IRLF K ™$$ftfc- SM;t |- tf g" ,^. ki LKBRAKY O!-' THE 4 tiumiiw nf « rccalt la NEW AND REVISED EDITION. BY R. G. PAR DEE. WITH A VALUABLE APPENDIX, UORTAIKIK'1 TUK OOSVP.VATION'8 AND BXPBBICNC8 OF BOMB OP THR MOOT 8UCCB88PUI CtJI.TIVATOUB Iff THK.sK FtiUITU IN OUR COUNTUV. NE W-YORK: ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY. 245 BROADWAY. Cotored recording' to Act of Congress, in the year 1656, bv C H SAXTON&CO. i the Clei* s Office o' the Diatrict Court of tne United Stotes, for the Southern Dittmtsw New York. PACK PREFACE TO THE TENTH REVISED EDITION 6 'Preface 9 The STRAWBERRY , 13 Situation 17 Selection of Soil IS Preparation of Soil 19 Manures 21 Transplanting (Time and Manner of) 25 Mulching 30 Watering. 31 Cultivation. 32 Field Culture .... 34 Production 39 Renewal of Beds 42 Winter Protection 43 Sexuality 48 Forcing 53 Seedlings * 57 Classification 58 Selection of Varieties 60 McAvoy's Superior — Hovey's Seedling — Monroe Scarlet- Burr's New Pine — Longworth's Prolific — Walker's Seed- ling— McAvoy's Extra Red — Jenney's Seedling — Large Early Scarlet, — Crimson Cone— Iowa — Genesee Seedling — Willey — Princess Alice Maud — Boston Pine — Black Prince — Swain- stone Seedling— Myatt's British Queen — Large White Bicton Pine — Barr's New White — Prolific Hautboy. fiii) iv CONTENTS. / PAUB Analysis of the Strawberry Fruit and Plant 79 RASPBERRY 81 Fastolf — Franconi — Red and Yellow Antwerp — Kncvett's Giant * — Large-fruited Monthly — Ohio Ever-bearing — Orange. BLACKDERRY 88 White — Improved High Bush — New Rochelle. CRANBERRY 94 Black. CURRANT. 95 Black Naples — White and Red Dutch — White and Red Grape — Cherry — May Victoria — Knight's Sweet Red — Largest White Provence — La Versailles. GOOSEBERRY "... 99 Crompton's Sheba Queen — Woodward's Whitesmith — Roaring Lion — Crown Bob — Hough ton's Seedling, LOHGWOBTH'S PROLIFIO. note to Mr. Barry in the fall of 1853, he says, "You will find the Prolific of more value than all the seedlings ever raised." Mr. Elliott, in his Gruide, says, " For market culture we regard it of more value than McAvoy's Superior ;" and we have heard Dr. Warder bear the same high testimony to its excellence. It has been almost impossible to get the genuine variety. In our attempts, we have had repeated fail- ures, until, at last, Mr. D. McAvoy politely took up for us two plants, while in bearing, and enclosed them in a letter. The plants lived, and we have been ena- bled to experiment with them intelligently. We have also seen the genuine in a few other gardens, hundreds of miles apart, during the last two seasons ; and every- where we have seen it, if it had a fair chance, it has done well. Many will, doubtless, discard "Long worth's Prolific," who have only tried spurious kinds. Our limited experience will not enable us to speak 70 SELECTION OF VARIETIES. so decidedly as some of those we have quoted, yet we can say we are much pleased with it, and hope it will equal the high expectations excited ; so far, it seems to excel any hermaphrodite of our acquaintance in size and productiveness, and is of good flavor. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society had it on exhibi- tion from the garden of Caleb Cope, Esq., in 1853, and speak of it as " very large, roundish obovate, brilliant crimson ; seed of the same color, sometimes yellowish, set in rather deep indentations, with rounded inter- vals ; flesh red, flavor fine, quality ' very good,' a variety of great excellence, perfect in its sexual organ- ization, and remarkably productive, a rare circum- stance with staminate varieties of large size." The plant is very vigorous and hardy ; large broad leaf, long foot-stalks, setting the fruit well up in large full trusses, productive and sure bearer; ripens at the medium season, and only loses its fine color when over-ripe. We have seen the fruit from four to five inches in circumference. WALKER'S SEEDLING. The last of the six we name above is also one of the new berries, not so extensively proved as yet. The Hon. Samuel Walker, ex-President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, originated and sent it out some two or three years ago, when he politely sent us a SELECTION OF VARIETIES. tl dozen plants for trial, which trial has been very satis- factory. The society above-named has during the last season renewed its endorsement^ it, and Mr. Barry, of Kochester, also approves it there. It is entirely distinct from all other kinds, and is a good honest fruit. In form it resembles the Large Early Scarlet, or more nearly the Crimson Cone, but rather larger than either ; in color it is as dark crimson or purple as the Black Prince. A vigorous, hardy, good staminate, of excel- lent flavor, " best" quality, and productive ; of medium season. This is another of the new Ohio strawberries, origi- nated by Mr. Longworth in his garden, or by his tenant and gardener, Mr. D. McAvoy, at the same time with the Superior, which variety it appears in every respect to equal, except in flavor. The Fruit-Committee in Cincinnati report it as " large, beautiful and very pro- lific ; quality medium, sub-acid not high-flavored." We think it will prove a valuable market fruit : it is very vigorous and hardy ; fruit large and handsome, and keeps well. We have seen it exhibited for forty- eight hours, after twenty miles land-carriage, when it remained the brightest and most showy fruit of forty choice^ varieties. The Pennsylvania Horticultural So- ciety in 1853 pronounced it " extraordinarily produo- 72 SELECTION OF VARIETIES. tive," and quality " good." It is pistillate, and its only faults, as far as we are aware, are its acidity and its lack . of high flavor, which we do not consider indispensable for a market fruit. JENNET'S SEEDLING. This originated in New Bedford, about the year 1845 : is of good size, high flavor; and has been highly recommended by the Massa- chusetts and other Horticultural Societies. We have successfully cultivated it for four or five years, and think its advantages are, its good fair size, bright handsome color and form, sprightly rich flavor, lateness of season in bearing, and sound flesh, fitting it for a first-rate market fruit, or for preserving ; its defects are, its not being the largest size and only a medium bearer. The plant is vigorous, and blossoms pistillate. WILSON'S SEEDLING. This superior strawberry originated with an excel- lent Scotch nurseryman, of Albany, John Wilson. It was introduced a year or two before it attracted much notice. In the summer of 1857, I think, Mr Cummings of the New York Observer, placed On the SELECTION OF VARIETIES. 73 tables of the New York Horticultural Society, one plant in a pot, which gave a show of fruit far exceed- ing all we had ever seen. We counted 260 berries on that one plant, and immediately wrote an article call- ing attention to it. It has now grown into general circulation, and although some complain of its acidity, yet it seems to be steadily gaining favor. It is good size, often large, pointed cone, dark red when fully ripe, solid flesh, good and very productive. LARGE EARLY SCARLET. This has long been the standard staminate. It bears almost every where a tolerable crop with fair treatment. It is early, and, as we see from Mr. Peabody's article in the Appendix, under his treatment has become a perpetual bearer. It is of medium size, handsome oval form, good — rather acid — flavor, and bears carriage to market tolerably well. Its good qualities are its uniform, although not large productiveness, early season and good flavor ; its de- fects, its want of size and of large productiveness, and its tendency to throw out an overgrowth of runners. It is valuable as an impregnator. CRIMSON CONE. A very bright, handsome, brisk, acid fruit, of me- dium size, uniformly conical, rich dark crimson, and 74 SELECTION OF VARIETIES. quite productive. Its seeds lie deeply imbedded, gi ving the surface a beautiful rasp-like appearance. Its de- fects are, its second-rate size and acid flavor. It was always a favorite of Mr. Downing's, who preferred its acid flavor for the table, bringing it to its proper tone by a liberal addition of sugar. It has supplied the New York market with more fruit the past season, we think, than all other varieties combined. The plant is very vigorous — blossoms pistillate. IOWA. The Iowa, or Washington as it is familiarly called in Cincinnati, is a wonderfully productive variety, good size, and well adapted for the market. Its lack of high flavor, and pale color, will prevent its becoming a favor- ite among amateurs. TRIOMPHE DE GAND. H. This new Belgian variety is very popular. It is very large, bright crimson, flesh firm, sweet, juby, very productive and late. Good for the family or market. GENESEE SEEDLING. A large and very handsome fruit. It originated with Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry. The plant is vigorous, with long stout foot-stalks, productive for a staminate, SELECTION" OF VARIETIES. 75 and of good medium flavor. It seems to be growing in favor for private gardens. WILLEY. This is a great bearer of round, medium-sized fruit of pleasant, sprightly, although not high flavor. This and Monroe Scarlet are the only strawberries I have ever seen that bear apparently in clusters. It is not unusual for the Willey to produce sixty and seventy berries on a plant, and should never be cultivated in masses. It is solid enough for market, and its main defect is its size and second-rate flavor. PRINCESS ALICE MAUDE. A handsome, long, oval, English fruit, of large size, fair productiveness, and medium flavor. It is unique in appearance, very early, and in the vicinity of Washington City it has become very popular, Profes- sor Page having succeeded in inducing it to adopt the ever-bearing habit. Its main defects are moderate pro- ductiveness and want of high flavor. Staminate, and good for market. BOSTON PINE. A good staminate seedling of Mr. Hovey, of Boston, and for our own cultivation we should give it a very early place in our list ; but with the mass of cultiva- tors it is not so popular. It wants the best clean culti- 76 SELECTION OF VARIETIES. vation, with every plant two feet apart from all others, and will bear richer soil than almost any other variety ; with such treatment it will produce a good crop of uniformly large, round, handsome fruit of high flavor. 'BLACK PRINCE. A. large, handsome, very dark crimson or blackish- purple fruit, of English parentage and pistillate flowers. The plants are vigorous and hardy, quite productive, usually too watery and insipid in flavor, but some- times we have found it to be of the richest flavor. A few plants are worthy of a place in most private gardens. BARTLETT. H. Medium size, good form, crimson, firm, sweet and rich flavor, moderately productive. SWAINSTONE SEEDLING. An English staminate of the highest flavor and great beauty, but unfortunately so fickle in its bearing habits as to drive it from all but the amateurs' and a few of the best nurserymen's gardens. MYATT'S BRITISH QUEEN A splendid English variety of the largest size and richest flavor, but unfortunately, in this country, so SELECTION OF VAEIETIES. 77 few of the blossoms ordinarily produce fruit, that it is in most places despaired of. It needs the best cultiva- tion, and the slants should be allowed plenty of room for air. LARGE WHITE BICTON PIKE. A new English staminate variety, of large hand- some fruit, long oval shape, sometimes flattened, of the highest flavor, white color, with a bright blush cheek on one side. It is quite a novelty, and proves to be more productive than was expected. It will find a place in most amateurs' gardens in limited quantities. Is said to be superior to the above, but we have not yet tried it. In Boston it is spoken well of. A friend assures us it is superior to the Bicton Pine. PROLIFIC HAUTBOY. Prolific certainly of runners, so as greatly 'to injure its value, if it had no other defect ; is a very vigorous plant, producing long, oval, purplish, dingy berries of a rich but very peculiar flavor, agreeable to some, but the reverse to others. It is staminate, but hardly desirable. We might continue this list, and enumerate full one hundred other varieties which we have had an opportunity of personally testing; but we cannot 78 SELECTION OF VARIETIES, name any variety possessing any superior quality, not possessed in an equal or larger degree by some of the best of those we have named ; in fact, some of the varieties we have noticed are not equal to other varie- ties we might name, of our own seedlings and others ; and we have only referred to them because they are popular in many parts of the country, and supposed there to be a first-class fruit. Many of our horticultural friends and nurserymen may be disappointed that we have not referred more extensively to their favorites ; in answer we say, we do not suppose them superior to some of those de- scribed. If they are, they will soon be extensively proved and noticed. Others, we do not personally know anything about, which are not merely recom- mended by individual originators, but Horticultural Societies of the highest authority; for instance, the new seedling " Pennsylvania," of Philadelphia, and Scott's Seedling, &c., of Boston, Hooker's seedling of Kochester, and Lucy Fitch in the "West. A seedling that will surpass McAvoy's Superior in average size, productiveness, and good flavor, or Hovey's Seedling in size and beauty, or Burr's New Pine in flavor, pro- ductiveness, and early fruit, and Longworth's Prolific in size, beauty, productiveness and flavor as an herma- phrodite, has got to be an extraordinary fine berry, but there is hope that it may be obtained. ANALYSIS. 79 The following analysis of the strawberry plant (vines) was made by Mr. Bilius, Kirtland, Ohio. In 116 grains of the ashes of. the GARDEN STRAW- BERRY he found : Potash 33.154 Lime 26.519 Carbonic Acid 23.008 Magnesia 8.908 Phosphoric Acid 6.970 Silica 6.117 Charcoal and Sand 3.103 Soda...; 2.794 Perphosphate of Iron 1.515 Sulphuric Acid 1.469 Chlorine . 718 Organic Matter and Loss 1.739 116.000 In the Annual report of the Progress of Chemistry and allied Sciences for 1847 and 1848, we find the following analysis of the Strawberry by THOMAS RICHARDSON : THE PLANT. Potash 38.65 Lime 12.20 Silica 2.58 Perphosphate of Iron 8.65 Magnesia 5.85 Phosphoric Acid 15.58 Chlorine.. 1.23 80 ANALYSIS. Soda 9.27 Organic Matter, Loss, &c 5.99 39 per cent, of Ash. 100.00 THE JTKU1T. Potash 21.07 Lime 14.20 Soda -. 27.01 Silica 1105 Perphosphate Iron 11.15 Phosphoric Acid ft 59 Sulphuric Acid a 15 Chlorine £.78 Magnesia Tr*ce 41 per cent, of Ash. 10*/.00 The great variation in these analyses is probably mainly owing to the greater age of the vines in one case than the other : perhaps something is also due to soil and climate. — ED. THE RASPBERRY. WHEN well-grown, and of the best varieties, this is one of our most wholesome and excellent fruits. It deserves a far more general and better cultivation than is usually given to it ; and its free use, succeeding the strawberry, as it does, would doubtless conduce to the general health as well as luxury of the community. If grown without care, it is often small, hard, and with little good flavor ; but when highly cultivated, it is large, melting, and delicious. It will repay the best care, and to very few fruits is this so indispensable as to the raspberry. A rather moist, cool location, on the north slope of a side-hill, or shade of a fence, is to be chosen ; and the soil should be deep and rich. A deep loam is preferable, but other soils by the addition of bog earth or muck can be made to answer the purpose ; it should be well broken up, trenched and pulverized to the depth of two feet, then enriched with well-rotted manure, vegetable, if convenient. 4* (81) 82 THE RASPBERRY. The plants should be shortened ten or twelve inches at the top, and set out very early in the spring, at a distance of three to four feet apart, not too deep, in pure earth, with a good proportion of the roots lying near tho surface. Keep them clean, and well staked, with not more than three or four canes in a hill. On gather- ing of the fruit, cut out all the old decayed canes and leave not more than six, eight, or ten of the strongest ones in a hill to ripen for another season of bearing, one-half of which should be transplanted in the fol- lowing spring. On the first of September pinch back the most vigorous shoots, so as to check the flow of sap and ripen the wood. WINTER PROTECTION. The question of winter protection is a difficult and important one. The ordinary custom is to leave them exposed in the garden to the severity of winter, and, as a consequence, the FASTOLF, FRANCONIA, and TRUE ANTWERPS, are rendered almost worthless. Even in Kentucky, those choice varieties require winter protec- tion. The easiest way is to bend the canes down and cover them slightly with earth. Some tie them up in a withe of straw, or evergreen boughs, but these are not always sufficient. WINTER PROTECTION. 83 We have sometimes taken up the plants in the fall, and buried them in sand, and on the earliest opening of spring set them out with care, and in this way have raised extraordinary crops ; but we have not proved this last process so fully as to incur the responsibility of recommending it. It would require to be very care- fully done, so as to preserve all the fibrous roots, to- gether with the advantage of favorable soil, for it to succeed so well. The raspberry is used in a variety of ways, viz. : for the hand, the table, pies, tarts, jelly, jam, ices, syrups, brandy, wine, and vinegar. The profits of production are very large ; often, in the vicinity of New York, selling for from $500 to $600 per acre. From Milton, Ulster County, it is said $10,000 worth is sent every year to New York market. The usual price is about one shilling per pint. They will continue in bearing some five or six years, but will not be in perfection, ordinarily, until the third year after planting. We will name but a few established varieties. Dr. Brinckle', of Philadelphia, and some others, have gained much credit with their fine seedlings, but how exten- sively they have been proved, or if any of them sur- pass the Fastolfj Franconia, Antwerp, &c., we are unable to say. The '" Colonel Wilder" and some other seed- lings are said to be perfectly hardy ; and if that is the 84 THE RASPBERRY. case, and they prove equal in other respects, they will certainly be a decided acquisition. FASTOLF. This fine variety originated at Fastolf Castle, near Yarmouth, England, where it attained a high reputa- THE FASTOLF. tion, which it has nobly sustained in this country. It is not quite so hard for a market fruit as the Ant- werp, but it is rather soft, and of rich high flavor, and VARIETIES. 85 Che fruit is very large, of a bright purplish red, and is a large bearer. It requires winter protection. FRANCONI. This line variety was said to be originally from France, but a few knowing ones insist that its advent was nearer home. However that may be, it is a valu- able kind, the most hardy of the large varieties which we refer to ; produces most abundant crops of fine fruit, which bears carriage to market well. It is some ten days later than the Antwerps, and requires only slight protection. The fruit resembles the Fastolf, but rather more acid flavor; canes strong and branching, and leaves rather narrow. RED ANTWERP. This variety has long been the standard sort, both in this country and Europe, and is a very fine fruit. So many spurious sorts are now sold under this name, that it is difficult to ob- tain the genuine, in many places. The Com- mon Red Antwerp is RED ANTWERP. 86 THE RASPBERRY. smaller and round ; while the true is large, regularly long conical, dull red, with a rich sweet flavor. The canes are of good strength when well cultivated, and the fruit ripens early in July. It also requires winter protection. YELLOW ANTWERP. Much resembles the Eed Antwerp except in color, and is a very handsome and excellent fruit. Whether Dr. Brinckle's new seedlings, Colonel Wilder, and Orange, will supersede it or not, as Mr. Elliott sug gests, we are unable to say. KNEVETT'S GIANT We have sometimes thought this variety a better bearer than the Red Antwerp, but we do not know as KNEVETT'S GIAUT. It has any superiority other than being more hardy. VARIETIES. 87 This, however, bears a much larger crop, in conse- quence of winter protection. LARGE-FRUITED MONTHLY. This is a new variety, that we have had in bearing in our garden some years, and have often gathered a moderate amount of fruit from it in September and October, as well as in the early summer. With good cultivation and thorough pruning, it produces full crops of fruit of the character, but not equal to, the Antwerps. OHIO EVER-BEARING. A variety of the American Black, which has for vears borne us several crops during the season, of large, goc-d fruit, ripening its last crop amidst the snows and frosts of November. Some of our New Jersey markets are realizing on small plots at the rate of from six to eight hundred dollars per acre. BRINCKLES ORANGE. This is one of the best of Dr. Brinckle's Seedlings, ll is large, good orange color, good flavor and very productive. It is becoming quite a favorite. THE BLACKBERRY, THE production of this fruit has heretofore been mostly confined to the woods and new lands of our country. In our former residence, Palmyra, Western New York, from time immemorial, almost, the market- women have made their appearance every two or three days during the season, with wagon-loads of from fifteen to thirty bushels of blackberries, which they sold at the prices of three, four, to five cents per quart. The fruit was often small, hard, and unripe, similar to much that is sold in the New York markets. Some of this fruit is larger and finer than others, and for many years persons have been trying to cultivate and improve upon the best specimens of field blackberries. Our agricultural friends in Massachusetts — particularly the late Captain Lovett, of Beverly — have been among the most enterprising and successful in this direction. The "Improved High Bush Blackberry" of Captain Lovett has often been noticed with marked favor by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, as being a long, egg-shaped, shining, black, juicy, and rich fruit, with specimens often an inch and a half long. We have (88) THE BLACKBERRY. 89 seen handsome and excellent fruit of this variety, not only in New England, but also in Western New York, but there is a complaint in some quarters that it has a tendency, like most other kinds, to deteriorate. Many promising varieties from the woods or seedlings, on being cultivated, have scarcely produced a single per- fect berry. We personally know of but one decided exception. THE LAWTON BLACKBEKRY, Or New Rochelle, which is said to be a chance seed- ling first picked up by the wayside, and has been most successfully cultivated for many years in the pleasant village of New Kochelle, near New York, where it was discovered to have extraordinary vigor, growth, size and uniform productiveness. Our attention was first called to it by some baskets of the fruit presented to the Farmers7 Club o£ the American Institute in the city of New York at their regular meetings in August, 1852 and 1853, by Wil- liam Lawton, Esq., an amateur cultivator, of New Kochelle, who stated that it was familiarly known in the vicinity as the " New Kochelle Blackberry." The fruit was found to be of great size, uniformly so, sixty to seventy of the berries filling a quart mea- sure— very few seeds, light melting pulp, and of ft delicious flavor. THE BLACKBERRY. THE LAWTON BLACKBEREY. It was well known that not only in New Kochelle, but also in Morrisania, and the open lands of Long Island were filled with seedlings of greater or less excellence, but this variety so far surpassed all others known to the Club as to excite their admiration. . On account of the liability o° the numerous other wild THE BLACKBERRY. 91 i varieties in New Eoclielle becoming confounded with this, the Club resolved to name it, distinctively, "The Lawton Blackberry," in honor of "the gentleman intro- ducing it to them. We have had frequent opportunities of giving this variety a personal examination in various places and under different treatment, and particularly in the grounds of Mr. Lawton, where there are some three acres in bearing. THE CHARACTERISTICS Of it are a hardy vigorous growth, the canes are often an inch in diameter, and eight to twelve feet long, covered with laterals well loaded with fruit ; so that a single stalk will produce from four to six and even eight quarts, and the canes are uniformly full of large perfect fruit in different exposures and locations. The Fruit is of regular, large size, oval shape, hand- some, and superior flavor, so that our best pomologists, • after a trial of several years, do not hesitate to pro- nounce it " the greatest acquisition." It is quite certain it has not deteriorated in the last eight or ten years, and it proves to be entirely hardy CULTIVATION. The blackberry rejoices in a moist, loamy soil; but will grow well in higher exposures, and is rather bene- fited by a little shade and a cool northern aspect. 92 THE BLACKBERRY. • When thus favored, it will prolong its period of bear- ing from four to six weeks. Usual good garden soil is favorable for the blackberry, and it will bear being made pretty rich with manures after the first year and especially with muck or woods'-mould. It should be transplanted as early in the spring as possible, or in the fall, and especial care should be taken of its fibrous roots and its whole general culture the first year, and then it will grow, produce fruit, and propagate itself rapidly. The canes which come up one season will bear fruit the next and then die in the autumn, and the dead branches must be carefully removed early every spring, in order to make room for the new ones to take their place, and this beautiful process of reproduc- tion thus goes on ; so that a single plant set out in a good free soil will send up two, three, or four plants, and those will increase to a score or more the follow- ing season if carefully pruned and kept clean. The ends of the canes should be shortened about one quarter early in the spring, when the old decayed ones are removed, and if the laterals are too long clip them also. They usually require no support. ( TRANSPLANTING. Particular care, we think, is needed in transplanting the blackberry. It should not be attempted late in the spring, otherwise a great share of the plants will hardly THE BLACKBERRY. 93 survive the process. Mulching and watering are often useful and even necessary when transplanting. It is well to set the plants four or five feet apart in rows that are eight to ten feet distant, and they will soon cover the ground, and thus 500 plants will set an acre. Some large growers in the vicinity of New York have readily contracted their entire crop for the season at 25 cents to 37 £ cents per quart. We have given a large space to this variety, not only because it is new, but because we believe it to be worthy of exten- sive cultivation by the public, both as amateurs and for the market. NEEDHAM'S IMPROVED WHITE BLACKBERRY Is a great bearer, not white, but with a blush cheek, and not of good quality or size when compared with the Lawton; sometimes it fails, but we are certified tc instances of single canes producing eight, ten, and even eleven quarts of fruit, such as it is. We have seen the wild white blackberry growing in the woods, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, in the town of Ontario, Wayne County, but on culti- vating them they have failed to produce a single per- fect berry. This has been the case also with the best specimens of black ones grown in the vicinity. THE CRANBERRY. THE culture of the American Cranberry has become an object of much interest and importance. It grows freely and produces its fruit readily in any damp situa- tion. Pare off the surface of a swamp or bog-meadow, then cover the surface with a few inches of sand, set out the plants 12 or 18 inches apart, keep them clean, and in two or three years they will cover the surface of the ground, and produce, say 50 bushels the first year, 100 the second, and after that a regular crop of 150 to 400 bushels per acre. They can be raised upon poor uplands by first cover- ing the surface with sand ; set them out and keep the ground free from weeds. Planting can be done from March until middle of May, or from September until the ground freezes. The black cranberry has formerly been considered the best variety, but some new seedlings exhi- bited the past season promise decidedly to surpass it. A new work just issued from the prolific agricultu- ral publication house of C. M. Saxton & Co., New York, by the Kev. B. Eastwood " On the Cranberry," ren- ders a more extended notice unnecessary in this placa (W) THE CURRANT. THIS is one of the most valuable of all our small fruits. It can be used to such advantage in a variety of ways, whether in a green or ripe state, and it is so easily grown, that it is indispensable in every small garden. It is a native of Great Britain, and therefore per- fectly hardy. In a green state it is used in pies, tarts, &c., stewed like gooseberries. When ripe, it is much used as a table fruit, with plenty of sugar ; but it ia almost universally used in a jelly that is both delicious and wholesome. It also makes an excellent wine, at a cost of not more than two or three shillings a gallon. The Black Currant is chiefly used in a jam or jelly. Currants ripen in midsummer, and if protected from the sun will remain on the bushes until October. This fruit is very easily cultivated, and it will grow and bear in almost any fair soil ; fresh maiden earth is best for treatment. The usual way is to allow the suckers to spring up around the original plant, until it has become a matted clump of bushes, but this is a bad practice every way. The suckers uniformly pro 96 THE CURRANT. duce poor and small fruit, and should never bo per- mitted to grow. The best way'of propagating the currant is to cut off in the early spring, before the buds swell, the growth of the last year, close to the old wood ; make the cuttings one foot long ; remove all the eyes except some three or four at the top of the cutting, to prevent suckers ; then place it compactly in good sandy soil to half its depth, or six inches, and by good care in one year it will be sufficiently established for transplant- ing. In new, rare varieties, it can be more rapidly increased by layering, where the first branches have been allowed to grow near the surface of the earth. It should always be cultivated in the form of small bush trees, and by a skilful hand can be easily made to assume a handsome pyramidal or espalier form. All superfluous wood should be carefully pruned out every winter, and the plant invigorated with rich manure in the spring. The currant and gooseberry can hardly be over-fed. Each bush should be renewed every six or eight years, as young vigorous plants of most fruits produce the largest and best specimens. It will bear very well partially shaded by trees or shrubbery, yet the fruit will be the richest and best flavored with plenty of air and sun, and therefore a southern aspect is desirable. VARIETIES. Vi VARIETIES. BLACK NAPLES and BANG-UP" are the largest and best Black Currants, of excellent flavor, and bear large clusters of fruit, often five-eighths of an inch in diame- ter: They are also productive. The Black English is quite inferior. The WHITE and KED DUTCH are our most popular varieties. They are large, good flavor and productive. The white is the mildest. They are decidedly better tnan the common currant. The WHITE and KED GRAPE do not vary but a little from the above. CHERRY CURRANT. — The largest of all red currants ; quite acid; short clusters; moderate bearer; color, dark-red; strong grower; thick, dark-green foliage; new, from Italy. Sometimes seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. MAY'S VICTORIA, or Houghton Castle; large and very long bunches; late, and rather acid; moderate bearer; plant vigorous. KNIGHT'S SWEET RED, chiefly valuable for its mild pleasant flavor, similar in quality to the White Dutch, and productive. 5 98 THE CURRANT. LARGEST WHITE PROVENCE, the largest White Currant, often full five-eighths of an inch in diame- ter; short bunches, and quite acid; a good bearer; quite attractive ; new, from France. We are pleased with it in our own garden. LA VERSAILLES. This is one of the new French currants, and is a decided acquisition. It is as large, handsome, produc- tive and hardy as the Cherry Currant, but decidedly superior to it in agreeable flavor. THE GOOSEBERRY. No fruit is easier of propagation than the goose- berry, and it should find its place in every garden. It should be protected from suckers, like the currant, and like that it loves a fresh, deep, rich, moist soil of a soft, loamy texture ; it can scarcely be too much en- riched with cooling manures. The north side of an open fence or hedge will do well for it, but it should not be placed under the shade of trees ; open ground is far better. It should be so carefully and thoroughly pruned as to admit the air and light freely, and it is well to train it up into little upright bushes or small trees. Summer as well as winter pruning is often necessary to admit sun and air. The English varieties are much subject to mildew in this country. Mr. William Newcomb, of Pittstown, N. Y., a very successful horticulturist, wrote me that he always in the spring placed three inches of hog- manure under every bush, and raised the best English varieties in that way in the greatest abundance and 100 THE GOOSEBERRY. perfection, without its being affected in the least by the mildew. Mr. D. Haines, near Elizabethtown, K J., informs me that he cultivates Woodward's Whitesmith most successfully by removing a few inches of the surface- earth, every spring, under every bush, and filling the space with salt hay, which he covers with the earth ; thus affording protection from drought, and perfectly exempting the fruit from mildew. Others find a remedy in sprinkling ashes on the bushes when the dew is on, The ashes also benefit the plant. Any good mulch of tan bark, saw-dust, &c., of three inches deep, would answer nearly the same purpose as salt hay. Sprink- ling the bushes in the spring freely with soap-suds also has a good effect on their growth, and often protects them from mildew. The bushes should be transplanted in April or late in October or November, and pruned back and set at a distance of about three feet, like the currant. If any large fruit is wanted, the fruit must be thinned out. The Encyclopaedia of Gardening says of the famous growers in Lancashire, England, who produce the largest fruit in the world : "To effect this increased size, every stimulant is applied that their ingenuity can suggest ; they not only annually manure the soil richly, but also surround the plants with trenches of manure for the extremities of the roots to strike into, and form around the stem of each plant a THE GOOSEBERRY. 101 basin, to be mulched, or manured, or watered, as may be necessary. " They also practice what they term suckling their prize fruit. By preparing a very rich, cool soil, and by watering, and by the use of liquid manure, shading and thinning, the large fruit of the prize cultivator is pro- duced. Not content with watering at root and over the top, the Lancashire connoisseur, when he is growing for exhibition, places a small saucer of water under each gooseberry, only three or four of which he leaves on a tree ; this he technically calls suckling." The gooseberry tree needs to be kept constantly in a vigorous condition, and then it will produce an abundance of good fruit. It should be propagated from cuttings of the wood of the present year, prepared and set out early in Sep- tember, and transplanted in October of next year, or very early in the following spring; and should be pruned in June and November, and renewed every five or six years. The short stout growth from the fruit stem makes better bushes than longer cuttings from the thrifty suckers. The fruit is well adapted for pies and tarts when in a green state, and the best varieties when well grown and ripe are very excellent and acceptable for the table or hand. Says Mr Downing : "As a luxury for the poor, Mr. Loudon considers this the most valuable 102 THE GOOSEBERRY. of all fruits, since it can be grown in -less space, in more unfavorable circumstances, and brought sooner into bearing than any other." Books and catalogues are filled with the longest lists of names of different kinds of the gooseberry, but afte* experimenting with many of them for years, and observing them under various circumstances, we are prepared to narrow our list down to a very few kinds, — as we have studied to. do with the other fruits — which we think combine the size, flavor, and produc- tiveness of all, at least for ordinary cultivation. CROMPTON'S SHEBA QUEEN. This is the largest and best flavored of all the English varieties we have seen. Our attention was at- tracted to it some years since by the favorable reports and first premium of the Albany Horticultural Society, through the accurate chairman of its Fruit Committee, Dr. Herman L. Wendell, who says of it, " This is de- cidedly the richest and most delicious, as well as one of the most beautiful berries we have. It is larger in size than any of the others ; obovate form ; white, clear color ; very pleasant, rich, and luscious in its flavor, and erect in its growth. It requires a deep, rich, and VARIETIES. 103 well-drained, as well as cool soil." In other locations it sustains the same high character there given of it, and we have found it decidedly the best in our own garden. WOODWARD'S WHITESMITH. This is another large, beautiful, and excellent Eng- lish variety — very productive, and is usually over one inch in length. The color is white, and tree of erect habit. Eoaring Lion and Crown Bob Warrington are also large, good varieties of red color. Golden Drop and Yellow Lion are fine yellow kinds. Green Laurel, Conquering Hero, and Green Willow, green varieties. We might name a great number of varieties nearly as good, but do not know that any benefit could be derived from it. HOUGHTON'S SEEDLING. An American seedling of very vigorous habit, great bearer, and said never to mildew. It is of pale red color, rather under medium size ; of good, rich flavor, and well worthy of cultivation. We have also cultivated for some years an American seedling variety resembling Houghton's Seedling in every respect, except being of larger size, and greenish- white color. It is very valuable. THE GRAPE. IT has often been asserted — we know not with how much of truth — that in the vine districts of 'France, lung diseases are unknown ; but this we do now, that the free use of well-grown and well-ripened grapes would be decidedly beneficial to the general health. The cultivation of this excellent fruit embraces a very wide range. In the first place, there is the very nice process of raising hot-house grapes: next, the cold vinery, which is simple and easy to be practised ; next, vineyard cultivation : but it will not be expected of us, in this brief notice, to more than refer to the common mode of out-door garden culture. The grape is easily and cheaply raised, but good cultivation is altogether the best economy. It is easily propagated from cut- tings. We have found it the best way to prune ofl our cuttings early in February, two feet in length, bury them in a bundle four or six inches deep in the ground immediately, and for this purpose we choose the warmest wea ther in the month. (104) THE GRAPE. 105 Let them be in the ground till the warm weather in the fore part of May : we then take them up and plant them in a sloping position, in- a somewhat shaded situation, leaving the upper bud a few inches above ground. In this way almost every cutting will surely grow, and after a year or two, should be carefully transplanted into the vine border. The preparation of this vine border is an important process in grape culture in private gardens. It should be made from four to six feet wide, and two to three feet deep, and be composed of a liberal mixture of limestone, or old plaster or mortar, bones, leather- parings, hair, ashes, and strong, well-rotted manure, well mixed with the soil. A calcareous soil or gravelly loam is best for the grape, and should be well drained and warm. " The essence," says Downing, "of all that can be said in grape culture respecting soil, is that it be dry, light, deep, rich." It is somewhat difficult in wet clay lands to raise good grapes, unless the vine border is carefully prepared. Soap-suds and wash from the house is favor- able for the grape, and we have known some plants succeed well that were placed immediately under the spout of the sink. For vineyard culture, the nearer the process approximates to the one described above by trenching and enriching, the better. Every plant should be thoroughly pruned down to 6* 106 THE GEAPE. two or three leading shoots ; and after these cover the trellis or stakes as extensively as you wish, then the rule in pruning is, every year from December to first of February, fearlessly to cut back all of the last year's growth, so far as to leave only two eyes. It is also desirable, after the grapes are beginning to fill in June, to pinch back the terminal bud of every branch, and thus check its growth, and throw back its sap, to ripen the fruit and mature the wood. By pinching back, we mean, to pinch off with the thumb-nail and fore-finger the end of every bearing branch, and we then cut out all the superfluous little shoots and suckers. The vine is composed the greater part of potash, lime, and carbonic acid, and therefore a frequent appli- cation of ashes, lime, and soap-suds is beneficial. It has been asserted that tartaric acid is a valuable spe- cific for the fruit, but of this we have no personal knowledge. The grape should always be grown in the warmest and most sheltered situation, so that the fruit may ripen well before frost. The south side of a house, or southern slope of a side-hill, should be chosen. In some places the mildew is troublesome to the grape, but sulphur sprinkled liberally on its first ap- pearance will usually check it at once. There is also a kind of snail slug which often destroys the leaves in a few weeks. These can easily be destroyed by shower* VARIETIES. 107 ing the vines two or three times with strong soap-suds from the wash. Our nurserymen have many -kinds of the grape on their lists for open-air cultivation, but we are not quite sure that the Isabella and Catawba do not comprise sub- stantially the good qualities of all The only complaint against them seems to be, they will not in all situations and all seasons at the North ripen before the frost. THE ISABELLA is the well-known and most popular grape North. It is a most vigorous grower, hardy, an immense bearer, large size, black oval, and when ripe, juicy, sweet, musky, and rich. Kipens well as far north as forty-three degrees of latitude. THE CATAWBA does not always ripen well so far north as forty- three degrees. Otherwise it would rival the Isabella. It has large berries, copper-colored, with a fresh bloom, flesh a little pulpy ; juicy, sweet, aro- matic, musky, and rich, productive and hardy. It requires a warm soil and sheltered location north of New York to perfect its fruit, and then it is truly deli- cious. THE CLINTON is two weeks earlier than the Isabella, but it is not near so large or good. 108 THE GEAPE. We are in great want of a new seedling grape equal or superior to the Isabella and Catawba, and decidedly two or three weeks earlier. We often have such an- nounced, but they do not always prove satisfactory. THE CONCOKD is a large, handsome grape, newly originated by Mr. Bull, of Concord. It resembles the Isabella in appearance, is about two weeks earlier, and on that account an acquisition ; is of good flavor, although not equal, we think, to that grape in flavor. It is a little shade foxy. THE DIANA is a pleasant new grape, resembling the Catawba in color and flavor, of smaller size and some two or three weeks earlier. THE BLACK MADEIKA is a small pleasant wine grape. Farther south, the Bland, Ohio, Serbernonfs, Norton's, WJiitc Scuppemong, Warren, &c., are popular. The Delaware, is now the favorite grape for earliness, hardiness, rich, sweet vinous flavor, unsurpassed both for the table and for wine. The Anna, Rebecca, Iowa, Crevelling, and other new varieties, promise well. Hartford Prolific is a very hardy, early good variety 10f APPENDIX APPENDIX A. THE STRAWBERRY AND ITS CULTURE BY CHARLES A, PEABODT, OF COLUMBUS, GEO. TH AT eminent horticulturists are liable to be mistaken in their views of culture, as well as of the origin and history of plants, as any other class of men, we have ample proof in the conflicting opinions of the nature and culture of the strawberry. Downing says : " The strawberry is the most delicious and most wholesome of all berries, and the most universally cultivated in all gardens of a northern climate." Again he says : "The strawberry properly belongs to cold climates, and though well known, is of comparatively litle value in the south of Europe." With this high authority, the horticulturists of the South never dreamed of cul- tivating the strawberry to any extent, although the woods and fields were covered with the wild fruit. It was a knowledge of the fact that the wild strawberry (Hi) 112 APPENDIX. grew all around me, that induced me tc try strawberry culture at the South. I do not believe there is a plant in nature that so easily adapts itself tc soil, situation, and climate, as the strawberry. In many of its homes, however, it produces little or no fruit, spreading itself rapidly by its runners. Now, as there are two ways of propagating the strawberry, one by its seeds and the other by its run- ners, the question is, which method do we prefer ? If we were going to introduce the strawberry -leaf for a tea, for which it makes a good substitute, common sense would dictate to us to cultivate for runners, and stop the fruiting, or perfecting the seed, as the fruit is nothing more than the receptacle for the seed ; and if; on the other hand, we wish seeds or fruit, we must cultivate for that purpose alone, and stop the runners. Intelligent experimental cultivators have long since discovered that plants have a specific food for their wood, leaves, and fruit. Physiologists know full well that it takes different substances to form the bones, flesh, and muscles of animals ; and, profiting by these hints in nature, I would feed for fruit instead of vines. Before planting out the vines, the cultivator should understand the sexual character of the plants, as upon a proper knowledge of this fact will depend his whole success in culture. That plants are staminate and pis- tillate, or male and female, no intelligent cultivator wilJ APPENDIX. now presume to deny. But in the strawberry there are three varieties — the perfect male, the perfect female, and the hermaphrodite. The -perfect pistillate, or female, is the most productive of the three, when im- pregnated by one of the other kinds. The perfect staminate, or male, produces no fruit, making a great show of flowers, and sending out innumerable runners which will soon take possession of the whole bed. The hermaphrodite produces fruit, but not in so great abundance as the pistillate, and answers the purpose of an impregnator equally as well as the purely staminate. These three varieties of flowers are represented by Figs. 1, 2, and 3, page 51. Fig. 1 is from an hermaphrodite plant, which blooms and impregnates itself. The stamens, marked a, are full of a fine pollen, or yellow powder, which falling on the end of the unopened calyx of the buds, below the flower, or around it, on the pistillate plants, is carried by an unseen agency direct to the pistil, im- pregnating and setting the fruit. This variety is the Early Scarlet, a continuous bloomer with my culture, and the best impregnator for the ever-bearing Hovey Seedling I have ever met. Fig. 2 is the sterile staminate, or male plant, never producing fruit under any circumstances whatever. It will be observed the flower is larger and more showy than the others. It deceives many an inexperienced 114 APPENDIX. cultivator with its false promises of fruit. The flower of the pure male may be easily known by its large anthers and stamens, as marked a, 6, in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is the pistillate or female blossom. It will be observed that there are no stamens around the pistil, as 6, but nearly every bud will produce a berry if impreg- nated by one of the staminate or hermaphrodite plants. Of this variety is the Hovey Seedling, which, as far as my experience goes, is the best strawberry ever yet cultivated, North or South. Before proceeding to the method of culture, I will give my views of the time of impregnation, being fully satisfied that the generally received opinion that the strawberry is impregnated after the petals expand, is entirely erroneous. I have long since observed that the first strawberry blossoms never produce fruit. The staminate varieties, or rather the hermaphrodite, open from two to ten blossoms, which must shed their pollen on the ends of the unopened calyx of the young buds below, or fall on the ends of the unopened pistillate buds, and immediately cause impregnation. The pollen of flowers is one of the most volatile substances in nature. That of the strawberry, viewed through a microscope, is a hairy substance, which, upon ripening, bursts and floats off on the least breath of air. The point of the unopened calyx contains a glutinous matter, which catches and holda APPENDIX. 115 this hairy pollen, and the work of impregnation is done ; and when the calyx opens, and the petals ex- pand, the young strawberry may be seen perfectly formed. From this will be seen the importance of the pistillate and staminate varieties blooming together. I would always prefer the pistillate plant for a large fruit crop ; for, if properly impregnated, nearly every bud will be a fcerry. Thousands of blossoms will be found in the beds to correspond with Figures 2 and 3. Fig. 2, let it be recollected, is a staminate or male flower, and Fig. 3 an impregnated pistillate or female flower, neither of which, by itself, can ever make fruit. Having now explained the sexual character of the plant, and the time of impregnation, I will proceed to the culture. As I have before stated, were I to culti- vate for vines alone, I would stimulate the plants by the most active fertilizers ; but if fruit be the object, the luxuriance of the vine must be curtailed, and that food only known as the special food of the fruit given. Now as to soils. There are as many opinions as cul tivators, from the fact that the strawberry adapts itself to almost any kind of soil. But the soil which I have found to suit them best, is a sandy loam. I would pre- fer new land for the beds, with a stream of water running through them, as water, l>eing an indispensable requisite, should be in the vicinity. It is now well known throughout the Southern 116 APPENDIX. States that for many years I have cultivated the strawberry extensively, and have had from my beds a constant succession of fruit six months in the year, and frequently have it ten. While I am now writing, (December 24), one of my beds, of an acre, is loaded with ripe fruit, specimens of which I have sent to New Orleans, Montgomery, Savannah, Charleston, Mobile, and New York. This bed has scarcely produced a runner the past season. The causes of this will be found in my method of culture. I have said that I prefer a sandy soil and new land. My grounds are on what are called " piney woodlands," hill and valley, with never-failing streams meandering through them. I have taken the grounds bordering on the streams, ploughed them deep, and laid them off in rows, two feet apart, and planted as indicated in the annexed diagram : — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Early Scarlet * # * * * ft * * Hovey's. * ft * * * ft * •X- Hovey's. * ft ft * * * * ft Hovey's. * * * tf * * * * Hovey's. * * * # * * * * Hovey's. * * ft * * * ft * Hovey's. * ft ft * * * * ft Hovey's. o o o o 0 0 0 o "Rarlv Scarlet I plant the pistillate for fruit, and the hermaphrodite for impregnators ; and the only two which I have APPENDIX. 117 found to bloom and fruit together the whole season are the Ilovey Seedling and Large Early Scarlet. Eoss Phoenix, Burr's New Pine; and a seedling of my own, not yet fully tested, I have also caused to bear continuously. I plant seven rows of the pistillate, and one row of the hermaphrodite, two feet apart each way. The first season I let the runners fill the ground ; in the fail, go through the grounds with hoes, thinning out to eight or ten inches, leaving the vines to decay just where they are cut up. I then cover the whole bed with partially decomposed leaves from the woods or swamps. The winter rains beat down the leaves, the fruit-germ finds its way through them, and the first mild weather of spring the blossoms appear. I have before spoken of the volatile nature of the pollen. In very dry weather the particles float off on the winds, and much .is lost to the buds below ; hence the importance of watering freely when in bloom. Free applications of water will set the whole bed with fruit, which will require continuous watering to swell and ripen it. A strawberry bed may be moist, the plants in fine condition, and yet one good shower will make a difference of one-third in the quantity of fruit picked the day after. Consequently, in dry seasons, artificial watering must be resorted to, and no labor will paj better I never use animal manure of any kind — nothing lib APPENDIX. but the leaf-mould, and an occasional sprinkling of wood-ashes. The leaf-mould keeps the ground cool and moist, as well as the fruit clean, and does not stimulate the vines to runners. The potash and acids contained in it are just what the fruit wants. Should the vines be disposed to spread, keep the runners down by constant pinching off, and clear out the grass and weeds with the hoe. A few years of this culture will check their disposition to run, and encourage them to fruit. The bed, once thus formed and cultivated, will, to my certain knowledge, continue productive twelve years, and, I have reason to believe, as much longer as the culture is continued. Should the vines have taken possession of the ground, in spite of the efforts to keep the runners down, we go through in the fall with the hoe, thinning out the plants to ten or twelve inches, leaving every cut-up vine to decay on the ground where it grew ; we then cover with the decaying leaves. When the plants begin to bloom in the spring, a top-dressing of wood-ashes will be found beneficial. I have tried strawberry culture with the plough, which will make a greater quantity of vines, but will give only one crop of fruit. It is generally remarked that the wild strawberry is finer flavored than the cultivated ; but with this treatment the latter retains all the original flavor. It has been recommended by some cultivators to APPENDIX. 119 irrigate the strawberry grounds by letting water on the vines; bat the strawberry, cultivated after the manner described, can bear as great a drought as any other plant. It is not the vines and leaves that want the water, but the flowers and fruit; and the water must come in the form of rain, through the clouds, from an engine, or a common watering-pot. I have noticed quite a contest going on among hor- ticulturists as to the possibility of strawberries chang- ing their sexual character by cultivation. Without taking part in the controversy, I must state that I would as soon think of high feed turning a cow to a bull, as to change the pistillate character of Hovey's Seedling by any method of cultivation. I have culti- vated the strawberry under every aspect ; with high manuring, and without manure ; in new lands, and on old lands ; have had the vines stand from twelve to eighteen inches high, and in meek submission to hug the ground ; yet I have never found the least change in the blossom. A perfect pistillate or staminate flower, first blooming so from seed, will never bloom any other way. Cultivators are often deceived about their plants, from the fact that they frequently find varie- ties in the beds which they did not plant ; but these spring from seed. The strawberry springs from seed with astonishing rapidity. Since my beds were started, the whole country around me is covered with straw 120 APPENDIX. berry-plants from the seed dropped by birds. These I find running into all varieties — pistillate, staminate, and hermaphrodite — most of them worthless, but some with good fruit. The proper time for transplanting the strawberry at -the South, is as soon in the fall as the weather is cool and moist enough. Here, this may be continued until spring. Plants are easily transported great distances in the winter. I have sent them 2,000 miles with safety. It will be observed by the diagram, that I plant the staminate every eighth row. Some cultiva- tors mix in the rows; but I prefer to keep them sepa- rate and distinct, as they are more easily distinguished, and kept better in their places. Now, if the cultivator would know the secret of my having strawberries six, eight, and even ten months in the year, in the hot climate of Georgia and Alabama, it is this : proper location, vegetable manures, shade to the ground, without exhaustion, and water to the bloom and fruit. One reason why so many fail in garden culture with . the strawberry is, that the beds are surrounded by trees and shrubbery, which may produce one crop of fruit in the spring, but rarely more than that, unless i1 should prove a very wet season. The strawberry -bed, whether in the garden or the field, should have no tree, plant, or shrub near enough to it to take the moisture APPENDIX. X2X from the earth. The plants require all the moisture from the atmosphere and the earth around them. Whether the strawberry was originally found in cold climates, or not, I find they readily adapt themselves to any climate, and very soon become indigenous. I doubt whether there is a State in this Union that can- not produce the strawberry months, instead of weeks, ;TI the year, with proper culture. And when we take into consideration the ease and simplicity of its cul- ture, its continued bearing and productiveness, its exemption from all insect depredations, its delicious flavor and healthy influence upon the system, it ranks first in importance among the fruits of the earth. APPENDIX B. [From Downing's Horticulturist] TWO EXPERIMENTS MADE TO TEST MR. LONGWORTH'S STRAWBERRY THEORY. TAKING Hovey's Seedling as a subject, I procured a bell-glass, and placed it over an entire plant which had not bloomed. The flowers expanded well under the glass, but did not produce one berry. The plant was frequently agitated to put the pollen in motion, if there was any. 6 122 APPENDIX. I also introduced under a glass some blossom buds before they had blown. These, as they successively expanded, showed no signs of swelling. I impreg- nated, at different times, two of the blossoms by hand, applying the pollen from another plant with a camel's hair pencil. These two set their fruit perfectly. The pistils of the other blossoms soon turned to a dark color. These experiments were made at the north side of a picket fence, where the plants were screened from the full effects of the sun, otherwise the heat under the glasses would have been too great. These experiments prove, to my mind, very conclu- sively, that Hovey's Seedling will not bear any fruit unless impregnated by some staminate variety. And the same may be said of other varieties in which the stamens are obsolete. I have had some plants of the Hudson Bay for three years, in a position where they cannot very easily be impregnated by other kinds, during which time they have not borne one berry, while other plants of the same variety, exposed, have been productive. A difference in the formation of the flowers on different plants is not confined to cultivated kinds, but may be seen in those growing wild in the fields, the pistillate plants of which I have often exam- ined with a magnifying-glass, to see if I could didcover any pollen, but have never been able to find it ; I am forced, therefore, to believe that pistillate plant*, " APPENDIX. 123 wild and cultivated, are absolutely devoid of pollen, and cannot, therefore, produce any fruit except when impregnated by others. I am also convinced, from observation and theory, that one kind will never change to the other by offsets, the runner bearing the same relation to the plant pro- ducing it as a tree grown from a bud does to the tree from which it was taken. It may, then, be asked, How does it happen that there are pistillate and staminate plants of the same variety ? I answer, It is not the/act, unless they have sprung from seed, or the plants have been taken from the fields in a wild state. That pistillate plants are surer and better bearers than staminate plants, is, I think, generally true, (pro- vided, of course, that they are impregnated). And it would seem reasonable to infer that when bat one of the sexual organs is complete, the other will have more strength. Plants, therefore, that are perfect in both organs, require a higher state of cultivation. There is, however, a wide difference in the produc- tiveness of different kinds that are perfect in both organs, some being much more liable to blast than others. G. W. HUNTSMAN. Flushing, L. I. July 14, 1846. 124 APPENDIX. APPENDIX C, CINCINNATI, Ohio, Aug. 14, 1854. MR. B. G. PARDEE : DEAR SIR: — By this mail I send you a grape pamphlet, containing an article written by me on the strawberry. I will, in a day or two, send you a Keport of our Strawberry Committee, written by Dr. Warder, on Mr. Meehan's doctrine of changing a pistillate to a staminate plant. Mr. Meehan finds plants that he took from what was called a bed of Hovey's Seedling, and had nearly all proved staminates or hermaphrodites. Dr. Warder and Mr. Heath, of our city, saw his plants, and found about one Hovey to the hundred. The Hovey is so strongly marked that our children can distinguish the plant from all others. Mr. Meehan never heard of a pistillate plant till he came to Amer- ica. I sent some of our seedlings to the President of the London Horticultural Society last winter, and among them pistillates. He replied that he was not aware that there were plants that would not bear fruit without impregnation, and suggested that the failure to bear, he presumed, was from frost. He promised to investigate the subject. Mr. Huntsman, of Flushing, Long Island, is a botanist, and has given great atten- APPENDIX. 125 tion to the cultivation arid sexes of the plant. From the stem and leaf he can designate some fifty varieties that he has had in cultivation, I would recommend you to get his views. It is singular that after public attention has been brought to the question for twenty years or more, even botanists and horticultural editors deny the doctrine. If generally understood, the dis- covery of the ignorant market-gardener is worth mil- lions of dollars. After I had made the discovery, from a chance observation of a son of Mr. Abergust, I was at the gardens of persons near the city of Philadelphia, where Mr. Abergust resided, prior to his emoval to Cincinnati, and named the matter to them. " Oh,71 said they, uwe now understand it. He lived near us, and from the same space of ground raised five times as much fruit as we could, and larger. Every fall he thinned out his plants, and threw them in the road ; we gathered them, and planted them in our gardens, and they never bore a single fruit. He threw out staminates only, and to deceive them. The son of Mr. Abergust was in my garden a few days before my plants were in blossom, and observed, "Your straw- berries bear a bad crop." I observed, such was the fact. He added, "They are all males." I replied, " That is all nonsense. The strawberry is a plant that bears flowers perfect in both organs." "I am no botanist," said he, " but I know most of yours will 126 APPENDIX. bear no fruit." I requested him to point out any that would. He-selected two. I inquired, "Can you then see the difference?" "Not now," said he; "I could if they were in blossom." I found him disposed to give no further information. I marked the plants, and when in blossom, could distinguish them at a distance of several feet. There was not one of these to the hundred. Before they were out of blossom, I cast them all out, as I supposed ; they spread, and the next season I had a full crop. But finding a few barren plants before they were out of blossom, I dug them all up, and the next season had not a single berry. I then understood the subject, and made it known. In that day \ve had no hermaphrodite plants. Yours truly, N. LONGWORTIT. CINCINNATI HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE Secretary, at the request of the Society, reported a written statement of how he found the strawberry question in Philadelphia ; after some animated discus- sion, it was moved to accept and file the report, and the finality was ordered to appear in the minutes of the day. It has long been argued by some distinguished hor- ticultural writers that certain varieties of the straw- APPENDIX. 127 berry — for instance, Ilovey's Seedling — would produce at one time plants with pistillate, and at another time staminate blossoms. This error has been explained by the fact, that a bed of strawberry plants of any known pistillate variety, after standing three or four years, and the fruit falling and decaying on the bed, will produce seedling plants, and of course new varie ties, and these are as likely to be staminate as pistil- late sorts. The following is the FINALITY ON THE STRAWBERRY. — Wild or culti- vated, the strawberry presents, in its varieties, four distinct forms or characters of inflorescence. 1st. Those called Pistillate, from the fact that the stamens are abortive, and rarely to be found without a dissection of the flower. These require extrinsic impregnation. 2d. Those called Staminate, which are perfectly des- titute of even the rudiments of pistils, and are neces- sarily fruitless. 3d. Those called Hermaphrodite or perfect, having both sets of organs, stamens and pistils, apparently well developed. These are not generally good and certain bearers, as we should expect them to be. With few exceptions they bear poorly, owing to some unob- served defect, probably in the pistils. One-tenth of their flowers generally produce perfect and often very large bprries. 128 APPENDIX. 4th. A rare class — a sort of subdivision of the pre- ceding— has not only hermaphrodite flowers, but also some on the same truss that are of the pistillate charac- ter ; and sometimes, in the same plant, a truss will be seen on which all the flowers are pistillate. Now these four divisions are natural and real; they are also founded upon permanent character, so far as we have been able to discover, after a most thorough investigation, extending through a long series of years, during which millions of strawberry blossoms have been examined with the severest scrutiny. Other forms may exist, and it is not claimed to be impossible that we may yet find a seedling which shall have the general character of a pistillate, that may show an occasional perfect or hermaphrodite flower, as a pecu- liarity of that individual, but we have never yet observed such a variety ; and, further, we believe that whatever impress, as to peculiarities of foliage, pubes- cence, habit, inflorescence, or fruit, each distinct seed- ling may receive with its origin, it will be retained in its increase by runners, so long as the variety remains extant. Seedlings may vary from the parent, but off-shoots will not be materially different, except by accidental malformation or by development of unim- portant organs. JOHN A. WARDER, Secretary. APPENDIX. 129 APPENDIX D. Prom the • Horticulturist," August, 1854 By P. BARBY, Editor. THE CULTIVATION OF THE STRAWBERRY. THE discussion of the Strawberry question, which has occupied the pages of agricultural and horticultural journals so largely for a few years past, has been the means, directly and indirectly, of advancing materially the cultivation of that fruit. We find ample evidence of this in the more abundant supply of our markets, and in the production of a large number of seedling varieties. Recent letters from correspondents in all parts of the country, as well as the reports of late exhibitions, all testify to the very general interest which is felt on the subject, and the progress that has Dcen made. But, after all, we are constrained to say that our cultivation is yet very indifferent. The size and appearance of the great bulk of fruit offered in market, convince us of this. Those who know how to cultivate1 are in many cases slovenly, or act upon the principle that good culture will not pay ; while there are many who fail for want of correct information. We have now before us a large number of inquiries on the subject. One wants to know how to prepare the soil ( another, wh«?n to plant ; and another, how to 6* 1 30 APPENDIX. plant. Several correspondents who are well informed on the subject of cultivation, ask us to give them the names of the best perfect-flowering sorts, as they are tired of keeping separate the staminate and pistillate varieties. We have therefore thought it might be w^ll to offer a few hints which will serve as a general answer. We will state here, at the cutset, that to cultivate the strawberry successfully, .s but a simple matter. To grow large, handsome, fire-flavored fruit in abun- dance, it is not necessary to employ a chemist to furnish us with a long list of specifics, nor even to employ a gardener by profession, who can boast of long years of experience. Any one who can manage a crop of corn or potatoes, can, if he will, grow strawberries. We say this much by way of encouragement, because so much has been said in regard to various methods of culture, and various applications and specifics, that some people have become persuaded that a vast deal of learning and experience is necessary to* produce large crops of strawberries. Judging from what we have seen, we believe that the great cause of failure is negligence. The straw- berry plant — not like a tree, which when once set in its place, remains there — is constantly sending out shoots (runners) in all directions, taking possession of the ground rapidh arounc? the parent plant. In a APPENDIX. 181 short time, therefore, unless these runners are kept in check, the ground becomes entirely occupied with plants, the parent plants become exhausted, and the ground can no longer be stirred or kept in such a con- dition as is necessary to sustain their vigor. The re- sult is, the ground is covered with a mass of starved and weakly plants, choking up each other in a hard, uncultivated soil, and producing a spare crop of small, insipid berries, that dry up on their stalks before they are ripe, unless rain happens to fall every day. The constant stirring of the soil around the plants is one thing which in our climate is absolutely neces- sary ; and any system of culture which precludes this, or throws any obstacle in its way, is defective. If any one will examine his strawberry beds, he will find the plants along the outer edges of the beds, where the soil has been kept clean and fresh by the frequent use of the hoe, vigorous and healthy, with luxuriant dark- green foliage, and large, fine fruit ; while in the interior of the beds, where the plants have grown into masses, and covered all the ground, so as to prevent its culti- vation, they are yellow and sickly-looking, and the fruit poor and wortless. This we see in our own grounds, and everywhere that we find plants growing under similar circumstances. Does this not show the neces- sity of cultivation close around the plants? No mat- ter how deep we may trench the soil, or how unsparing 132 APPENDIX. we may be with manures, or how copiously we supply moisture, this cultivation cannot be dispensed with, if we aim at producing fine fruits, and abundance of them. " But," says one cultivator, " by allowing the ground to be all occupied with plants, we save all tho labor which would be consumed in removing the run- ners, and we avoid the necessity of applying a mulch- ing to keep the fruit clean." Yery true, you save some expense ; but what do you get in return ? A crop of fruit not fit for the table — small, insipid, and so dirty, if a heavy rain occurs about ripening- time, that it must be put through the wash-tub before it is placed on the table. It is possible that the market-grower may be able to produce berries of this kind at a less price per quart than he could by a careful, cleanly, and thorough system of culture ; but then he can expect to sell such fruit only when no better can be had. We have some doubts, however, as to the economy of bad culture in the long run. If a proper system were adopted at the outstart, and followed up with regularity, it would not be found so profitless or expensive. In this, as in every other kind of culture, a system is absolutely necessary. A certain routine of operations which are easily executed if taken at the right time, become bur- densome when deferred ; and being so, they are not ^infrequently put off altogether. Precisely thus it is that strawberry beds are neglected, both in market APPENDIX. 133 gardens and private gardens, until they are grown wild beyond hope of recovery. Now, we say to every one who wishes to cultivate strawberries, resolve at once upon abandoning the " lazy -bed" system ; and if you cultivate but a square rod, do it well. We advise planting in rows not less than two feet apart, unless ground be very scarce, when eighteen inches might suffice, and the plants to be twelve to eighteen inches apart in the rows. In extensive field culture, the rows should be at least three feet apart, in order to admit the use of the plough and cultivator between them, or even the passage of a cart to deposit manures or mulching material. The spade and wheel- barrow are too costly impliments for an extensive cul- ture where labor is scarce and high, as with us. From the time the plants are set until the fruit is gathered, the runners should be cut away as fast as they appear, and the ground be kept clear of weeds, and well worked. In the fall, or before the setting in of winter, a mulching of half-decayed leaves or manure should be placed between the rows, coming close around the plants, leaving the crown or heart uncovered. This mulching prevents the plants from being drawn out and weakened, or destroyed by freezing and thawing in winter. We have sometimes covered the entire beds, plants and all, with newly -fallen leaves ; and by 134 APPENDIX. raking them off early in the spring, the plants came out in fine order. In the same way we have covered with clean wheat straw, and found it answer well. In all the Northern and Western States, some winter pro- tection is of great service, although not indispensable. In field culture, the earth might be ploughed up to the plants, as is done with nursery trees, in such a manner as to afford considerable protection against the action of frost on the root. As soon as the fruit begins to attain its full size, and approach maturity, the spaces between the rows, which up to this time have been under clean culture, should be covered with straw, litter, or moss. This will serve the double purpose of keeping the fruit clean and retaining the moisture in the soil. When copious supplies of water are to be applied, which should always be done when practicable, stable litter is a good mulching, as the water poured on it carries down with it to the roots of the plants the fertilizing materials which it contains. The application of water in abundance we must again recommend to all who want the finest fruit. Rains are very good, but they cannot be relied upon, and they- always deprive the fruit of its flavor, while artificial waterings do not. On this account the French gardeners say that the strawberry " prefers water from the well to water from the clouds." It is APPENDIX. 13j supposed that the electricity which pervades the atmos- phere during our summer rains affects the flavor of the fruit. When the crop has been gathered, the mulching material between the rows should be removed and the ground be forked over, so that if plants a,re wanted to form a new plantation, their growth will be encour- aged. The same plants should not be relied upon for more than two crops. The labor of making -a new bed, save the trenching of the soil, is no more than that of planting a plot of cabbages. As to the season for planting, we would recommend the spring for large plantations, because then there is comparatively no risk of failure. The amateur, how- ever, who wishes only to plant a bed in his garden, may do it at any time that he can procure good plants. If the growth of runners is encouraged in July, after the fruit is gathered, good, well rooted runners may be had about the first of September, or it may be sooner. The young plants nearest the parent plant should always be chosen, if possible. In planting during the month of August or September, rainy weather should be chosen, if possible, but it may be safely done, even in a dry time, by using water freely. Water the plants well before taking them up, as it injures the roots very much to draw them out of dry ground ; then water the soil thoroughly where they are to be set, before plant- 136 APPENDIX. ing. A sprinkling will be of no use : it must go down deep, as a heavy rain would. Set the plants in the evening, and shade them a few days with boards set on edge, forming a sort of roof over them. Mulch them, too, with short litter ; and it will be well, if the plants be large, to remove some of the lower and Itirger leaves. Planting can be done safely in spring any time until the plants are in blossom — and all summer, for that matter, with proper care. We have thus briefly sketched the principal opera- tions in strawberry culture ; not in regular order, it is true, but we hope so as to be understood. "We are not writing a book, and cannot enter into all the details with minuteness. We have said nothing of the soil, and will only remark that any good garden soil fit to produce culinary vegetables, or any good farm land fit for grain or root crops, will produce good strawberries ; bat it must be deeply ploughed, or trenched, say twenty inches at least, and liberally manured with well-deco n posed stable manure or a good compost. The quantity of manure must vary according to the degree of natural fertility of the soil. In one case, a quantity equal to six inches deep all over the surface would not be too much ; while in other cases, half that would be enough. We would prefer not to make a strawberry planta- tion twice on the same ground ; but when circumstances render it inconvenient to change, rows of young plants APPENDIX. 137 might be set. or allowed to establish themselves from the runners, between the old rows, which can then be turned under with the spade, and will serve to enrich the ground. I Now as to varieties. On this point there is room for a great diversity of opinion, and we cannot hope to name a list that will be acceptable to a very large num- ber of persons, at least in many parts of the country. Planters must have recourse to the best experience to be found in their respective localities ; in the mean time we shall express our opinion of a few varieties, and let it go for what it is worth. It happens that in this country the greater number of our most productive varieties have but one set of the organs of fecundation. A fruitful flower must have both pistils and stamens perfectly developed. The stamens are regarded as the male organs, and the pistils the female. When a flower has well-developed pistils, but no stamens, or imperfect ones, it must be impregnated by pollen from other flowers. Where a flower has no pistils, or has imperfect ones, it is utterly barren. A large number of our best American vari- eties— such as Hovetfs Seedling, Burr's New Pine, AfcAvoy's Superior, Moyamensing, &c. — are wanting in stamens, and therefore foreign impregnation is neces- sary. In Europe this distinction is not observed to any extent, and all the English and continental varie 138 APPENDIX. ties, as fur as WL know, are hermaphrodite. In this eountry very many of them fail from an imperfect development of the pistils, and are consequently bar- ren, owing doubtless to the effects of climate and cul- , ture. It is not necessary that the two should be in close proximity ; they are sure to get impregnated, if in the same garden, as the pollen is carried about from one flower to another by insects. The beds of the different sorts may be kept entirely separate. Mixing them up is a bad way, as the one outgrows and over- runs the other, and they become so confused that nothing can be done with them. On this account many have grown tired of keeping up the distinction, and have resolved to cultivate hermaphrodite sorts only. The following varieties are the best on the long list of those we have tested on our own grounds : PISTILLATE. — Burr's New Pine, Jenny's Seedling, McAvoy's Superior, Hovey's Seedling, Moyamonsing, Monroe Scarlet, and Crimson Cone. The finest flavored variety, among these is Burr's New Pine ; the largest, Hovey's Seedling ; and the finest and best for market. Jenny's Seedling and Crimson Cone. Hovey's Seed- ling, in Western New York, and in many parts of the West, is a very moderate, and, in many cases, a poor bearer. We have had no crop so heavy the past season (when all bore well) as on the Monroe Scarlet. APPENDIX. 139 STAMINATE, OH HERMAPHRODITE. — Large Early Scarlet, Walker's Seedling, Iowa, Boston Pine, and Genesee. All these may be grown successfully for market, and are good, without being first-rate in flavor. We think much more of Walker's Seedling now than we did last season. It is very hardy, and a great bearer. It appears to be a seedling from the Black Prince. The Boston Pine is the most uncertain on the whole list; without good soil and culture it fails entirely. Besides the above list, we would recommend to amateurs, who are willing to bestow thorough cultiva- tion and care on their plants, the British Queen, which, when well grown, surpasses in size, beauty and excel- lence, any we have named. The Bicton Pine, a large and beautiful white variety, which ripens late. We have had a fine crop of it this season, although our plants — being set last year — were seriously injured last winter. Like all the foreign sorts, it needs protection, and a deep, rich soil, with abundant moisture. The Wood Strawberries — red and white — bear most pro- fusely in all places and last a long time ; besides, they part freely from the calyx, and are therefore easily and rapidly picked, and thoir flavor is rich and agreeable to most people. In addition to these, we must mention the Bush Alpine, (having no runners), perpetual bear- ers, if kept liberally supplied with moisture. They 140 APPENDIX. deserve much more extensive cultivation than they now receive. With their assistance, we may enjoy strawberries not one month only \)ntfour months. APPENDIX E. LETTER FROM PETER B. MEAD. SEPTEMBER 1st, 1854. E. G. PARDEE, Esq. : Dear Sir — Your request, that I would give you a few remarks on the culture of the strawberry, I will now comply with, but necessarily in a brief manner. First let me say, that I am glad to learn that you are about to publish a manual On Straw- berry Culture. Your long experience and marked success will enable you to invest the subject with unu- sual interest. We cannot always command just such a soil as we want ; but we generally have the material at hand to modify it so as to answer our purpose very well. For the strawberry I prefer a sandy loam, well drained, and a southern exposure. -An eastern aspect is alsc good. Animal manures I do not much use, except on a few of the hermaphrodites, and then very sparingly, and only that which is well decomposed. I much prefer prepared muck, leaf-mould, &c. When a stimu- APPENDIX. 141 lant is required, a solution of guano, the salts of am- monia, dilute tannic acid, cr a top-dressing of guano,* superphosphate of lime, pc.ash,"&c., answers the pur- pose well. I prefer the ammonia and tannic acid. In a garden, strawberries should be planted in beds, and each kind kept distinct. Make the beds three feet wide, put three plants in a row, the two outside ones being six inches from the edge of the bed ; the plants will then be one foot apart. The rows should be eighteen inches apart ; but in a small garden they may be one foot apart. Select young plants in preference to old ones. Set the plant up to the crown, but do not cover it. Keep the ground open and porous, and free from weeds. A word as to to the best time for planting. I prefer early spring ; but where a supply of water is at hand, it may be done at any time ; for only give the strawberry plenty of water, and it will defy any amount of heat. I would remark, en passant, that whoever attempts to water his strawberries must do it thorough- ly, if he would have his plants derive any benefit from it. A thorough soaking once a week will do more good than fifty sprinklings a day. Where water is not at hand, the planting should be done during Aug-.ist and * Further experience has led me to discard the use of guano, particularly as a top-dressing. It is not only too stimulating for the strawberry, but rapidly dissolves the vegetable constituents of the soil, which I consider essential to the plant. — January, 1856- 142 APPENDIX. September, taking advantage of a heavy rain. I prefer the early part of September ; in fact, I have planted Hovey, Burr's New Pine Walker's Seedling, and others, as late as the 21st ol October, and every plant survived the winter withoui covering of any kind; but I would not recommend planting later than Sep- tember. Next, a few words about mulch-*.'*? and after-treatment. Latterly I have seldom resorted to mulching. I have a rake seven inches wide with prongs eight inches long, made of highly tempered steel. This is m^ mulcher. With this instrument I work between the rows from spring till fall ; and frequently when the plants are in fruit. I know I shall be told that this is a dangerous practice, and I admit that it is in inexperienced hands ; indeed, I would not trust another to use it among my own plants, owing to the danger of injuring theii fibres ; and yet I use it myself within an inch of the crown. When, therefore, I cannot give the necessary personal attention to my plants, I resort to the next best mulcher, which is tan, either spent or fresh. I prefer the latter. The ground should first be well stirred, and the tan applied not more than one inch thick. If too much is applied it is apt to ferment and kill the plants. Many fine beds have been destroyed in this way. Where tan cannot be had, leaves from the woods may be used. These make an ad* .arable APPENDIX. 143 mulch, and promise, in my opinion, to take the first place among mulchers. Hay, straw, grass, sawdust, &o., are also good ; but whatever is used for this purpose, the crown of the plants must in no case be covered. The beds having been properly made, the after- treatment becomes a very simple matter; indeed, I know of no plant that gives such generous returns at so small a cost of labor ; but you must not infer from this that I justify anything like neglect. The beds must be looked over occasionally, runners removed, weeds pulled up, and everything kept neat and clean. In the spring, rake the mulching into the walks, stir up the soil, apply a top-dressing if needed, and then put back the mulching. The best mode, however, is to apply one of the solutions before mentioned, after the fruit has set. The bearing-season may be considerably prolonged by thorough watering, and will amply repa-y the trouble where the means are at hand. As soon as the plants have done bearing, they will throw out run- ners, which must be pinched off, unless plants are wanted for new beds. I have no time to add more here, except to say, that he who would have good, strawberries must cultivate them ; by which I mean the opposite of letting them take care of themselves. You will doubtless expect me to add a few words in regard to some of the leading varieties ; but it would 144 APPENDIX. be impolitic for me to say much on this point, since you know I am now testing all the new varieties, and conducting a series of experiments having reference to the natural history of this most interesting plant. Friends have furnished me with varieties entirely new, and not yet sent out ; but these I have only had under trial since last May, and it would be quite premature to say much about them, though some of them are very promising. I am daily expecting more. At some future time I shall review them all. I do not hesitate to say, however, that the following are good, with- out at present designating them in any other way: McAvoy's Superior, Hovey's Seedling, Moyamensing, Burr's New Pine, Black Prince, Pennsylvania,* Mc- Avoy's Extra Eed, (rather acid), Boston Pine, Alice Maude, Longworth's Prolific, Excellente, Walker's Seedling, Beach's Queen, Large. Early Scarlet, Ange- lique. But I rather think I will stop, for I know not where this may lead me. Barr's New White and Bicton Pine are both large white varieties ; the former is best. * Pennsylvania will not bear well or produce good fruit except ' under generous treatment ; certainly not under trees, where, strangely enough, I have seen it while undergoing a trial ; and, as may natu- rally be supposed, a severe trial it proved. To the above list might be added, Scott's Seedling, Kate, Monroe Scarlet, Wilson's Seed- ling, Barry's No. 1, and others. No. 1, in my opinion, is much the best qf Mr. Barry's Seedlings.— January, 1856. APPENDIX. 1-15 You also tell me you mean to add some directions about the culture of currants, gooseberries, and other small fruits, as well as the grape. These things should be better grown than they generally are. Gooseberries and currants are usually seen as a mass of half-decayed branches, without form or sightliness. It is next to impossible to bring these into shape, or develop their maximum productiveness. It is better to begin anew. Procure plants struck from cuttings ; grow them with a clean stalk not less than six inches in height ; prune them every winter, keeping the heads well open, and shorten in last season's growth in the currant, but not in the gooseberry. These fruits are generally planted against the fence, or in some out-of-the-way corner, just where they should not be. Give them an open exposure, plenty of manure, and good culture, and you will bo amply rewarded. The Red Dutch is best for general purposes ; but Knight's Sweet Bed, Cherry, Prince Albert, White Grape, and others, 3 upon which stretch four stout wires. Plant a grape- vine between each post, and keep them well pruned, on the cane system. Eschew all charlatans and hum bugs, whether in the shape of men or vines, and among the latter, especially the Charter Oak. The walk, if made as directed, will keep this border well drained — a matter of much moment, where well-flavored grapes are desired. Two or three loads of gravel, incorpo- rated with the soil, would make it still more congenial to the grape. Between each vine, and some three feet from the box edging, put in a rhubarb plant, and under it a good heap of manure. This is a? good arrangement, notwithstanding some may object to it. In the centre of this border, where the wide walk intersects it, a summer-house may be erected. In the border around the east fence, plant the black- berry, some three or four feet apart ; in the -west bor- der, plant the raspberry at about the same distance. It would be well, however, to reserve a portion of the west border for a few plants of sage, parsley, thyme, &c. ' There now remain the four large beds, the borders of which may be occupied with dwarf fruit trees ; no others should ever be grown in a garden, and by no means plant them in an auger-hole. I would recom- mend chiefly pears ; but, for the sake of variety, a couple of plums, apricots, cherries, quinces, &c., may be added. These should be planted in the border of 154 APPENDIX. the large beds, about three feet from the box edging, and some eight feet apart. Between each tree a cur- rant or gooseberry bush may be planted ; these should be raised from cuttings, grown to a single stalk, and regularly winter-pruned. This mode of planting is good in itself, and leaves all but the border of the large beds for th-3 vegetables, strawberries, &c. One bed may be occupied with strawberries and asparagus, but the latter must be kept three or four feet from the fruit trees. Having disposed of the principal permanent arrange- ments, let us look: for a moment at such vegetables as will have to be raised annually. For this purpose we have left three of the large beds. It is taken for granted that a good supply of well-prepared barn-yard manure has been procured, as well as a set of steel garden implements, which latter should always be kept as bright as a new penny. First make up your mind what you will grow, and how much of it. Then spread on a good coating of manure, and spade twelve inches deep. It is surprising to a novice how much can be grown on a given surface. Beets, carrots, salsify, parsnips, lima beans, and some others, will occupy the ground the whole season. Beets should be sown thick, in drills six inches apart, each alternate row to be used for greens, as well as the thinnings of the others. Between the carrots, &c., radishes may be sown. APPENDIX. 155 Lettuce, radishes, &c., may be sown in the raspberry and blackberry borders. Peas should be sown in double drills six inches apart," at intervals of three feet. Between the peas may be planted beets for greens, radishes, spinach, lettuce, &c., making two drills of each. The peas will come off in time for turnips, late cabbage, brocoli or celery; the latter should be planted in beds, the earth thrown out one spade deep, the celery planted in rows, one foot apart, and the plants from six to ten inches in the rows. Snap beans will be off in time for cabbage, turnips, fall spinach, &c. If beans are wanted in the fall, they may follow onions, where these have been grown from sets. A few cucumbers may be planted in the fruit border. Sugar-corn should be planted in drills three feet apart, the plants six inches in the drills for the small early varieties, and about a foot for others. For a succession, plant from early spring till the first week in July, two or more drills at a time, according to the wants of the family. Corn map may be planted after some of the crops named above. If one piece of ground is used, a portion of it will give you some early spinach and peas. Eadishes may also be planted from time to time "along the fruit border, but too much of that will injure the trees. A few egg-plants and peppers may also be planted in the fruit border, but not imme- diately under the trees. By the exercise of a little 156 APPENDIX. judgment, a vari3ty of things may be m-ide to follow each other in this way, so that no spot of ground need necessarily remain unoccupied for a single day during the whole season. The ground must be kept free from weeds, and well worked at all times. When the weather is dry, use the hoe more frequently than usual, (a narrow, low-pronged rake is best), which will enable the ground to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, of which it always con tains some, even in the dryest weather. Frequent stirring of the soil is important in another respect, in keeping it open and porous, and enabling it to take up the gases of the atmosphere, which constitute no inconsiderable portion of the food of plants. It will also give an earlier and better crop. Discard the prac- tice of earthing your plants, except for the purpose of blanching. Hilling should not be tolerated, except in soils naturally retentive of moisture ; the true remedy for which consists in underdraining, and not in hilling. The preceding remarks are mostly -of a general nature, but a few words may be said here of the time and labor necessary to cultivate and keep in order a garden like that here described. A person familiar with the operations to be performed, and expert in the use of implements, can generally perform the necessary labor (unless he is dronish) without detriment to his daily business ; on the contrary, he will find himself APPENDIX. 157 invigorated for the discharge of its duties. At all events, he will need but a few days' assistance for the rough work. I know that very much more than this has been done for years and will continue to be done. I speak this for the encouragement of those who desire to surround their homes with these luxuries, but whose means will not permit them to employ a permanent gardener. Much time is lost for want of proper know- ledge. The best advice I can give the novice is, first to learn what is to be done, and then learn how tp do it, and always do it well. May the day come when even the common laborer shall be blessed with the comforts of a good home, and rejoice " under his own vine and" fruit "tree!" GARDENING FOR PROFIT, In the Market arid Family Garden BY PETER HENDERSON. This is the first work on Market Gardening ever published in this country. Its author is well known as a market gardener of twenty years' successful experience. In this work he has recorded this experience, and given, without reservation, the methods necessary to the profitable culture of the commercial or It is a work for which there has long been a demand, and one which will commend itself, not only to those who grow vegetables for sale, but to the culf^ator of the "FAMILY GARDEN, to whom it presents methods quite different from the old ones gen- erally practiced. It is an ORIGINAL AND PURELY AMERICAN work, and not made up, as books on gardening too often are, by quotations from foreign authors. Every thing is made perfectly plain, and the subject treated in all its details, from the selection of the soil to preparing the products for market. CONTENTS. Men fitted for the Business of Gardening. The Amount of Capital Required, and "Working Force ^per Acre. Profits of Market Gardening. Location, Situation, and Laying Out. Soils, Drainage, and Preparation. Manures, Implements. Uses and Management of Cold Frames. Formation and Management of Hot-beds. Forcing Pits or Green-houses. Seeds and Seed Raising. How, When, and Where to Sow Seeds. Transplanting, Insects. Packing of Vegetables for Shipping. Preservation of Vegetables in Winter. Vegetables, their Varieties and Cultivation. In the last chapter, the most valuable kinds are described, and the culture proper to each is given in detail. Sent post-paid, price $I.5O. ORANGE JTJDD & CO., 245 Broadway, New- York. FARM-GARDENING BY FRANCIS BRILL. jSTOTICIKS I3Y T H K 1> R. E S S . Orange Judd & Co. have added to their splendid catalogue of agricultural books " Farm-Gardening and Seed-Growing, by Francis Brill: it is practical, Slain, complete, and satisfactory, so tliat for a small amount of money a great eal of desirable information can bo obtained. If then; is any firm anywhere which is to-day disseminating so much knowledge in regard to tilling of the eoil, as this same said firm of Orange Jmld & Cix, wo will present a medal to our informer. — Watchman and Reflector, (Boston.) The want occasionally expressed to us of a work on fie cognate subjects above named, (Farm-Gardening and Seed-Growing,) is now met in a book under this title, from the pen of Mr. Francis Brill, formerly a market-gardener and seed-grower at Newark, N. J., and at present engaged in raising seeds ;,t Mat i i tuck, L. I. Its directions are concise and practical, covering those points ou which a beginner is most likely to require information. — Country Gentleman. It seems to be a very sensible, practicii work by a practical man. Mr. Bri 1's father w is a gardener; and i e himself has hud jm extensive experience, uml he talks about what he knows, which is more than can be said of many authors of industrial work*. — Moore's Rural Nerv- Yorker. There can be no question that this farm-gardening can be made ia many dis- tricts of the Southern Atlantic States, especially near tiic const, far more profit- able than growing the ordinary staple crops. n connection with producing the vegetables, the growing and saving thejr seeds receive minute attention. — American, Farmer, (Baltimore.) This industry is now occupying the attention of many persons who sell their products to the grcst seed-houses, and novices who have the facilities, and wish to enter upon t'-e business, will find in this book just the hints needed. — Springfield Republican. Mr. Brill ha^ been a successful farm-gardener and peed-grower for a number of ye:rs, and gives in a clear and concise form the knowledge he has gained. It gives the best method of manuring, pla iting, and cultivating every veg- etable sold in market — in short, every thing required t > be known, plainly and fully— and should be in the hands of every one wli > culiivat.es so mucli as a rod of land for family use, pleasure, or profit. — Suffolk (L. I.) Times. The seal of Orange Judd & Co. upon an agricultural publication is sufficient guarantee of its worth. Francis Brill's book, published by them, is a very complete work, giving plain, minute instructions a^i to raising, taking care of, and bringing to market, those vegetables which are most in demand in the larire cities, and those eceds which are being called for throughout the country. — JV. Y. Evening Mail. IPrioe, rost-paid, $1.OO. .TUDD Sc, 245 HKOA.DWA.Y, NEW- YORK. THE SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST. BY • ANDREW S. FULLER. Beautifully Illustrated. We have heretofore had no work especially devoted to small fruits, and certainly no treatises anywhere that give the information contained in this. It is to the advantage of special works that the author can say all that he has to say on any subject, and not be restricted as t.o.space, as he must be in those works that cover the culture of all fruits — great and small. This book covers the whole ground of Propagating Small Fruits, their Culture, Varieties, Packing for Market, etc. While very full on the other fruits, the Currants and Raspberries have been more care- fully elaborated than ever before, and in this important part of hia book, the author has had the invaluable counsel of Charles Downing, The chapter on gathering and packing the fruit is a valuable one, and in it are figured all the baskets and boxes now in common use. The book is very finely and thoroughly illustrated, and makes an admirable companion to the Grape Culturist, by the same author. CONTENTS: CHAP. I. BARBERRY. CHAP. VII. GOOSEBERRY. CHAP. II. STRAWBERRY. CHAP. VIII. CORNELIAN CHERRY. CHAP. III. RASPBERRY. CHAP. IX. CRANBERRY. CHAP. IV. BLACKBERRY. CHAP. X. HUCKLEBERRY. JHAP. V. DWARP CHERRY. CHAP. XL SHEPERDIA. iUiAP. VL CURRANT. CHAP. XII. PREPARATION FOB GATHERING FRUIT. Sent post-paid. Price $1.50. ORANGE JTTDD & CO,, 245 Broadway, New-York THE ANDEEW S. FULLER. NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION/ THE STANDARD WORK ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE HARDY GRAPE, AS IT NOT ONLY DISCUSSES PRINCIPLES, BUT ILLUSTRATES PRACTICE. Every tiling is made perfectly plain, and its teach- ings may be followed upon ONE VINE OB A VINEYARD. The following are some of the topics that are treated: GROWING NEW VARIETIES FROM SEED. PROPAGATION BT SINGLE BUDS OR EYES. PROPAGATING HOUSES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT FULLY DESCRIBED. How TO GROW; CUTTINGS IN OPEN AIR, AND HOW TO MAKE LAYERS. GRAFTING THE GRAPE — A SIMPLE AND SUCCESSFUL METHOD. HYBRIDIZING AND CROSSING — MODE OF OPERATION. SOIL AND SITUATION — PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. PRUNING, TRAINING, AND TRELLISES — ALL THE SYSTEMS EXPLAIHF.P, GARDEN CULTURE— How TO GROW VINES IN A DOOR- YARD. INSECTS, MILDEW, SUN-SCALD, AND OTHER TROUBLES. DESCRIPTION OF THE VALUABLE AM> THE DISCARDED VARIETIES. Sent post-paid. Price $1.50. Orange Judd oct. .TOIIIV A. WAHI>JEI1, PRJSBIDENT OHIO POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY ; VICE-PKESIDENT AMEKICA* POMOLOO1CAL SOCIETY. 293 ILLUSTRATIONS. This volume has about 750 pages, the first 375 of which are det Toted to the discussion of the general subjects of propagation, nur- sery culture, selection and planting, cultivation of orchards, care of fruit, insects, and the like ; the remainder is occupied with descrip- tions of apples. With the richness of material at hand, the trouble was to decide what to leave out. It will be found that while the old and standard varieties are not neglected, the new and promising sorts, especially those of the South and West, have prominence. A list of selections for different localities by eminent orchardists is a valuable portion of the volume, while the Analytical Index or Catalogue Raisonne, as the French would say, is the most extended American fruit list ever published, and gives evidence of a fearful amount of labor. CONTENTS. Chapter I.— INTRODUCTORY. Chapter II.-HISTORY OF THE APPLE. Chapter III.-PROPAGATION. Buds and Cuttings— Grafting— Budding— the Nursery Chapter IV.-DWARF1NG. Chapter V.-DISEASES. Chapter VI.-THE SITE FOR AN ORCHARD. Chapter VI I.-PREPARATION OF SOIL FOR AN ORCHARD Chapter VII1.-SELECTION AND PLANTING. Chapter IX.-CULTURE, Etc. Chapter X.-PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING. Chapter XL-THINNING. Chapter XII. -RIPEN ING AND PRESERVING FRUITS. Chapter XIII. and XIV.-INSECTS. Chapter XV.-CHARACTERS OF FRUITS AND THElll VALUE-TERMS USED. Chapter XVI. -CLASSIFICATION. Necessity for— Basis of— Characters— Shape— Its Roga larity— Flavor— Color— Their several Values, etc. De- scription of Apples. Chapter XVII.-FRUIT LISTS- CATALOGUE AND INDEX OF FRUITS. Sent Post-Paid, Price $3.00. 3RANGE JTTDD & CO., 245 Broadway, New- York, BARRY'S FEUIT GARDEN. J3y X*. B^ NOTICES BY THE PRESS. "Barry's Fruit Garden" is one of those practical, profusely illustrated, and comprehensive1 manuals which Orange Judd & Co. delight to publish. It seems to tell almost every thing which one book can tell about the ins and outs and ways arid means of fruit culture. — The Advance, (Chicago.) This volume of 490 pages, as its title implies, is devoted to the culture of fruits of every variety in orchards and gardens. It describes the diseases inci- dent to the various fruit trees, the kinds of insects that prey upon them, and the remedies for ridding trees of the evil. — Scie/ttijic American. The author writes from his own practical experience; and that experience is of no ordinary character, being the result of more than thirty years' work at the head of the largest nursery in America, where every operation is conducted with eminent skill. — Tlie County Gentleman. It explains all the minutine of fruit-gardening, even to the implements, copi- ously illustrated by engravings, so that the merest novice need not err ; gives descriptions of all the different kinds of fruit that can be raised in our climate in every stage of their lives, from the germ to the fruit-bearing period, with instructions in pruning and grafting, in a most satisfactory manner. The chapter on grapes alone is worth more than the price of the book.— Jemy City Times. It is a rich mine of information upon fruits of all kinds and their proper culture.— Providence Press. Mr. Barry has long been known as an authority upon fruit culture, and this volume 01 490 pages, with a full and carefully prepared index gives the latest results of his study and experience.— ipringfleld Republican. This beautiful volume, of nearly five hundred pages, will be cordially wel- comed by every lover of nature. It is the most perfect work we have seen on the whole subject, and well deserves awide circulation. — United Presbyterian, (Pittsburgh.) We have orchardists, strawberry books, grape books,- small fruit books, and all that ; what we want in one book for them all. Here we have it. It is qui le a scientific work, too, giving more than mere arbitrary directions; we have the grounds for them. May we rely on what it says? A sufficient answer is that it comes from the office of the American Agriculturist. — Zion's Herald. FROM HON. MARSHALL P. WILDER. "PRESIDENT OP THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. BOSTON, April, 1872. GENTLEMEN: I have perused with great pleasure the new and improved edi- tion of Mr. Barry's book. It is in every respect desirable, and will receive the approbation of our best pomologists. It is the result of a long life of experi- ence, and admirably calculated to meet the demands of our age. I give it a hearty welcome. MARSHALL. P. WILDER. T»rio©, Post-paid, &3.5O. ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY, Broadway, New-York. PARSONS ON THE ROSE. A TREATISE ON TF.fl Propagation, Culture, and K&cry of the Rose. By SAMUEL B. PARSONS. AND REVISED EDITION. ILLUSTRATED. THE Rose is the only flower that can be said to have a history. It is pop- ular now, and was so centuries ago.. In his work upon the Rose, Mr. Parsona has gathered up the curious legends ce-nterning the flower, and gives us an idea of the esteem in which it was hr.ld in former times. A simple garden classification has been adopted, and the leading varieties under each clasa enumerated and 1)riefly described. Tne chapters on multiplication, cultiva- tion, and training, are very full, and the work is aU^elner the most complete of any before the public. The following is from the author's Preface : "In offering a new edition of this work, th* preparation of which gave as pleasure more than twenty years ago, we have not only carefully revised the garden classification, but have stricken out much of the poetry, which, to the cultivator, may have seemed irrelevant, if not worthless. For the interest of the classical scholar, we have retained much of the early history of the Rose, and its connection with the manners and customs of the two great nations of a former age. " The amateur will, we think, find the labor of selection much diminished by the increased simplicity of the mode we have adopted, while the commer- cial gardener vvill in nowise be injured by the change. " In directions for culture, we give the results of our own experience, and have not hesitated to avail ourselves of any satisfactory results ia the experi- ence of others, which might enhance the utility of the work." CONTENTS: CHAPTER I. — Botanical Classification. CHAPTER II.— Garden Classification. CHAPTER III.— General Culture of the Rose. CHAPTER IV.— Soil. Situation, and Planting. CHAPTER V.— Pruning, Training, and Bedding. CHAPTER VI.— Potting and Forcing. CHAPTER VII.— Propagation. CHAPTER VIII.— Multiplication by Seed and Hybridizing. CHAPTER IX.— Diseases and Insects Attacking the Rose. CHAPTER X.— Early History of the Rose, and Fables Respecting its Origin. CHAPTER XI.— Luxurious Use of the Rose. CHAPTER XII.— The Rose in Ceremonies.and Festivals, and in the Adorn- ment of Burial-places. CHAPTER XIII.— The Rose in the Middle Ages. CHAPTER XIV.— Perfumes of the Rose. CHAPTER XV.— Medical Properties of the Rose. CHAPTER XVI.— General Remarks. PRICE, PCST-FAil) $1.00. ORANGE JXTDD & CO., 245 Broadway, Xtw- [Established In 1842.] 'A Good, Cheap, and very Valuable Paper Every Man, Woman and Child, INCITT, VILLAGE and COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, FOR THE FARM, QARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD, Including a Special Department of Interesting and Instructive Reading for CHILDREN and YOUTH. The Agriculturist is a large periodical of Forty-four page*, qnarto, not octavo, beautifully printed, and filled with plain, practical, reliable, original matter. Includ- ing hundreds of beautiful and instructive Engravings in every annual volume. It contains each month a Calendar of Operations to be performed on the Farm, In the Orchard and Garden, in and around the Dwelling, etc. The thousands of hints and suggestions given !n every volume are prepared by prac- tical, intelligent working men, who know what they talk and write about. The articled are thoroughly edited, and every way reliable. The Household Department Is valuable to every Housekeeper, affording very many useful hints and directions calculated to lighten and facilitate in-door work. The Department for Children and Youth, is prepared with special care not only to amuse, but also to inculcate knowledge and sound moral principles. Circulation.— Terms.— The circulation of the American Agriculturist is so large that it can be furnished at the low price of $1.50 a year : four copies, one year, for |5 ; ten copies, one year, for $12; twenty or more copies, one year. $1 each; single copies, 15 cents each. An extra copy to the one furnishing a club of ten or twenty. AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, (Monthly,) AND HEARTH AND HOME, (Weekly,) WILL BE SENT TOGETHER FOR $4 A YEAR. Try them Both a Year! ORANGE JUDD & CO., PUBLISHERS AND PROPRIETORS, 245 BROADWAY, New- York City. 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