The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-19

Subsequent crops may be grown among
beets, carrots, etc
SPINAcH.-As soon as the ground can be
spaded, piece should be prepared for an
mind that this vegetable requires an album
dance of manure; on poor soil it will
prove failure. After the spinach has been
taken of, the ground will answer for root
crop of some KNIT. Plant in drills twelve
inches apart, and keep the ground free from
weeds. The best kind is the broad leaved
Savoy.
Wing is of opinion that grape culture and
wine manufacture will become, at no distant
day, a leading interest in Virginia. It says
hundreds of people are turning their atten-
ton to the matter, and when it is known
how favorable are the soil and climate,
as skilled grape raisers from the Northern
States, will flock thither.
To DESTROY THE SrAwBERRY GRvB.-A
writer in the Circular says '.On grounds
that are infested with this insect, and per-
haps by others, make numerous piles of dry
brush and other material, and then watch
ing the season, when the beetles begin to
rise, and, in the early part of the evening,
fire several of the brush heaps, and the
beetles and all other insects that chance to
he ON the wing, being dazzled and bewil-
dered by the light, a. into the fire, and are
consumed. The next evening fire other
heaps"
NATIVE FRU1rs.-Are not horticulturists
to blame, that, while Nature has spread out
over our wide extent of territory such a va
riety of fruits in their wild state, they have
not devoted more attention to their improve
ment and cultivation The fruits of our
forests open q wide field, asking their atten-
ton. Is the native crab less likely to pro-
duce a new race of apples than the foreign
!, Io1N Il
cious apples haye-sprung9 have seen ac-
cidental sports from it that were four times
as large as they grow ordir arily, and vastly
improved in favoT.-The peach is said to
have been improved from the bitter almond,
which is not only bitter and unpalatable,
but is poisonous. Is it not possible that
the black walnut may yet produce fruit
superior in size and equal in favor to the
peachf The butter-nut and hickOry-nut
may also be the parents of similar fruits.
There is scarcely any variety of wild fruit
but what sports, or varies, from its natural
state. 1t is only necessary, according to
Van Mons, to take advantage of that state
of variation to attain our object. He paid
no attention to the quality Of the fruit, SO
that it was in u state of variation for
fruit, and reproduced uninterruptedly for
several generations, will certainly produce
good fruit 1t is not my object now to give
infinitely the whole of his theory, but only
to throw out such hints as may induce our
horticulturists to take some steps toward
demonstrating our wild fruits, which will
also lead them to investigate and study this
theory. fhe foreign plum has almost ceased
to be planted, on account of disease and the
ravages of the curculio. The foreign or
cultivatedScherryi is unsuited to our climate
or soil while we have the wild plum sport
ing in nearly every shape, size, and color,
and the wild cherry doing the same thing,
as if calling to us to rescue them from their
savage state, and make civilized fruits of
them. The foreign raspberry is tender and
uncertain, while the native is hardy and
prolific. The cultivated gooseberry is also
a foreigner nnsuited to the United States in
it's finest varieties while our native species
is entirely neglected. The strawberry is an
exception, and Mt the same time an example
of what may be done with our native fruits.
The most popular varieties are the i'm
provements on our native species. There
are other fruits besides these to which
we should turn our attention,-the per-
simmon, the red haw, the black haw, the
cranberry, the whortleberry, and a number
of others, which, if taken in charge by our
horticulturists, there is no doubt might each
be made something of. The blackberry, in
spite of all this neglect, has forced itself in
to notice. The Lawton, Dorchester, Kitta-
tinny, and Wilson's Early, have compelled
-uB ITO take them UP, but owe none of their
fine qualities to our care OF industry. have
also q variety, an accidental Seeding, which
l think an Improvement on all of them. 1t
is first green, then white, then light clear
pink, then a beautiful glossy translucent
claret color when it is fully ripe. If left on
the bush until it is over ripe, it assumes
glossy purple color, which fades out as the
berry dries up, and becomes a dead yellow
or brownish hue, like dried apples. Its
delicious in flavor, perfectly sweet, with no
trace of acidity. The juice is nearly as
transparent and limpid as water, and, with
one half the sugar required for other black
berries, makes a sDeet wine, better than
nine-tenths of the grape wine. 1t is very
productive. The bushes grow erect, stout,
and stocky, branch we'll, and are of light
green color. 1t originated here, and have