THE SARAH PEAR.

SIZE medium; form globular, inclining to turbinate, rather broad across the centre; stem short, thick, generally planted without depression; calyx medium, segments often abortive; basin small, shallow; color pale-yellow; skin smooth, with a few traces of cinnamon-russet; flesh yellowish-white, melting, very juicy, tender, and buttery, a little granulous at the core; flavor

Season

vinous, with a rich, honeyed sweetness, and a musky, spicy aroma. about the middle of October. Quality "very good," nearly "best." This new American pear has fruited for many years in the collection of Messrs. F. and L. Clapp, Dorchester, Mass.; and was raised from seed about the same time as Clapp's Favorite. The tree is of erect habit, hardy, healthy, and productive. Marshall P. Wilder.

THE KNOX FRUIT-FARM.

THE GRAPE-SHOW OF 1867.

JUNE and October are famous months with Mr. J. Knox; for in them, respectively, he holds his strawberry and his grape exhibitions. In them he invites his horticultural friends to come and see the products of his strawberry-fields and of his grape-trellises. These now become the centres of attraction to horticulturists all over the country. Upon these occasions, all may go, not merely to see samples of the fruit tastefully arranged upon the tables at his warehouse at the city, as at any other horticultural show, but the visitor can go to the grounds where they are produced; and there he can study the important characters of the plants and vines, observe the peculiar modes of treatment to which they have been subjected, and see for himself the wonderful health, vigor, and productiveness of some varieties, which would appear fabulous in narration; and he can also discover the weakness, infertility, deficient health, or other defects, of some sorts which may have made a very respectable appearance, and have been highly lauded, when shown by the plateful at a horticultural exhibition. During the current month of the vintage, these grounds have been visited by many of the most prominent horticulturists of the country. Many have seen them for the first time, and have expressed their satisfaction and delight at the results produced; and many others have been to refresh their memories of past visits, and to watch the progress of new varieties coming into fruit under the treatment and upon the soil of this locality. The writer belongs to the latter class; and, having enjoyed the opportunity once more of seeing many of the comparatively new grapes in fruit, he proposes to present an abstract of his notes to the readers of the Journal.

The mode of preparation of the soil, the laying-out, the planting, and the culture, pursued by Mr. Knox, have been so often laid before the public, that they will not need to be again detailed, further than to state that a rather stiff calcareous clay loam is ploughed deeply, and planted with grape-vines, generally one year old, single-eye plants, that are set at a distance of six by

eight feet. Between these, in the wider space, two rows of strawberry-vines are planted, at about every twelve inches in the rows, which are two feet apart. All are cultivated together, chiefly by hand-labor, with the hoe, for the first summer. The vines are allowed to grow at random, and the strawberries are kept free from runners: sometimes the latter are mulched with old rotten manure that has been used in hot-beds. At the setting-in of winter,

these are covered with clean straw to protect them from the effects of freezing and thawing.

The second season, the grapes are cut to two eyes, and the shoots are trained to stakes; the strawberries yield their fruit; the whole surface is kept clean with the hoe; and the third season, the trellis, made with vertical strips, is set up, and the two canes grown the previous year are laid in horizontally after having been pruned to about three feet. They are then allowed to bear a moderate crop; and in future years the alternate spur and cane system is pursued, leading the shoots up the vertical strips, which are nine inches apart, and six feet high. Sometimes, instead of a new cane, an old stem with spurs is retained for fruiting.

The first thing that strikes the visitor is the extreme vigor and healthfulness of the vines: this is no doubt owing in great part to the extensive plantations of the "noble Concord," which is here spoken of as the grape. Some other varieties, however, rival this in their healthy and vigorous appearance : among these, the Ives, Hartford, Norton, Herbemont, Lenoir, Alvey, Taylor, Rentz, and the new seedlings of the Concord, Black Hawk, and Martha, may all be considered rivals, on account of their beauty and vigor as noble plants.

The Concord may well be the pet and favorite upon these grounds, as it continues to grow and to bear most abundant crops of berries that make the trellises look black with fruit, and this, year after year, without any failure. One plat, that furnished a very abundant first crop in 1865, was so laden, that practical vine-dressers prophesied it must fail the next year; but, to their astonishment, the vintage of 1866 was still more heavy. And now the same vines are indeed a spectacle. Viewing the rows from the end, the trellis resembles a solid column of rich clusters. Well may the proprietor feel satisfied with the result of his planting of this variety. Whatever the opinion of men of "refined and educated tastes," this vine has here proved

itself a paying investment. Though not equal in quality to some other grapes, it is found to be very acceptable to a large class of consumers, who eagerly purchase it at home and in distant markets, paying a high price for the fruit.

The plantations of Ives rival those of the Concord in their healthful and vigorous appearance. The vines are still young, but are beginning to bear ; and the fruit is highly satisfactory both for market and for wine, but especially for the latter purpose.

The Rentz vines are still young, and without fruit: but their beautiful, vigorous growth, and perfectly healthy foliage, make them rank with the class of vines that may be recommended to planters. The qualities of the fruit for table and wine are promising, and worthy further trial.

Here as elsewhere, especially in the West, the Norton takes high rank as a healthy, productive, and vigorous grape, yielding a large vintage of generous red wine, that is only too heavy for every-day table-use.

The Herbemont shows its extreme vigor in vine and foliage, and is very productive of large, crowded clusters. Though the berries are rather small, they are delicious and refreshing. Being essentially juice-grapes, their yield in wine is large, and very fine.

Elsinborough, belonging to the cordifolia class, is sufficiently vigorous, and reasonably productive. The bunches are loose; the berries small, but most deliciously rich and sweet; attractive alike to birds, and to those persons who have a refined taste for nice things. The proprietor stated that he did not grow this variety for the market: it was never sold, but retained for his own use and that of his friends. Happy the man who has his trellis full of such !

Alvey is a vine that should take similar rank, only that it is worthy of higher honor and position. The habit is that of a free-grower, with thin but abundant and healthy foliage, of the kind and color that is truly refreshing. The bunches are of good size, not crowded nor straggling, rather well formed; the berries of medium size, or below, round, black, having a very thin skin, no pulp, few seeds, but, oh, how much, and what delicious, sprightly juice! This is essentially an amateur fruit, suited to the most refined taste; but it will not bear transportation to market. The wine produced from this variety is very fine; but the crop of fruit is not always abundant.

The lovely Delaware, pride of American grape-lists, is this year doing all that can possibly be required of it. Ripening early, bearing profusely, perfect in every respect, and furnished with abundant and healthy foliage upon a thrifty growth of wood, the trellises of this variety have yielded a glorious vintage. The mildew has not affected the vines. Even the voracious "thrips" (Tettigonia vitis) that often have swarmed upon them, reducing their elegant leaves to shadows, have this year kept away; and hence the fruit is well ripened and delicious. Would that it could always be so well behaved!

The Clinton modestly prefers its claims to public favor; and it is to be hoped that this vine, which possesses so many excellent qualities, will yet be recognized as something more than a "wild frost-grape." It is perfectly hardy, and almost universally healthy and vigorous, holding its verdant foliage until killed by severe frost. It is abundantly productive of nice, compact bunches. Its only fault is that it colors early, and appears to be ripe before it is so; and of course, if then plucked, it is sour and acerb: but if allowed to hang until ripe, until the shining black berries have been transformed into a rich blue from the exudation of their heavy bloom, it will be found that the acid has all been transformed into sugar, and that the grape is one of the sweetest in the catalogue.

The crop of Creveling is here very heavy, and some of the bunches are compact and handsome: the trellises are really burdened with the crop of this excellent grape. The usual deficiency and looseness of the clusters of this variety have been attributed to a defective fertilization at the time of blossoming. Vine-dressers should observe the inflorescence more closely ; endeavor to discover whether the cause of the difficulty really lies in some inherent defect of the blossoms, or whether a deficiency of the pollen may not be supplied by other vines trained near them that will blossom at the same time with the Creveling. This variety is one of great value both for table and for wine: and the complaint of straggling bunches should be met, if it be possible; for, in its usual condition, the eye of the market is not satisfied with it for a table-grape, for which its spicy richness and melting pulp so highly commend it.

The Hartford, Perkins, Louisa, Northern Muscadine, North Carolina, York Madeira, and others of that class of early market-grapes, were all of