “cleared” of 
the crooked and unsalable trees remaining alter 
the Spring sales of '70, when by accident the 
few trees of this kind came under notice. Two 
trees were selected, and “heeled in ” for my 
own planting, where pressure of other work 
caused them to remaiu another year, when 
they wure so injured by neglect as to be dis¬ 
carded, not, however, without first cutting a 
few grafts, which were set iu a bearing tree 
for trial. Last year a few specimens of fruit 
were produced by the grafts, which, however, 
received no attention. This year, though, they 
fruited plentifully, some of tbe apples being 
very fine in size and external appearance. 
This fact aroused sufficient interest to induce 
me to look after the variety, but 1 cauuot now 
find any description of either fruit or tree, 
which leads to the inference that it is not prop¬ 
agated to the extent that its apparent merits 
would justify. The fruit is largo to very large, 
roundish, yellow, covered entirely and evenly 
with crimson, the color being similar to that 
of the “ Kune" apple, as described by Down¬ 
ing, aud whicb is well known in this section ; 
flesh yellowish, aud at this date, too solid to 
judge fairly of its quality, though i think it 
will out-rank the Baldwin in this particular, 
which, however, is possible without its attain¬ 
ing to any very high standard of excellence. 
Upon the whole, I am greatly pleased - ith the 
“Ella Purk,” and believe it will have many 
friends here when once known. J. \Y. Kek. 
Caroline County, Md. 
^rborifultural. 
SOME MERITS IN THE AILANTHUS. 
PROFESSOR F. H. STORElt. 
On page 769 of the Rural, you remark 
briefly. “It is hard to fiud out what any one 
wants an ailanthus for.” “if it were the 
only tree that grew upon the earth—” you go 
on to say ! Now it seems to me that the uil- 
anthua is almost, if not quite, the only tree on 
earth, of so comely appearance, which will 
grow in certain places, aud I will try to make 
it plain to you w'iy I, for one, wish for and 
esteem the ailanthus in places which it is 
fitted to fill. I understand, of course, that 
your remark applied to the door-yard and 
garden-lot, and that, you wish to keep out of 
range of the odor of the ailanthus blossoms; 
with all of which I cordially agree. We will 
certainly do well in keeping the mature ail¬ 
anthus (when in blossom) at something more 
than arm’s length. Three particular merits of 
the ailanthus occur to me, which are so dis¬ 
tinct and well-marked that they should be 
more widely known than they Beem to be. 
1.—Few trees can so well bear the drip of 
evergreens as this. Hence in many situations 
the ailanthus is peculiarly well-fitted for fill¬ 
ing in gaps between evergreens, or for grow¬ 
ing on the edges of pine groves to conceal any 
bareness or raggedness which may exist where 
the lower branches of the pines have died, 
or where some of the trees have been injured 
by wind or by insects. Several years since, 
I lived upon a small place where there was a 
row of large White Pines close to the public 
road, and beneath them were a great number 
of ailanthus trees of various sizes—most of 
them raiher young—which grew up to and 
overlapped the lower branches of the pines. 
This ailanthus thicket screened and concealed 
both the dusty road and the bare trunks and 
the interior limbs of the pines, while the con¬ 
trast between the light, lively green' of the 
ailanthus leaves and the dark somber foliage 
of the pines was extremely agreeable to the 
eye I have seldom seen a more effective bit 
of tree grouping than was afforded by this 
wholly unpremeditated arrangement. In a 
case like this, youug trees are perfectly com¬ 
petent to produce the desired effect. More 
mature trees might he cut down as soon as 
they began to bear blossoms and become un¬ 
pleasantly odorous. 
2. —The Ailanthus will grow freely in a 
darker shade, whether of trees or buildings, 
than any other equally ornamental tree with 
which I am acquainted. I have grown thorn 
in the very heart of a city (Boston) on the 
north side of a high brick building ex¬ 
posed to darkness, smoke, dust, and grime, 
where the conditions were most unfavorable 
for vegetable life; yet the trees throve in thia 
situation. Naturally enough, they grew up¬ 
ward continually, with very slender trunks, 
and had to be braced and tied firmly to the 
building or they would have fallen of their 
own weight. It is not seldom that a cold, 
dark wall or building, such as this, had better 
be concealed from the eye by foliage. The 
ailanthus enables us to effect such conceal¬ 
ment readily and cheaply. 
3. Very few trees or plants are better adap¬ 
ted than the ailanthus for bindiug and improv¬ 
ing sandy soils, and there are numberless lo¬ 
calities where the growth of the tree should 
be encouraged to this end. Not only will the 
ailanthus grow in almost any place, not too 
completely devoid of water, provided the cli¬ 
mate is suitable, but every Autumn it drops au 
enormous proportion of litter upon tbe land, 
and the character of this litter is peculiarly 
well suited for covering the soil and improving 
it, since the great foot-stalks of the loaves are 
so large and heavy that they are compara¬ 
tively littic acted upon by the wind. These 
stalks uot only remain themselves beneath the 
trees but they bind and overlie many leaves 
aud keep them in place. Any one familiar 
with the tree will see at a glance that the drop¬ 
pings from the ailanthus must tend to remain 
where they have fallen to a much greater ex¬ 
tent than the leaves of most other trees. That 
is to say, a large proportion of the ailanthus 
litter comes to rest just where it is wanted 
when we are striving to bind a sandy plain by 
its means. The brittleness of the young wood 
and branches of the tree may perhaps be no 
disadvantage, as regards the service now in 
question, for tbe branches broken and torn off 
by the wind would but bo added to the other 
accumulations of vegetable matter beneath the 
trees. The merit of the ailanthus for binding 
sands has been made tolerably familiar to 
American readers by the writings of Mr. Marsh. 
In describing the improvement of certain sand 
plains near Odessa (see his “ Man and Nature," 
page 515, and his ’’Earth as Modified by Human 
Aetiou” page 608), he says: “The tree best 
suited to this locality and, as there is good 
reason to suppose to sand plains ia genera), is 
the Ailanthus glaudulosa. The remarkable 
success which has crowned the experiments 
with the ailanthus at Odessa, will, no doubt, 
stimulate to similar trials elsewliere, and it 
seems uot improbable that the Aruudo aud the 
Maritime Pine, which have fixed so rnauy 
thousand acres of drifting sauds in Western 
Europe, will be. partially at least, superseded 
by the tamarisk aud the ailanthus.” “ Six¬ 
teen years ago," says an Odessa landholder, 
“ 1 attempted to fix the sand of the Bteppes, 
which covers the rock ground to the depth of a 
foot, and forms moving hillocks with every 
change of wind. I tried acacias aud pines iu 
vaiu ; neither would grow iu such a soil. At 
length I planted the ailauthus, which suc¬ 
ceeded completely in bindiug the sand.” “ This 
result encouraged the proprietor to extend his 
plantations over both dunes and sand steppes, 
and iu tbe course of sixteen years this rapidly 
growing tree had formed real forests.” 
Depth iu Soil. 
Some years ago,visiting the nursery of a prom¬ 
inent florist near Boston, whose specialty was 
the production aud sale of roses the year round. 
I observed that the earth iu which they were 
planted was from four to six feet deep, and 
he told me that that was the main cause of his 
flowers blooming and bearing as they did. A 
year since I observed that a gardener near our 
