iortintltaral. 
CURRANTS. 
It Is something to rejoice over that this fruit is 
now beginning to enlist that interest which ithas 
always been entitled to, but. which it has never 
yet received. It is well known that the ma¬ 
jority of'farmers do not give their currant 
bashes any care whatever. They will bear 
any amount of neglect, and so they are neglect¬ 
ed unqualifiedly. Usually, in spite ot weeds 
and hungry Boil, in spite of currant worms, 
and the decay of old stems that instead of e- 
ing annually cnt, are thus left to effect their 
own pruning, the bushes will yield a crop 
every season, and so the farmer contents h m- 
self with receiving something for nothing, nd 
the profit and advantages of care and eultu re, 
and ot a consequent quadrupled yield of fruit 
of larger eizo and better quality, are not con¬ 
sidered. It, is strangethat those plants, no mat¬ 
ter whether for the farm or the garden, which 
may be depended upon to yield more or less 
from year to year, are just those which many 
of us habitually neglect, while much of our 
time and care is given to less worthy, though 
more exacting crops, that get due attention be¬ 
cause they cannot be raised without it. Thus— 
so to say—we neglect, we snub those whose 
services have been well tried and are assured, 
to lavish our favors upon fickle, squeamish 
strangers that will turn upon us wiih half a 
provocation. 
There are in general cultivation, the Red 
and White Dutch; the White Grape and the 
Cherry or Versaillaise. We have among us a 
lot ot horticultural politicians that at society 
meetings, and in fact upon every occasion that 
presents Itself, waste a great deal of time over 
old, worn-ont topics for no other purpose, it 
would seem, thau that of making themselves 
con-picuou“. Oue of these worthless topics is 
whether the Cherry and Veroaillaise are or are 
not one and the same variety. The discussion, 
as has been shown, might continue till dooms¬ 
day, and yet each would con'inue to hold his 
own opinion. At least, we have never known 
auybody to change his opinion from listening 
to such harangues. We beg of these omul- 
present backs, instead of frittering away the 
valuable time of horticultural assemblies, to 
spend more lime in their gardens testing new 
fruits, and thus prepare themselves to at¬ 
tend such gatherings with some Information 
that will interest or instruct somebody. 
There are many other named varieties be¬ 
sides those mentioned above, with which, how¬ 
ever, we have naught to do at this time. Our 
most profitable kinds are the CUerry and Old 
Red Dutch. Given the same amount of care 
and culture, our own experience is that the 
iatier is to he preferred, for the reason that it 
is better iu quality, more productive and nearly 
as large. Under high culture, therefore, it is 
nearly the equal of the Cherry in all reepectSi 
surpassing it In some; while under neglect it 
is in all respects its superior. 
For several years past we have heard of 
persons who were experimenting with seed¬ 
ling currants—some of them said to be crosses, 
some self-seedlings—and that a number of them 
were evidently far ahead of auy of the well 
known kinds. Not, however, unLil six weeks ago 
have we seen any specimens that seemed to 
justify such assertions. At about that time 
Mr. Geo S. JoS-elyn, of Fredonia, N- ST., sent 
to the Rural office a box three feet long, snug¬ 
ly filled with branches and fruit of a new vari¬ 
ety of red currant, thathas been named “Fay’s 
Prolific,” ol oue branch of which our engraving 
upon the first page is au almost exact repro 
duction. As will be seen, it is hardly possible 
for currants to be more thickly clustered, 
while in quality Lhey were equal to auy we 
have ever tasted, and in size fully as large. 
The drawing was made at once, but a pressure 
of other matter has prevented us from placing 
It before the reader until the present time. We 
quote from Mr. Josselyu’s letters; 
“ I hope you received the specimen of cur¬ 
rant, and that it will meet with your approval. 
1 should be glad to know your views on the 
subject, as I am heavily interest'd in it finan¬ 
cially. The crop is simply wonderful—hushes 
pulled to the ground with the weight of the 
fruit. We are gelling extra prices for ihe 
fruit, and I do not see how it cau fail to be a 
success.” 
••Mr. L'menlu Fav. of Portland. Chautauqua 
Couutv, N. Y , is the originator. Mr. Fay is 
an enthusiastic fiuit grower, and during the 
pa-t 3fi years has continually experimented 
with seedling currants, this seedliDg, being 
the only one of uiauy thousands retained. 
' Fay’s Prolific,’ is as large as the Cherry Cur¬ 
rant, of ratbe,r better flavor, and four to five 
limes as prolific a6 the Cherry. The fruit has 
sold in Buffalo markets during the past season 
for 15 cents per quart when no other variety 
was bringing more than 10 cents. To use the 
words of those who veuded them at these 
places, they were the ‘wonder of the vnaiket ’ 
This seedling is supposed to be from Cherry 
and Victoria Currants. It has never been 
offered for sale, but was originated nearly 15 
years ago, and for the past eight years Mr. 
Fay has cultivated it alongside of all other 
popular varieties for market, and he is now 
abandoning all other sorts and using * Fay’s 
Prolific ’ in their place. These facte are well 
known by numerous fruit-growers and fan¬ 
ciers in this vicinity who have also beheld for 
several seasons the bushes loaded with fruit 
so that the branches were necessarily tied up 
to stakes. Plants will be offered for sale dur¬ 
ing the Fall or WinU r of 1880. Sales of the 
plant are uuder my exclusive control.” 
We forwarded a proof of our engraving of 
Fay's Prolific to Mr. Josselyn, to which he re¬ 
plied as follows: 
“Your cut is magnificent. I shall not 
grumble at whatever you may say. The cur¬ 
rant is not a new thing. It has been fruited 
eight years, and I could furnish a hundred 
affidavits from nurserymen aud others en¬ 
gaged in small fruit culture, which would 
place the plant beyond anything 1 have 
claimed Ooe of our best iu'-u of thiB class 
said to me on Saturday ‘No amount of 
printer’s ink c in advertise your currant as it 
would be could you bring those interested, aud 
let them see the acres in bearing.’ This is pre¬ 
cisely The case. I appreciate your position, 
and have such an opinion of the Rural and 
those connected with it that I would not ask 
or wish you to do or write anything not en¬ 
tirely consistent with the facts in the case.’’ 
Iu conclusion, we beg to 6tate that we never 
permit our advertising interests to influence us 
to the smallest exteut one way or the other 
when an expression of opinion is called for re¬ 
garding the value of any new fruit or plant 
whatsoever. Id truth, we are only too glad to 
aid in the dissemination of new improved 
varieties, while, on the other hand, we freely 
take the liberty cf condemning those which 
from our own tests we have found wanting. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
New Grapes. 
The canes (two) of Lady Washington 
have this year made a growth of ten 
feet. The viue beats one small bunch, 
the berries of which began to ripen August 25. 
We have two vines of Eidoradogrowing within 
100 yards of each other. Ouo of them set 
fruit lreely, which, as heretofore, rotted, the 
berries falling off one by one until not one was 
left. The other bears three bunches, every 
berry of which is sound. They are as sweet 
as honey, with a Arm, though not thick skin. 
Instances of this kind show how easily one can 
do injustice to a new fruit under trial. Judg- 
iug by one of these vines, we should pronounce 
the Eldorado a failure in these grounds, while 
by the other we should form a favorable judg¬ 
ment. Evidently a longer trial is needed here 
before we can either say tha: this grape is or 
is not adapted to the soil aud situation. 
Tbe Becretary, as usual, bloomed and (set 
heavily, and. as usual, the bunches up to the 
time of ripening were long and well filled. But 
the berries vary from medium to very small, 
some of them round; while those that re¬ 
mained ripened with so little uniformity that 
there was not one perfect bunch in all. New¬ 
burgh bore three hunches which began to ripen 
August 25. The leaves are rather small, though 
the canes are strong. The bunches are long, 
like those of Secretary, but the berries varia¬ 
ble in size. Qaassaie we have had for four years. 
The leaves buru and the canes grow feebly. 
It has not yet fruited, flighlaud, that we have 
in previous years reported upou uufavorably, 
is this year hearing splendidly. The buuches 
are large, heavily shouldered, aud the berries 
plump and sound. At this lime they have 
barely begun to change color, so that it may 
be feared that the season here is not long 
enough for them to ripen fully. 
In the Spring of 1878, Mr. Miuer sent ns 
half-a-dozen of what he believed his best seed¬ 
lings saved from thousands which he had 
raised from the Concord. From what he him¬ 
self said of these grapes, as well as from the 
specimen bunches he brought with him to ibe 
office for us to taste, we have been hopeful 
that some of them would prove for general 
use a good step in advance of anything at 
present cultivated. Three of them fruit this 
season, and one of these (Victoria) is so praise¬ 
worthy in all essential respects that the hope 
above expressed is strengthened into belief. 
The viue is strong and Uealthy, the leaves 
large, resembling those of the Concord. It 
bears 15 large bunches ol white grapes—all of 
them compact and free from the least blemish. 
Tbe berries are as large as those of Concord, 
globular in form, with thin but firm skin, cov¬ 
ered with white bloom, aud of a sweet though 
sprightly flavor. It ripens with the Concord. 
This grape was illustrated iu the Rural New- 
Iobkbr, September 30, 1876, from a specimen 
bunch sentus by Mr.Miner. It is so accurate an 
engraving of our avei age bunches that a draw 
ing of one of them would be little more thau a 
reproduction of that. Salem, Martha, Goethe, 
and Wilder (Rogers’s) are bearing abundant 
crops this season of their large, showy berries 
They are not of the first quality certainly— 
but, really, we mustsay that,“taken all in all.” 
their merits are singularly set aside for a con 
slderatlon of the claims of tbe many newer 
kinds, most of which will be found less satis¬ 
factory to the grape growers iu general. Such 
at least is our own experience. 
Peache*. 
Jarrell’s Late White was sent to us by 
the Messrs. Hance, of Red Bank, New Jersey, 
four years ago. It bears this season heavily. 
The peaches are extra-large—the flesh iswhite, 
fiue-graiued, juicy and excellent. It iB a free¬ 
stone, and ripens from the 25th of August, to 
the middle of September. This originated with 
C. E Jarrell. Hillsboro. Md., and is. bo fur as 
we can discover, a flue variety in every way. 
Leathkrburv’3 Late —This, from the same 
nurseryman, is of rather small size, red skin, 
mottled, aDd covered with a heavy down, 
orange-colored lleEh, nearly free-6loue, and not 
very juicy. Ifc is heavily ludeu with fruit, 
which ripens this year about September 15. 
Tuckahob Late —Medium size, red and 
yellow skin aud flesh. It is of lair quality, 
juicy aDd productive. 
Sleeper's Dwarf. —This is, indeed, a Lilli¬ 
putian variety. Our tree has been well culti¬ 
vated for four years. It is very thrifty and 
hundeome. It is about four feet high, and 
may be considered an ornamental shrub. It 
has borne no fruit. 
Dance's Weeping Peach.— This is worked 
upon a stock six feet high, and the branches 
grow directly downwards, almost hugging the 
6tem. Its weeping habit is all that there is to 
be said about it. 
Plums. 
Bassett’s Cuhculio proof Plum “Ameri¬ 
cana” bears this year a heavy crop. Borne of 
the branches are fairly wreathed with these 
little plums, though hundreds have fallen to 
the ground from curculio injuries. Whether 
it has been because there are fewer curculios 
this season, or more fruit of all kinds to divide 
their attention, certain it is that the plum 
trees of the neighboring country have borne 
and ripened their fruit better than for many 
years past, so that no more in this than in 
other seasons can the Americana’s claim to 
being enreulio-proof be granted. Even if 
otherwise, this plum is so small and harsh 
that we should regard it as scarcely worth culti¬ 
vating even for culinary purposes. 
Newman.— Tbe flesh of this plum is perhaps 
no better than that of the Americana, and the 
tree is not in these grounds very prolific. If 
tough skin and bard flesh afford any protec¬ 
tion against the curculio, this should be well 
protected. The frnit resembles at this time a 
handsome crab apple, being splashed with 
bright red upon a waxy-yellow ground As 
they ripen the entire eurfaee becomes crimson. 
Langsdon, is in quality, size, appearance 
and time of ripening (September), so nearly 
like the Newman that we need at this lime 
make no additional notes regarding it. Both 
are, no doubt, varieties of the Myrobolan. 
Lndy Elgin Crab. 
Among the best varieties of crabs of which 
we have any knowledge ia this. Il is of large 
size, beautiful appearance, being of a fair, 
light-yellow skin, with a bright, carmine 
cheek. The flesh is firm aud juicy and entire¬ 
ly free of the astringency of the crabs in gen¬ 
eral. It is very prolific, the fruit hanging in 
clusters of fromturee to six. Tbe tree is r jg- 
ular and shapely in its growth aud it is really 
one of those handsome and fruitful little things 
that both attract the eye aud engage the af¬ 
fection. 
Tomntoes. 
For the purpose of comparative tests, we 
have as usual cultivated every kmd of toma¬ 
toes this season, which has been much talked 
of or advertised. Nearly all of them, except 
the Turban, seem to be selections from tbe 
Acme, from which they differ so unessentially 
that there is little to be said about them. The 
characteristics of the tomato, like those of 
corn, seem to be so communicated to the seed 
that cartful selections will generally perpetuate 
them in a greater or less degree, while two or 
three years serve to establish new varieties, 
which will come quite true to seed unices cul¬ 
tivated in too close proximity to other kinds. 
Variation iu color, however, ofien occurs and 
we have this season Acme tomatoes some of 
which are partly, others of which are entirely, 
of a golden color. These come from the seeds 
of a tomato of last year, which, as we have al¬ 
ready mentioned, was half red and half golden. 
As the summary of our season's tests with to¬ 
matoes, we have to report that the Acme from 
our selection of seeds is much improved in 
size and in productiveness over last year aud 
that, in our estimation, It is still, by all odds, 
the best tomato. 
Potato Beetles have never before given 
us the annoyauce of this season. As if a now 
brood hatched out weekly, persistent applica¬ 
tions of poison have failed to subdue them. 
Now that the potato viues are dead they have 
attacked tbe tomatoes—not the vines, but the 
frutl—some of which are literally covered by 
these irrepressible, disgusting, voracious vag¬ 
abonds, whose feast, no longer seasoned 
with London-purple or Paris-green, is, no 
doubt, oue of unalloyed satisfaction. 
Grape Viue* and Potatoes. 
Last Fall a plot of sod ground (20x20 feet) 
was dug out to the depth of 18 inches. The 
sod was strewn over the bottom—the earth, 
which consisted of sand and gravel, carted 
away. A layer of long barn-yard manure was 
spreed over the sod three Inches deep, and 
muck from a meadow occasionallv overflowed 
by salt water was used to fill in the rest, being 
stamped down as the work progressed. Red- 
cedar rustic arbors were then built, and six 
young grape vines were planted—two to each 
arbor. Two of them were seedlings of our 
own. One of these has made a growth of six 
feet, tbe growth coufiued to a single cane—the 
other, also confined t<> a single cane, has grown 
10 feet. Concord—’the third—baB two canes, 
one of which is 12 feet long, the other eight. 
Brighton—the fourth—has tvyo canes, each of 
which is 10 feet long. 0bore’s Early—the 
fifth—one cane—has mode a growth of 11 feet. 
Woodward No. 1—the sixth—confined to one 
cane, has made a growth of 18 feet. All are in 
good health and. as will be seen, have made 
au ur usually fine growth, except our two 
seedlings which will probably prove to be com¬ 
paratively feeble-growing kinds. Now, in this 
same plot, we planted very carefully, a row of 
potatoes cut to single eyes, June 1st, sowing 
in the drill half a pound of potato chemical 
fertilizer. The variety, though not yet offered 
for sale, is oue which we know to be remarka¬ 
bly productive. Every piece sprouted, though 
v.ryelow in doiDgso; grew to the bight of 
one or two inches and then gradually dwindled 
away and died. We are left to infer that the 
soil and manure upon which the grape vines 
flourished so finely were not well adapted to 
the needs of potatoes. 
POT GROWN GRAPE-VINES. 
In the Rural New Yorker of Aug. 24th. 
allusion is made to our sayiug that we were 
the first to offer the native grape-vines in pots, 
and in the reference to Dr. Grant having grown 
them 20 years ago. the impression is left that 
it was done by him before it was done by us. 
It is now over 30 vears since I first began 
business in Jersey City, and I thiuk there are 
yet men living who bought Isabella and Cat¬ 
awba pot-grown grape-vines from me as early 
as 1S50, and from that date I have ever con¬ 
tinued to grow them in that manner, believing 
it to be not only the most rapid, but by far the 
quickest method to obtain fruiting plants, and 
were I to grow a hundred acres in this latitude, 
I would adopt no other method. 
The reason why so much dissatisfaction was 
given by those Dr. Grant and his co laborers 
grew in this manner, was that they props, 
gated from the young, green shoots of the 
vine in the Summer Beason, which, of course, 
quickly enfeebled the constitution of all weak 
sorts ; the Delaware in particular was so weak¬ 
ened that it took years to get it up to its nor¬ 
mal condition. Our method Is the usual one— 
to grow from single eyes, put into the propa¬ 
gating bed. (under glass in April); in a 
month they are rooted and twice shifting 
gives a plant six feet high by October ; which 
when planted out the succeeding season, will 
make a growth. at 18 months from time of prop¬ 
agation, equal to that made by one twice that 
age, if not pot-grown, for the reason that 
no cheek is given to the roots in removal; 
every fiber being intact when pot-grown. 
The “ Groom” of the Strawberries. 
In your issue ot Sept. 4, you do us the favor to 
allude to our circular giving colored illustra¬ 
tions of what we consider the “ cream” of the 
strawberries, and seem to wouder at my hav¬ 
ing changed my views of what is the “ cream.” 
Don’t you think, Mr. Editor, that the cream 
of strawberries or any other fruit should con¬ 
tinue to get richer ? If not, why should we be del¬ 
uged with a bund red claimants every season as 
“ improvotuents’V Our practice is to grow all 
that we have reason to believe are good, and m 
our annual tests, select each year an assortment 
of six or eigbt which in our opinion (we do not 
claim it to be Infallible) are the “ cream” of 
the lot. We maintain that our colored plate 
of those named this season, represents as good 
portraits of tbe originals as art can well make 
them, your opinion to the contrary notwith¬ 
standing. Pet™ Henderson. 
-» -- 
CHAMPION AND WINDSOR CHIEF 
STRAWBERRIES. 
By the Rural of August 28th, I observe our 
mutual friend, Mr. T. T. Lyon, takes excep¬ 
tion to my remarks concerning the identity of 
Champion and the so-called Windsor Chief 
Strawberries. He says: “If he means that 
they are not only similar hut identical, oi, in 
other words, that the alleged parent is really 
doing duty as offspring, I cannot avoid a feel¬ 
ing that he ought to sustain such charge by 
fact or facts beyond the circumstance ot even 
entire similarity.” It is now admitted by va¬ 
rious close observers of repute that there does 
not exist a shade of difference iu any partic¬ 
ular whatsoever between the two varieties. 
It is known the Champion is a pistillate or 
imperfect-flowered variety, and to produce 
fruit or seeds, it must be fertilized by some other 
variety— hence any progeny from it must be a 
cross between it aud some othei vai iety. 1 
auy one ever hear of a cross being entirely like 
one parent in every respect ? Is such a thing 
possible ? This iB but circumstantial evidence, 
