1854. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
123 
Hovey’s Magazine. 
The last number of this standard horticultural jour¬ 
nal contains several interesting papers. The leading 
one is the account of the new seedling grape, raised 
by E. W. Bull, of Concord, Mass., and known as the 
Concord grape. It was raised from a very early na¬ 
tive seedling, supposed to be impregnated by the Ca¬ 
tawba. It has now fruited for four years, and we are 
assured it has proved uniformly excellent; but its most 
striking and valuable characteristic is its early period 
of ripening, which is about four weeks before the Isa¬ 
bella, and two weeks before the Diana. An engraved 
representation is given, of a very showy bunch, which 
for size and dimensions of berry, is as large as very 
fine specimens of Black Hamburg. Some of the berries 
are said to be an inch in diameter. The following is 
the description given :—Bunch large, long, neither 
compact nor loose, handsomely shouldered; berries 
roundish, large three quarters of an inch in diameter, 
sometimes measuring an inch; skin thin, very dark, 
covered with a thick blue bloom; flesh very juicy, 
nearly or quite free from pulp; flavor rich, saccha¬ 
rine, and sprightly, with much of the delicious aro¬ 
ma of the Catawba; vine, very vigorous, making 
strong wood; leaves very large, thick, strong nerved, 
not much lobed, and wooly beneath.” We are inform¬ 
ed that the raiser of this grape has now 2,000 seed¬ 
lings in cultivation, from which he hopes to get some¬ 
thing valuable. 
John Fisk Allen, of Salem, who stands at the 
head of American cultivators of the foreign grape, fur¬ 
nishes the following list of grapes that may be forced, 
and which will mature their fruit in the least period of 
time :—Pitmaston White Cluster, Musque Yerdal,— 
these two ripen soonest,—Macready’s Early White, 
Black July. For cold houses, or houses where little 
heat is used for the main crop, he regards the Black 
Hamburgh (in its varieties) as the most suitable, and 
the most generally esteemed,—in common with nearly 
all cultivators. For late or retarding-houses, where 
grapes are required that ripen very late, and hang 
several weeks after ripe, without wilting, the following 
are regarded as best:—Wortley Hall Seedling, Syrian, 
West St. Peters, Queen of Nice (moderate bearer), 
Prince Albert (poor bearer), Ferrar or Black Portugal, 
Portieu Noir, Muscat of Alexandria in its varieties. 
The old Black St. Peters and Black Prince are very 
inferior to the preceding. Zinfindal dries too much. 
Coe’s Transparent Cherry is highly commended for 
its productiveness and handsome fruit, and is recom¬ 
mended even for the smallest collections. The com¬ 
mittee awarded the Appleton gold medal (value $40,) 
to Hovey & Co., for their new seedling, now proved for 
five years. This is known as the Hovey cherry. 
Walker’s Seedling Strawberry, and Houghton’s 
Gooseberry, maintain their high character—the latter 
being the only gooseberry recommended, on account of 
its freedom from mildew. The best shows of strawber¬ 
ries have been made with Hovey and Boston Pine; 
and of raspberries, with Knevett’s Giant. 
Mr. Mathews’ Curculio Remedy, 
TO BE TESTED IN THE SPRING BY COMMITTEES. 
Mr. Tucker —Having received a letter from Hon. 
James Mathews, of Coshocton, Ohio, requesting me 
to act as an agent for him in the Eastern States, with 
reference to his curculio remedy, and having given my 
consent to act in that capacity, I now give notice, that 
he has communicated said remedy to me, and that I 
am a duly authorised agent to have committees ap¬ 
pointed, and before them, to test, the coming spring, 
his curculio remedy ; with this view I have written to 
the officers of the Boston Hort. Society, N. Y. St. Ag. 
Society at Albany, and the Onondaga Ag. Society, re¬ 
questing that a committee of three persons, shall be ap¬ 
pointed by each Society, to examine into the applica¬ 
tion of this remedy, its cost and facility, as regards ap¬ 
plication, kg., and report its effects in detail, to the said 
Societies the coming fall, or when the crops of plums 
are beyond all danger and perfectly secured. 
As Mr. Mathews, (as well as myself,) has had nu¬ 
merous applications for state, county and individual 
rights, the latter ranging in sums from $ 10 to $100, I 
am instructed by Mr. Mathews to say that “ he has 
determined to communicate the discovery to no one. 
until it has been submitted to and received the favor¬ 
able report of at least three horticultural committees, 
composed of men in whose skill and integrity the pub¬ 
lic will have the utmost confidence, after which he will 
forthwith give notice, in the horticultural journals, that 
he is ready to communicate the discovery, with specific, 
printed instructions, whenever he has received from 
horticultural committees or individuals offers of re¬ 
wards which in the aggregate shall amount to such 
sum as he may think a sufficient remuneration for his 
trouble, in proportion to the importance or value of 
such a remedy, and when such rewards are offered, he 
will forward the instructions to all at the same time. 
Or should the Legislatures of one or more states deem 
the discovery of sufficient worth to the citizens of their 
respective states, so as to make appropriations, that will 
be satisfactory ; in that ease he will agree, upon the re¬ 
ceipt of such appropriations, to make the remedy pub¬ 
lic for the benefit of every body.” Should not all in¬ 
terested iri this subject do something towards a just 
and full compensation, if the reports of the committees 
confirm Mr. Mathews’ Curculio remedy 7 A. Fahnes- 
stock. Syracuse, 'Feb. 1th, 1854. 
The above proposition cannot fail of being satisfac¬ 
tory to the public. The merits of the discovery will be 
thoroughly tested, and if they shall equal Mr. Mathews’ 
expectations, the Societies Having the matter in charge 
will not fail to make the effort necessary to secure him 
a suitable reward. The executive committee of the N. 
Y. State Ag. Society have already appointed a com¬ 
mittee on the subject. 
Strawberry Culture. —A correspondent of the 
Country Gentleman says—“ The finest cultivated field 
strawberries I ever saw, were on ground broke up 
without manure, and set with strawberries the next 
year; and the best garden strawberries I ever knew, 
were manured with black mold from the woods—noth¬ 
ing else.” 
