According to my observation and information, the canes of raspberries in northern Ohio and a large portion of the West matured well last year, wintered with comparatively little injury, and in their due time blossomed and set full of fruit. The first berries matured well; but owing to the great heat of the season, the second did not fill as perfectly; the third less perfect; and the last to form were mostly a failure. This has varied, of course, in varieties, - the False Red Antwerp - or as more commonly called Allen - and the thorniest Black Cap maturing the first berries and perfecting perhaps a larger proportion of the crop than other sorts. The Kirtland, Franconia, Red Antwerp, Hornet, and Naomi followed in ripening about in order as I have named, while the American or Doolittle followed the Thornless, and was again followed by Philadelphia and Miami, and these by Mrs. Wood; and these, again, as I write - August 15 - are followed by Belle de Fontenay producing its second crop. So much for their comparative order; and now for their values comparatively for family use and for commercial marketing.

The price governing sorts has ranged at an average of six dollars a bushel for Black Caps; and for the Antwerp class, such as Allen and Kirtland, an additional dollar per bushel was readily obtained; while Naomi brought yet an additional dollar, and was readily taken by dealers.

In this section, the Kirtland, Allen, and Naomi are just as hardy as the Black Caps; and so far as a local market will take the fruit, the first two are in their season more profitable; while Naomi, by reason of its firmness of fruit for shipping, large size, and superior quality, can not fail of value where even a distant market is to be supplied. The productiveness of the Allen and Kirtland is about the same, while the Allen is a little the most firm, and the Kirtland the largest and much the best in quality. I will here notice a little slur cast on my knowledge of the Kirtland by a late ad interim report of the Secretary of the Ohio Horticultural Society, where he states as follows:

"An old bed of the Kirtland Raspberry was examined quite critically by Colonel Richmond and Mr. Lum, of Sandusky, as these gentlemen were inclined to the opinion that the true Kirtland, as originally named by Mr. Lum, was not the same described and figured by Elliott, or known by him and Dr. K. as the Kirtland, and this opinion they claimed was confirmed by the inspection of this old bed, which they asserted was composed mainly of the spurious sort, but had a few of the genuine in it, the latter being a larger and better fruit, and more conical in shape than the other".

I have only to remark that I have a high respect for Messrs. Lum and Richmond, but believe my knowledge of the original Kirtland, from many years' examination and gathering the fruit from canes in the original bed (which bed, I may here say, was, and would have been, unknown, except by reason of my daily examination and comparison in tracing up the sort sent out by Mr. Lum), is perhaps quite as correct as an examination made by Messrs. Lum and Richmond of half an hour, and with little or no fruit on the canes.

To return: the Allen, Kirtland, and Naomi have been here grown on sand as well as clay soil, and successful in each. For market, the Allen and Naomi are most desirable; but for family use, or a home consumption market, the Kirtland should take the place of the Allen.

The Clarke has not fruited well with me this year, nor did I have opportunity to examine it elsewhere. The Philadelphia is all in productiveness that has been said of it, but the quality is so inferior, that I only wonder any good horticulturist could ever have the heart to advise his fellow-men to grow it. If a man could grow it and nothing else, then on the ground that any fruit is better than none, it might come in, but otherwise it smacks too much of Wall Street, and has too little of the goodness which belongs to the lover and grower of God's blessed fruits ever to have any hearty commendation. Like a crab apple or Windsor pear, it may do in absence of all else; but woe be to the consumer! Better to have looked at it admiringly, without any contaminating knowledge. I speak of it as when eaten out of hand. Cooking and sugar ameliorate, and so used it may be, and probably is, palatable, if not good.

The Duhring has killed down every year; and even under protection one winter, it failed, giving two or three meager fruits only. I pass it as a humbug.

The Franconia, Fastolf, Red Antwerp, etc., we know all about; and so knowing, know that when the canes are covered in winter, the crop is good, and the quality of Red Antwerp surpassed by few or none. The Hornet is sometimes hardy, but again is killed, so that, like the Franconia, it can not be depended upon without covering. Covered, it is a productive and profitable firm market fruit.

If among the Perpetuals or ever-bearing sorts there is any desirable character, I think Belle de Fontenay stands at the head. True, it suckers most unmercifully; but the suckers can be cut away as easy as any weeds, and it certainly does bear abundantly, and of a good size and rich fruit. The Chtawissa has good qualities; but of the two, for family use, give me Belle de Fontenay. It is larger, looks better, is of superior flavor, and produces more berries with me. The Lindleyana has every year killed with me, even when protected. The Prosser I have not fruited. Through the kindness of a friend I have a plant of it, but' it looks and grows as if it were sorry it did not keep near the ten acres that noised it to the world.

The varieties under numbers that have been sent by courtesy from Charles Arnold, Esq., to various amateurs in the States, are all good, but according to my test and comparison, only one - viz., his No. 1 - is worthy of continued propagation. The canes of this are perfectly hardy, and the fruit is abundant, fully as large as figured in the Horticulturist by Mr. Fuller, August, 1867, but not as conical. It is of a dull yellow color; and for those unwilling to give Brinckle's Orange a winter covering, it is the best light colored berry yet out. In other words, it is the best hardy light yellow raspberry known, and should be had by every lover of raspberries. Brinckle's Orange (let us keep the prefix of Brinckle, from respect to one of the most honest and enthusiastic horticulturists the world has known) is the very, very best yellow raspberry. It pays to cover its canes in winter; but if left uncovered, nine times out of ten it produces good crops of fruit, so good, that if the grower, like myself, has children, he will find it hard work to keep the fruit, for most unconsciously - "only just one," do you hear the child ? - it will soon all be gone.

Let us now turn to the Black Caps. I have spoken of the Thornless. Mine was not obtained as a new thing, or as the Davison; and as I have not seen the Davison, may be all unlike; but a thornless raspberry is no new thing, nor do I think the lack of thorns any item, unless the fruit is of abundance and quality to equal varieties having thorns; The plants I have were from one selected by myself some years since, say eight, out of a cluster of wild-lings which I was removing. I fruited my first cane, found it early - in fact, one of the very earliest to ripen - abundantly prolific, of good size and flavor, not extra large, a good strong grower; and so finding, propagated a small number for my family supply. I consider it valuable for my family, and measurably so for market. The American or Doolittle all know about. It has done well hereabouts this year, and is undoubtedly one of our staple reliable sorts. Ellisdale, Surprise, Miami, and Seneca I have only had opportunity of examining on a small scale, and that under so high a condition of culture, I have nothing to say of them.

I see, however, Mr. Fuller speaks confidently of Ellisdale; Mr. Husmann of Surprise; and others of Miami; but I, in my want of knowledge, have great feith in the value of Mrs. Wood as a hardy sort, extremely productive, of a fair size, moderately firm, of good flavor, and maturing so as to continue the season two weeks later than the Doolittle.

Of blackberries I have very little this year to say. The New Rochelle or Lawton were nearly half killed last winter, but the remainder of the canes have fruited as of years before, large and sour. Crystal White killed all down, so did Kentucky White; and Claret, Mason's Mountain, Mis-souri Mammoth, and a host more of sorts, are growing for future notes; but while 1 yet think Dorchester the very best flavored, the richest berry, I grant the Kitta-tinny almost rivals it in flavor, is superior in size, more than three times as productive, and is the best, all in all, of any sort yet fully tested. Wilson is a market sort, but too inferior in quality for any good horticulturist's table.