Southern planter : devoted to agriculture, horticulture, and the ...

To Teachers.
We call the attention of persons engaged in
teaching to the farm No. 3, advertised by ns in
our list of f\arms, to be found in our adverti-
sing columns. The school has a large paying
patronage, is situated in the most healthy re-
gion of Virginia, and presents to persons wish-
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L!!i!MJgJ!L!L. J. '
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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER, 395
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Inrtirulloral Iffiartramt.
Whortleberries.
In a paragraph in our last, we alluded to
the improvement of the whortleberry by cultivation,
referring to an example which had
been made in this vicinity. We have since
met with an interesting article by Wilson
Flagg, in Ilovey's Magazine of Horticulture,
from which we take the following. We have
long been of the opinion that the whortleberry
was not duly appreciated, and trust that the
arguments of Mr. F. may aid in causing a
more just estimate to be placed on this " native
American" fruit.— [Eds.
The whortleberry is strictly an American
fruit; for, although it is not unknown in middle
and northern Europe and in some of the
tropical Islands, it is in no part of the world
so abunbant as in North America. It is indeed
highly probable that the whortleberry
tribe of plants originated here, and from this
point have spread themselves over other tracts.
Whortleberries, however, are most abundant
near the coast, especiaily in the northern parts,
and form in the New England States one of
the principal features of the landscape. No
single species of this tribe has been reduced to
cultivation, though any of them would probably
well reward the labor of the cultivator, if
they were not abundant in a wild state. The
fruit of these plants is well known only to the
inhabitants of the New England States ; very
little has been written upon it, and there are
but few persons who are aware of the importance
of this gift of Nature to the inhabitants
of North America.
In the study of geographical botany we find
groups of certain tribes of plants prevailing
over extensive tracts of country, and abounding
generally in regions that are contiguous.
But sometimes they are widely separated, like
the heaths which are found in Europe and in
the Southern part of Africa. The whortleber-
ries supply in America the place of the heaths
in Europe, and in no part of the world are
these two tribes found associated. The whortleberries
are by far the most valuable gift of
Nature of the two, being hardly less beautiful
when in flower, and bearing also an excellent
fruit. In this country they are sufficiently numerous
to constitute alone a distinguishing feature
of the landscape. They are most abun-
ing to engage in such profession an opportudant in the northern Atlantic States ; but they
nity rarely offered for a safe and profitable investment.
AUGUST & WILLIAMS.
See advertisement of a " Farm wanted in
the Salt Water region of Virginia.'^
are found along the whole coast as far as the
Cape of Florida. In the southern States are
one or two species approachins: the size of trees,
one of which, called the farkleberry, {vaccinium
arboreiim,) is an evergreen, and bears a
very good fruit.
In New England we reckon about nine or
ten distinct species of Vaccinium. Botanists
make no generic distinction between the blueberry
or bilberry, and the whortleberry ; but
all who have eaten the fruit distinguish at
once the whortleberry from the blueberry, by
the flavor and not entirely by the color. The
former is less accidulous, less mucilaginous,
and contains a harder seed than the latter, so
that they may be easily distinguished, when
eaten, though their color and external appearance
are the same. I observe that Bigelow
makes the distinction between them in the
English names he applies to the species, while
Emerson calls them, indiscriminately, whortleberries.
The flowers of the two kinds differ as
widely as their fruits ; those of the whortleberries
are more of a redish color, smaller and
more contracted in the mouth than those of the
blueberries.
In the whortleberry division of this tribe of
plants, are usually reckoned five species : 1.
Vaccinium resinosum, which is the common
whortleberry, or huckleberry. I prefer the
former word because it indicates its derivation
from hurdle, signifying berries growing on hurdles
or sticks. After the bushes were cut and
bound into faggots, the berries being found
upon them gave origin to their name. This
first species is the type of the division. 2. V.
frondosum, dangle-berry, sometimes called bul-
let-berries. This is a late species, but the fruit
is large and finely flavored. I have found it
near Bartholomew's pond in Danvers, but it is
rare. 3. V. virgatum, the blue whortleberry,
a species that bears more showy floAvers than
the others, and more elegant foliage. The fruit
is not superior, however, to that of the resinosum.
4. V. stamineum, green whortleberry,
or deer-berry. This species is common at the
South, and ripens its fruit, which is inferior,
in September. 5. V. dumosum, the hairy
whortleb*^rry, a large shrub, with very showy
floM'ers and insipid fruit.
In the bilberry division, there are four species
described by botanists : 1. V. tenellum,
the low blueberry, which bears the earliest and
most beautiful fruit of the whole tribe, and is
the smallest shrub of the genus. 2. The high-