1852. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
43 
Fruit blighted by Hot Weather. 
Quality of New Fruits. 
The intense heat of the weather during the fore part 
of last September, caused immense injury to all kinds 
of fruit. Apples, peaches, and grapes suffered greatly 
in all the region round Baltimore, and, I presume, 
wherever it prevailed. An Isabella vine, that for twelve 
years past has not failed to perfect an abundant crop of 
fruit, and last year, up to the first of September, gave 
assurance of a very large yield, failed to produce a 
single bunch of perfect fruit. The filling up and ripen¬ 
ing of the berries was arrested at the commencement of 
that hot weather, the berries began to shrivel, the bunch¬ 
es seemed to hang lifeless, and the leaves of the vine to 
dry and fall off. About one-third of the berries had 
become dark colored, but did not fill up. On examin¬ 
ing other vines about the city I found all in the same 
condition. None but the earlier varieties ripened. All 
late peaches became prematurely and imperfectly ripe, 
and made their appearance some two weeks too early in 
our markets, small in size, and of imperfect quality. 
Late apples were also injured, and the fall apples pre¬ 
maturely and imperfectly matured. 
How are we to account for this singular effect of heat? 
I believe the explanation to be this:— 
The nutritious juices are thrown into a state of fer¬ 
mentation while exposed to the hot rays of the sun and 
hot air in the leaves, and thus all the saccharine and 
other nutritious principles, instead of being sent back 
to the fruit are evaporated; and thus the fruit perishes 
for want of nutrition. This theory also explains a simi¬ 
lar accident that often occurs to all kinds of plants during 
very hot dry weather, and which is often called scalding. 
Corn is often very much stinted in its grain by it. We 
know that the saccharine juice is converted by the as- 
similatiang organs of the plants into starch, &c. We 
also know that these saccharine juices possess all the ele¬ 
ments of fermentation except temperature. Now it seems 
reasonable to suppose that if the necessary degree of tem¬ 
perature be supplied by the sun, fermentation will be 
immediately commenced, and the saccharine principle 
will be converted into spirits and evaporated from the 
leaves; and of course the fruit or grain that depended 
upon this saccharine principle for food, must perish. It 
is readily admitted that this is all theory; and that, if 
correct, the evil is without remedy. One, at least, of 
the readers of the Cultivator would be glad to hear 
what others, more experienced and skilful, have to say 
on the subject. 
Another idea suggests itself. If the above theory he 
correct, the fruit and grain thus effected, dies of starva¬ 
tion. Can they then be wholesome food for man or 
beast? Several persons who had partaken of the above 
described imperfect grapes, were more or less effected 
with stomach and bowel diseases. No one ever thinks 
of eating meat from an animal that had died, and if it 
die of starvation it would appear to be much less fit for 
food. Why should we eat fruit that has perished in the 
same way? All this may seem speculative and unworthy 
of attention, but it does seem to the writer worthy of 
careful consideration. G. B. Smith. Baltimore, Nov., 
1851. 
From the proceedings of that veteran body, the Mas¬ 
sachusetts Horticultural Society, we copy the following 
decisions of its able fruit committee, relative to the 
character of some new fruits: 
Melon. — Christiana ,—very fine—on account of its 
earliness, flavor, and fine quality, maintains its character 
ast he best melon for general cultivation. 
Pears. — Beurre de Rhine, new, green, pyramidal, 
large, melting, juicy, good. 
Beurre Sprin, yellow and red, pyramidal, large, excel¬ 
lent. 
Collins , very fine, juicy, and brisk. 
Jersey Gratioli, large, obovate, yellow dotted with 
russet, of a fine vinous flavor. 
Beurre Beaumont, very fine. 
Bonne de Zees, large, oblong, yellow, melting, sweet, 
fine. 
Beurre Triquer and Benoist, melting, juicy, fine. 
Serrurier, promises well. 
Nouveau Poiteau, alrge, promises well. 
Soldat Laboreur, Colmar d'Jhemberg, Eyewood, 
good. 
Apples — Walworth, from Clinton county, N. Y., 
large, handsome, yellow with a flush, tender, pleasant, of 
fine quality. 
Northern Sweet, same origin, very handsome, fine. 
Bailey Spice, handsome, fine. 
The Diana grape “ continues to maintain its high re¬ 
putation.” [So far it appears to have failed at Cincin¬ 
nati, where also the Isabella is becoming of little value, 
the Catawba taking the lead there of every thing else.] 
-- 
The Best Fears. 
C. M. Hovey, of Boston, who has a very extensive 
knowledge of both old and new pears, gives the follow¬ 
ing list of nine unexceptionable pears for that vicinity-. 
Bloodgood, Bartlett, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Seckel, 
Belle Lucrative, Beurre Bose, Le Cure (Winkfield,) 
Winter Nelis, and Beurre d’Aremberg. To these he 
adds the 28 following:—Glout Morceau, Paradise of Au¬ 
tumn, Dix, Beurre Diel, Doyenne Boussock, Beurre d’ 
Anjou, Fulton, Andrews, Urbaniste, Tyson, GanseFs 
Bergamot, Rostiezer, Passe Colmar, St. Ghislain, Easter 
Beurre, Heathcot, Thompson’s, Stephens’ Genesee, 
Golden Beurre of Bilboa, Sieulle, Flemish Beauty, 
Compte de Lamy, Dutchess of Angouleme, Long Green, 
Marie Louise, Wilbur, Buffum, Lawrence, &c. Some 
“more recent kinds of equal merit” are not included. 
Large Strawberry Story. 
A writer in the London Gardener's Chronicle, de¬ 
scribes the mode in which a distinguished strawberry 
raiser obtains enormous crops. It consists, in substance, 
in the use of a deep vegetable sandy loam soil, or re¬ 
claimed osier ground, so situated as to admit of perfect 
irrigation. The latter we know to have an astonishing 
influence on the increase of size in the growing fruit. 
The British Queen Strawberry is obtained by the most 
skilful cultivators of enormous size in that country ; yet 
when that writer speaks of single specimens weighing 
three ounces, that is, about as much asa moderate sized 
Spitzenburgh apple , he draws very heavily on the cre¬ 
dulity of those who have not seen them. 
