It is beginning to be well understood by fruit growers that "hardiness" as a character for a fruit, has a very uncertain meaning if taken in an absolute sense. A variety that is hardy enough when it first appears, gets its constitution run down and then it is not hardy. It therefore, by no means follows that because a stock of any given variety in one man's hand is not "hardy," the same variety will not be entirely hardy in the hands of another who has other plants. Thus we have contradictory reports continually about the hardiness of grapes, raspberries strawberries or gooseberries, and their freedom from mildew, disease or frost bites. In most cases the trouble comes from a weakened stock. Methods of propagation, culture, or the secret attacks of invisible fungi, will often weaken a whole race, without any ill effect being visible to even the trained observer, and the first evidence is found in the plant being "not hardy" or in some other way the kind is found to be "running out." Even the Gregg raspberry was reported last winter, as " not hardy " in some places.