This section is from the book "The American Garden Vol. XI", by L. H. Bailey. Also available from Amazon: American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants.
We consider the paper berry baskets most desirable, and they will usually help sell the berries. After all, their general adoption will be slow until consumers are willing to pay the cost of the box in addition to the price paid for the fruit. .
No; the Parker Earle Strawberry now being introduced is not the same one which was talked of four or five years ago, though it bore the same name. That variety showed evidences of value during its first two seasons,* but deteriorated so rapidly afterward that the stock, so far as known, was wholly destroyed. Of the variety now being introduced as Parker Earle better things are expected.
The great merit of this new celery consists in the enormous thickness of its stems, which are fleshy and very tender, even when unbleached. It is medium in height, and possesses excellent keeping qualities during the winter. Where liberally treated with manure it yields tender and brittle stalks, possessing no bitter taste, and easily bleached. - Revue Horticole.
No ; none of the passifloras are hardy. P. caerulea is rated as half hardy, but we do not think it could endure your climate, even with protection. But get P. Pfordti, a magnificent climber that will flower all summer, and it can be taken up and kept in the house during winter. It is an evergreen, and easily managed.
Banksia Roses are greenhouse plants, and cannot be induced to flower elsewhere satisfactorily.
The peach requires a warmer summer climate for its highest development than is usually found in the Puget Sound country. It is, however, grown and does well at various places, especially in the low regions of the Columbia valley. With care, it may be grown in protected situations, such as is afforded by buildings and other shelter. The foggy mornings along the shores and inlets afford protection to their floral organs early in spring.
American Garden, October, 1889, page 359. If any one is sufficiently economical to save peach skins, the best and easiest way is first to wash the peaches and put them whole into a kettle with a little water, and either sugar or molasses enough to sweeten them. Boil till soft.
It is commonly asserted that seedling peaches possess greater hardihood and are surer bearers than budded trees. Mr. Newman has experimented for five years upon these points and finds them to be unfounded. He also finds that "there is no uniform relation between the date of flowering and season of ripening." "During the unfavorable seasons of 1887 and 1888 the only varieties which bore fruit were either late bloomers or those which had very large petals".
This year the peach crop of Minnesota has been light, but the peaches have been large and very finely flavored. When the bloom fell in the spring a heavy crop was predicted, but a cold spell came on and caused the bulk of the crop to fall off. Our native plums were even more severely affected than the peaches. In spite of the cold, some peach trees yielded half a bushel of fruit. This shows quite clearly that peach growing here is a success. Look out for Minnesota as a peach-growing state! - Peter M. Gideon, Excelsior, Minn.
 
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