24 
January 12, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Tribulations of the Plant Breeder — 
• Here is an interesting note from David 
Miller, Camphill, Pa., the venerable orig¬ 
inator of the very succesful Cumberland 
blackcap raspberry: 
I am interested in your hybridizing efforts, 
but did not know you had given the subject 
so much time and attention. But, dear me, 
what a disappointing business it is, and 
what patience it takes! I have grown thou¬ 
sands of seedlings from my Cumberland 
raspberry, and while plenty were duplicates 
of the parent, none bad merit to displace it. 
Some four years ago one showed up larger 
fruit, stronger growth and rather better 
flavor. 1 pushed its propagation until I had 
about 1,500 bearing plants, to find for two 
years that its blossoms would scarcely bring 
half its fruits to perfection. The past Sum¬ 
mer I grubbed out the entire lot, and thus 
ended the prospect. I have gone through 
such experience so often that I am begin¬ 
ning to think an 81-yearling would better 
stop. Are you aware that Cumberland rasp¬ 
berry has blackberry blood in it? The cross¬ 
ing was accidental, and Prof. Bailey did not 
think it could be, yet seedlings from it show 
genuine blackberry plants bearing true 
blackcap berries. Good proof; was it not? 
Now there was no chance for the mother 
plant to have anything but the poorest 
blackberry pollen to produce the cross. Tf 
under these conditions such a result shows 
lip, what might be expected of a cross with 
Rathbun or Lucretla? Could you not try 
your hand on it? 
The Cumberland raspberry has been re¬ 
peatedly hybridized on the Rural Grounds 
with choice blackberries, such as Merse- 
reau, Rathbun and Taylor, and with Lu- 
cretia and Austin dewberries, as well as 
with both red and purple-cane raspberries. 
The cross-bred seedlings of blackberry 
and dewberry parentage were mostly 
sterile. The few that fruited turned out 
shy bearers, with more or less imperfect 
blooms. All were either fairly typical of 
one parent or the other, having little visible 
evidence of mixed blood. The quality 
generally was high, and a small percentage 
were vigorous in growth. Several had 
so little vitality that they perished, the 
first year, though well protected. One of 
the most promising of the crosses of Cum¬ 
berland with other raspberries is a fine 
Autumn-fruiting purple-cane or pink-cap 
variety, described on page 914. 
Difficult Fruits to I m proto. —The 
progress of improvement in bramble fruits 
is particularly slow and uncertain. There 
has been much arduous work in selection 
and cross-breeding and there is but little 
to show for it in a commercial way. Acres 
of seedlings have been grown only to be 
discarded, and huge stocks of especially 
promising newcomers have been worked 
up only to discover, as did Mr. Miller, 
some overpowering defect. The good 
kinds that stay with us have, with scarce¬ 
ly an exception, been accidental finds. 
Many intentionally bred varieties have 
been introduced, but none appears to have 
made its mark. Hybridizing work among 
the Rubus or bramble fruits has always 
been extremely disappointing. If there is 
well-marked varietal or specific difference 
between the parents the progeny is quite 
likely to be unfruitful. Sterility has 
proven the bane of the grower of cross¬ 
bred raspberry or blackberry seedlings. 
It is almost an exception to raise one 
with normal blooms and perfect berries; 
even close-bred or self-pollenized seed¬ 
lings are likely to have imperfect blooms, 
and the chances of sterility are enormously 
increased in the offspring of diverse par¬ 
ens. Thus all our very numerous hybrids 
of the Japan wineberry, Rubus phoenico- 
lasius, have crumbly berries, when they 
fruited at all, and all hybrids of the 
“strawberry-raspberry,” R. rosasfolius, 
with cultivated blackberries and rasp¬ 
berries were wholly destitute of 
tloral organs. Bramble berries are 
made up of many individual drupes or 
fruits, each inclosing a seed—the result of 
the action of a pollen grain or an individ¬ 
ual stigma and ovule. If a number of 
these essential organs are poorly devel¬ 
oped or lacking the berry will be corre¬ 
spondingly imperfect. The compound na¬ 
ture of these berries with their great mul¬ 
tiplication of organs, explains, to some ex¬ 
tent, the comparative rarity of really per¬ 
fect flowers among seedling plants. 
Cumberland a Good Variety. —Mr. 
Miller introduced the Cumberland black¬ 
cap about the year 1888, after very 
thorough tests in several localities. It 
| has “made good” all claims for produc¬ 
tiveness, reliability and commercial value, 
and is generally regarded throughout the 
East as the “business blackcap.” The ber¬ 
ries are of the largest size, firm enough 
for long shipments, and of good deep 
color, but are scarcely of the highest qual¬ 
ity. Mr. Miller’s efforts to improve this 
excellent variety at his advanced age are 
surely most commendable. There is so 
little prospect of gain in breeding Rubus 
fruits that most experimenters are com¬ 
pelled to give up the work. Yet it should 
go on, as even the best of our cultivated 
kinds leave much to be desired. Seed¬ 
lings should be raised not by dozens or 
hundreds, but by thousands and hundred- 
thousands. Though the ratio of advance¬ 
ment is low it plainly exists, and could be 
made to yield steady progress if the work 
could be done in a well-considered manner 
on a sufficiently extensive scale. It is, 
however, a matter for the consideration 
of experiment stations and of the National 
Department of Agriculture rather than of 
individuals. The production of even one 
really superior variety would compensate 
considerable public expenditure. 
New Early Grape. —Far greater prog¬ 
ress has been made in the amelioration of 
native grapes than of bramble fruits. 
There are more workers interested in 
grape breeding and far more systematic 
efforts are made to develop specially de¬ 
sirable qualities in new varieties. The 
standard of commercial excellence has 
been raised so high that a newcomer must 
show one or more points of absolute su¬ 
periority to gain recognition. Grapes often 
grow well in northern localities where 
conditions are suitable, but fail to ripen 
on account of the shortness of the sea¬ 
son. Early ripening has therefore always 
been a much desired characteristic, but it 
does not usually accompany good quality 
in the fruits. The early kinds in general 
cultivation are either of distinctly low 
quality like Champion, or comparatively 
unproductive, like Moore’s Early. The 
Brown’s Early grape, soon to be distrib¬ 
uted by The R. N.-Y., most happily com¬ 
bines earliness with high flavor, good size, 
ironclad hardiness and productiveness. 
Every subscriber will soon have the op¬ 
portunity to test it free of cost. We are 
confident that many will find it a grand ac¬ 
quisition for their use and localities. 
The New Eclipse Grape. —We have re¬ 
ferred on page 852 to the extremely early 
season and particularly satisfactory qual¬ 
ity of the new black grape raised by E. A. 
Riehl, Alton, Ill. It has been named 
Eclipse and is now, after seven years’ suc¬ 
cessful test at the Illinois State Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Experiment Stations, of¬ 
fered for further trials at a moderate price 
by the originator. The following history 
and description, commendable for simplic¬ 
ity and directness, is furnished by Mr. 
Riehl. 
Some fifteen years ago, hoping to produce 
a red or black grape having the good qual¬ 
ities of the Niagara, I gathered a lot of seed 
of that variety where it was likely it had 
been cross-pollenized with other good varie¬ 
ties, and sowed it, producing several thou¬ 
sand seedlings. These were closely watched 
during the first season, and all that did not 
look promising destroyed. About 50 of the 
most promising were planted in vineyard. 
When they came into bearing such as prom¬ 
ised well enough were given numbers, and 
have been grown since to determine their 
true value, it being the intention to retain 
none unless they promised to fill some' want 
better than any other grape now in culti¬ 
vation. After 10 years’ trial No. 10, non 
named Eclipse, is the only one that I think 
fills a place better than any other in culti¬ 
vation. Some of tlie others are very good 
grapes, and had they been produced 25 years 
itgo, would have been considered acquisi¬ 
tions. Some were fine growers, healthy and 
productive, but the fruit uo’t good enough, 
others had very good quality, but not pro¬ 
ductive, others again had no fault except 
weak foliage. Color of Eclipse black, bunch 
and berry medium, earlier than any other 
that I have ever grown, and I have tested 
all varieties sent out the past 40 years. 
Quality the best, has the good quality of its 
parent, Niagara, of hanging on the vine a 
long time after it is ripe without deteriorat¬ 
ing in quality, and does not crack in wet 
weather like so many otherwise good grapes. 
The vine is a good healthy grower, holding 
its foliage until after heavy frost. Has never 
been injured in the least by Winter’s cold. 
It is a good bearer. If it lias any fault. I 
have not discovered it. I believe it merits a 
place in every collection for earliness and 
high quality, and should prove valuable 
where other varieties do not ripen owing 
to shortness of the season. w y F 
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Improved Ericsson Hot Air Pumping Engine. 
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QET THE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns big 
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THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
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we were using common 
sprayers in our own orchards 
—found their defects and 
invented the Eclipse. Its 
success forced us to manu- 
facturing on a large scale. 
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A 
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