'*1«FrROPOLITAN : TORONTO AlBRARY 1 789 YONGE 'TORONTO M4W 2G8 METROPOLITAN TORONTO CENTRAL LIBRARY^___ Science and Technology SC REF CIR SR refJ/ CIR otu^^^*^^ THE Canadian Horticulturist PUBLISHED BY THE FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO. ATOLTJ^VIIE ZXIII. EDITOR, - L. WOOLVERTON, M. A. PUBLISHED AT TORONTO AND GRIMSBY. Office at Grimsby, Ont. i88g. Vr .^ Ilic IXf INDEX TO VOL. XII OF The Canadian Horfiatlturist. A PAGE Ada Raspberry 340 Agave 226, 298 Ailanthus 87, 298 Aloe 266,298 Allan, A. McD 70 Amateur Gardening 188 American Pomological Society 50 Anger's Quince 52 Anjou Peat 15 Ants, to drive away... 171,205 Apios Tuberosa ^7. 53 Aphis on Cherry Trees 84 Apple Butter .. 324 Apple Gatherer 149 Apples for Alberta 26 Apples, Hardy. 137 Apple Orchard, Profits of 199 Cultivation of 265 Manure for 343 Packer 271; Picker 201, 246 Shipments, Comparative 230 Scab 112,262,268 Tree Borer 129 Tree, Hardy 137 Tree, Famous 78 Apples Worth Knowing about 337 Apples, Varieties — Belle de Boscoop 238 Ben Davis 268 Calville 27, 54 Canada Baldwin 337 Delaware 23 Decarie 338 Fameuse Sucree 338 La Rue 156, 186 Longfield 27 Newton Pippin 165 Oldenburgh 75, no Peach 339 Queen 11 Seedlings 13, 25 Seedless .. 142, 207 Switzer ... 344 Winter St. Lawrence 337 Woolly Baldwins 353 Apricot, Budding the 54 Apricots, Russian 98, in Arrangement of Flowers in a Bed 121 Ash 160 Asparagus 85 Asparagus, Culture of 349 Banana, the . 35. // Bark Lice, Kerosene for 294 Baron de Bonstettin Rose 61 Begonia, Tuberous-rooted 171 Ben Davis Apple 268 Blackberry, the Erie 348 Black Knot 138, 237 Blight 113, 293 Book Table 29, 58 Bordeaux Mixture 23,291 Borer 129, 155 Bracing Posts 336 British Columbia, Fruit Culture in .. 9, 23 Brown Rot of Grape 49, 296 Bubach Strawberry 247, 251,311 Bud Moth 141 Buftum Pear 326 Bulbs. Summer Flowering 194 Burnet, Rev. R 4. 254 Calville, Blushed 54 Canning 'Fruit 167, 292 Canadian Apples in England 114. 219 Superiority of 138 Catalpa 160 Cauliflower 142 Caragana Arborescens .. — 200 Catalpa Speciosa 330 Celery, Culture of 40 Celery, Keeping 349 Cecropia Moth 276 Centennial Peach 139 Cherries 212 Cherry Rot 213 Chrysanthemum 8g Crystal City Strawberry 250 Climbers in Autumn 226 Support for .. 255 C — {Continned.) page Coal Ashes 201 Codling Moth 154 Conn Gooseberry 237 Concord Grape 294 Cottage Home, a 12 Crabs, Hardy 24, 286 Crandall Currant, 54, 92, 165, 175, 201, 206, 228, 295. Cuttings 284 Cultivation in Dry Seasons 42 Curculio ... 38, 125, 167. 203, 278, 301, 307. D Dahlia 195 Decoration of Home Grounds 187 Delaware Red Winter 23 Dogwood 241 Domestic Notes 292 Dominion Fruit Growers' Convention.. 296 Downy Mildew 297 Duchess Pear 3 Duchess of Oldenburg Apple 75, 117 Dufferin Islands 243 Duty on Garden Seeds 122 E Earhart Raspberry 340 Earliest Pay Best, the loi Early Victor Grape 131 Evaporators, Fruit 87 Empire Produce Co 138 End of the Year, the 352 Erie Blackberry 263 Early Green Plum 265 Eureka Strawberry 23, 311 Evaporator 168, 195, 314, 315 Export Apple Trade 28,263 Farmers' Institute 23, '325 Farmers' Garden 72 Fast Growing Trees 160 Fence, the .. 262 Fertilizer, the best 347 Friends of the Farmer 134 Floriculture 82, 105, 164, 225, 325 Flowers in a Bed 121 Flowering Shrub, Red 206 Forestry Notes 20, 159 First Lessons in 128 English and Canadian 130 Lawn Trees 257 Forest Tree Culture 259 Frontignan Grapes 86 Fruit Growers, Dominion Conveniion < f . 354 Fruit Growing in a Northern Clime 280 on Clay 37 in North Hastings 76 Brussels 115 Simcoe Co. 116, 174,267 Lanark Co 175 London 237 at Niagara Falls 244 in Nepean 280 New Brunswick 269 Orillia 236 Fruit Growing in Stormont 235 Huron Co. 268,299 Fruit Crops 26,27,28,180,229 Fruit a Perfect Food 323 Fruit, Cooking of 324 Crystallizing 346 Culture in British Columbia.... 9 Flavor in 324 Preservation of 291,313 Tree Pedlar 290 True to Name 306 Fruit Rooms 283,313 Fuchsias 109 Fusicladium 112,262 Fruit Markets 28,56,144,175,270,299 33I-354- Fungi, Edible 353 G Gabriel Tournier 16 Gardening, Amateur 188 Geraniums, etc 109 German Prune, Baker 53 Girdling Grape Vines 83,200 Girdled Trees 84,88 Gladiolus 194 Glory of the Snow 109 Gloxinia, a White 16 Golden Queen 44,331, 341 Golden Prolific Gooseberry 125 Gooseberries, Samples of 233 English 248 Fruit Worm 235 Maggot 169 Mildew 249, 309 The Pearl.. 317 Grading Fruit for Market 292 Grafting 138 Grain and Fruit 251 Grape Culture, Hints of lot Grape Crop in Durham 337 Juice 231, 345 Rot 44 Wood Disease 53 Vine Flea Beetle 232 Pruning 65,205,224 Grapes, Bottling 36 Brown Rot of 296 Early 294 Girdling of 83 Keeping 340 Gregg 341 H Hardness of Woods 135 Haverland Strawberry 251, 311 Heating a Small Greenhouse . .. 347 Hedge in Shade 25 Hedges, Ornamental 346 Hilborn Raspberry 340 Home Garden 134 Honeysuckles 147, 191, 227, 264 Horticultural Exhibitions 51 House Plants . 255 Hydrangea 117 Idaho Pear 227,326 Iris, Hardy 267 Japan Ivy 7, 22? Jessie Strawberry 116, 236, 251, 31 ' John Hopper Rose 333 JudasnTree. Judging Fruits 139 Juneberry, the 233, 269, 348 K Keeping Fruit 43, 291, 313, 339 Grapes 36 Kerosene Emulsion for Plant Lice .. 83,204 22«. Kniften System of Pruning 205 Koslov Morello Cherry 21G Ladder 149 Landscape Gardening, Hints on, 5, 32, 67,103, 119 La Rue Apple 156,186 Lawn Trees 257 Leconte Pear 136 Letters from Russia 173, 215, 237 Little's No 4. Strawberry 247 Liquid Grafting Wax 348 Locust 160 Logan Strawberry 312 London Purple 170 Longfield Apple ... 27 M Maggot, Apple 8 Mallows, To Destroy 142 Manure 237,260 for Apple Orchards 343 and Ashes 330 Mixed 200 Marlboro Raspberry 340,341 Mice Protector 55 Mildew 231, 249, 297, 309 Mitchell's No. i Tomato log, 330 Moore's Ruby Currant 201 Morse's Seedling Apple 285 Moths, Destruction of 174 Mulberry, Russian 171 Mushroom Culture 190 N Nemaha Raspberry 340 New or Little Known Fruits, 125, 285, 265, 311 317 Newton Pippin 165 New Year 21 Niagara Falls Park 203 Northern Light Grape 330 Norway Spruce from Seed ... 52 Notes Suggested by July No 214 Oak, Dying 234 Ohio Raspberry 341 Oldenburgh Apple iii, 117 Ontario Apple 330 Orchard, Care 347 to Make it Pay 163 Trees for the 34 Location of 223 Orchids Houses of VV. S. Kimball 79 Oyster Shell Bark Louse 24 Packing House 150 Table 275 Palms ... 54,110 Paris Green 207, 253, 266, 289 Paul Neyron 16 Pasture Poisoning 289 Peaches, Hardy 109,49 New 319 Peach Crop 136 Orchards, Cultivation of 253 of South Africa, the 319 Pear Blight 112, 229, 267, 293 Pears (varieties) — Duchess 3 Idaho 2 Pears for Sandy Soil 329 Seedling 285 Pearl Gooseberry 317 Pea Weevil .. 141 Phosphate Acid 197 Phosphate Meal 132 Pickling Apples 339 Pinching Back Raspberry Canes 163 Pithy Gall of the Blackberry 204 Planting Trees 107 Planting Tree Seed 135. 159 Plum Pockets 321 Plums 123,265 Native 132 Pruning 113 Poetry — Among the Flowers 350 1889 I Crofter's Farewell 208 Forget-me-not 272 May 208 My Garden .143 That Garden Long Ago 164 The Gardener's Song 240 Potash, Forms of 170 Potted Plants 228, 234 Powdery Mildew 231,297 Potting Plants 134 President Allan's Home 308 Propagating Case 84 Profits of Fruit Culture 334 Primulas 136.143 Pruning 62 a Quince, Hardiness of 25 Marmalade 324 Jelly 324 Useful and Ornamental 348 Rabbits and Trees 15 Raby Castle Currant 87 Raspberries Tested 340 Raspberry Canes, Flinching back 163 Raspberry Plantation 246 Reports of Trees and Plants Tested ..26, 44 55, 115, 158, 207 Rhododendrons 329 Rhubarb, Vinegar from ... 86 Rind of Fruit Indigestible 323 Robson's Prune 265 Root Pruning 233, 345 Roses (varieties) — Baron da Bonstetten 16,61 Gabriel Tournier 16 John Hopper 333 Paul Neyron 16 Rose Beetle 307 Cuttings 54, 225 RosesforiSSg 16 Fall Treatment of 256 Management of 193,256 Propagating 225 Pruning 164 Rose Thrip 329 Russian Apples 83, 354 Apricot 273 Cherry 216 Mulberry 171 Pears 273 Saunders' Plum 168,208 School Grounds 103, 166 Seasonable Hints for Fruit Growers, 148,240 274. 305- 334 Seedless Apple 142,207 Seedlings 13, 25, 265, 285, 286, 287, 319 Shaffer Raspberry 14, 45, 209 Sheldon Pear 15 Shrubs for Canada 34 Simon's Plum ...177,220,254,294,299, 318 Sexuality of Strawberry Plants, 93 Small Fruits, Success with 77 Varieties of 97, 353 Smith's E.xtra Peach 319 Some Prominent Canadian Horti- culturists— Rev. R Burnett 4 Mr. R. McKnight 152 Mr. W. H. Mills 178 Soot Water 325 Sorting Table 275 Sowing Flower Seeds 105 Sparrow, the English 84, 133, 137,320 Spraying ,. 124, 278 Trees 137, 202, 203 Stock for Cherries 52 Pears 52 Stachys, the 127, 137, 152 Stone Antonovka 215 Strawberries in Shade 141 Big Berries 236 Merits of Various 134, 221 New Strawberries Fall Planting of 282 Varieties of , 23 Strawberry Growing that Pays 14 Strawberry Beds, Digging up 175 Early 348 Potted Plants 228,234, 247 Sexuality of the 93 A New 235 Winter Mulching of the 347 Success J uneberry , . .. 234 5>ummer Meeting 210 Summit Strawberry 311 Switzer Apple 344 Swallowing Cherry Stones ... 322 T Tar for Borer, in Thinning Fruit 229 Tigridia Conchiflora 17, 194, 298 Thrips 61 Tomato, a new 109 Tomatoes, Keeping 352 Tomatoes Tested 151 Transportation 55 Transplanting Trees 11 Tree and Man 47 Tree Cricket 140 Tulip 142 Turner 341 Tyler 341 u Use of Fruit 201,322,345 Value of Fruit Trees 344 Value of Fruit in United States 201 Vegetables 108 Ventilated Barrel 335 Vergennes Grape 31 Vines on Trees 236 Vinegar from Rhubarb 86 Victoria Currant 87 Victoria Park 242 Virginia Creeper 227 Vladimir Cherry 228,239 w Wager Peach 294 Walnut 161, 20I Warfield Strawberry 250, 312 Warder, Dr. J. A 106 Water Lilies 202 Wealthy Apple 303 Windbreaks 342 Window Plants, Spring Treatment .... 80 Wilder Pear 286 Wine Making 297 Winter care of Apple Orchards 344 Winter St. Lawrence 337 Winter Meeting 21, 294, 327 Winter Protection 305 Willow, Weeping 69 Wisteria 298 What is It? 329 "W—iCofitinned.) I'AGE White Grape Currant loo Wonderful Peach 115 Woods in Winter nj Woodbine, English .. 264 Woodpecker on Birch Tree 95, 109 Wragg Cherry 228,236 PAGE Y Yellows , 137,264 Yellow Transparent 295 Yucca 192 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO VOL. XII. PAGE Ayiesworth, S. M., Collingwood, 224 Allan, A. McD., Goderich 9 Abbot. L. F., Lewiston, Me 71 Bell, Re%'. Geo, Kingston 12 Beadle. D. W., St. Catharines 98 Beall. Thos., Lindsay 214 Bell, J. J, BrockviUe 186 Burnet, Rev. R., Milton 337 Croil, John Aultsville 72 Cline, Geo. W., Winona 123 Fletcher, Jas, Ottawa 130 Foote, L, Nepean .. 280 Gowan, Grandma, Mont Royal Vale I, 143, 208, 272 Goover, T. M, Norwood ... 18, 128. 159, 257 Hilborn, W. W., Ottawa 97 Leslie, Geo, Sr., Leslieville 157 Little, John, Granton 14,221 Lockett, F. S 187 Mitchell, Fred., Innerkip 16, 79 PAGE Morden, E.,?>iagara Falls S 77 Morse, S. P., Milton 129, 208 Morton, A., Brampton 248 Nichol, D., Cataraqui 95. 156 Niemetz, Jaroslav, Ro%-no, Wolinia, Russia 215 Panton, Prof, J. H., Guelph 121 Parker, B. W., Binbrook 37 Race, T. H., Mitchell 249, 308 Rogers, G. M, Peterboro' So Roy, Simon, Waterloo 125 Simmers, H., Toronto 17, 190 Saunders, Wm., Ottawa 13 Summey, E. E loi Turner, W. S., Cornwall 40, 188 Wolverton, L., Grimsby, i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 31, 32, 34, 61, 62, 89, 117, 119, 136, 147, 148, 152, 154, 177, 180, 209, 212, 241, 242, 245, 273, 274, 276, 304, 305, 307, 333. 334- INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Ashton 6 Among the Flowers 348 Apple Maggot 6, 7 Apple Gatherer 149 B Burnet, R .. 4 Bark Lice 24 Banana 46 Bracing Posts 33'> Borer, the I55 c Crandall Current 93 Cherry Rot 213 Cecropia Moth 276, 277, 278 PAGE Cuttings 284 D Duchess d'Angouleme 3 E Evaporator i69 Eureka 23 Early Green Plum 26S F Flea Bettle 23* Fruit Table .^ 27S Fruit I'acKer '. 276 Fruit Ladder M9 G PAGE Grading for Drains 7^ Grand Avenue 8 Glory of the Snow io8 Golden Prolific 126 Ignotum Tomato 151 Italian Villa 33 Idaho Pear — Cross Section 2 K Koslov Bush Morello 217 Lawn View ir.o M Mushroom Culture 190,191 Mills, W. H 179 McNight R. 153 Packing House 149 Pruning Trees 63,64 Grapes 65,66 Protection of Blackberries 305 Pearl Gooseberry 318 Plum Pockets 321 Propagation of Roses 225, 226 Planting Trees 107 Plan for Small Lot 68 Queen Apple 11 S PAGE Stachys 127, 152 Stone Antonovka 216 Seedling Plums 288 Sexuality of Strawberries 94 V View of Hudson 7 Vine Pruners 67 Ventilated Barrel 335 Victoria Park 243,244 w Woodpecker 95 Warder, Dr 106 Wonderful Peach 115 Weeping Willow 69 Wonder of Italy 151 Wilder Pear 287 COLORED PLATES. Baron de Bonstettin Rose 61 Chrysanthemums .. 89 Honeysuckles 143 Idaho Pear i John Hopper Rose 334 Oldenburgh, Duchess of 117 Red Flowering Dogwood . 240 Russian Apricot .. 273 Shaffer Raspberry 209 Simon's Plum 177 Vergennes Grape 31 Wealthy Apple ; 303 IDAHO. THE ^aiKidiftU ^Toi'tienltdpist Vol. XII. JAN LulRY, i^^9. No. i. I'or Thk Canadian Hok ticl'i.turist. 1889:^^= ^ NOl NOTHER year! ah me! Has cycled into Eternity. .\non, as we its recjuiem sing, We liear the sliout, " God bless the Knig," The new horn infant, Eiglity-nine — The old hath fled in the mist of time. Now let us happy he, in the dear old way, Revelling in affection's voice to-day ; Oblivious of our heritage of sorrow, Leave life's dark combat till to-morrow, Give withering care into the hands divine (A happy, trusting heart, has fadeless prime.) Tho' snowflakes gather high and cold. We'll joyous be, as in days of old. While seated roimd our well piled fire, Let faith see our Eternal Sire, As gushing up from Memory's spring. We trace His bounteous hand, and softh' sing The oft-repeated, oft-forgotten chant, " The Lord's my Shepherd, I shall not want. ' Let sunshine fill our souls anew. And bid each thankless sigh adieu, Pray God for peace of mind and spirit clear, .And with that boon, Hr'll grant a smiling year. G KAN DM A GoWAN. Mont Royal \'alk, Dicunbcr, 1S88. The Canadian Horticulturist. THE IDAHO PEAR. URING the past year we have 1 seen a great many notices of this pear. Most of our horti- cultural exchanges have given it great prominence, and many of them engravings of it ; and since there is such a universal chorus of laudation from all sides, our readers will soon be accusing us of ignorance if we do not join. We have, therefore, had a colored plate of illustrations ; and it is further described as follows: — "Cavity very irregular; basin shallow and plaited ; calyx very small and closed ; core very small ; skin golden yellow, with many russety dots ; flesh melting, juicy, with a sprightly, vinous, delicious flavor; season, Septem- ber and October." The season of ripen- ing is about a month later than the Bart- lett ; it is a much better keeper. Fig. I.— The Idaho Pear. Cro.ss Section. the Idaho pear printed for our January number. The Idaho pear originated in the northern part of the Territory of Idaho, whence its name. It was first noticed as the Mulkey pear, after a Mrs. Mulkey, of Lewiston, to whom belongs the credit of raising it from a seed sown some twenty years ago. The general form and coloring of the fruit is well shown in our In fig. I. we show an outline of a cross section of the Idaho pear, showing the small size of the core, which is almost seedless. Although the exterior is some- what coarse in appearance, like the Duchess, the flesh is fine, smooth, and free from granulations. The tree is a good grower, we are told, but inclined to overbear ; yet even with- out thinning, the pears grow to average Tlie Cafiadian Horticulturist. 3 from ten to fifteen ounces in weight, and its siiitahility for Canada is onlv conjee- specimens have been grown weighing turai. We may, however, safelv infer over twenty ounces. It has not yet been that it is hardy when we consider that fruited outside of Idaho, and therefore Lewistou is in hititucU; 46' north. DUCHESSE D'ANGOULEME. ^T^IIIS tnafijnificent French pear the best condition, both as to appear- i is too well known among our ance and quality. Some of us leading fruit growers to need any attempted one season to keep the introiluction here. For years past Duchesse for marketing at Christmas Fig. 2. — A Bush Pear Trek (Duchesse d'Angouleme). this and the Louise Bonne de Jersey have been planted as the two leading varieties of fall pears, and have been crowded into our city markets in October and November. One thing at least has been learned of late concerning the marketing of fruit, viz., that, as a rule, the best time for the sale of fruit is just when it is in time ; it was beyond their proper season a long way, and though with care they were preserved fairly well, the demand was scarcely as good as in October. Generally speaking, this pear should be marketed before the middle of November if in baskets, and in October if in barrels. 4 The Canadian Hortiailtnnst. Pears weigh one-third lieavier than apples for the same bulk, and therefore, especially for such large kinds as the Duchesse, the half-barrel or keg is much preferable to the barrel ; it is so much more easily handled, and will command a better price in proportion. Grown on standards the Duchesse is somewhat uncertain, both in size and quality; but grown on dwarf trees it is most delicious and of the best quality, and certainly an honor to the Duchesse d'Angouleme of France, even if it was a seedling found in a hedge near Angers. Pro- bably no pear will better respond to liberal culture than it does ; and a liberal cutting back of a portion of the new growth often results in the production of samples over one pound in weight. Indeed, we have found that in the case of dwarf trees of some ag£, which were bearing small and knotty fruit, a wholesale cutting back of the old wood was most bene- ficial, resulting in a vigorous young growth, and consequently in fruit of much improved form. We reproduce from The Garden an engraving of a new style of train- ing dwarf pear trees, which is now being adopted in England with con- siderable success. It is bush form of training, the trees branching at the ground and not being allowed to form an}' trunk. In this way the\- may be planted at a distance of six feet apart, and kept so low that no ladders are required in gathering the fruit. Trees thus grown have pro- duced a prodigious crop in the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Chiswick, near London. Another advantage of this mode of culture was observed in this, that very little damage was done these trees bv storms, while standards were half- stripped of their fruit by high winds. SOME PROMINENT CANADIAN HORTICULTURISTS.— VI. REV. ROBERT BURNET. THOSE of us who were in atten- dance at the meetings of our Association during the years from 1869 to 1879 will recognise in the accompany- ing steel engraving the genial face of one who, during those years, filled the presi- dential chair with distinguished ability, characterized by geniaHty of manner; his warm greetings were always appreci- ated by us as he welcomed us to the meetings ; and his vivacity gave great liveliness to the discussions, while his manner of eliciting information from each one present was eminently suc- cessful. Regarding the life of the Rev. Robert Burnet, we have only a few bare facts at our command from which to compile this sketch. His father, James Burnet, and his progenitors for five generations, were natives of Ladykirk, Berwickshire. Scotland ; he was a lineal descendant of the Burnet family, who, for five hundred years, were millers in Neustead Mill, and afterwards in Tweed Mill, as pub- lished by Dr. Chalmers in a volume of his " Miscellany." His mother was Elizabeth Blair, daughter of David Blair, once tacksman of the Home Farm, F"loors Castle, Roxburghshire. # ^ 'et /--/k/lu^a-l^iy The Canadian Horticnltiirist. 5 Robert was licensed to preach the (jospel, and ordained 1)\ tlie Presbytery c)t" Fordown.and inunediately afterwards vohuiteered as a missionary to Upper Canada, as Ontario was then called; althont^h stront;ly nrged by the Rev. Dr. McFarlane, then Moderator of tlu' General Assembly, to go to India as headmaster of the Assembly's school there, and to act as ehaplain of (he forces. I'or twenty-six years tlie Re\ . R. Bnrnet was minister of St. Andrew's Chnrch, Hamilton, during which time he took a special interest in horticul- tural and agricultural pursuits. In 1869 he was elected President of the I'ruit Growers' Association of Ontario at the annual meeting held in London, Ont., on the 22nd September, in wliich office he succeeded W. H. Mills. Esq., of Hamilton. His able conduct of the meetings during his ten years of office have already been alluded to, and his \alual)le annual addresses form an im- portant feature in the reports of the Government of those years. In 1880 Mr. Burnet removed to Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he ministered for four years in St. Andrew's Church, and then returned to Ontario. In addition to the above we may re- mark that the subject of our sketch was a life member of the American Pomo- logical Society, of which he was for a time one of the Vice-Presidents; and honorary member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. From liis quick i)erceptions in the identification of fruits, and of their com parative excellences, he is frequently employed as |judge in the horticultural department at fairs, and these duties he creditabK- discharges. A FEW HINTS ON LANDSCAPE GARDENING. WI{ make no attempt at the treatment of this interesting subject from a professional stand- point. We only propose giving, in a simple niamier, a few important points concerning that department of landscape gardening which deals with the laying out of lawns and of ornamental grounds, hoping our remarks may be useful to those of our readers who may be planning improvements in the surroundings of their homes, to be carried out when spring again comes round. We want to cultivate a taste for the beautiful, in the arrangement of the grounds around our country homes ; a taste that is sadly defi- cient in many (|uarters, as is evidenced by the untidy and unkempt appearance of many of the door- yards belonging even to some of our prosperous farmers. Generally speaking, we find two sacred enclosures in front of the house, each surrounded by a picket fence, one of which is the door-yard and the other the garden ; and, on either side of the house, barns, corn- cribs, pig-pens, etc., reign supreme. The door-yard, as it is indeed aptly called, is sometimes planted regu- larly, like an orchard, with maples or spruces, and has a front walk directly across the middle, just wherever the course of human feet have worn it clear of grass. What is to be done in such a case ? Why, begin ih novo, to be sure ; tear away these ugly division fences ; group all out-houses as much as possible about the barn in the The Canadian Horticulturist. rear, concealing them with groups of ornamental trees, and then proceed to lay out walks, and drives and to plant trees according to some definite plan. The winter is the best time for drawing out such a plan on paper, and therefore the following remarks. To illustrate our subject we pre- sent our readers with a series of engravings, representing Ashton, the country seat of H . Maunsell Shieffelin, of Yonkers, N.Y. The plain Italian style of the house sets off to the better advantage the great import- ance of well-planned surroundings for producing elegance of effect. No division fences are observable, unless far back in the rear ; the groups of trees are a beautiful set- tingto the picture, while the closely-shaven lawn in front is an adornment too little valued by those who spade up a portion of the front grounds for the growing of annual flowers. The pathway, which too often cuts the front lawn in halves, is here made to skirt along the border, under a pleasant shade, and to approach the front door by a graceful curve. The absence of shrubbery about the verandah and sides of the house is also observable, in contrast with the vulgar custom of planting beds of shrubs and perennial flowers to grow along the sides of the house. Instead of this, the closely-shaven lawn up to the very walls is in much better taste, the shrubs being grouped in some more appropriate places. The climbers about the posts of the verandah are also worthy of our attention, for they lend a grace and charm which no archi- tectural ornament could impart. There are Fig. 3. — AsHTcjN ; The Residence of H. Maunsell Shiekkelin, Yonkers, N.Y. The Cauadian Horticulturist. ers which are hardy enough to be planted in Ontario, among which may be men- tioned, for the benefit of amateurs^ the Virginia Creeper, and many varieties of the Clematis, Honey- suckle and Climbing Rose. These carriage-way must be a constant source ofgrati- ''-- fication to the owner, as well a> a great attraction to every visitor. The common fault in planting orna- mental trees along a roadway is in placing them too near to the walk or trained to twine about the pillars of drive, forgetting the spreading the porch, or to cover the bare walls of the house, make a most appro- priate ornament. The Japan Ivy (Ampelopsis Vcitchii) is unequalled for covering a stone or brick wall. for it needs no support, and it takes on the most splendid tints in autuniu ; but we have not included it in the above list because, although it succeeds south of Toronto, we have not as yet had it thoroughly tested north of that city. A delightful feature in this country seat is the grand avenue shown in fig. 5. The grass borders here do not need to be so closely-shaven as upon the front lawn, but the evenly branches of future years. In the engraving this fault is avoided, and the trees are kept at a respectful distance from the drive-way. W'c wisli to call the attention of our readers to another important point in the grounds at Ashton. Too often in laying out the plans for our ornamental grounds we forget the charm of a distant prospect, antl thoughtlessl}' hide from view In- dense maples or spruces, some beautiful view of mountain, river or lake ; or, perhaps, the spires of a town nestled away in a picturesque valley. This has been carefully guarded against at Ashton, where The Canadian Hortiailturisl. that side of the grounds whidi faces rather with the irregularity of the majestic Hudson has been nature ; consequently 'they are only sparingly i)lantetl with just enough in place in some retired nook of of trees and shrubs to set off the mag- shrubbery. In our illustration they nificent view by partial concealment, add very much to the interest of the Fre(]U('ntl\-, too, we see rustic scene. . — G KAN 11 A\i:nuI'. seats in variety disposed upon the verandah, or in proximity to the house. This, too, is in bad taste, for they do not accord wath the correct lines of architecture which characterize the carpenter's art, but In a future number we will give some further hints which may be useful to those of our readers who wish to improve their homesteads without calling in the services of a landscape gardener. THE APPLE MAGGOT. THE Report of the Maine State Pom. Society for 1887 re- ports that this insect is on the increase in that State. The varieties mostly affected are the early varieties, and of these chiefly the sweet and sub-acid ones. The scientific name of this maggot is Trypcta PomoncUa, and it is wholly distinct from the Codling Moth, of which the life-history has been frequently illustrated. The former is, if anything, the more destructive, because it eats through the skin of the apple and feeds upon the pulp, tunneling it in every direc- tion, avoiding the core, thus render- ing the fruit wholly unfit for use ; and because as yet no ready means of destroying them have yet been discovered. Fig. 6 represents the adult insect, a small black fly, here considerably magnified, of which the head and legs are of a rust-red color, the wings have peculiarly-shaped black bands, and the abdomen has white bands. The length of the body of the male The Canadian Horticulturist. is 1-5 inch. The fly appears in the latter part of summer, and deposits its eggs, which soon hatch out into a small footless larva, from -ig to '27 inches in length, of yellowish white or greenish tinge. At that time of the year the application of Paris green would he unsafe, as the apples are about mature ; and hence the only means of checking them which suggests itself is by pasturing witli sheep or pigs, which would eat up the infested fruit. When this larva is full grown it lea\es the apple. hides just under the surface of the earth, transforming into a cocoon as shown in fig. 7. The Apple Maggot is a native of America, and its natural food is the haws of our thorn trees and the crab-aj^ples ; and, just as the Potato Heetle left its natural food to prey upon a cultivated species of the same htinily, so this maggot seems of late ifc# to be threatening a wholesale invasion of the apple orchards. We have not so far met with this insect in Canada, but in Maine its ravages are somewhat alarming ; it is also becoming a serious pest in Indiana, according to the Transac- tions of the Indiana State Horticul- tural Society for the year 1S85, and is also reported from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. FRUIT CULTURE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. A Ll-.TTKK I KOM THr. PrKSIDKNT. THIS Province is very far behind in fruit-growing. The markets are filled with California fruits which, in pears, are inferior quality to home-grown. They get apples from two adjoining States, which are down low in quality. Spies are quite ripe for the table, and won't keep long from present appearance. It is annoying to a fruit-grower to observe the apath}- of the people to their own interests. Even where the\- plant orchards the trees are neglected so that their life is short and miser- able, almost every tree being covered with moss and unhealthy in appearance. In trimming they evi- dently chop off branches without regard to symmetry or the future life of the tree. Indeed, it needs a practised eye and hand to do the work here in this respect, as, when trees bear, the load is so heavy that trees are twisted and bent in all shapes. My good friend Dempsey would thin out the fruit. An Asso- ciation like ours would help to spur up the people, I shouKl think. They lO The Canadian Horticnltiirist. have fine vallc}^ stretches where fruits could be grown to perfection if properly attended to, and tlie soil is easily cultivated, and a climate most favorable. I have no opportunity to find an3thing on the subject of grape syrups here, as that fruit is not culti- vated to any extent, many people thinking the}- cannot succeed, and besides they rest satisfied with those from California, which are certainly fine, though not high flavored. M}' time will be so occupied that I can- not go to California this trip, as desired. I leave here this week for Vancouver, and from thence east- ward. All through, this " Canada of Ours " is a wonderful country both in extent as well as richness. For scenery 1 never even dreamed of anything like that passing through the mountains. There appears to be more desire among the people on the prairies for progress in forestr\- and fruit-growing than 1 find here, and certainly they are a much more energetic and "go-ahead" popula- tion, although struggling through hard winters and fighting with the many uncertainties of so large an extent of prairie. But I look for great results yet there, and I believe forest planting will play the most important part in bringing about such results. Tlie men of tlie prairies are all heroes, possessing that determination of purpose and energy that is sure of reward, and we should give a helping hand. — Yours very truly, Alex. McD. Allax. SOME FOREIGN APPLES AND PEARS. Several of my dwarf apples and pears have fruited this fall. I have sent by this mail three apples, the Queen, Lane's Prince Albert and Cornish Gilliflower (true) ; two pears, Fertility and Therese. You will find the names in P. & E. Transon Bros,' Orleans, France, catalogue. I have about_ 40 imported varieties of apples, and 15 to 20 of pears ; some are equal to our best, if not superior. One fine pear that grew on a tree 18 inches high, the flavor of a rich musk melon, ripened with the Bartlett — byname, Beurre de Mortillet. — Jno. D. Roberts, Cobourg, i6th Oct., 1888. MR. ROBERTS certainly de- serves credit for his enter- prise in testing and introducing to the notice of our Association so many varieties of foreign fruits. Last fall he sent us quite a large collection of samples of English apples, whicli he had grown from imported stock ; see Report 1887, p. 172. Of these, the Cellini was a most attractive and showy variety ; an English cooking apple of very good quality, and which has been found to succeed in Prince Edward County by Mr. P. C. Dempsay. Of these now before us, the most showy, by all odds, is the Queen. It is enormous in size, measuring 13 inches in circumfer- ence ; oblate in form, with steni deep set in a deep, fminel-shaped green russeted basin. In color it some- what resembles a King, but the red is more in stripes and blotches. Quality very good, especiall)- for cooking. Such a showy apple as this, if it proves a good bearer, would be most profitable, and we shall be pleased to hear from Mr. Roberts upon this point. The Garden (Eug.) speaks of it as a fine cropper in England, and ripening in October. We have prepared an engraving of the Queen apple from the sample sent us by Mr. Roberts, which wil 'I'lic Canadian hlorlicuUnrist. i I f^ive our readers a very correct idea of its size and form. None of tlie other varieties seem to commend themselves to our notice as superior to those we have already in cultivation, either of those, re- ceived now or last fall. Lane's Prince Albert is larj^^e, green, with deep reil spread over the caly.x end, firm, of good (luality for cooking. The pears both impress ^ us favor- ably, so far as one may judge from single specimens ; and, by the way, this remark must rjualify all that has been said al)ove. The Fertility re- sembles in size and shape the Louise, but in color and markings is more like the Duchess, which it also '^-:-y--f^-rW^^'-^ ^xmm .^Mi: 1M(.. .S.— rnK IJlKKN. DkAWN and liNC.HAVI' sprinkled with numerous green dots, but of very ordinary quality. The Cornish Gilliflower is of good quality, medium size, ovate, suitable for desert purposes were it more attrac- tive in appearance, but its red is too much obscured by ugly green antl russet patches. King of the Pippins is medium, roundish, ovate, \ellow, tinged and splashed with red. ilt'sli ;n roK the "Canadian Hokticli.tl-kist. " resembles in flavor. The Therese i^ a russet pear, somewhat resembling in form a small-sized SheKlon ; the flesh is fine grained, melting, buttery, juicy, and of a very rich and ex- cellent fla\ or. We should be ^in- clined to call it very good. Com- mendable for dessert purposes. Both the above are ripe at this dale. vi/.. ()(-t. iS. 12 TJie Ccfuadiaii Horticultiirisi. A COTTAGE HOME. iv Rkv. Gko. Bi:li,, LL.D., of Queen's College, Kingston. THE desire for tlie acquisition of property, mone)', or that which money will procure, seems to be universal in human nature. Add to this man's social and domestic in- stincts, and the result will be an intense longing for a ho)nc, a place which he and his famil}- may call their own. With the possession of even the most rudimentar\' elem -nts of aesthetic taste, the wish will arise to have a cosy cottage home, with some surroundings of trees, shrubs and flowers. Oh, hoAV the toilers in cities dream of some such paradise in the country, and long for the hope of attaining it ! If a man has inherited capital, or has early in life gained it, the question of obtaining a home, whether a cottage or a mansion, is easily solved. But the great major- ity are not in this case. In a new coimtry like this the lot of most is to toil for daily bread, by work of hand or of brain, with no immediate ex- pectation of accumulated means to invest in real estate. With the ma- jority the onl}- hope of a home of one's own is in a future, many years hence. When the amount which can be saved from income is very small, the prospect is discouraging, and many give up trying to save what seems an insignificant trifle. And so many men pass their lives in wretch- ed houses, hardly fit to be called homes, paying to landlords what should in a few years have procured a comfortable home of their own. The inspiring hope of a home some day in the future is crushed out ; the man becomes discouraged, and per- haps falls into dissipation, and his noble wife sinks under lier toils and dies of a broken heart. Surel)' any efficient means of saving leakages from income, and accumulating them in view of a future home, should be encouraged. Building societies do not seem to have got down to the stage of meeting the requirements of the case ; and I would ask business men who have the capacity for deal- ing with such a problem, if it is not possible to do more than has yet been done to aid the industrious and eco- nomical in this line. I would also earnestly urge on all whose income is small to consider the importance of saving trifling sums, which are often needlessly spent, be- cause being so small they are re- garded as of no importance. One very wide-spread practice may be noted, respecting which a dialogue once took place, somewhat as fol- lows : — A. — " Mr. Blank has had a home- stead burned up, worth $2,000." B. — "How unfortunate ! How did the nre occur r"" A. — " He lighted it himself." B. — " Could he not put it out ?" A. — "He liked so much to see the smoke curling up before him, that he did not wish to have it put out." B. — "Ver}^ strange ; where was the fire kindled ?" A. — "At the end of a cigar, the other end being in his mouth ; and at the end of twenty years the cost of the supply of fuel amounted to $2,000." " Nonsense !" some reader will e-x- claim, " a man never could use $2,000 worth of cigars in twenty years," Till' Ca)iadiaii Horticulturist. '3 Well, let us see. Many men of small incomes spend five, ten or twenty cents a day in tobacco or cigars. Some far more. Five cents a day saved, and at the end of each year put to interest at five per cent., would at the end of ten years amount to $202.50, twenty years !ii>56o, twenty-five years, $815. Ten cents a day so treated would in the same periods respectively amount to !?405, .'f>i,i2o, and $1,630. Twenty cents a ilay would amount to $gio, $2,240, and $3,260. Now I do not wish to raise the question whether the use of tobacco is good or bad — what moral or immoral qualities may attach to the practice of lillin;^ the mouth with smoke for the purpose of blowing it out again ; but suppose all said in its favor to be true (which may be ques- tioned), is it worth as much as the home which the sums named might procure, or is its value a sufficient reason why a man should deprive himself and his family of a home of their own for all the succeeding years of their life ? The possession of a cot- tage home with pleasant surround- ings in the suburbs of a city or in a village, would confer on a family many benefits besides the mere value of it, on which I need not dwell. TWO NEW SEEDLING APPLES. To THE SeCRKTARY OF THE F.G.A. OF Ontario : Sir, — I send you herewith descriptions of two seedling apples which have been grown in a district far north in Ontario, at Minden, a locality where it is com- monly supposed that apples cannot be successfully grown. These have been sent me through the kindness of Mr. J. A. Barron, M.P., who has taken much interest in fruit culture in his constitu- ency. As I think it is most important that the good seedling apples we have in Canada, especially those hardy enough to grow in the colder sections of our country, should be better known, and the production of the new seedlings be en- couraged, I beg that you will give space in the columns of The Horticulturist for the descriptions sent. Should any of your readers have promising seedling fruits, especially late keeping apples, which they would like to have examined and reported on, I shall be glad to receive specimens from them. It is my desire that we should have at the experimental farms all the promising seedling fruits which are to be had, so that thev iiia\ be tested side by side and their relative merits ascertained. Seedling Apple, Groivn by Mr. T. C. Rohsoii, Mimiai. Ontario. Size above medium ; form, oblate ; color, greenish yellow, streaked and splashed with red ; stem, slight and short, with a deep smooth cavitv ; calvx, gpen ; basin, rather deep and slightly ribbed ; flesh, yellowish white, fine- grained and moderately juicy, with a faint aroma and a mild pleasant flavor; core, rather large. A fair dessert ajiple and a good cooker. Its si^e and appear- ance would make it a desirable apple for the north. From its form, color and flavor, it is probably a seedling of Duchess of Oldenburg. Season, October and November. Skedling Apple. Grown hv Mr. f. M. Robertson, Mimitn. Out. Medium size, 28 in. by 2\ in. ; form, oblate conic ; colour, greenish vellow, 14 The Canadian Hotiicultui isl. more or less splashed and dotted witli l)ut a pleasant eatinj^ apple and a good dull red ; stalk, short and sliglit ; ra\ it\ , rather shallow ; calyx, small, closed and shallow, with the basin strongly ribbed : flesh, nearly white, firm, grained, jnicv and cris[) ; sub-acid. Udt high-tla\ ored. cooker; core, medium si.xe. Is the type of Duchess of Oldenburg, but smaller in size and later in season. Ripe in No- vember.— Yours truly, Wm. Saunders, Dii\ttiir lixf>iriiihnltil I-'ctrin, Ottawa. STRAWBERRY GROWING THAT PAYS. Hv John Little, Granton, Ont. \7'ERY few people grow strawberries for pleasure, for no fruit that grows requires such diligent attention as the strawberry, and if this care is not given, ve.xation will take the place of pleasure every time. There are few, however, who cannot take pleasure in helping themselves to the fruit when once brought to perfection. It is this difficulty in cultivating the strawberry that deters so many of the energetic and enterprising farmers of this countrv from supplying their families with an abundance ot this health-imparting and most wholesome fruit. But " where there is a will there is a way," and most farmers would find it to be a benefit to the family if they would in the coming spring plant a bed. They would the following season have fruit, if the plants were cared for, that would be to them a pleasure they little thought of. I will name a few that none need be disap- pointed in. The Crescent is a very populai berry because it is a great bearer, but there are other three new varieties which are said to excel the Crescent every time, that is, Burt, Warfield and Claude. The claims of Burt are — it has the brightest foliage of any yet sent out, is a vigorous grower, and has a perfect blossom. Its season is late ; it is very profitable, of large size and the best shipper ever grown. Many growers prefer it to either the Crescent or Wilson. The Warfielu's claims are that it is more productive than the Crescent ; of a larger size, finer-looking and better quality, and the most valuable variety yet introduced. The Claude is earher than the Crystal City, more productive and larger than the Crescent. If spared, I will tell the readers of The Horticulturist the value of these and other varieties after fruiting, in July, 18S9. HORTICULTURAL. The Shaffer's Strawberry. The Editor of the Couiityy Cn-ntlcnuin savs : — This large, very productive and valuable raspberry, introduced by Charles A. Green, of Rochester, without puffing or parade, has exceeded any other of the new varieties for the short period it has required for a general approval, east and west throughout the country. It exceeds any other variety we have tested in its invariably heavy crops, The berries are large, and uniforml}- free from distortion or any defect in form. It ripens after most of the great throng of varieties have passed away. Although the tips of its canes are often nipped by the cold of winter, it has the reputation of being fairly hard}-. Cultivators find that the The Canadian Ilorticitltiirist. 15 most valiiiibk' iViiits iirt- not :iKv;iys those wliich arc- most highly laiuU'd wlieii in- troduced. This was strikingly tlie case vvitli the Wilson strawberry, wliich its oriKiiiator offered for sale when first introduced at one dollar a liundred plants, nearly at the same time that other strawberries were advertised at five dollars a dozen, and which were ft)rf;otteii long before the Wilson was the most popular berry in nearly every State in the Union. On the whole, it is better for planters to make their selections according to proved merit, rather than from high advertising praise. Two Excellent Pears. Thkke are two late pears, both remark- able for their excellence, which we place as high on the list as any, that are quite unlike in appearance and character. They are the Sheldon and Anjou; the first a native, the other a foreigner. The Sheldon originated in Wayne County, N.Y. ; the Anjou is of I'^rench origin. Well grown specimens of the SheUk>n. when exactly at the right degree of ripening, we have been inclined to place above all others for delicious qual- ity. It is strictly a melting pear, very little pul]) remaining after it once passes the lips, and the flavor is exquisite. The Anjou, on the other hand, is both buttery and melting. While the Shekk)n is sweet, the Anjou has a slight and agree- able acidity. The Sheldon must be taken just at the right time to be at its best, or as an amateur remarked, "it must be eaten iiy tin- chronometer." It is variable in quality and sometimes poor. The .•\uj()U has the remarkable quality of keeping lor some time after it has be- come mellow and fit for eating, which gives it a great advantage. It has long been afamous market variety antl twenty years ago sold in some eastern markets for twenty dollars a barrel ; now it brings about one quarter that sum. The Shel- don, less attractive in appearance to most observers, and not as reliable a bearer, has had but Httle place in mar- kets until within a few years, and even now it is not widely known. President Wilder said that if he could have but one pear it would be the Anjou, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that he first introduced it in this country. — The Coun- try CicntUman. Excluding Rabbits from Trees. A NHWi.v proposed remedy for the exclusion of rabbits from fruit trees in winter, is to mix tincture of assafcetida with liquid mud and apply it thinly with a brush to the stems of the trees, or to every portion which the rabbits are in the way of attacking. A spoonful of the assafcetida to a couple of gallons of the mud is sufificient, but it may be well to varv the quantity and observe the effect. There must be enough to convince these animals that to get at the bark they must take in so disagreeable a dose of the medicine as to prefer leaving it un- touched. It may be necessary to repeat the application as may be required. — Ex. i6 The Canadian Horticulturist. s FLOWERS THE ROSES OFFERED TO MEMBERS FOR 1889. Bv F. Mitchell, Innekkip, Ont. A FEW notes on the roses offered in the plant distribution list for the coming year would perhaps be of interest to some of the readers of The Horti- culturist. It will be noticed that three varieties are offered from which a selec- tion can be made. Paul Neyron is now perhaps as well known as any hybrid perpetual, but it is in so many particulars such a thoroughly good rose that the knowledge of it should be disseminated still farther. The only weak points this rose has is that it is slightly coarse in its coloring and form, and the wood if exposed is liable to win- ter kill. But to offset this, there is, in the first place, its enormous size — and des. pite all the lauding which newer varieties are receiving, and though many votaries have turned from it to newer idols, which they seem to see through magnifying eyes, it really holds its place to-day as the largest rose ever produced. In addi- tion to this it is moderately fragrant, a rank grower, an autumnal bloomer, and in addition to its being a good all-round rose for the open ground, it is a first-class rose as a pot plant in the conservatory. The color is deep rose. Baron DE BoNSTETTEN is a magnificent rose. The color is maroon, blazed with crimson. It is of good size, fragrant, and of fine form. It is the hardiest and is the most easily managed of all of the very dark roses. It is not a good autumnal bloomer, but at its best, in June, it is often the grandest sight in the whole rose garden. Gabriel Tournier, the other variety offered, is a rather later arrival than either of the others. It is not so conspicuous or noticeable an object in a garden of roses as either of the other varieties, not being of unusal size or extreme in color, but at the same time it has so many good points that it is valued very highly by experienced rose growers. The color is deep rose (not red, as some catalogues have it) ; it is very fragrant, of fine form, a very prolific bloomer in the early sum- mer, and also blooms freely in the autumn. Its only weak point (and what rose, or human being either, has not one at least) is, that in rare, particular states of the atmosphere, the buds will not open fully. The plant is of a strong, long and willowy growth. All the three varieties which have been placed upon the distribution list are good free growers, and require less coaxing and petting than many other varieties de- mand, and yet rank quite as high in the scale of general merit and value as these more capricious and exacting sisteis. A WHITE GLOXINIA. Out of a batch of seedling Gloxinias this past summer, I had one which bore blooms of the finest white. Although I had never before seen a white Gloxinia, I did not know the rarity of such a flower until I happened to read an article in the American Florist by an experienced grow- er (William Falconer), in which the writer says he never saw a white Gloxinia, though at the same time he says that an English firm claim to have produced such a flower. Mine is of the finest, most snowy white. It is of the erect form, and bears the blooms well above the foliage on long and strong stems. The Canad'uDi Horticiiltio isl. •7 SOME HINTS IN REFERENCE TO THE BULB DISTRIBUTION FOR SPRING OF 1889 Bv Hkrmann Simmers, Tokonto. HAVING been requested to give a few points in reference to the above subject, in order to facilitate the cultivation of the bulbs, I will endeavor as explicitly as possible to give a few practical hints, so that it may be easier for the cultivator to care for the bulbs. Not much reference need be made to the Gladiolus, except the variety Hor- tense, which is a beautiful rose, on white ground, flamed car- mine. A description of the cultivation has already been given in one of the previous numbers of The Hor- ticulturist. It is an exceedingly pretty flower, and one that will be much admired. Tigridia Conchiflora, sometimes called Tiger Flower, color fine yellow spotted crimson, is a genus of Mexican bulbs growing about one and a half feet high, and producing flowers of exquisite beauty. The flowers are large, about four inches across, of singular curious shape, and the color gorgeous and purely con- trasted. It blooms from July first until October ; the bulbs may be planted in May about two inches deep in anv garden soil, and require no particular care. It is sometimes called the " Day Lily," as the flowers open in the morning and have closed and entirely finished their bloom the same day ; other buds make their appearance every few days and flower in a similar manner. In autumn after the tops are killed by the frost, the bulbs may be taken up and Fig. 9. — Tiger Flower kept in a dry place awaj- from the frost until the time of planting in the spring. They are one of the easiest bulbs to cultivate, and will flower abundantly in any situation. Apios Tuhcrosu, sometimes called tu- berous-rootedWisteria, closely resembles the common Wisteria in vine and foliage, and has clusters of rich, deep purple flowers, which have a strong violet frag- rance. This plant, which is a native of \'irginia, has for a century been cultivat- ed in botanic gardens in Europe, and has only lately been brought to promin- ence,through aFrench traveller during his travels in North America, who believ- ed that the tubers could be made of value as an article of food, for which they are used to some extent. Various at- tempts have been made to cultivate them like the potato, but this is found difficult, on account of the length and weakness of the turning shoots and the length of the roots. The tubers cooked in steam are free from all acidity and bitterness, and very much resemble pota- toes. Dressed in the same way, they contain more nitrogen, also more starchy farina than potatoes. Their care and cultivation is very simple ; plant the tubers near a trellis, about three inches deep, in well prepar- ed ground. They are perfectly hardy, and do not require to be taken up in winter, which is a great advantage. I.S TJic Canaiiian Horticulturist. The bulbs have a hard, vvoodv cover- inj,'. and should not be kept out of the ground for any length of time. Some- times after transplanting in the spring they might not make their appearance until midsummer, or perhaps not at all, but the bulbs being hardy will not hm't by remaining in the ground, and will, most likely, make their appearance the following spring. This may seem a rather long time to wait, but I do not say this will occur ever}' year. It is only on rare occasions this happens ; biit for an ex- ceedingly pretty and rapid climber this should take a prominent place in the fu- • ture. I trust any person trying the foregoing bulbs may have the success I anticipate, as they frequently find an obscure place, on account of not having been valued sufficiently. Every one should succeed even with ordinary care, so if extra care is bestowed there should be no com- plaints heard of. FORESTRY TO-DAY FOR FORESTRY Bv Forester. THERE is no time more suitable for the tree-planter than the present in Ontario. Prof. Fernow, Dii"ector of the Ameri- can Department, says in a late paper the man who plants to-day will have timber just when it is valuable, and in this Pro- vince when the natural supply is not yet exhausted ; but so many countries which once supplied themselves both with fuel and manufactured wood are now seeking it a little further from hcjme, it may well be that we can anticipate the profit of our plantation, if available when the forests of this wooded country are at last extinct. I never heard of logs brought to a saw- mill by railway until last year, and now a factory near by using a lot of hardwood finds it cheaper to import the logs than to search for the few scattering trees in this country still depending on the native forest. If we can even to-day induce owners to care for and preserve the wood lots and encourage the product, it is not too late for scientific forestry to be a useful as well as interesting study for both the land owner and the manufacturer, and if we can lay out plantations on a scale and of a kind to continue the supply to which we are accustomed, our study will be practical as well. The economic value of forest products is really under-valued too often. I hear men say that plantations are only for futurity. It is true that the climatic and protective influences of a plantation in- crease for a long period, and that large trees are of more value in the arts than small ones ; but it is not necessar)? for a plantation to grow into a forest before it is profitable. A factory near me offers to buy more trees than our plantation will ever raise, and take them all as soon as they are six inches in diameter — ash, locust, hickory, oak, elm. Of course we have no data in this country to show what the real growth of a plantation would be, but if there is any truth in the reports of our American neighbors, the ash, locust and elm ought to average six inches at less than ten years of age from seed, much less if from nursery seedlings. If any manufacturing neighbor knows now the difficulty of getting his supply, is The Caiia Uaii IIoi liciiltinist. »9 it not nil (If tluiii likely that in ten or twenty years lie will be able to pay a handsome price for just such trees as a j)lanter would like to raise ? It is not necessary to my arf^ument to go over all the intermediate profits of a plantation of ash or other trees, but aO the authorities who speak from actual f,Mowth say that the thinnings of a lot will pay all expenses — extra trees for trans- planting, small trees for hoops and turn- ings, and many items of profit to the owner. I assume this is agreed to and tliat the encouragement of scientific forestry is desired by all, and that we are all waiting for some one to begin. The decline and gradual removal north- ward of the manufacture of lumber for export are well known. The introduction of coal for fuel in many townships is often referred to, and calculations of the loss to the importers have been attempted. The preservation of the lumber pro- ducing forests is rather more of a pro- blem than Canadian f()restr\- students are prepared to attempt. The question of how much thinning either general or in blocks, will keep the forest still growing and still producing, is one thatldtjnot hear debated in Canada. A lumber man tells me that a grove of pine trees will grow and do well for sixty vears longer inclosed in a forest than if left in an isolated block ; that the pine trees on the margin of the forest left in the burnt districts on Lake Huron are gradually giving way, first near the burnt strips and then further in up to half a mile or more of what looks like a perfect- Iv vigorous forest, the drying out, or the wind, or some other effect of the open space working an injury we cannot see. Many of the remaining wood lots o' Ontario are now being searched for a few- saleable trees, and a few groves of valuable trees are still held by the owners. It is n.>t necessary to introduce the study of forestry while these can still be found. Tiie very scientific American writer above referred to gives a system of forestrv some thing like this : -J . Scientific : I. Forest Biology. Consideration of growing crop. II. Timber Physics. C(jnsideration of the grown crop. III. S(jcial Physics and Chemistry, Conditions for growing. Ji. Economic : . I. Statistics. Areas and products. II. Technology. Lumbering. III. Forest Policy. C. Practical : I. Origination. Artificial plantations. II. Management of Crop. III. Harvest. Are not the mterests of this country directly involved to-day in every item of this scheme? The Woods in Winter. There are many who never take a ramble in the woods in the winter sea- son. They appear to think that because the trees, save the pines, hemlocks, etc., are bare, and because the birds have left for a warmer climate, there is nothing to be seen in the woods in winter. Those who have learned properly to use their eyes, will find that the woods possess enough of interest at all seasons to make a visit to them profitable at any season. Lumbermen, who work at felling trees, do so in the winter only, and can distin- guish trees with great accuracy, and tell one kind of tree from another as far off as they can see them. They do this from the peculiar way in which the tree branches, and the color and markings of the bark. We have found that these same lumbermen, if shown the leaves and Howers of the trees with which thev are so familiar in winter, fail to recognize them ; indeed many are surprised to learn that forest trees have flowers. To be able to recognize trees at all seasons, and to name them accurately, whether they have leaves or not, is a very useful sort of knowledge, which every farmer should acquire. The carpenter, the cab- inet-maker, and all other workers in wood, while they mav not be able to recognize TJie Canadian Horticn/tnrist. the trees, can ttU at once, from a mere chip, the kind of wood they are handhng- — Aiiuriciii! A'^ricitltnyist for December. •• It is strange," remarked a Boston belle, as she observed the shimmering silver birches, " that people will go and whitewash trees that are almost in the woods." — Puck. Forestry Notes. BY FORESTER. Centennial of the Ohio Valley. — An interesting feature of this exhibition at Cin- cinnati was the Forestry Exhibit of Prof. Adolfs Leue, including Forest Zoology, Entomology, Forest Technology. The professor's collection of tree seeds and 200 varieties of woods are among the best in the Union. He also issues yearly a very valuable forestry report for the Ohio State Forestry Bureau. On a farm in the county of Norfolk the boys went out with a wagon in the noon hour lately and got in the box full (about thirty bushels) of walnuts. They are fairly fit to eat if kept over winter, though of a strong, oily taste. In the fall grocers in the vicinity buy them at fifty cents a bushel for this purpose. On this farm they always pick up enough chest- nuts to pay the taxes, and some years they get $150 worth. TJie Canadian Horticulturist. 21 ^^e C^^^^^tan ^DriicuP^uriaf* SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. The New Year. We wish a " Happy aiul Prospcr(ius New Year" to the many readers of The CANADIAN Horticulturist, hoping that in its new dress and other improvements it will prove to be a still more welcome visitor than tlie complimentary remarks of its readers lead ns to believe it has been in the past. The increased demand upon its pages, and the gi'owing membership of our As- sociation, led the Directors, at the last meeting, to place the enlargement of our journal from twenty-four to thirty-two pages, at the discretion of the E.xecutive Committee. At the present writing the prospects of support are sufficiently en. couraging to warrant our printing an en. larged edition of the January number, tlif continuance of which is dependant uj)on the proportionate increase of membership. Our friends will therefore prove their ap- preciation of our exertions by showing the January number to their acquaintances, and seeking to send in long lists of now subscribers. The Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario. Will hold a combined annual and winter meeting at the Court-House, in the City ofHamilton, beginning on Tuesday evening, the igth, and continuing during the 2oth and 21st of February. 1889. A show of choice samples of fruits from each agricultural division is desir- able for comparison. New fruits, im- proved horticultural implements or machinery, plants, flowers, etc., on exhibition, will receive due notice in the report of the Fruit Committee. If sent by express they may lie addressed to the care of the Secretary, at'Hamilton. Certificates for reduced railway fares will be mailed to anj'one applying for them to the Secretary, at Grimsby. (Questions intended for the Question Drciiccr may be sent in advance to the Secretary, at Grimsby, or handed in at tlie meeting. The following is an outline of the programme, with some questions for dis- cussion added to each subject, from which- however, it may be necessary to deviate in some details : — Programme. Tuesday, 8 p.m.. Welcome address by the Mayor — reply by I'resident ; the President's annual address; reports; election of officers. \\'ednesday, 10 a.m., Aitles at the Cold North : Thonuis BcalL Liudsay. What varieties of apj)Ie trees are most Tlic Ccnadian Hcrticiiif?n ist. subject to black heart ? How can it be prevented ? HoKTICULTURAL SPECIALTIKS FOR Farmers: ihe Secretary. Is apple grow- ing profitable ? Does it pay to export our apples ? What are the drawbacks of exportation ? Transportation of fruits to home and foreign markets : What complaints have we to make against the railway, express and steamboat com- panies ? Paper by.-l. M. Smith, St. Catharines. 2.30 p.m., Question Drawer. Paper by -S. P. Morse, Milton. Plums; Varieties for Home Use and Market ; Influence of the Scion ON the Growth and Longevity of the Tree, etc, etc. : Geo. Cline, Winona. Spraying for Curculio. Prunus Simoni. How BEST TO Secure Uniformity and Fairness in the Aw'ards of Prizes TO Fruits at Fairs: Thomas Beall, Lindsay. Discussion of subject. Is it best to advocate the one judge system in the horticultural department at our Fairs ? Should a scale of points be given by the judge in fruits, as is done in the poultry department ? What is the best manner of labeling vai'ieties of fruits for benefit of the public ? Forestry. Address by R. W. Phipps, Commissioner 0 of Forestry, Toronto- What distance apart should walnuts be planted ? How many per acre ? What is the present value of walnut lumber ? 8 p.m. Paper by D. W. Beadle, St. Catharines, Out. Chrysanthemum Growing : Messrs. Webster Brothers, Hamilton. Discussion of subject. In growing such plants as Geraniums, Fuchsias, Cinerarias, Prim- ulas, Begonias, C alias, Oxalis, Tulips, Hyacinths, Heliotropes, Coleuses, etc., in house, or in small greenhouse attached to dwellings, w-hat temperature is re- quired, and how much water ? Should plants exhibited at fairs be given prizes when shcnvn without labels of variety, both common and technical ? Wh.\t can be done with a city garden of, say, 20 feet square in producing supplies for a family : dr. w. c. Adams, Toronto. What is the best way to destroy the cabbage worm f Pieris rapes 1 ? What varieties of tomatoes are least subject to rot ? Addresses by by the Hon. C. Driiry, Minister of Agriculture, Rei'. R. Burnet, of Milton, and Mr. A. Alexander, F.S.Sc. Hamilton. Thursday, 10 a.m. Paper by A. M. Smith, St. Catharines. Discussion. My Experience in a Fruit Garden FOR Home Use : T. H. Race, editor Mitchell Recorder. Discussion of subject. What varieties of strawberries, currants, I'aspberries, blackberries, should lie planted for home use ? Fertilization of Plants : Prof. Panton. Discussion. Birds Useful and Injurious in Horticulture: T. Mcllivraith. Should a law be enacted favoring the extermina- tion of the house sparrow. Thursday, 2.30p.m. Grapes: Varie- ties TO Grow, Shipping, Distributing, Marketing, etc., by E. D. Smitli, Winona. Discussion of subject. What s the best method of preserving grapes or winter use ? What varieties are best or keeping ? Should grapes that are grown to an abnormal size by ringing compete at our fairs with those gro\\n in the ordinary way? In judging fruits at our fairs, should size or quality ha\e the highest value ? Should the Fruit Gi'owers' Association be represented at Farmers' Institutes ? Is it not time for the F. G.A. of On- tario, to take up the question of marketing "our fruits ? Would it be wise to have a fruit inspector appointed ; or what means could be adopted to induce growers to put up good, straight, honest packages of fruit ? Could not this Association act unitedly in marketing fruit through its own agents, instead of dealing with com- mission men, who often make more than the growers ? Is it true that forests in- fluence rainfall ? Is the Ontario Govern- ment likely to take any step to preserve our forests in the districts at the head waters of the Muskoka and Ottawa ri\ers ? What kinds of forest trees are most pro- The Canadian Horticulmnst. 23 (itable to }f York fruit participated in the decline. Baldwins made los. 6d. to iis. 6d. A great deal of poor and wasty stuff is also coming forward, and this does more damage to prices than anything else. Buyers are afraid to buy when they see such quantities of wasty apples, and will not bid for any but choice lots." — Trade Bulletin, Dec, 1888. The Export Apple Trade. Recent mail advices from Liverpool, dated December 8th, state that " the continued heavy arri\-als have at length had such an effect upon our market, that buyers have positively to ha\e the fruit thrust upon them, and that at their own prices. Good New England fruit continues to sell at 8s. gd. up to 8s. 6d., while New Yorks are neglected atgs. to los., a very few parcels of choice fruit making iis. to 12s. Canadian arrivals are exceptionally heavy, the last three steamers from Montreal docking within a few hours of each other 36,000 barrels. Very many of these were small and of poor quality, and sold at gs. to los 6d., while the rejections of ' slack packed ' and wet have been excep- tionally heavy, having evidently suffered from long passage in severe weather. In London, they have had two steamers direct with 35,000 barrels, the prices obtained meeting about the same as Liverpool, while a lot of Nova Scotians sold for 7s. 6d. to 13s. 6d. It will take until after Christmas to clear off the accumulated stocks, when we should see better prices." Montreal. Apples. — The market is as dull and un- satisfactory as it can be imagined, sales of frozen fruit having been made at 42c. up to ?! per barrel, which shows a big loss to I he Canadian Horticulturist. shippers. Good to choice sound fruit is quoted at flu. 35 to fti.50, although some holders will not offer at these ri;.;ures, pre- ferrinj^ to hold for better rates later on. Jobbing lots of sound fruit are (juoted at $1.50 to %z. KvAFOKATED APPLES. — The market is quiet at 8c. to SAc. Dried Apples. — The supply is fair, and we quote 5c. to 5.^0. Gk.apes. — The market is steady, with sales at ^4 to I5.50 per keg as to quality. Fancy large kegs bring higher figures. Crankekkies. — The market is quiet at ^3 to R) per barrel. Pecans.— The market for pecan nuts in New York has advanced 3c. j)er lb., and fs quite e.xcited. Oranges. — The market is quiet, Jamaica being quoted at #4.50 to $5, and Florida at $3.50 in boxes. Onions. — Red and vellow Canada onions are quoted at J1.35 to %2. per barrel Spanish onions are steady at 75c per crate. Potatoes — Car lots, 55c. per bag, and small jobbing lots at 65c. to 75c. — Trade Bulletin, Dec, 1888. New York vs Montreal Shipping- Sir, — Vou \sill rcniemtjer our mutual friend, Mr. A. McD. Allan, when in Montreal last summer staterl that the American rail lines handled fruit better than the Canadian roads. I did not at the time dispute the statement ; now I wish to do so most decidedly. My experience this fall has con- \inced me that we do those things better — very much — in Canada. I have not the time to go into the whys and hows just now, but when I next meet you I will be pre- pared to uphold Montreal against all-comers. — James Tiiom, New York, 4 Dec, 18KS OUR BOOK TABLE. Report on the Forest Conditions of the Rocky Mountains, and other papers, with a map showing the location of forest areas on the Rocky Mountain range. With the com- pliments of Norman J. Coleman, Commis- sioner of Agriculture, Washington, U.S., 1888. Black Rot, by F. L. Scribner, Chief of the Section of Vegetable Pathology ; being Bul- letin No. 7 of the Botanical Division of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, U.S. Journal and Proceedings of the Hamilton Association, 1887 and 1888. Part 4. A. Alexander, Recording Secretary, Hamilton, Ont. Price List of Trees, Vines and Plants, for sale in spring of 1889 at the Winona Nursery, by Messrs. Smith & Vanduser, Winona, Ont. Price List of Trees and Plants for sale at Niagara Falls Nurseries; E Morden,proprif tor, Niagara Falls South, Ont. Tilt Farmer' :i Advncnie nml Home Ma;/- azine is published by Wm. Weld, Lon- don, Ontario. It is a monthly magazine of a large circulation among Canadian far- mers, and contains articles by the leading Canadian farmers upon agricultural subjects. It has just completed volume xxiii., and a glance at the index will satisfy any farmer of the valuable nature of its contents. It. is still published at f 1.00 per annum. INDEX TO JANUARY NUMBER. 1889 (Poem), by Grandma Gowan. ... i Idaho Pear, by Editor 2 Duchesse d'AngoulOme Pear, by Editor 3 Rev. R. Burnet, a biographical sketch, by Editor 4 A Few Hints on Landscape Gardening, by Editor 5 The Apple Maggot, by Editor 8 Fruit C!ulture in British Columbia, by the President 9 Some Foreign .Vpples and Pears, by the Editor 10 A Cottage Home, by Rev. George Bell 12 Two New Seedling Apples, by Mr. Wm Saunders 13 Strawbarry Growing that Pays, by John Little, Granton. Ont 14 Horticultural 14 Roses Offered to Members for 1889. bv F. Mitchell '. 16 Bulb Distribution, by H. Simmers.... 17 To-Day for I-Orestry, by Forester... . . 18 The Woods in Winter 19 The New Year 21 Annual antl Winter Meeting 21 Delaware Red Winter 23 Eureka Strawberry ^3 Farmers' Institutes 2^ Hardy Crabs 24 Bark Louse 24 Quince, Hardiness of 25 Seedling .\pple from Hampton 25 Hedge for Shaded Location 25 Apples for Alberta 26 Open Letters 26 Our Fruit Markets 2S It^ccllancott^ THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST PROSPEC'US FOR 1889. A journal for r'ruit Growei-s, published monthly at Toronto and Grimsby by the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario. Twenty-four pages choice reading on Fruits, Flowers and Forestry, well illustrated both with beautiful Colored Plates and other Engravings of Fruits, Flowers, Trees or Shrubs. It is pro- posed to still further enlarge and improve the Journal for the year 1889. and still to give it for the usual sum of $1 per annum. This Journal is published wholly in the interests of Fruit GrOWers and Farmers, and contains the fullest information upon this subject, both for pro- fessionals and amateurs. The annual report of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario also goes Free to every Subscriber and contains a careful verbatim report of the discussions on Fruit Culture which took place at the various meetings of the year, with all the papers read at such meetings. PLANT DISTRIBUTION. In addition to the above, every Subscriber may make one selection from the following list of Plants, etc. o be distributed in the spring of 1889: 1. The Vergennes Grape. 2. Winter St. Lawrence Apple. 3. The Princess Louise. "^ A Hardy Rose Bush. Either (Gabriel Tournier, Baron Bon Stetten or Paul Neyron. «. A package of Summer Flowering Bulbs (viz. : Tiger Flower^ Tuberous-rooted Wisteria and Gladiolus). 6. Two Chinese Primroses. 7. Package containing Japanese Ivy and Geranium. 8. Four Strawberry Plants. WHAT OUR FRIENDS SAY OF US : A knowledge of. the linbiis, cart etc., of the different fruit trees, plants, shrubs, flowers, etc. . is rot jjos- sessed by most of garden managers, and as a consequence great losses and failures in many different ways occur Now to help this the 'Canadian Poiticulturist." a nicnthh nip^'aziie at 81 CO a year is considered invalu- able. In it, just at the right time of the year, appear remedies for the many new earden pests, descriptions of choice and new fruits, with colored plates, and in fact we couldn't begin to enumerate ts varying and always interesting contents.— Brad/ord Witni'xs. The " Canadian Horticulturist" for January is just to hand, in a new and beautifully designed cover. It contains a colored plate of the lovely iris that is a treasure of art. It is now recognized as the leading Cana- dian journal of Horticulture. — Canadian Aiji-icitlturixt. No. 7 of Vol. 11 of the " Cma ian Horticulturist" is before us, and a verv nice number it is, on fine paper, fine print, and filled with inters sling matter, wif^ a fine tinted lithograjih of the winter St. f awrenoe apple for a frontis piece . It also has, among other cuts, one of a wheelbarrow ladder, which strikes us as a very good \Ae3..—Ex. We are in receipt of the "Canadian Horti ulturist" for July, published by the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, Grimsby, and it is, as usual, brim full of matter on Horticulture. Its visits every month are looked forward to with plea-.ure. It is worth double the money that is paid for it, and is invaluable to those de» oted t'> Fruits, Flowers and Forestry. — The Advance, Stouffville. The "Canadian Horticulturist" for May is one of the best numVers of that really excellent journal yet publishe<'.. The colfred plate represents • life picture of the German Prune, a plum that has gained great favor with fruit growers, and was highly siraken of at the Assoi iation meeting at Collingwi od last year. The " Horticulturist " is worth more than the subscription price to aiy jjerso'i engaged in fruit culture or in gar- dening - Meafurd Mirror. Th' re is scarie'y anything relative to the flower garden, the vegetable garden, the small fruit garden or the fruit orchard that the " llorliculfurist " does not deal with, either by its competent editor, L. Woolverton, M.A., or by some of its staff of able contributors. — Kx. The " Canadian Horticulturist " appears to improve with each number, and is winning for itself a place long filled by Amercan publicbtions, which it is superior to in every way for the Canadian fruit grower, as it deals largely with Canadian subjects, and the fruits most suitable to uur ciinia'e. — Flenherton Advance. SAMPLE COPIES, Envelopes, Blank Forms, etc., sent free to any one who will use'them in the interests of the Association. Address '*THB CAA^ADJAA" HORTICULTUHIST," Grimsby, Ont. VERGENNES FOR CAKADIAN HOH i Till' ^aiKuiiai^ 4H[^^^'ticolUirist Vol. XII. FEBRUARY, 1889. No. 2. ^t^£ZDL THE VERGENNES GRAPE. Ik various sorts of grapes might well be classified, as our* apples and pears are, according to their keeping qualities. Some varieties, as, for instance, the Lady, are fall grapes, antl need to be eaten soon after their time of ripening, or they will begin to decay ; others, like the one under consideration, are winter grapes, and may, with a little care, be kept in good condition all winter. The Vergennes, although it ripens with the Concortl, is not in prime eating condition until flavor rich; sk'ui very thick, tough, the month of December, by which red, covered with a beautiful bloom ; time it has mellowed and improved flesh free from hard pulp, of pleasant in flavor ; it reaches its best in but not rich flavor. The vine is of the Labrusca family, and has the vigor and health so being Rogers' No. 22, and possessing keeping qualities nearly equal to those of the former. The Vergennes is a choice seedling which sprung up in Mr. \Vm. E. Green's garden, at Vergennes, Vt., after which place it is named. The first fruit was borne in the year 1874, and in the winter of 1 880-1 it was exhibited at various horticultural meetings, receiving high commen- dations, especially for its keeping qualities. The following is a description of the grape : — Clusters medium to large and somewhat loose ; berries large, round, holding firmly to the stem : February, and may be kept much longer with due precaution. This is an important point in its favor when we remember the acknowledged virtue of the grape as a medicinal agent ; and in planting varieties for family use we need not only to consider variety of color, but also what selec- tion will give us successiv.; supplies for our table. For winter red grapes, then, we may plant the Vergennes and the Salem, the latter characteristic of it. That it is hardy enough for most parts of Ontario seems to be almost certain, for it has been successfully grown by W. Meade Pattison, at Clarenceville, Province of Quebec. Mr. S. D. W'illard, of Geneva, N.Y., gives his experience with it of the past season as follows : " I find the Vergennes coming fully up to my expectations. As the 32 The Canadian Horticnlturist. vines get age they seem to be more productive, and the chisters more full. It is one of the most superior keeping grapes we have." Mr. G. W. Campbell, of Dela- ware, Ohio, also speaks favorably of it in the " Seventeenth Annual Report of the Michigan Horti- cultural Society, p. 226, where he says : — " The Vergennes is a handsome red grape, which has never failed here to bear and ripen well, though a Httle variable. It has generally ripened about with the Concord, but the past season it was a week or ten days later. This I attribute to the heavy crop, as it was allowed to over-bear. It how- ever ripened both fruit and wood well. It has shown no rot, but the foliage has mildewed a little in un- favorable seasons." Wishing that this grape should be still more thoroughl}^ tested in all parts of Ontario, our Association has placed it on the list of plants for distribution in the spring of i88q. A FEW HINTS ON LANDSCAPE GARDENING.— II. " Let not thy front look asquint on a stranger, but accost him right at his entrance. Uniformity also much pleaseth the eye ; and 'tis obsei-vedthat freestone, like a fair complexion, soonest waxeth old, whilst brick keeps her beauty longest." — Fuller. THE Italian style of architecture was much employed some thirty years ago, and had many points of excellence. Additions could easily be made to the building without marring the unity of the design ; while the arcades, balconies and projecting eaves gave character to a style which has been deservedly popular for country residences, because harmonizing so well in picturesque beauty with the rural landscape. But it is not with a view of draw- ing attention to the style of archi- tecture that we introduce this engraving of an Italian villa, but rather to impress our readers with the simple beauty of its surroundings. Here, as at the grounds at Ashton, the large growing trees are chiefly planted at the sides and rear, while the front has little to obstruct the view ; however, instead of a simple law^n of green sward, which indeed is, in our view, most to be com- mended, we have here a few choice flowering shrubs near the front door where, of course, their beauty is seen to the very best advantage. This may be excusable in case of very choice shrubs whose beauty of foliage makes them attractive objects even when not in bloom, and where there is an extended lawn beyond the carriage drive. Gener- ally speaking, shrubs should be planted either in connection with the flower garden, or grouped with her- baceous plants along the borders of walks and drives, and in remote corners of the yard. They may be also employed as underwood to fill in the groups of trees about the grounds, or to break up into easy regularity a view other- wise too stiff and regular. No The Canadian tlorticulturist. II i 1... 12. -1 J Al.iA.N \ ii.i A. 34 The Ca n a dia n Ho rticn Itii rist. inflexible rule can be laid down for such details of planting ; so much must depend upon the size and situation of tlie place, and upon the taste of the planter. The following are some of the more desirable shrubs for planting in Can- ada, arranged according to the months of flowering : April — Forsythia, Japan Quince, Missouri Currant ; May — Wild Thorns, Azaleas, Lilacs, Tar- tarian Honeysuckle, Weigela, Syr- inga, Spiraeas and Flowering Almond; June — Red-Twigged Osier, Winter- berry, Snowberry, Snowball, Rose Acacia ; July — Fringe Tree, Elders, Privet ; August and September — Alder-leaved Clethra, Strawberry Tree, Hj-drangea Panicidata. There are many others, but these are the most popular. The W^interberry, or Black Alder, as it is also called, is far more attractive in fruit than in flower, the bright red berries hang- ing on the bushes nearly all winter, and being particularly beautiful. Lawn vases, with Agaves or stiff foliaged exotics, are suitable on the verandah, or very near to the house ; but out on the lawn among the shrubbery they are out of keeping with their surroundings. The great importance of water in the attractiveness of a country seat is again well illustrated in the engraving before us, where a delight- ful walk leads the visitor along the bank toward a pleasant summer- house, from which a delightful prospect is before him. How many such possibilities are afforded us in Canada along our beautiful rivers and lakes, the advantages of which are wholly ignored by the residents in their neighborhood. We have in mind just such a lovely situation, the beauty of which has been wholly lostupon its unappreciative possessor. Inheriting broad acres of land, he had built an elegant house in a choice position on the shores of our beautiful lake Ontario, and having a bank on one side sloping down to a picturesque inlet ; but he had so placed his barns, stables and out- buildings as to most effectually hide the pretty landscape, and blot the beauty of the whole situation. CHOICE OF TREES FOR AN ORCHARD. AT this season of the year, when many of our readers are being called upon by agents of various nurseries, a few words of advice may prove valuable. First, with regard to patronizing the much-abused itinerant tree agent, we do not take the extreme ground which some do. There are, it is true, many rogues abroad who travel upon their own responsibilitv, and fill their orders with the culls from any nurserv, refuse which would otherwise have been consigned to the brush heap, and which the}' could purchase for a trifling sum. Such men should not be allowed inside the door. The first question should be : " What nurser}' do you represent?" And if it is a reliable firm," the next should be : " Show me vour certificate." This precau- The Canadian Ifortitu/i/irisL 35 tion bcinj^' takc-n, and the intcii(liii,L( purchaser satisfied on the point of rehability, we see no reason why small orders should not be given a nursery through an agent. Certainly, a much higher price must be paid for stock so purchased than if bought direct, but on a small order the difference would be about equalled by the express charges, cartage, etc. In large orders for stock to plant an orchard, or a lawn and garden, much better terms can be had by dealing directly with some good nursery, either personally or by mail ; and a better class of stock may often be secured. Secondly, regarding varieties. The most common mistake is in buying too many kinds. Reading over a descriptive catalogue, or looking at the beautiful coloured plates shown by the agent, whose voluble tongue is naturally enough rendered the more active by the desire of securing a large order for his employer, the farmer is led to think he must have a few of every one of the much lauded kinds. For the home garden a collection of various kinds of fruits, new and old, is a source of much pleasure ; but in the commercial orchard many varieties are but a hindrance to success. Upon this points a Massachusetts orchardist makes the following sensible obser- vations : " It is not unusual for a farmer to have, say, thirty or forty barrels of apples for sale made up of ten or fifteen varieties. Aside from the trouble of keeping these numerous sorts separate, and the bother with the comparatively large quantities of odds and ends which are left when filling the barrels, there is often difficulty in finding a market for some of the sorts which go to make up the collection. Buyers sometimes refuse to take apples which are really good, but with the (jualities of which they are not familiar. There are a few sorts which always sell better than others, and which can usually be worked ofif, even when the market is glutted, at something like a reason- able price. The list varies some- what in different localities, but it is easy to find which are the standard sorts in any given place. In this section (Western Massachusetts) the Baldwin is by far the most exten- sively sold, though the King, of Tompkins County, is eagerly taken at a higher figure. If I were to put out loo trees to furnish apples for market, I would choose ^^ Baldwins, 40 Kings and 5 Westfield Seek- No-Furthers. The two first-named I would sell to shippers, and work ofif the latter among the keepers of restaurants and fruit stands in the nearest cities. I do not claim that in point of quality these are the best varieties of apples, neither do I believe that for all localities this is the best selection, though it is certain that these sorts succeed in a large portion of the country. And I do not recommend this collection as at all adequate for supplying the familv with fruit. But of the many kinds I have grown, and the still larger number which have come under my observation, I believe that for marke't purposes in this region the three which I have specified are by far the most profitable." Of course the remarks about the most profitable varieties must be considered with reference to locality ; and those which succeed in Massa- chusetts might be wholly unsuited to many parts of Ontario. The Bald- win, King and Westfield Seek-No- Further succeed well in Southern Ontario. The Baldwin is unequalled for productiveness, unless bv the Greening, frequently yielding eight 36 The Cixuadian Horticulturist. barrels to a single tree ; the King is a very scanty bearer, otherwise its large, beautiful fruit, so well flavored and so delicately perfumed, would stand far ahead of ever}' variety, either for home use or for market. No apple, except the Newtown Pippin, now commands so high a price in the English market. Among other profitable market varieties for Southern Ontario, we find from this season and last season's shipments to Britain, that the Gravenstein, Ribston, Blue Pear- main (also a scanty bearer), Blenheim Orange and Golden Russet bring the highest prices. Large, fine colored apples are much sought for, but the Northern Spy, though in this respect it is all that could be desired, has disappointed us. It is tender, and subject to rapid decay under unfavor- able circiunstances ; and in conse- quence it arrived ni Covent Garden wet and slack, though most carefully and tightly packed. The old " Greening " is constantlj' advancing in the estimation of the Eng- lish public. Although, as a rule, colored apples are sought for, this variety forms a worthy exception, and pro- mises to bring even better prices than that staple variety, the Baldwin, of which probably more barrels are exported than of any other one kind. The whole business of foreign shipments has this winter received a most decided reverse. About a million barrels had gone forward, up to Christmas, piling up the Liver- pool docks until the market thoroughly broke down, and the best apples could scarcely be sold for enough to pay charges. We still have faith in apple culture as one of the best farm crops, but have learned that it is unsafe to "put all one's eggs in one basket," and that the wisest way is to divide one's ventures. BOTTLING GRAPES M R. W. COLEMAN writes to the English Garden as fol- lows on this subject : — Any dry, airy, well-ventilated store room will keep grapes, the great point being the maintenance of an equable temperature without the aid of fire-heat, which is not an essential so long as damp can be kept out and the temperature ranges from 35° to 45°. If bottles are used they should be placed in racks tier above tier, secured to the walls or partitions according to the number of bunches, whilst very small quantities may be stored away in glazed closets running along one end of the room when the latter is required for choice pears or general purposes. When in position each bottle should lean forward at an angle of 45°, space being allowed for the bunches to hang without touching the rack or each other. Then those who would keep an insidious enemy, mould from damp, under hand, ma}- place a small slow combustion boiler outside for warm- ing the internal pipes when absolutely necessary. So far good. Now for Cutting the Grapes, which, by the by, must have been thoroughly ripe by the middle or end of Septem- The CiJnndiaii Hoiticiiltiirist. 17 ber, otherwise the effort to keep them fresh and phiinp will be dis- appointing and worse than useless. Having fixed and filled a sufticient number of ordinary wine bottles with soft water, and warmed the pipes for a few days to dry the walls and fioor, on a fine calm day with a pair of pruning scissors cut the grapes with all the wood close back to the pruning bud ; convey them steadily to the room, insert each piece of wood with bunch attached into a separate bottle, but carefully avoid forcing out the water in the operation. Never shorten the wood beyond the bunch, as each fresh cut converts it into a syphon, through which the water in the form of vapor passes from the bottles into the room, carrying with it more or less of the saccharine mat- ter stored up in the berries. In the arrangement of the different varieties, late keepers like Lady Downe's should be placed most out of the way upon the upper tiers; then Colmans, Muscats, AHcantes, aud those ex- cellent varieties, West's, St. Peter's and Mrs. Pearson, should follow. It will be necessary to dry the room thoroughly before it is closed, and then the grapes will require occasional examination for decaying berries; but if thoroughly examined at the time of cutting the}- will keep much better in the room tlum in the best managed vinery. When all the grapes are bottled they must never feel the want of water, neither must they be shaken or disturbed if it can be avoided, as waste can be made good by the use of a small long tube- spouted can suitable for passing oil into machinery. Some grape growers put a small jjiece of charcoal into each bottle at the outset and change the water occasionally, but all this extra care is superfluous, as many years' experience proves that the grapes keep quite as well in the original water and without the char- coal. Changing the water, of course, can do no harm, always provided the grapes are carefully handled ; therefore, when a portion of the bunches have been used the bottles they occupied may be emptied and refilled preparatory to the transfer of the latest keepers. In the arrange- ment of the different varieties I may say Muscats and Gros Colman should occupy the driest and best ventilated part of the room, especially when the bunches of the latter are large and the shoulder stalks are green and fleshy. Again, in using them the largest clusters most subject to damp and mould should be taken first, as smaller ■■ pieces through which the air can pass freely are best adapted for keep- FRUIT GROWING ON CLAY LAND. Bv B. W. Pakkkh, Tyni- IN giving the result of my experi- ence in growing fruit on clay land, I will state that my land is a heavy cla\' loam ; fifty bushels of oats and thirty bushels of barley would be about the average yield to the acre this year; peas as high as thirty bushels; fall wheat, when a good crop, twenty-five to thirt\- bushels. I was told when I purchased my farm, that siDK, Hai.dimani) Co., Ont. fruit would not do well on this land. However, I concluded to try it; I looked more to the climate than to the land. Now I am glad to say, after six years' experience, that we can produce choice fruit of most kinds. I have twenty-six varieties of apples in full bearing, which makes a good family orchard. Pears are peculiarly well adapted 38 The Canadian Horticulturist. to this soil antl climate. I have planted the Bartlett and Duchesse ; have fruited the former; have seven other varieties; all do well and are perfectly hardy. In my experimental garden I planted last spring twenty- one varieties of plums; twenty-three of grapes ; some quinces, apricots, and eight varieties of peaches ; the latter are by no means sure croppers, but when there is a large crop at Grimsby we have them too. The Concord grape does well here, and the fruit is better in flavor than when grown on sand. The Niagara is tender in the bud, more hardy in the root, but it is not a sure cropper. The Brighton I have not fruited to any extent as yet, but the few bunches we had were delicious ; the flavor is all that is claimed for it — no mildew, and is quite hardy. In strawberries I do very little growing) only a few for the table; but the Downing, which I planted on a little sand bed, were not nearly so sweet as those grown on the clay. Goose- berries do well here ; I have Down- ing, Smith's Improved, and a large English variety, which is not the Whitesmith, if I should judge by those I saw in the grounds of our Vice-President; it was on the place when I came, and is a great cropper. I have fruited it six years and seen no mildew. In black caps I have the Gregg, Mammoth Cluster and Souhegan; the Gregg is slightly ten- der, but the berries are so fine and large, though not as good in flavor as Mammoth Clusters or Souhegan; the two last named are perfectly hardy here. The red berries I only grow for home use, as they are hard to start in a dry season. I have the Cuthbert, Turner, and Marlboro', the last named of which does extra well. I trust, Mr. Editor, I have not taken up too much of your valuable space, but having read so often with pleasure in the Horticulturist the experiences of others in fruit-growing on light soils, I thought I would give the result of mine on the clay. ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PLUM CURCULIO BY POISONS. ONE of the most important results to fruit-growers of recent studies in economic entomology, is the demonstration of the fact that injury to plums by the Plum Curculio can be prevented, to a great extent, by spraying the trees early in the season with Paris green or London purple mixed with water. This fact, I believe, was first ascertained by practical fruitgrowers, who, finding good results from the use of Paris green against the Codlin Moth, jumped to the conclusion that the Plum Curculio could be destroyed in the same way. At the time this was done the known facts in the life- history of the Plum Curculio did not warrant any such conclusion. In truth, the entomologists were mostly inclined to say that injuries by this insect would not be prevented by an application of Paris green to the trees. It was urged that, as the eggs of the Curculio were placed within the tissue of the fruit, the newly hatched larvae would be beyond the poison applied to the surface. In this respect this insect differs from the Codlin Moth, which lays its The Canadian Horticulturist. 39 eggs upon the outside of the apple at the l)lossoni end, in such a way that the young larva- when eating its way into the apple is liable to be poisoned, if poison has been sprayed upon the tree. Notwithstanding this important difference in the habits of the insects, certain fruit-growers claimed that equally good results followed the spraying of plum-trees as in spray- ing apple-trees. At last the matter has been made the subject of careful experiment by Mr. C. M. Weed, the ICntomologist of the Ohio State Ex- periment Station. The results of Mr. Weed's experiments are very striking. They seem to show, so far as the results of a single season's work with a single variety of clierries can be relied upon, " that three- fourths of the cherries liable to mjury by the Plum Curculio can be saved by two or three applications of Lon- don purple in a water spray (in the proportion of one ounce to five gal- lons of water) made soon after the blossoms fall." No explanation is made by Mr. Weed as to the way in which the poison acts, - — whether the adult beetles are destrojed before they lay their eggs, or whether the poison reaches the larvae. During the present season we have made some observations and conducted an ex- periment which indicate that the for- mer is the case. During the latter part of the past summer my attention was attracted to a serious injury to the fruit in an apple-orchard through which I pas- sed daily. A large proportion of the apples in one corner of the orchard had been eaten into by something which made small pits from one- eighth to one-fourth inch in diameter, and of about the same depth. On one tree nearly every apple had been attacked, and in many cases there were ten to twelve holes in a single apple. The injury was so serious as to ren- der the fruit on this part of the orchard unmarketable. The holes in the apples were first observed during the latter part of August. At that time many of them were partially grown over, while others were fresh, indicating that the pest had been at work for a consider- able time and was still active. As the injury to the apples resembles somewhat that caused by Lithophane nntennatn, a climl)ing cut-worm, that sometimes infests apples in Western New York, I at first searched for caterpillars and gave little thought to the Plum Curculios that 1 fre- quentl}' found hiding in the holes in the apples. But after finding a con- siderable number of these insects in these pits, it occurred to me that they might be the cause of the mis- chief. Several perfect apples were then selected and placed in breeding cages, in each of which were confined several curculios. The question was soon settled : within twenty-four hours the beetles had begun to eat into the apples. They made small holes at first, but these were soon enlarged so as to form pits of the size indicated above. We thus see that the Plum Curculio is a voracious feeder, and conclude that the spray- ing of the plum-trees early in the season with Paris-green water pro- tects the fruit by the destruction of the adult curculios before they have laid their eggs. Since preparing the above I have received the following note from Mr. Weed, for publication in a journal of which I am Entomological Editor. I take the liberty of publishing it here in advance of its appearance in that place, as it confirms my con- clusions. "In referring to some experiments made by me to prevent curculio injuries, in the August number of the Anicricnn Nnfiirnlisf, the question is raised as to how spraying with poi- sons may have a preventive effect on this insect. I believe that satis- factory explanation may now l">e given. Early last June 1 confined an adult Plum Curculio in a jar with a large green plum, and was surprised at the avidity with which the fruit 40 The Canadian Horticulturist. was eaten. A large portion of the surface was gnawed out for food, and not for purposes of oviposition, and tlie feasibility of poisoning the adult beetles by clothing the fruit with poison clearl}- shown. " But even more satisfactory breed- ing-cage experiments were made in Illinois by Professor Forbes, who informs me that he has found that, besides gnawing out the fruit, the adult curculio eats freely of the sub- stance of the leaves. He adds that the curculios ' are certainly very freely exposed to destruction by poison, without reference to their habits of oviposition or the first food of the larvae ; ' and that he has ' also learned experimentalh' that spraying the leaves with Paris green would poison the beetles completely.' Pro- fessor Forbes discussed at some length the details of his experiments, which confirmed the conclusions reached in my experiments, in an address delivered at a meeting of the Central Illinois Horticultural Society during last August {Prairie Farmer, x\ug. ii, 1888). Professor A. J. Cook of the Michigan Agricul- tural College also announces in Bulletin No. 39 similar results." Little remains to be said except to congratulate the fruit-growers that at last we have at our command an easy means of destroying this ver}- troublesome insect. We will add, how^ever, for the sake of those who are not familiar wdth the use of Paris green upon fruit-trees, that the poison is mixed with water in the proportion one pound to one hundred gallons of water, and applied by means of a force-pump furnished with a spray nozzle. The application should be made early in the season, soon after the appearance of the leaves and blossoms, and should be repeated if the poison is soon washed away by rains. Careful experiments have shown that there is practically no danger in the use of poison on fruit-trees in this way, as it is all removed by the summer rains before the fruit matures. John Henry Comstock. (/;/ Bulletin, No. III., Cornell Ag. Ex. Station, Ithaca, N. Y.) THE CULTURE OF CELERY. By W. S. Turner, Cornwall, Ont. [4 '/ \' GREAT deal has been -' • ^ written on this subject in this Canada of ours, and there seems to be a general belief that it is quite a serious undertak- ing to grow celery to perfection. Now I want to show in ni}- humble experience, at least, this is not the case, for it is as easy to grow as any other vegetable, has fewer insect enemies, and what is not of the least importance to those who have a small area of ground, it can be grown as a second crop. For instance, I have grown 700 heads in the space of less than 100 square feet, and nearly all as a second crop. Where there is command of any quantity of water as it is common in many of our large towns, (for quite a number of places are now supplied with water-works) it is still a greater advantage — though I would here cor- The Catiadian Horticulturist. 41 rect a very coninion error that some new beginners are apt to fall into, and that is this, that celery, being naturall}- a watci' plant, yon cannot give it too niiich. This is a great mistake, for \ on can actnally drown it out, kill it with kindness, " Drown the Miller," as the Scotch folks say ; for instance, the past season has been exceptionably wet in Stormont Co., tliere has been very little need of artificial irrigation, in fact, the plants have appeared to be at a standstill for weeks at a time, the water from the heavy rains sometimes filling the ditches between the rows and induc- ing rot among the plants. If my garden had not been well drained I would have lost a large numb:r of heads ; even as it was my celery was not so large as in former years when there was an average rainfall. Having bored your readers thus far, Mr. Editor, I will proceed to show the modus operandi of start- ing the seed and follow the plants right up to harvest time. I always grow two kinds at least, viz.,fall and winter celery. The White Plume for fall, and Henderson's Pink, or Sutton's Sulham Prize, for winter use. The White Plume is of beautiful appearance and is greatly in demand on account of its earliness and beauty. It will keep good u}) to Christmas, but the pinks or reds are superior to it in flavor and will keep all winter. There is a new candidate for public favor named Nelles' Self- Blanching ; it has been grown by Mr. John Croil, one of our directors, and he pronounces it of e.xcellent tiavor. I sow the seed in boxes in the house about the middle of March or the first of April. A raisin box cut down to about '^w^z inches deep is about the handiest size. I (usually put some fine garden soil in the cellar for the purpose in the frdl just before the winter sets in. 1 then fill the box with soil to within an inch of the top, and if you are not careful at this stage you will lose more than half your seed, for celery seed being very small, it is apt to get too deep and either gets lost entirely, or comes up so spindling and weak as to be comparativel}- worthless. 1 sift the soil for the upper part of the box, compact it moderately and see that it is even. Now sow the seed in rows two inches apart, and the rows half an inch wide, press the seed lightly with a piece of board the size of the box, then sift a very thin sprinkling of soil over the seed. If possible, I get a little moss ofT the cordwood pile, dry it, and rub it fine through the hands, and scatter a thin layer on the top, then water with a fine sprinkler and put it in a sunny window. The seetl will be about ten days or two weeks in germinating. It is then necessary to watch and see that the sun does not injure the young shoots at this stage, as they are very tender. If the sun is too strong, shade them a little till they get stronger. When the second leaf appears, I take the box antl put it into a moder- ate hotbed, and, as the warm weather conies, from there into a cold frame, and gradually harden them off till they will endure the weather without any protection. When the plants get about two inches high, prick them out five or six inches apart into a bed, or between the rows of beets, carrots, or anywhere so that you can cultivate them with a hanil-weeder, or scratch among them with an old 42 The Canadian Horticulturist. three-pronged table fork ; keep them well watered, and by the ist of July they will be fine plants with good roots to them. By this time, our early vegetables such as peas, beets, lettuce, beans, early potatoes, and even old beds of strawberries have had their season, and we can make good use of the ground for our celery. Now get two garden lines, and put them about twelve inches apart, the length you want to make your rows, having your rows four feet apart, dig your trench between the lines and about nine or ten inches deep, now put four inches of good old manure, and with your garden fork dig it under and mix well with the soil, put an inch or two of soil over this, and your trench is ready (which by this time is not much of a trench after all) for the plants. Now take your garden trowel, cut round your plants, and put them in about the same depth as they were before moving, they will hardly know they have been moved; though it will do them good to have a little watering at this stage, and whenever they get too dry. They will appear to be at a standstill for quite a while after this, but they are forming new roots all the time, and getting ready for business later on. As you cultivate and scratch among them, bank them up a little at the same time by taking hold of the plant in your left hand, and drawing the earth around them with your right ; you do this so as to prevent the soil getting into the heart. It you want extra fine celery and clean also, tie a soft string loosely round the plant when it is about half-grown, this will keep the leaves together and expedite the banking-up business considerably. If you are limited to room you may have your rows closer, and after the celery is about three quarters grown, place boards close on each side of the rows, and put stakes behind to keep them up. The celery will bleach just as well as if banked up to the tops, as all that is required to whiten celery is to exclude the light. NOTES FROM SISTER SOCIETIES. Cultivation to Withstand Drought — The Bubach Strawberry — Nezv Mode of Refrigeration for Fruits — Chemical Composition of Fruits — Needs of the Soil for Profitable Fruit Production — Fertilizers — Grape Rot. THE Ohio State Horticultural So- ciety met at Troy, Dec. 12, 13 and 14, and was a great success. One point proved was the import- ance of cultivation in dry seasons. Mr. W. J. Green said that at the O. Ex. Station, irrigation had been found impracticable, the chief reason being that water is too expensive. One and one-fourth inch per acre, which is about the amount of a good shower, is equal to one thousand barrels or one hundred two-horse loads, and costs in Columbus seven dollars and fifty cents. Mulching, too, sometimes fails. The best plan seems to be cultivation. Experiments in Illinois and Connecticut show that half an inch of rainfall may be saved per week from evaporation by stirring The CanadiuN IJorticnliiirist. 43 the soil every alternate day. A man and horse can cultivate two and a half acres per day, eciual to five acres every alternate day. If by cultiva- tion one inch of water per month can be saved from evaporation, there need be no fear of drought except at one or two periods like the strawberry season. Reports on ^rapc s^ro2oin, en- closing one froi^; -j^r. T. Neelan, of Port Hope, en(|^^irir,g about a dis- eased grape ste,^-,, ,\s all my fur- niture and instru.,ients were packed up and inaccessible, I sent this on to Prof. Farlow of H,^rvar(l University, for his opinion. Prjbf. Farlow, I may mention, is the high,est authority we have in America upon microscopic tungi. His answer is as follows : " The troid)le is not due to a fun- gus. This peculiar kind of excres- cence has in Germany generally been attributed to cold and severe weather in winter. How w'ell that may ap- ply to your case I do not know. The troid)le, however, is climatic rather than fungous." The Baker German Prune 10. You would oblige me very much by giving me information about the Baker prune. I want to set out an orchard of prunes, and I see by your journal last summer that the Baker prune is highly spoken of. Please give me the name of the person I can buy them from. — Geo. Harris, Dungannon, Ont. So far we believe this variety of the German prune is entirely local in the Collingwood district. Some of our enterprising nurser^'men should propagate it and advertise in these colimins, as we have numerous en- quiries for it. You might get some information abovit it by writing to L. Brillinger, Collingwood. Apios Tuberosa. II. I WISH for information on the proper treatment of the .Vpios Tuberosa. I cannot succeed with it. I have tried three times and .always failed. I think my garden is too dry. What kind of soil suits it best, and how does it attach itself to its support ? The climbers have so many different ways of lay- ing hold of the prop, that the same thing will not do for all — Mrs .\ Hoirn ('nbounj 54 The Canadian Horticulturist. Apios Tuberosa . t° succeed well, should be planted in'^^'^y ^^^^' ^^"^P soil near a trellis (^^ it is intended for covering trellisee*' arbors and fen- ces); the soil should be well worked and of a loamy nature, not stiff clayey soil. Plant abovvt three close to- gether if you want a good thick cov- ering. This clinflber does not cling to any trellis woi}k ; it requires fast- ening up like ivy, and will, if growing in good soil, out-grow the ivy easily ; besides, its bloom is exquisite and fragrant. It is hardy, not requiring to be lifted during winter. Water it freely if the soil be dry, and success is certain. Palms. II, In sowing palms should the seeds be put on their edges or flat ? — A. J. Collins, Listowel. Reply by F. Mitchell, Inncrkip. I have had but little experience in the matter. I know it does not signify in what position seeds of the date palm are placed. They germi- nate very readily if a sufficient degree of heat is maintained, and for a suffi- ciently lengthened period. Rose Cuttings. Reply by F. Mitchell, Innerkip. Wood from the top of the bush and that which is bearing bud or bloom makes the best cuttings. Cuttings should not be made from young suckers, as the wood is pithy and immature. Budding the Apricot. 13. Can the apricot be grafted or budded on the plum ? — Wm. Switzer, Kirkton, Ont. Yes. You can use either the peach or the plum as stock for budding apricots upon. The peach seedlings are more easily grown, and more easily worked, but the plum stock is hardier, and hence should be used where the peach is tender. 12. How would you increase rose bushes from cuttings, when they do not send up suckers? — A. J. Collins, Listowel. The Cpandall Currant. 14. Do you know anything about this new currant — the Crandall Currant. "This new and distinct sort is remarkable for its great size and productiveness. It attains the height of seven or eight feet, forming an enormous bush. Shoots frequently grow five or six feet in one season. The currants are borne in great profusion and are of the size of grapes, jet black in color, and very fine in flavor. Perfectly hardy and a rapid grower, fi.oo each?" You will oblige by answering in the next Horticulturist. — William Switzer, Kirkton, Ont. We have never seen the fruit, or the bush ; and would advise you not to invest much in it until it is better known. ^ ePSR IiS^PTER^ Blushed Calville Sir, — I notice in the January number the following note, by Mr. Charles Gibb : — " Blushed Calville has only borne with me two little specimens in nursery, and did not strike me." I have spoken very favorably of this variety for western planting, for these reasons: (i)The tree is hardier and freer from blight than Yellow Transcendant or Charlottenthaler. (2) It is an early and continued bearer of handsomely blushed fruit of about the season of the Transparent, that holds its flavor remarkably well when overripe. After growing many bushels of the fruit at the college and at our trial stations I know of but one fault, which is uneven size of fruit when the trees overbear, ranging in size from that of Transparent to that of small specimens of the Longfield.— J. L. Budd. The Canadian llorticulitirist. 55 Transportation. Sir, — I am glad to see that our mutual friend Mr. Thom, of the " Heaver Line," has discovered that Montreal Shipping Com- panies handle our apples better than New York Oimpanies. The information I get to date for this season certainly agrees with Mr. Thorn. Hut this is only as regards this season and I am sure our shippers will be greatly pleased to know that our carrying companies have greatly benefited by the scourging administered last year. There is still some room for improvement and I trust our friends at Montreal, as well as our Canadian Railway Companies, will con- tinue to improve and keep well ahead of the American Railways and the N. Y. Steamship Companies. The Canadian carrying com- panies certainly deserve the patronage of our shippers for their conduct this past season and if they continue their good behavior we will be inclined to turn all traffic via Montreal. Hut they must not fall back next season, for we have reason to believe that an attempt will be made next season to draw freights via N, Y. both by extra careful handling as well as lower rates. — A. McD. Allan, Goderich. Plants Tested in Renfrew County. Sir, — I will try and report on plants, etc. I received from the Fruit Growers Associa- tion in 1884, a plant of the Prentiss Grape. I think it is too tender for this part as it gets killed nearly to the ground every winter, with the same care and protection as the other vines. In 1885, I received a yearling plant of Fav's Prolific currant. It is living and doing well ; it had a few bunches of fine large currants on this year. The next I re- ceived was a yearling vine of the Early Vic- tor Grape ; it is hardy and it is doing well. The next I received was the Niagara Grape- vine ; it stood the winter well and grew splendidly this summer ; then I received a package of spring flowering bulbs ; they all lived but none of them flowered. — A Stew- art, Stewardville, Ont. From Quebec. Sir, — For the benefit of those of us who live to the far north (for fruit raising) I would beg of you when describing fruit trees or plants, specially new ones, to particularly state if they are hardy, or very hardy, and also for grapes if they are early or \ery early If it was not so difficult now for me to write, especially in P^nglish, I would have sent you some notes on my small experience here in fruit culture, but I will try by and by Then if you send out the Mover grape for trial, I would be thankful to get one and to cultivate it side by side with the Wyoming (very valuable here), and which it seems to resemble muc:h, I laving been brought up as a worker in the l.irgest vineyard on Geneva Lake, Switzerland, and having now twelve years experience here with kj varieties, I hope to be able to give it a fair trial. — L. Pasche, Hryson, P.Q. Compllmentapy to Ontario. Sir, — Please send ine the I Iokticci.i ckist for 1889, as I have got settled down in my old home, after tasting the fruit from here to Mexico and the Pacific coast and on the prairies and even among the Mormons. I have failed entirely to find any place that can produce the kinds and quality that we have at home or that can preserve it in its natural state and flavor as we do. Of course, they have their oranges, but we can buy them as cheap here as there, and their won- derful grapes (to let them tell it), but we have just as fine fruit, as many varieties, of a better flavor, and we can keep them perfect for six months or longer, while they can't keep them at all except as raisins or dried. What they lack in most of their fruit is flavor ; it is with a few exceptions, utterly flat. So send along the Horticulturist, for we have got the finest country, the finest homes, the nicest people and the best and largest \ariety of fruit to be found on the continent, and as Canadians we are bound to keep and improve our goodly heritage. — Free.man Cooper, Picton Ont. Fruit Trees Tested in Russell County Sir, — The two Russian cherry trees I have do not grow very fast, and the one I had last year got killed back considerably. My two Haas apple trees were almost totally killed with frost and cold, and Baxters Red partly. Grimes' Golden altogether, and (liPEON either killed with cold or something worse. Scott's Winter, Yellow Trans- parent, Wallbridge, Peach, Macintosh, Red, Wealthy and Duchess of Oldenburg, are all right yet. Crops and hay very light here this year, potatoes good. — A.Walker, Met- calfe, Ont. The Wire Field-Miee Protector Sir, — Seeing your notice of the wire field- mice protector, I give you my experience. A friend of mine had about ten trees lately nibbled and spoiled, when for three cents per tree they would have been safe. Since I put the protectors around my trees I have seen no trace of nibbles or any other injury : besides they keep away other insects 1 have a woolen cloth fastened around my trees about two and a half feet from the ground, plastered over with Stockholm tar : well, every season the cocoons used to be quite thick underneath the ring of woolen rag and 56 The Canadian Horticulturist. tar, but since I put on the protector there are none. Had I known of the protector sooner I believe I could have saved some fine fi\e-year-old peach trees, which I lost with the borer, for it attacks the tree near the surface of the ground. You say your custom is to' bank up all the young trees throughout your orchards with fine earth, after clearing away all rubbish with a good sharp spade. What a cost that must be, and then in spring, I suppose you have to take it away again. Now, I save my trees at three cents each, for the cost of putting the protectors on and off amounts to nothing. My plan is to put a lot of, say one dozen, to- gether, rolled up, and then, opening them out a little, to draw out one at a time, and put it about the tree without tying ; and this can be done in about a minute for each tree. I leave them on altogether, sliding it up a little, if I want it away from the surface of the ground. I would not be without mine for a great deal. — Thos. G. Caston, Hamil- ton, Out. Odp Imiit jyTarkcts. Hull, England. The following lines from a letter from Messrs. John Seed & Sons, Hull, may be in- teresting, as showing the opening which ex- ists for Canadian, apples in many towns of England, not so favorably situated as Liver- pool: — "Our port has hitherto had very little connection with Canada for apple trade but there is no reason why a good business should not be done here. Of course, we cannot take the large quantities as Liver- pool, but our prices are usually a shade higher for everything and direct shippers receive the advantage. Last week, 15,000 barrels came in here. American and Cana- dian apples, rather depressed the market. Philadelphia Sir, — Below we hand you a summary of the present conditions of our good potato market with current quotations, and to which we invite your careful attention. Comparatively, our market is in rather light supply. Arrivals are also light. These conditions give our market a favorable out- look, particularly for choice N. Y. White Stars, Burbanks and Hebron, and other nor- thern and western grown choice table var- ieties. Maine, New Brunswick and other Can. Rose and Ohio Rose are also in scant supply and active demand, being wanted for seed purposes by our southern custom. If you have any choice stock to dispose of, it will be to your interest to con- sult us about the handling of it at once. Table Stock, we quote: Choice N. Y. White Stars, 40 cents per bushel, Hebron, 40 to 43 cents per bushel ; Burbanks, 40 cents per bushel ; strictly fancy, 2 to 3 cents per bushel more ; rough stock and other varie- ties, 35 to 38 cents per bushel. Seed Stock we quote : N. Y. Rose choice, 50 to 52 cents per bushel ; Ohio and Pa. choice 52, to 55 cents per bushel ; Maine, New Brunswick and Canada choice, 58 to 60 cents per bushel ajid ?i.75to $1.85 per barrel ; Hebron, I1.40 to ^150 per barrel and 50 to 53 cents per bushel. Whenever we can serve you please to order. — Pancoast& Griffiths, Jan. 7th, '89. London, England. Sir, — By cable to-day from W.N.White, fruit broker, Covent Garden Market, -London, England, we are advised as follows: viz., Market strong, prices advanced, quotations now IIS. to i6s., considerable decrease in supplies, prices will go higher, immediate shipments would meet ready sale. — W. T. CosTiGAN & Co., Montreal. Liverpool. Sir, — Arrivals since our last have been greatly reduced and prices show a slight im- provement with better tendency. We quote: Baldwins 8s. to los. 3d., Greenings gs. to gs.gd.. Spies 6s. to gs.. Russets gs. to 13s., Various ys. 3d. to 13s. 6d., one parcel of extra fine Kings realized 22s. 6d. A percentage of last arrivals show signs of having been touched by frost. The market with a con- tinuance of light shipments must improve. Awaiting your favors. — Wm. Thomas & Co. Fruit Imports. Mr. G. S. Morphy, fruit grower, Grimsby, hands us the following letter from Mr. F. E. Galbraith, Toronto. It is evidently unfair to fruitgrowers, that, while the policy of pro- tection is followed in the interests of manu- facturers it should not also be in the interests of fruit growers. In the line of apples, how- ever, more evil than good would result from an import dutv, because our exports far exceed our imports. For instance in 1887, we only imported from the U. S. 36,000 bbls., while we exported to that country over 100,000. Mr. Galbraith writes : Sir, — As you are, no doubt, already aware there is no protection to the thousands of k The Canadian llorticnlturist. 57 fruit f,'ro\vers in Canaila, who arc not ai)le to compete with the growers of many kinds of fruit in consequence of our climate. For in- stance, the duty could be left ofl' oranges, lemons, bananas, figs, dates, pineapples and any other Southern fruit and be placed on strawberries, raspberries, cherries, grapes, plums, etc, The prices of fruit would not be altered to the consumer, as he would only be asked to wait for a couple of weeks until our fruit would come into the market, and those who are anxious to have fruit before the season opens can afford to pay the duty. The same trouble is injuring the market garden- ers, who are unable to get their early vege- tables into, market before the market is glutted with .\merican products. In and around this city alone there are hundreds of hard-working market gardeners rmd fruit growers, who, in conseijuence of the duty being removed, are hartlly able to make ends meet, and when you take into consideration the Niagara district, surely something can be done by the Government to remedy the injustice of not protecting these people as well as others. Mr. B. Gott, of Arkona, a well-known horticulturist, writes in the same line ; he says: — We have had one year of no duty on fruit. As far as our experience goes it has not been at all profitable or encouraging to us. The movement may be very good on the line of Reciprocity or friendliness to neighbors, but in actual business where we have to buy as well as sell it puts us too much to a disad- vantage, or makes us a slaughter market for almost all kinds of fruits long before ours can be got ready for the market, and in some cases long after. This, of course, may be, and is, great sport and a fine thing for the wealthy capitalist and the men who buy, but it is death to the poor, laborious fruitgrower, who should most certainly be the proper object d 0 a, 0 CO > Liverpool London . . Glasgow . . Various . . 18,708 980 4.210 350 538.510 186,555 224.517 48,369 557.218 187,535 228,727 48,719 236,867 69.137 111,013 18,275 Total. . . 24,248 997.951 1,023.399 435.292 Our readers will be interested in some selections from Mr. Fowler's letters. Con- cerning the agent, he says : " It appears to me that the circumstances of Canada in its fruit growing interests afford at present an excellent opening for a clever, intelligent and active young man to establish himself in London (and he should be a Canadian) as a Canadian agent for the sale of Fruit and Provisions, this last word to signify cheese, butter, lard, ham. bacon, etc. " Such a man as I have referred to, backed and supported by the Fruit Growers' Asso- ciation, would at once take a position that would command a large portion of the trade in the other commodities which I have summed up as provisions. His business would, of course, have to be a wholesale one, but he would not be debarred from selling a single barrel of apples to a consumer. All that is necessary to keep such transactions on a proper footing would be an honorable understanding with the trade that his prices in such cases would be such that dealers would.have an abatement of ten to fifteen j^er cent., so that they could sell single barrels 58 The Canadian Horticnlturist at the same rate. Such an agency as this would soon become well worth the while of the agent, and serve the interests of Canadian shippers by getting the trade into a regular shape, keep down competition, and tend to steady the market prices. He would have to adopt a system of inexpensive advertising so as to ensure it being well known through- out the Kingdom as the legitimate channel through which the commodities he deals in, especially apples, could always be obtained. " With such an agent in London, well established and doing his work satisfactorily to his principals, it might become expedient to give him the command of the whole British market for Canadian apples, by letting him have his sub-agent at each of the ports of receipt — say, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, and, perhaps, Hull. This would enable him to direct shipments from Canada- to all these ports, in the proportions best suited to the demand of the neighborhoods which they could conveniently supply, and so save expense of unnecessary inland carriage. These suggestions may serve as a sort of foundation on which the fruit growers may themselves erect such a structure as may seem to them most desirable." OUR BOOK TABLE. Annual Report of the Bureau of Indus- tries of the Province of Ontario, 1887. This useful volume is prepared by Mr. A. Blue, Toronto, and includes statistics of the weather and the crops, live stock and dairy, rents and farm wages, etc. Fruit growers would be much pleased if fuller statistics were given concerning the acreage devoted respectively to the various fruits, as apples, pears, peaches, grapes, etc. John A. Bruce & Co.'s Thirty-eighth An- nual Catalogue of Seeds, 1889, Hamilton, Ont. Smith & Kerman's annual catalogue of fruit and ornamental trees, grape vines and small fruits, grown at the Dominion Nurser- ies. St. Catharines, Ont., 1889. J. A. Wismer's descriptive catalogue of northern grown trees, grape vines, small fruit plants, etc.. Port Elgin, Ont. Vick's Floral Guide, 1889, published by James Vick, Rochester, N.Y. This catalogue is got up in a new and attractive style. Wm. Rennte's Seed Catalogue for 1889, issued by Wm. Rennie, Toronto, Ont. F. W. Wilson's illustrated catalogue of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, grown and for sale at Wilson's Nurseries, Chatham, Ont. John Lewis Child's catalogue of new, rare and beautiful Flowers, 1889, Floral Park, Queen's Co., New York. The Sorghum Hand Book, published by the Blymyer Iron Works Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. Night and Day, a record of Christian Philanthropy, edited by T. J. Barnardo, 18 Stepney Causeway, London, Eng. High Class Fertilizers, manufactured by the Standard B'ertilizer and Chemical Co. Works at Smith's Falls. R. J. Brodie, Manager. First Report of the Directors of the State Forestry Commission of Michigan for the Years 1887 and 1888. This is a most attrac- tively got up volume, well illustrated, and carefully indexed, dealing with succession of forests in Michigan, large trees, new uses for certain kinds of timber, forest fires, cutting and removing logs for lumber, etc., etc. INDEX TO FEBRUARY NUMBER. The Vergennes Grape, by theEditor. . 31 A Few Hints on Landscape Gardening — n, by the Editor 32 Choice of Trees for an Orchard, by the Editor 34 Bottling Grapes 36 Fruit Growing on Clay Land, by B. W. Parker 37 On the Destruction of the Plum Cur- culio by Poisons 38 The Culture of Celery, by W. S. Turner 40 Notes from Sister Societies 42 New Fruits 44 The Banana 45 Tree and Man 47 The Dominion Farmers' Council and the Fruit Growers' Association .... 48 Hardy Peaches 49 Success in Treating Brown Rot 49 The American Pomological Society .... 51 Horticultural Exhibitions 52 Stock for Dwarf Pears 53 Stock for Russian Cherries 52 Norway Spruce from Seed 52 Diseased Grape Wood 53 The Baker German Prune 53 Apios Tuberosa 53 Palms , 54 Rose Cuttings 54 Budding the Apricot 54 The Crandall Currant 54 Open Letters 54 Our Fruit Markets 56 Our Book Table 58 The Canadian Hurticiillniist. 59 PROGRAMME OF WINTER MEETING. The combined annual and winter meeting of the f>uit Growers' Associa- tion of Ontario will be held at the Court House, in the City of Hamilton, beginning on Tuesday evening, the 19th, and continuing during the 20th and 2ist of February, 1889. A show of choice samples of fruits from each agricultural division is desir- able for comparison. New fruits, im- proved horticultural implements or machinery, plants, flowers, etc., on exhibition, will receive due notice in the report of the Fruit Committee. If sent by express they may be addressed to the care of the Secretary, at Ham- ilton. Certificates for reduced railway fares will be mailed to anyone applying for them to the Secretary, at Orimsby. Questions intended for the Question Drawer may be sent in advance to the Secretary, at Grimsby, or handed in at the meeting. * The St. Nicholas Hotel, Hamilton, will furnish accommodation to mem- bers of The Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, at $1.50 per day for single rooms, and $1.25 for double rooms, during the sessions of the Association. The following is an outline of the programme, with some questions for discussion added to each subject, from which, however, it may be necessary to deviate in some details : Programme. Tuesday, 8 p.m., Welcome address by the Mayor — reply by President ; the President's annual address ; reports ; election of officers. Wednesday, lo a.m., \'arieties of APPLES THAT MAV 1!E PROITTAP.I.V GROWN IN THE CKNTKAI, PORTION OF Ontario : Thos. Bea/l, Lindsay, Ont. Discussion of subject. Questions: — What varieties of apples are most sub- ject to black heart? How can it be prevented ? Horticultural Specialties for h'ARMERS : the Secretary. Discussion of subject. Questions : — Is apjjle growing profitable ? Does it pay to export our apples ? What are the drawbacks of exportation ? Trans- portation OF FRUITS TO HOME AND FOREIGN MARKETS : — What complaints have we to make against the railway express and steamboat companies ? Paper by D. IF. Beadle, subject, " Russian Apples." Marketing Fruits : Is it not time for the F. G. A. of Ontario to take up the question of marketing our fruits ? Would it be wise to have a fruit inspec- tor appointed ; or what means could be adopted to induce growers to put up good, straight, honest packages of fruit ? Could not the members of this Association act unitedly in marketing fruit through its own agent?, instead of dealing with commission men, who often make more than the growers ? 2.30 p.m.. Question Drawer. Paper by -S*. P. Morse, Milton How BEST TO Secure Uniformity and Fairness in the Awards of Prizes to Fruits at Fairs : Thomas Beall, Lindsay. Discussion of subject. Questions • — Is it best to advocate the one judge system in the horticultural department at our Fairs ? Should a scale of points be given by the judge in fruits, as is done in the poultry de- partment ? What is the best manner 6o The Canadian Horticulturist. of labeling varieties of fiuits for benefit of the public ? Forestry : Address by R. W. Phipps, Commissioner of Forestry, Toronto. Paper on Forestry by /. C. Chapais, St. Denis, P. Q., author of " The Can- adian Foresters' Guide." Discussion of subject. Questions: — What distance apart should walnuts be planted ? How many per acre ? What is the present value of walnut lumber? Is it true that forests in fluence rainfall ? Is the On- tario Government likely to take any step to preserve our forests in the districts at the head waters of the Muskoka and Ottawa rivers ? What kinds of forest trees are most profitable to grow on waste places ? 8 p.m., Question Drawer. Chrysanthemum Growing: Messrs. Webster Brothers, Hamilton. Dis cussion of subject. Questions : — In growing such plants as Geraniums, Fuchsias, Cinerarias, Primulas, Begonias, Callas, Oxalis, Tulips, Hyacinths, Heliotropes, Coleuses, etc., in house, or in small greenhouse attached to dwellings, what temperature is required, and how much water ? Should plants exhibited at fairs be given prizes when shown without labels of variet)-, both common and technical? What can be done with a City Garden of, say, 20 feet square in producing supplies for a family : Dr. W. C. Adams, Toronto. Discus- sion of subject. Questions : — What is the best way to destroy the cabbage worm {Pieris rapce) ? What varieties of tomatoes are least subject to rot ? Addresses by the Bon. C. Dtury, Minister of Agriculture, Rev. R. Burnet, of Milton, Mr. A. Alexander, F.S.Sc, Hamilton. Thursday, 10 a.m. Paper by A. M. Smith, St. Catharines. Discussion. My Experience in a Fruit Garden for Home Use : T. H. Race, editor Mitchell Recorder. Discussion of sub- ject. Questions : — What varieties of strawberries, currants, raspberries, black- berries, should be planted for home use ? Fertilization of Plants : Prof. Panton. Discussion. Birds Useful and Injurious^ in Horticulture: T. Mcllwraith. Ques- tions :— Should a law be enacted favor- ing the extermination of the house sparrow ? Should any steps be taken to discourage the slaughter cf birds for ornament ? Thursday, 2.30 p.m. Grapes: Varie- ties to Grow, Shipping, Distributing, Marketing, etc., by E. D. Smith, Winona. Discussion of subject. Ques- tions : What is the best method of preserving grapes for winter use ? -What varieties are best for keeping? Should grapes that are grown to an abnormal size by ringing, compete at our fairs with those grown in the ordinary way ? In judging fruits at our fairs, should size or quality have the highest value ? Plums : Varieties for Home Use and Market; Influence of the Scion on the Growth and Longeviiy OF the Tree, etc, etc.: Geo. Cline, Winona, Discussion of Subject. The Relation of the Fruit Growers' Association to Farmers' Institutes. Questions : — Is it wise to advise farm- ers to engage in fruit culture ? HK ni}m\ini) 4^<>i'tienltarist Vol. XII. MARCH, 1889. N(>. ^. THE ROSES. ;N distributing among our Our readers need have little dithculty members the Paul Ney- in projjagating roses by layering, if in run and the ISaron the month of July they will bend down de lionstetten roses, the branch, and pin it to a shallow we hojK> to be the trench in the soil, pressing down the means of increasing earth fumly upon it and leaving the tip the interest in rose growing upward. Oare should be culture. i'oth of taken, however, first to cut a slit on the them have been well under side, about an inih long, to the descTibed by Mr. Fred. Mitchell, on pith. By thus i)artially breaking the l)age 16, and we have now pleasure in connection with the parent bush, the giving a colored plate of this latter layered cane will send out rootlets ot variety, as a frontispiece to this number, its own, and when cut away in the lall It is a splendid rose, large and full, of or spring, will be able to depend upon a rich velvety maroon color, and one of the very best hybrid [)eri)etual roses which an amateur can plant. By sel- ecting some such easily grown varieties at the outset, and finding himself re warded with a [jrotusion of beautiful flowers, he may be encouraged to tr\ its own roots for nourishment. The enemies of the rose are numer- ous, the chief of which are well and briefly alluded to in the following from Vick's Monthly : The insects most harmful to roses are the green fly, red spider, rose hoj)- other improved varieties recjuiring per or thrips, and the rose bug and the special attention. black slug. Now, though combatting To have the best success, it is ne these insects involves some little trouble, ces.sary to have a good rich soil, made yet succc>-^ will attend all persistent by digging in a compost of sods and efforts. cow manure. The latter should be The green lly, the thrips and the about one year old, and mixeti in the black slug can all be kept under by proportion of one load to eight of the syringing the plants with a solution ot former, and if the soil is inclined to be whale oil soap. One pound ol soap is heavy, add one part to ten of good sharp sufficient for eight gallons ot water, sand. Throw the water in a fine spray on the 62 The Canadian Hor/icultnrist. under as well as the upper sides of the by syringing the leaves with clear water; leaves. A syringe with a bent nozzle is in dry times this should be done every the best instrument with which to apply day. If the rose bug, Melolontha the liquid to the lower sides of the subspinosa, makes its appearance, which leaves. is not very often, it can be destroyed The red spider can be held in check by the Insect Exterminator. PRUNING TREES AND VINES. DEAR SIR, — I would like to have your opinion on the proper method and time for trimming and pruning fruit trees, shade trees, grape vines, etc. In a great many orchards very little pruning is clone. Some people let the trees go without prun- ing until the limbs become very large, and then cut out large limbs in the centre, leav- ing the stump sticking out from the trunk — in my opinion, a very good way to start the tree to rot. I have seen trees that it would require a twenty-foot ladder to prune the thick brush off the ends of the limbs, so that the sun could get near the fruit. Is it right to cut out the centre of a tree ? Grape vines are often allowed to run over fences and buildings year after year without pruning, only having bearing wood on the ends many feet from the roots, the buds having been killed out by the steel bug in the spring, or the frost in the winter, as very few lay them down, as they should be in this cold latitude. I have had to cut out vines one half of which were dead and use- less wood. I think a few good practical hints to slovenly fruit growers through your jour- nal would do much good. Many here do their pruning in winter, but I prefer to do it when the blossoms are on the fruit trees, when the maple is coming out in leaves ; and the grape vines late in the fall, after the leaves are off. Am I right ? Trusting that this will not only find space in your journal, but that you will make some comments on it. — W. C. Searle, Clinton, Huron Co. Probably there is no subject upon which more confused notions exist than with regard to the time and manner of pruning trees and vines. Some who pretend to know give such definite advice as, " Prune when your knife is sharp," and others advo- cate no pruning at all. Some say prune in the winter, some in summer, and others in the fall. In the multi- plicity and contrariety of the advice, who wonders that we see so many slovenly kept trees throughout our country ? First, with regard to the time of pruning. We have under this head a very old adage, which it is well to remember, viz.: " Prune in winter for wood, in summer for fruit," and probably no better general rule could be given. The philosophy of this is explained by the fact that anything which checks the wood growth of the tree tends to the metamorphosis of leaf buds into fruit buds ; and, on the contrary, that which favors wood growth lessens that tendency. Thus, while a tree is young and growing rapidly, it produces no fruit ; but when it has attained a certain degree of maturity, and grows less vigor- ously, it begins to produce fruit. On the same principle it is that a tree that has been girdled will often be overloaded with blossoms, though not yet of the usual bearing age, or limbs which are artificially bent down will yield fruit before the other limbs of the same tree. Now, summer pruning checks the growth The Canadian Horticulturist. 63 of the tree, and therefore tends to increase its fruitfulness. By it we remove the foliage just when it is in active operation, taking in from the atmosphere carbon, and otherwise transforming the crude sap into a suitable liquid for building up the cellular tissues of the trees. To a limited extent this may be done in safety, but if done too freely the tree will be some time in recovering its strength. On the other hand, early spring pruning, being done when the tree is dormant, does not affect the vigor of the tree so much, and consecjuently strong growth results in order to maintain the equilibrium between the roots and the branches. In favor of the summer time, it is urged that wounds made then heal more readily than when made in winter. This is true, for the growth at that time begins to cover the wounds while they are yet fresh ; but perfect healing will also follow the winter pruning, provided the wound is properly protected from the air by paint or varnish. To a limited extent, then, sununer pruning is advisable, especially where trees are growing thriftily, and need a check to induce fruitfulness ; and the proper time for it is when the first growth is completed, and the terminal bud formed, for by that time the cambium is sufficiently matured to perform nature's cure of the wounded portions. Generallj speaking, this period is from the middle of Jime until the middle of July. Winter pruning is generally adopt- ed because it is the season of the greatest leisure, and the naked limbs enable the operator to judge best which shoukl be removed ; but the term is misleading, for it must never be done when the wood is frozen, Fic. 13. and hence either the fall, the early spring, or only the mild days of winter, are at all suitable. .\nother caution must here be E Fig. 14. given, and that is, never to prune in spring after the buds begin to swell and the first growth is pushing, for the sap, being active and not yet sufficiently matured for healing the cut, will leak, and this so-called 64 The Canadian Horticulturist. "bleeding" will continue perhaps for a long time. So much concerning the time of pruning; now concerning the man- ner. No ; we wholly condemn the common custom of neglecting to prune until the limbs are very large, or cutting them out in such a way as to leave a stump sticking out from the trunk. We copy from \\\^ Ameri- can Garden an illustration, figure 13, showing the evil effects of such faulty pruning, where the dead stubs are gradually introducing decay into the heart of the tree, soon to cause a hollow trunk, and early death ; and figure 14, where at rf a limb has been lopped off closely, and so healed that the scar is scarcely observable ; while at e some have been removed in such a way as to leave open basins almost beyond the power of nature to heal. Large limbs should never be re- moved, if possible to avoid it, but, if necessary, they should immedi- ately be covered with some prepara- tion which will exclude the air. For this purpose various preparations have been recommended, as a coat- ing of thick paint, or of coal tar of such a consistency that it may be applied with a brush. Mr. Downing recommends the following composi- tion viz.: Take a quart of alcohol and dissolve in it as much green shellac as will make a liquid of the consistency of paint. Apply with brush. Keep it in a well corked bottle, sufficiently wide mouthed to admit the brush, and it will always be ready for use. Neither do we believe in removing the large limbs in the centre of the tree to let in the sunlight. The right and the wrong ideal of the form the pruner should have in mind when at his work are well shown in figures 15 and 16, in the first of which the limbs have been removed according to the reckless butchery so Fig. 15. often performed upon our helpless apple orchards, and which is one cause of the decrepit, half-dead ap- pearance such orchards usually pre- sent. The second represents a tree which has been allowed to grow according ■^-^ A to its natural inclination, and the pruning has been simpl}- an annual thinning of such small branches as threaten to cross others, or thicken the head too closely, and in this way the removal of large limbs is alto- gether avoided. Such a tree will live in health and vigor to almost twice the age of the former. The The Canadian llorticiilinnst. ^^5 primer slioiihi stmly the natural apart when heavil)- laden with fruit. f^rowth of the tree and prune to favor tfiat ; thus the Spy and the Ranilio k'^ '♦i^ ■^\ ,^- Flfi. 17. — ViNh OnK VkaK TKANSri.ANTKll. are upright growers, and with them one leading branch should be encouraged in the centre, and side branches at suitable intervals. The Greening and the Roxbury Russet have spreading heads, and hence should have several main branches so trained as not to interfere with each other. I'Ki'NiNc; THK vim:. In the home garden, where the vine is needed to cover a verandah, an arbor, or to screen the sides of an old building, the shears may be sparingly used; but in the commer- cial vineyard it is almost impossible to succeed without them, because by intelligent pruning far more fruit is produced to the acre, and that both \'\7 ringed luaiich ; it is claimed, how- is instanced in anotlicr coluiiin. ever, by nuuiN that this is done at The most convenient tool for grape the expense of quality. Others, pruning is a pair of French Vine again, say that the slight difference Pruners, such as is shown in figure llG. 21. — FkKNC H ViNK pKLNhKS. in (juality is far more than conn- 21, and w'ith this a great many ter-balanced by the early maturity vines may be operated upon in a and increased size of the fruit, as day. A FEW HINTS ON LANDSCAPE GARDENING. SIR, — I have a p)lace with a frontage of 198 and two sides of 160 feet each. I know very little about ornamental trees and am desirous of planting the three sides with ornamental trees and a hedge. What trees would you recommend ? I thought of Mountain Ash, including Oak Leaved Horsechestnut white and red flow- ering, Acacia or Honey Locust, Walnut, Flowering Thorns, Maple and Basswood. I can get these. I would also want some ever- greens, different kinds. How would a thorn hedge do ? Some agents recommend a thorn hedge. I forget the name. They say it grows very quickly. I also require a large number of fruit trees, and small fruits for back lot. Would like if you would send me a list of reliable nurserymen. I do not wish to order through agents. I like your journal very much and get a great deal of information from it although I would like to see more about ornamental trees and flowering plants treated in it. An early answer will oblige very much. — A. B. Ki,i:in. Walkerton. A very artistic plan for laying out a small lot was recently given in the Country Gentleman, which we repro- duce here as being one which might be helpfid toour correspondent. The frontage is about the same as his, but the depth is about 400 feet, thus taking in the kitchen and fruit garden, and altogether enclosing an area of about two acres in e.xtent. The use- ful and the ornamental are so artfully blended that one might suppose the whole to be ornamental, for the gar- den is concealed from the carriage drive, which surrounds it, by hedge- rows of tall growing shrubs such as Tartarian Honeysuckles, Lilacs, Spi- reas. Purple Fringe, etc., etc. There are two driveways, one of which curves gracefully past the house and the other forms a partly concealed side entrance to the l)arn and garden, for conveying fodder, grain or manure. The groimds in front are chiefly devoted to a smooth lawn, except as occupied with trees or beds of flowers and shrul>l)er\-, while the whole boundary through which the carriage way is laid out in the rear, is gracefully planted with groups of ornamental trees and shrubs. The whole is so plannetl as to be managed economically ; one day suf- ficing a man to cut the front lawn with the lawn mower, one to put the flower l)eds in order, and one to cul- tivate the kitchen garden with the horse and finish with hoe and rake. For the planting of the sitle and rear of such a lot as this, we have a large list of deciduous trees that are hardy enough for the latitude of 68 Tlie Canadian Horticultniist. Walkerton, and we mention the fol- Box-elder, European Larch and lowing varieties from which our cor- Walnut. respondent will be safe in selecting, Among the coniferous Evergreens, yfs ; Wier's cut-leaved. Silver, Red we may mention, as hardy and very and Norway Maples; American desirable in grouping: — Norway, and Cork Elms ; European Silver White and Hemlock Spruces ; Nord- Basswood ; Swamp White, Scarlet man's Fir ; Red Cedars ; Scotch and Red Oaks; single and double Austrian, White and Cembrian flowering Horsechestnuts ; Showy Pines, of which the latter is particu- Catalpa (C. speciosa) ; cut-leaved and larly adapted to small grounds. American White Birches; White For planting in prominent positions and Honey Locusts ; Buttonwood about th3 front lawn, or as single {Platanus occidentalis) ; Wisconsin specimens, we may suggest the cut- weeping Willow (to be used very leaved Weeping Birch, the Scarlet sparingly, and preferably near water. Oak, the European and the Oak- see fig. 23) ; Wild Black Cherry, leaved Mountain Ash, the Purple The Canadian' Horticn/fnrist. 69 Leaved Beech and the Ginko (or Maiden Hair tree.) With regard to the emiuiry about hedges we would not recommend the Buckthorn, on account of the ex- pense of keeping it properly pruned ; indeed unless needed to turn cattle, we see little use of thorn hedges of any kind. But, if a thorn hedge must shears. It should be set while the plants are quite small, at from ten to twelve inches apart. Of deciduous shrubs the Privet, Barberry, Japan Quince and Spiraea Van Houtii are all very desirable. The first is easily grown, even in the shade of trees, bears the shears remarkably well, and, pruned in a conical shape from be had, the Honey Locust is about the best for Canada, although it, too^ is a very rampant grower. It should be planted in double rows about nine inches apart. As a hedge simply for an orna- mental boundary, we know of nothing more suitable than the American Arbor Vitae, often miscalled the White Cedar. It is a slow grower and thickens up gracefully under the the ground upward, forms a beautiful hedge, holding its foliage far into the winter. Nor is the pruning difficult, for the young shoots are slender and easily cut with the hedge shears. Regarding reliable Nurserymen from which the above, and other stock may be purchased, we would refer our correspondent to our adver- tising columns. 70 The Canadian Horticulturist. MR. ALEXANDER McD. ALLAN, PRESIDENT OF THE E.G. A, OF ONT. IN volume xi., page 4, of this journal, there appeared a brief biographical sketch of this gentleman, together with an outline engraving of his face. The latter, however, failed to portray his features with any degree of correctness, and therefore we have had a new and much more expensive engraving prepared, both for these pages, and as a frontispiece to the Annual Report for 1888. The Report, which was sent on to the Govern- ment printers early last December, will soon be ready for distribution, and contains, besides, three beautiful, full page engravings of beds and bedding plants, as arranged on the Government Grounds, Ottawa, by Mr. N. Robertson. The CanacUafi Hortiiiilturist. 71 THE APPLE MAGGOT. Bv L. F. AiiHOTT, Lr.wisTON, Ma'isk, I'.S.A IN tlic January nuinl)er of tlie Hor- ticulturist, * in your remarks upon the Trypcta Pomonclla, you speak of allowing sheep and hogs the run of the orchard to help destroy this pest ; and also say that the worms leave the apple and burrow in the ground before passing to the proper stage. My observations re- garding this insect have led me to think that but very few apples fall from the trees as a result of the presence of the apple maggots. We find both insects, the Codling Worm and the maggot, infesting the same specimens of fruit. As a result of the presence of the former, many apples come to the ground, and hence your advice, to give the sheep and hogs — particularly the former— the run of the orchard as late as prac- ticable before harvesting the apples, is always in order, for, doubtless, many of both species of insects would be destroyed, though it is pretty well established that a majority of the Cod- ling Worms ^leave the apples before they fall. But I believe the chances are, that larger numbers of the Try- petas than of the Codling ^^'orm would be destroyed by the animals, from the circumstances, which my observations have shown to be the fact, that a part, at least, of these maggots pupate in their burrows within the apples they infest. 1 have several times had specimens thus change in confinement, usually about one half remaining within the apple, the remainder crawling out and into a corner of the box in which they were confined. Frequently I have found speci- mens of the maggot in pupa form in apples in winter when brought from the cellar. All of which goes to show that, like the Codling Worms, many leave the apple to pupate, and a portion remain in the fruit later — perhaps a later crop of worms. I am in hopes the use of arsenical insecticides upon our orchards is going to be the means of staying the progress of the Tr\peta as well as of the Codling Worms. Very few of our Maine orchardists have the courage to spray their trees with London purple or Paris green, but a few, like Mr. Pape, President of the Maine Pomological Society, and a ew other prominent and progressive orchardists, have done so, and with the best results. If spared till another season, I propose to experi- ment in this line and carefully note results. Mr. P. M. Augur, of Connecticut, stated, at the Winter meeting of our State Pomological Society, that in the season of 1887, orchards sprayed with Paris green for the Codling Worms were remarkabl) free from the ravages of the Trypeta. May we not hope that this will prove the sovereign remedy for both these pests of the orchard. 72 The Canadian Horticulturist. THE farmer;s garden. A Paper Read before the Stormont Farmers' Institute by Mr. John Croil, Director for Division No. i. I MAKE no apology for being on your platform to-day other than to say I am asked, as a director of fhe Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, to make a few remarks on gardening as connected with farming. We think they should go hand-in- hand. A good farmer is a poor gardener, so it is often said, but why should it be so ? The thorough farmer is, of all others, the best qualified to be the best gardener. One reason for this idea is, we think, the belief that there is no mone}' in the pursuit. Cheaper, you say, to buy vegetables than to raise them. But do you buy them ? The farmer's table, as a rule, isn't half as well supplied with vegetables as the town man's. We don't advocate, in all cases, a large garden. The size of it will be best regulated by the facili- ties you have of disposing of the surplus after the wants of your family' have been supplied. Let it be situ- ated convenient to the dwelling. Your wives and daughters will, in all likelihood, have more to do with it than you. Don't tell them you will plough or dig it for them AS SOON AS ALL YOUR CROP IS IN. Your wives should make the house too hot for their liege lords till you get this done. If possible, let there be no trees to shade your garden. Plant seeds of the best kinds and of the best quality you can find as soon as the ground is in good working order, and not sooner. Don't wait for the moon ; I think this is an old- fashioned idea. " He that observeth the wind shall not sow." I think the same may be said of the moon. It is economy to use the best known kind of seeds at any reasonable price. Last spring I had some of Burpee's New Express Cabbage ; it matured about the time some were thinking of planting, and sold readily for eight cents a head, not large ones either ; while large heads of the late kinds were sold freely at from two to three cents a head. FIGHT THE WEEDS. You are sure to have them ; kill them in infancy. If you have not learned the truth of the Bible words, " Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you," you will before the season is far advanced. Supply yourself with the best tools. None better that I ' know of for keeping down the weeds than the Dutch or flat hoe. Use it as soon as you can see the seed rows, and use it often. A lively man will go over a good-sized garden with it in a day. A wheel cultivator works- well in mellow soil. I prefer the hoe in stiffer soil. Sowing in beds, I think an old-fashioned system and a waste of time. Run your line the length of the garden with the assist- ance of a smart boy — better if the man is smart too ; you will be sur- prised how much ground you will plant in a day. GIVE YOUR GARDEN ACRE EQUAL CARE, and I think it will pay you as well, or better than any of the others. I claim to be one of yourselves, having for the last forty years employed all my time in your profession, and gar- dening as well. We are often advised to profit by our failures as well as our successes. I have had a goodly share of the former, and hope I in some measure learned wisdom from them. Let me give you a few figures from my own experience. This last year my garden occupied a space of measured ground 2,478 square yards, a little over half an acre. Besides having a bountiful supply for household use, I sold off this: The Canadian Horticulturist. 71 Cabba^je to the amount of ^40 00 Onions 25 00 ("elerv 7 00 Carrots, turnips, beets, toma- toes, etc 5 00 Grapes 10 00 887,00 This, I considered, about an average crop. The ground, moderately ma- nured, was in good condition, and kept as clean as the excessively wet season woidd allow. You can no more expect to get a heavy crop of vegetables than of wheat unless you GIVE THE GROUND FAIR PLAY. The above residts, I think, you will admit are better than you would expect from wheat, even supposing you had forty bushels to the acre. A friend of mine, however, in Corn- wall did better than this. I measured his ground, 1,310 square yards, a trifle over a quarter of an acre. Off this he sold : Vegetables $53 06 Strawberries 28 38 Currants and gooseberries t3 47 Grapes and apples 323 Tomatoes 6 80 $105 00 Besides being a better gardener than I, he had the advantage of a ready town market. Working in the woolen factory from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., all the time he had for the garden was before or after these hours. All his hired help for the garden didn't amount to more than %\o. I call this profitable gardening. Besides the vegetable garden, I had, in strawberries, 1,488 square yards, about five-sixteenth of an acre. These were in rows four feet apart. Off this piece I sold to the amount of $100, which I considered above the average crop, and having sold all the fruit in a home market, saving all the expense of boxes, crates, freight and commission. I did better than if I had been obliged to ship them. We often read of $500 to S700 or $800 from an acre of strawberries, but I woidd advise vou to receive all such reports with caution. No doubt it has been done, but don't you ex- pect such a crop. Some of you who may know more about strawberry- growing than I do may say, that crop of strawberries cost you a whole sea- son's work, the year before yielding you no crop. True, but this year's was the third crop on the same groimd, so you must divide the extra year's labor among the four crops. Again you say, you had any amoimt of HOEING AND WEEDING. Yes, we had ; and sore backs, too, picking; but tell me, what do we get that's good without labor ? And, as a rule, the better it is the more labor it costs us. Besides the pecuni- ary gain, isn't there pleasure and profit of another kind in having your fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden ? A happy contrast to those tliat have wilted in the market wait- ing for a purchaser. We often hear our town friends say : these are not like the strawberries we get in the city ; and we believe them. A WORD ABOUT THE ORCHARD. You want that, too, not necessarily a large one. A few trees are indis- pensable for your family; an acre or two out of your hundred will, I think, be a safe investment for most of you. My first orchard was planted forty years ago. I may say I have been re-planting ever since. I have been complimented on having the thriftiest looking orchard in our neighborhood. The trees grew well, with every appearance of hr-althi- ness, but I have had lots of failures. My first and greatest mistake was planting trees imsuitable to our cli- mate. The nursery catalogues told me they were hardy, but they were not enough so for our cold north. The kinds we can successfully grow here, so far as I know, are compara- tively few ; but it's only a few good kinds we need. Its a mistake to have 74 The Canadian Horticulturist. TOO MANY KINDS. Get a few selected trees of undoubt- edly hardy varieties, mainly of such kinds as you find thriving in your neighborhood, and no more than you make up your mind to attend to. Prune early and regularly, and so avoid the necessity of ever cuttmg off large limbs. Don't avail }'Our- self of the assistance of the cows in the operation ; they will do it un- mercifully. Fence them out, and the hens out of your garden. Pre- pare the ground, as for a good crop of corn, set your trees thirty to forty feet apart, and cultivate as long as the trees will allow you. Let your aim be in the orchard to raise APPLES AND NOTHING ELSE. Other crops among your trees will be at their expense. The greatest drawback to our orchards has been the black spot. It has troubled longer than many suppose. In a report of the fruit growers of the County of Lincoln, dated 1869, we have the following : " The black spot, as it is called, has been worse than ever known before." And the report goes on to name the varieties most affected. So it appears the disease has been going on and in- creasing for some years previous to 1869, without either its cause or a cure being discovered. Suddenly as it came, in the season of 1887, it left us, as we hope, for good. During these years, such orchards as had a large proportion of Fameuse and other kinds most liable to the disease, were almost worthless. Mine, about six acres, mostly Fameuse, didn't pay the expense of gathering — a lesson not to have TOO MANY EGGS IN ONE BASKET, which, when I learned, induced me to go into strawberries, of which I have one-and-a-half acres to crop next year. This year we hand-pulled 500 barrels of apples, and sold them mostly at $2 per barrel — a fair price, considering the immense crop. But new barrels — and it won't pay to ship them in any other — cost me 32 cents, and freight about 27 cents, reducing the net price to about $1.40. Besides these I had about 200 barrels fallen apples, which netted me 75 cents per barrel. That gives the returns from six acres : 500 barrels, at |i .40 $700 00 200 " "75 cents 150 00 ^850 00 When I see, as I often do, farmers driving out from our back country, depositing our carefully hand-picked apples in bags, and transporting them over roads the roughest, and distances from twenty to thirty miles, I fancy their load reaches their homes in a condition fit only for the cider press, without the trouble of further grinding, certainly not for the desert, and if I could reach their ears to-day I would say, plant an orchard. E. L. Wakeman, in a letter to the Cincinnati Times, during a trip through Nova Scotia, says : " When traveling through the val- leys (Annapolis and Gaspereau) an interesting reflection came to me, and I wondered whether it might be so to others. That was, that where- ever apples grow a kindly, sturdy and progressive people are ever to be found. Think it over, and the idea grows upon one. Great houses, greater barns, fine stock, ample com- petence, large provision for all sea- sons and needs, sturdy ways, sensible thrift, genial neighborings, and all that dear procession of country-side life that has vigor and cheer, with Autumn's noble housings and stores and winter's large and generous delights, marshall the thought in memory's bravest trappings." Be- fore closing, allow me to remind you of the advantage you may turn these long winter evenings to by storing your minds from the book-shelf. Many, even of the priceless cata- logues of the day, afford useful in- formation to the gardener. The Tlie Canadiafi Hortim/inrist. 75 monthly niaf^'azinc of our l'"niit Orow- ers' Association has a good man at the wheel and a staff of able con- tributors. For the small sum of $i a year, which enlists you as a mem- ber of the Association, you will, at the end of the year, be in possession of a handsome volume, brimful of valuable information in all matters pcrtaininf^' to the f^'arden and orchard ; besides, you will receive a copy of the annual report, which contains a careful verbatim report of the dis- cussions on fruit culture which took place at the various meetings of the year, and a selection from a large list of plants, etc., to be distributed in the spring. T FRUIT RAISING IN NORTH HASTINGS. Hardy Apples — Protection from Mice. HE scions of Vltuliniir CInrry the sun in early spring, but after were received in good order, and three years planting they do not kill, I grafted them on the wild red cherry. They grew too vigorously, I thought, and seemed tender in the fall ; the frost cut them. I cannot say how they would liave stood the winter, as the mice girdled them all. I should like to try them again ; I think they would grow slower on the Choke Cherry. I have one early Richmond which grows well and does not kill back. It has not fruited yet, though three years planted. The Dewberry is too tender here. The Jessie strawberry is growing vigorously. I will report on the fruit next season. Grapes grow well, but have not fruited yet. as they ripen their young wood sooner and better before winter. The Peach Apple is perfectly hardy and a very vigorous grower. The Mackintosh Red is quite hardy, but is very subject to a black fungi on the bark. I use lime and wood ashes as a wash, which I find effective. The Wealthy like the Duchess, is a valuable tree here, but kills easily when young. In speaking of the young trees killing, I have reference to the imported stock from Toronto and Rochester. I find that the same varieties budded on seedlings raised here do not kill. 1 also see that the hardiest and best producers have very short trunks, and have generally Gooseberries a complete failurf, died down when planted to about except the wild sorts. The Houghton, Smiths Improved and lndustr\-, all mildew to kill ; they will bear fruit for one or two seasons. I tried salt, it helped them some ; will try it heavier next year. Apples. — The Duchess of Olden- hnrs^Ji heads the list for productiveness and hardiness, the young trees will kill frequently, I think from the frost and twelve inches of the ground. 1 raise all my young stock with short stems. I never prune at all, that is, never use the knife. 1 rub off some buds on young trees. 1 am certain that the pruning knife is sure death to any tree, sooner or later, even a forest tree. Our soil is a rich, yellow, sandy loam. .\n orchard, to succeeil, must 76 The Cauaiian Horticulturist. be planted on an eastern or north- east slope, and must be, in an}- case, where the summer frosts will not kill potatoes. In low places, subject to frost, the young wood on the trees is killed before the winter sets in, or has not ripened sufficiently to stand. The cheapest and best protection for young trees against mice I find is tar paper. About fifteen inches is quite high enough up the stem for the paper to come. Open your roll of paper which is wide enough to cut in two for the height, cut off about twelve inches, and you have enough for two trees, roll up to about three inches in diameter, so as to give plenty of room for air round the tree, tie on with a string, put a little soil round the bottom to prevent the mice getting under. I did not lose a single tree last year, while the j-ear previous I lost thirty-five girdled, although they were carefully banked up with earth and the snow tramped. I did not tramp the snow around the papered trees and they were safe, concluding to let them go if the paper would not save them, after all the fruitless labor of the yearprevious. I should very much like to test the Moyer grape here if you can spare one. — A Member of the F.G.A., of Ont. GRADING FOR DRAINS. CAREFULLY laid drains are important to success in fruit culture. The apple tree may grow on wet soil, but is much more liable to injury by cold in such a situation, and often protracts an enfeebled existence. The Quince, though a lover of water, yet soon succumbs to the effects of the cold in undrained soil ; and almost all our small fruit plants are rendered sickly and un- fruitful if placed on wet soil and draining neglected. Besides this, under-draining is a means of direct benefit to growing plants, for the rain water, instead of overflowing the surface, is drawn through the soil, carrying with it the growth elements with which it is laden, such as nitrogen, carbonic acid, etc. In this connection some of our readers may be interested in the fol- lowing simple method of grading for drains, from the Drainage and Farm jfournal : I use two targets, which I will name No. i and No. 2, to describe . c 05-^ ^ CfrSlB i NO. 1. NO. 2. Fig. 24. — Grading for Drain Laying. them, and a pole. No. i A, is a piece 2^ inches square by two feet long pointed so as to drive in the ground, two clasps on as shown in cut, for B to slide in. B, one by two and one half inches, by two feet long. The Canadian Horticiiltnnst. 77 G, one by two inches, ei^ht inches long, fastened on A with thinnl) screw D. No. 2 is a piece one 1)\ two inches, six feet long. B, block two inches sijuare made to slide up or down as is necessary — fastenetl with thumb screw C. Dig ditch deep as desirable at outlet. Set No. I so that arm G extends over ditch. Then take a pole and set up in ditch and slide B down or up on No. i till it comes even with top of pole. Next take No. 2 and stick it into the ground several rods back in the op- posite direction that the ditch is to run from No. i, in line wath ditch. Now take pole and go ahead about six rods on the line of the ditch, and sight from three feet on pole back over No. i to No, 2 beyond, and slide B on No. 2 up or down as is required till you have it in range. Commence to dig at No. i, and set pole in the ditch every foot or two to see whether the top of pole comes in range with target on No. i and No. 2 ; when you have dug back to where the pole was sighted from, proceed as before. No. i can be leveled with pocket level if ground is laid off by a civil engineer. Set targets with grade stakes. There are a great many tile laid uneven in grade, which soon fills with mud, the users get dis- couraged and blame the tile, saying it don't pay. SUCCESS WITH SMALL FRUITS. Bv E. MoRDEN, Niagara Falls South, Ont. PROFITABLE results from small fruit culture depend upon sev- eral conditions : 1. A soil iintttrally f^ood. To make a good soil of a very poor sand or a hard clay is, perhaps, possible, but it is rarely profitable. No one soil suits all fruits. Many fruits can only be grown with profit upon soils spec- ially adapted to them. A good dry, sandy loam will grow many of them. A clay loam will grow others to better advantage. 2. A manure supply tcitliiii con- venient reach. 3. Nearness to a <^oo(l sliippini^r station. 4. Nearness to a local nnirkct. Sometimes the local market will take the crop and make shipments of fruit unnecessarv. Sometimes all the fruit may be profitably shipped. Com- monly we need both methods. 5. .-I selection of the best market varieties. This is of vital importance. The beginner who relies upon cata- logues will probably buy very expen- sive and mostly worthless varieties. Visit the grounds of experienced market growers and see what they are planting this year. No other plan compares with this for safety. In the absence of such opportunity write to or talk to an honest market grower, who does not make secrets of his knowledge. Buy your plants directly from reliable parties. 6. Some kno7i'ledge of practical field work, and of the necessary business management. City men seldom suc- ceed. A good practical farmer with study niaj' succeed. 7. The right kind of a man. In addition to practical knowledge of field work and business uiethods he must have persistent pluck to fight the weeds for seven months in the year for a series of vears. He nmst 78 The Canadian Horticulturist. do the things that ought to be done, berries and currants should be grown He must have nerve to dig out as on plants of a less age than ten well as to plant. Raspberries, goose- years. A FAMOUS APPLE TREE. THE Western Chronicle, Kent- ville, N. S., is responsible for the truth of the following extract : — There is a famous apple tree on a farm in Lakeville, Cornwallis, Kings County, Nova Scotia, owned by Mr. Joseph A. Kinsman, and purchased by him in 1878 from the heirs of the late Lawson Rackwell, Esq. For the benefit of those wishing to know the facts concerning the productive powers of this famous tree, we give its record for the six bearing years that have elapsed since it came into the possession of its present owner, for which facts we are indebted to that gentleman : In 1878 it produced 15 barrels. 1880 " 18 1882 ■• 21 1888 ■• 23 being 118 barrels of merchantable fruit produced in the six years. In addition to this it has produced during these same years 20 barrels of apples which, owing to bruises, etc. (the tree being a difficult one to pick) were unfit for market. The most of these apples would be among the largest and finest which the tree bears, and should in justice be taken into account in giving statistics of its productiveness." It would have been interesting had we been told the variety of apple tree giving such a famous yield ; and also its age and the kind of soil upon which it is growing. We are not prepared, without these particulars, to yield the palm, in apple culture, to our Nova Scotian friends. On the Woolverton Homestead, at Grimsby, Ont., there is a Greening apple tree, nearly one hundred years old, the branches of which cover an area of about forty feet in diameter, and which has frequently yielded from seventeen to twenty barrels of marketable fruit, in addition to large waste from falling. The soil is a deep, rich, sandy loam, situated at the base of "the mountain." No doubt, however, that the An- napolis and Gaspereau valleys of Nova Scotia, are especially adapted for apple culture. They contain about 600 square miles of ajrable land, of which about one-tenth, about 40,000 acres, is planted with apples, and about 500,000 barrels of Gravenstein, King, Baldwin, etc., are exported an- nually ; and these are chiefly grown upon young trees not yet of bearing The Civnuiian Hoitiinltunst. FLOWERS THE ORCHID HOUSES OF W. S. KIMBALL. lU Fkkd. Mm. iii-.j.i., Innkhkii', Ont. 79 'HERE is inucii in the pleasant city of Ro- cliester which is of special interest to the flower -lover. But there is in it no other place, perhaps, in which there is so much of interest, or in which so much of interest or in which so much can (juickly he learned of the rare and beautiful in floral nature as at the private con- servatories of W. S. Kimball. When in Rochester the past sum- mer I spent several hours in these conservatories, and although I could not, in so short a time, systematic- ally take in the whole round of this great private establishment, yet I saw enough to give me an idea of the value and magnificence of the col- lection. Knowledge regarding the treatment of orchids is limited to as yet but few in Ontario. I do not know where the knowledge of the varied treatment of this great famil\- (according to the requirements of each member of it) can be more quickly obtained than at these con- servatories. Anyone premeditating the commencement of the pleasant, but often uncertain pursuit of orchid culture, would also do well to visit these houses in order to make a wise selection of varieties. There are, I think, at least seven houses devoted to orchids alone. Many of the varieties which I saw were so costly as to be beyond the reach of those of ordinary means. There were Cypripediums in three- inch pots, which had cost two or three hundred dollars each ; and epiphytal orchids on billets, or in baskets, which had cost fabulous sums, one (a vanda) which I was in- formed cost fifteen hundred dollars and was considered to be worth, at the time I saw it, at least two thou- sand. It is rarity, however, and nqt extraordinary beauty, which makes certain varieties so high priced. Some of the varieties of Cattleyas (which to me were among the most beautiful of all) are within the reach of everyone. The Cattleya, in its variety, was to my mind, the grandest orchid ot all. Most of the varieties bear immense bloom, beautifully tinted and deliciously fragrant. Cattleyas are not so difficult to manage as some less beautiful orchids. Some orchids are wonderfully prolific of bloom. I saw a Cattleya and also a Coelogyne which, each, at one time, bore five hundred flowers on a single plant. I was told that the Lycaste is one of the easiest managed of all orchids and therefore specially valu- able for beginners in orchid culture. It is, however, not (juite so beautiful as some others. It is a matter of interesting study to behold these epiphytal orchids, strong in growth and rich in bloom, and yet with no 8o TJic Canadian Horticulturist. power of deriving nourishment but such as they receive from the air. The butterfly orchid, the bee orchid, the man orchid, the wonderful Esprite de Sante, or flower of the Holy Ghost, and many others, equally wonderful, can all be seen here, and seen in the greatest perfection and beauty. Besides the orchid houses, there are two rose houses, a house for violets and other plants of a like nature. There is also a house which contains a general collection of tropical plants. Here may be seen the Devil Plant and a host of other rarities. I never saw elsewhere Anthuriums so full of bloom as I saw them here at the time of my visit. As we ordinarily meet with it this plant is not generous in its gift of bloom . Besides all these there is an aquatic house. An artificial pond covers the inner area of the house, with the ex- ception of a walk which extends around the whole circumference of it. In this miniature lake are gath- ered aquatic plant wonders of many climes. There are magnificent blue water-lilies from Zanzibar, the Vic- toria Regia from the tropic lagoons of the Amazon, the leaves of which, when fully grown, will support a boy as on a raft ; the bulrush of Egypt, from which was made the Papyrus on which the ancient records of the country were written and preserved, and of which also was formed the protecting ark of the infant who was later the great law-giver and leader of the people ; the Lotus of the Nile, with its famed, accredited power of dispelling care, and of pro- ducing in its stead forgetful, sensuous happiness. These, with many others of like rarity, or association, or beauty, make this collection a par- ticularly interesting one. Alleman- das and other climbing or trailing plants cover the sides of this house, and when, as I saw them, a per- fect bank of bloom, add greatly to the general effect. Not a flower or a plant is ever parted with for money. Mr. Kimball provides this magnificent exhibition at great ex- pense and without one cent of re- turning profit. Everyone is made welcome ; the sight is perfectly free to all. In the ever-increasing interest in flower culture in our own people, I look forward to the time when our country can boast such grand collec- tions. We have men of wealth within our borders, and men of as high taste, and of equal benevolence to any in the world. SPRING TREATMENT OF WINDOW PLANTS. Bv G. M. Rogers, Peterboro' I'^HE treatment of window plants depends upon so many vary- ing conditions that it would be impossible to lay down rules appli- cable alike to all cases and kinds, but the suggestion of a few general principles may assist the plant stu- dent in the study of the elements which contribute to their successful culture, and upon the closenesscf such personal observations will ultimate success depend. The various pro- The Canadian HorticiiUiifisi. .Si portions in which light, heat and moisture contribute to the heahh and vigor of different plants will always afford an interesting subject for ob- servation to those who take pleasure in cultivating them. As the increas- ing heat of the season will produce an increased growth, it is well to consider how this should be met. TRIMMING AND PRUNING. And first comes, I think, the thorough cleansing and trimming of the plant. Remove all dead and decaying leaves and wood. Freely prune back all such hard-wooded plants as Roses, Fuschias, Helio- tropes, etc. Take the plants out where they can be thoroughly doused with water and wash and cleanse them of all insects. If much troubled with the latter, it is often well to remove the surface soil from the pot and replace it with other, so as to get rid of any eggs or larva; deposit- ed there. The fir tree oil insecticide is commended as a wash by many, but the writer's experience is, that the safest and most effective way to get rid of insects, is to remove them by hand, and that no better wash is wanted than soap and warm water. REPOTTING. While nothing is gained by placing plants in unnecessarily large pots, nothing is more important than giv- ing them root room enough to main- tain a continuous growth. Better far a vigorous, growing, healthy plant than an aged, decrepit plant, so pot-bound that growth is impos- sible and disease inevitable. The former is a pleasure to the eye, w ill resist disease and insects better, and bloom freer ; the latter is only a nuisance and an eyesore. So soon as the roots lining the pot show signs of hardening, put them into a slightly larger pot. Keep pots clean, that the plants may breathe the easier through them and keep the surface soil in the pot loose. WATERING. When in active growth or bloom plants want plenty of water. Water thoroughly, when you do water, so as to keep the soil moist without soak- ing it. As water often injures the flowers, it is better, when plants are in bloom, to water direct into the pot and not upon the flowers. MANURING. Most plants are greatly improved by the application of a little manure, especially when approaching bloom. This is most efiectively applied mixed with water. Anv kind of manure will do, the prepared plant - foods being specially easy of applica- tion in this way. Care must be taken not to apply too much ; there is more danger of overdoing it than not giving enough. Desist on the least sign of wilt or ill-health. The mixing of a little superphosphate or other ground manure with moss and placing on the soil about the plant is highly recommended. The moss serves as a mulch to keep the soil moist and each watering carries a little of the plant food down to the roots. In conclusion, allow me to suggest that no commoner mistake is made than the attempt to grow more plants than there is room to handle proper- ly. A lesser munber, given more room and attention, will give much more satisfactory results. Air and 82 The Canadian Horticulturist. light are important factors in the health of plants, without which the}' cannot thrive, and crowding deprives them of both. Use caution in first bringing out the house-plants in the spring ; remember that they have become accustomed to the subdued light and equable temperature of the living-rooms and will be sensitiv^e to the glare of the sun or the chill of the evening. Don't try to bring them out too soon, but let the change be gradual by placing them for a time in a sheltered, shad\' spot. FLORICULTURAL. THESE are my questions — Three Clema- tis plants were sold to me by an agent about three or four years ago, said to be double blue, double white, and a single cream white. They were good, strong plants, and grow quite close to a blue single flower- ing Clematis covered with bloom year after year. But these three have shown no signs of flowering all this time. They are laid down, deeply covered, every autumn, and are growing stronger every summer. They were well rooted when I got them, I have been told they are a kind, perhaps, that don't flower. Before I throw them away as useless, please tell me if there is anything I can do better. I don't want them otherwise. Also, would it do harm to potted plants to water them sometimes with weak washing soda suds, or pearline suds ? or would it be good for them ? I have never seen what should be done with Honeysuckle climbers in the autumn, I have one that has not bloomed since I got it ; all the growth of the last year dies the next summer, though it looks pretty green when uncovered in the spring I do not now the kind it is. I cut the most of it down, as I see it not doing, but the new growth, which is abundant, does not flower. — A Gardener- ess, Peterborough. hy Hermann Simmers, Toronto. It is somewhatdifficult to say whether the Clematis mentioned are worth- less, but I imagine they are nothing but the commonest kinds, such as C. Flamtnula and C. Integri/olia, which flower but very little, throwing any amount of foliage and but an in- significant flower. If the plants will suit for foliage, keep them, but if for flower- ing purposes they are worthless. Watering house plants with washing soda suds is detrimental to their growth; sooner water them with a solution of liquid fertilizer once or twice a week, which will be a benefit, whereas in the other case it has no avail. Regarding the Honeysuckle, you do right to cover it, and the only fault may be want of age. Try it again this summer, and if it still refuses to bloom plant some other variety. The Canadian IIorticultitii>:t. 83 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and ail its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. I Girdling the Concord Grape. JOTVVITHSTANDING the advice of many of our best horticulturists, many vineyardists in Massachusetts strongly favor the girdling of the grape for early maturity, and for increased size of the berry. On the 1 3ih Sept. last, a commit- tee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, visited a vineyardof Concords of several acres in extent, near the town of Concord. In one-half of the vineyard girdling had been practised for three years. As a result, although the vines did not appear quite as vigorous in this portion, the fruit was as advanced in ripening as the Moore's Early, while in the other part, the Concords of normal treatment were much smaller in size and hopelessly behind time. The inference was that, under some circumstances, and with some varieties, there are decided advantages in the process ; and continued experiments in this direction are advisable. Russian Apples. According to the Iowa Experiment Station, the Russians differ from our ordinary apple trees in such points as the following : — larger flowers, thicker petals, shorter and more stocky pistils and stamens, larger stigmas, anthers and pollen grains; thicker leaves ; wood, bark and bud scales of finer texture ; and roots penetrating more deeply. These peculiarities are protective against summer drought and winter cold. Also having been developed in a region of short Summers they ripen their wood early, their Cambriun layers do not contain so much liquid, and are, therefore, less subject to the scalding of the bark on the south-west side, when freezing temperature quickly fol- lows warm weather in early spring. Kerosene Emulsion for Plant Lice. To be forewarned is, or should be, to be forearmed. During the dry, hot weather of June and July, these insects become a terrible pest, and increase at 84 The CauadJati Horticulturist. an enormous rate. The earlier the cherry and plum trees are sprayed with the kerosene emulsion the easier these lice are destroyed. The manner of making this is simple — a strong soap- suds is made, and, while boiling, the kerosene is added and well churned, before adding water. The usual for- mula is : Kerosene, 2 gals ; Water, i gal. ; Soap, yi lb. , ftiixed as above, and then diluted with about jo gals, of water. The English SpaFFOw. At a recent meeting of the Dominion Farmers' Council, at London, the fol- lowing resolution was passed : — "That the Dominion Government be asked to offer a small bounty for the heads of English sparrows, and in case that government declines to take action in the matter, that the Ontario Govern- ment be asked to do so in this pro- vince, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to the agricultural departments of each government, and to the secre- taries of fruit growers' and agricultural societies throughout the Dominion." At our Winter Meeting in Ottawa, a valuable paper on the House Sparrow, by Mr. P. Mcllwraith, of Hamilton, was read ; and in it some wise recom_ mendations were given for favoring the destruction of this bird, such as: — (i) Repeal of laws affording it protection ; (2) Enactment of laws legalizing the killing of it at all seasons of the year, and the destruction of its nests, eggs and young ; (3) Enactment of laws pro- tecting the great Northern Shrike, the Sparrow Hawk, and the Screech Owl, which feed largely on the sparrows ; and a resolution was passed asking the government for legislation for carrying out these suggestions. For a riddance of our premises of them, a good. plan is to destroy their nests, eggs and young, by means of a long, light pole, with an iron hook at the point. At the Council above men- tioned, Mr. Little reported that he had been successful in poisoning them by placing a dish cf wheat soaked with water, in which Paris green had been dissolved, on the eave-trough of the building where it was out of the way of other things. Treatment of Girdled Trees. E. A. RiEHL, in Orchard and Garden, gives the following opportune advice : — The most satisfactory way of treating trees girdled in the winter by mice or rabbits is to cut them down to the. ground and let them make a new stem and top, which they will do quicker and be better trees after than by- any other method I have ever tried. The sooner this is done after discovery of the damage the better. Should the girdling extend below the point where the tree was budded or grafted, it will still be better to cut down and then bud or graft the young tree after, or the graft can be inserted at once into the root or collar. A Portable Propagating Case. I herewith enclose a sketch cf a propagating case now in use in my conservatory, and which pleases me better than anything I have ever before seen. Water (having an oil lamp be- low) is the heating medium for the sand, and this is preferable to a body of heated air, as sometimes used, a fact that any good propagator will, I think, substantiate. In the constiuction of this case (size, three feet by four) a strong board outer case, with no bottom, is made. A tight fitting glazed sash should be hinged on, and the woodwork is, in the main, finished. Two feet of the lower part is made double, with pro- jecting pieces, as shown, upon which the water tray rests, and other projec- tions on each side, about an inch wide, should be fixed inside the frame, and The Canadian Hortiiu/turisi. 85 about four inches from the bottom, which will hold the sand tray. Assuming the frame to be fiur feet Fig. 25. — A Hoktahi.e Propagating Cask. long, three feet wide, and two feet deep inside, a tray of fairly stout galvanized iron, three feet nine inches long, two feet nine inches wide, and four inches deep, should be had to form the water tank ; and the one for the sand to be half an inch less than the frame in length and breadth, and about six inches deep. Besides these, a kerosene lam|) of ordinary form will be necessary 10 stand under the case to keep the water warm, but not touching the tray, standing on a support to raise it to the proper height. The bottom tray is placed in position and nearly filled with hot water. Then the second tray, half filled with sand, is put into place, and the case covered down. The lamp should be lighted, and after the sand has become warmed the cuttings or seed pans can be placed in ; and, by regulating the distance between the lamp and the water tray, a proper uniform heat can be maintained. — Mary A. Newcome, Bureau Co., III., in Popular Gardening. QUESTION DRHWER Asparagus. 15. (i) Can it be grown profitably for a distant market ? (2) Is there any better varieties than Conover's ? (3) What is the best method of handling and shipping ? .\ Constant Reader, Napanee. Reply by Jas. Dunlop, gardener, St. Catharines. I. Yes. 2. None that I have grown. 3. Packed in cases holding, say. (we. dozen bunches after it is cleaned and trimmed. Reply by J. .■[ . Bruce, Hamilton. Asparagus can be grown profitably for a distant market ; never knew of a glut in the market —the demand is always equal to the supply. Conover's is a first-class variety and more largely cultivated than any other. Lenormand's Mammoth and Early Purple Argenteuil are famous varieties in the Paris (France) mar- kets, and are getting better known in America. Shippers will require to find out the requirements of the markets to which they purpose shipping. As to size of bunch etc. — pack in slatted cases, and on newly mowed grass to put between the different layers. The fotlowinf; from Burpee's " Kitchen Garden 0/ One .tcre," may also help to amplify our replies to our correspondent. In planting the crowns they should be set at a depth of three or four inches at the most ; not one foot under groimd, as is the common practice of truckers. Market gar- deners cut the shoots as soon as the shoots appear above the surface, so that their shoots are blanched the whole length ; but they do this at the expense of their table quality, as only the tips are edible in this way, ami even these taste ver\ much like 86 The Canadian Horticiilf/tiiit. old hay to an}- one who has been accustomed to the richness and dehcate flavor of shoots cut at the surface when they are from three to four inches in height ; this method has also the advantage of not destroy- ing the young shoots just coming up, as the stalks are only cut an inch or so under ground, and the knife only reaches the one intended to be cut. If the appearance of blanched aspar- agus is desired it can be much better obtained by placing four or five inches of hay, or other litter, over the crowns, which can be pushed away from the stalk when cutting, and easily replaced. There is another strong reason for not following the deep planting, as usually practised, and that is, in having your crowns so much nearer the surface they feel the warming and growing influence of the sun sooner in the season, and you are able to have your asparagus for cutting a full week earlier than your neighbor who plants deep. The old Purple Top variety is no longer grown, its place having been taken by the larger shoots and better quality of the variety known as Con- over's Colossal. This variety, how- ever, has been propagated so exten- sively and with so little care that it is now almost impossible to obtain seed, or plants, that will produce the splendid shoots of the original stock. Of the new varieties Barr's Mam- moth seems to be the most promising, and as grown in some fields in the vicinity of Philadelphia produces shoots which will average nearly an inch in diameter. A writer in T/ie Fruit Groover, 111 , says : — About 4,000 acres of asparagus are required to supply Boston. One grower had the same bed forty-five years. Sandy soil, with plenty of manure an- nually, is preferred. Four feet by two is the preferred distance from root to root. Sprouts become crooked from bruises or wounds. Salt is not essen- tial, but useful to kill weeds. Captain Moore, the prizetaker, used none. Mr. Tapley raised asparagus where the tides ran over the beds at times, showing that salt does no harm to it. Mr. Wyman had some on ground trenched three feet deep, and some on land merely ploughed ; the latter did the best through twenty years. Deep set- ting, say six to eight inches, is best, because the stools gradually rise in the soil, and because when set deep cultivation is easier, and the sprouts are less numerous, and therefore larger. But the covering should be sandy. Vinegar from Rhubarb. 16. Can vinegar be made out of rhubarb juice ? If so, how is it done ? 1 have tried it, but I have not got vinegar yet. Should water be mixed with juice, etc ? — J. A. Camerand, Sherbrooke, P.Q. Reply by C. H. Godfrey, Benton Harbor, Mich. I can only give a receipt which I have. I never have used it. It is as follows : — Take twelve stalks of Pie Plant, bruise them and pour on five gallons water. After standing twenty-four hours, strain and add nine pounds brown sugar and a small cup of yeast ; keep warm a month, strain it and keep in cask until sour enough. Vinegar should be kept in a warm place to make fast, unless a genera- tor is used. Fpontignan Grapes. 17. Let me know through your paper or otherwise if the Auvergne Frontignon Grape can be grown out doors. I see it is a very early grape and I should presume a French- man by the name. By so doing you will bestow a favor upon — F. W. Porter. There are several varieties of foreign grapes called Frontignan's, as the Black, White, Grizzly Frontig- nan, etc., all so called from the town of that name in France, where they are largely cultivated for making the The Canadian Horticulturist. 87 Muscadine or I'Vontignan wine. In Canada these varieties are tender, subject to mildew, and otherwise iinsuited for out of door cultivation, but with more or less artificial heat these fine foreif,m grapes may be successfully grown. Fpuit Evapopatops. 18 Can you inform me of any pierson in Ontario who manufactures apple evapor- ators, such as could be sold to individual farmers for preparing their surplus apples for the market. I see by the Rural Ntir Yorker that they are made in different parts of the States, and retail from three dollars up to ten. Any information you can give will i)blige. — L. H. Hamilton, Thornbury, Ont. Vietopia vs. Raby Castle Cuppant. iQ Are the Raby Castle and the Victoria currant the same, if not, what is the differ- ence? The Victoria is said to be the largest variety grown. How much later is it than the old Red Dutch ; as I have it from Lovett, of New Jersey, and Green, of Rochester, it ripens at the same time as our old Red Dutch. — H. McKee, Norwich. We believe that these are but two names for one and the same currant ; and Downing in his " Fruits and Fruit Trees of America " gives the preference to the name Victoria. At our meeting held last month in Hamilton, Mr. E. Morden claimed that there is a differ- ence between the two, but we think his position unproven. We would suggest that samples of each be submitted to the fruit committee at our Summer Meeting. The Victoria ripens about with the Red Dutch, but will hang on the bushes longer, and hence has the repu- tation of being the latest currant. Pruning the Goosebeppy. 20. How should a Downing gooseberry hush be pruned to ensure finest fruit and largest possible quantity of it ? How much fertilizer, and of what kind, should be applied to a bearing plantation to give the best results ? — G. C. Miller, Mid- dleton, N. S. The gooseberry should be pruned differently from the currant. The latter needs constant cutting back to encourage as much new wood as pos- sible; the former should not be cut back, but it should be freely thinned. Indeed, without a thorough annual thin- ning out of the branches, it is impos- sible to produce fine gooseberries ; and probably it is not too much to advise a cutting out of one-half of the head every fall, whether of old or new growth ; but retaining the latter in preference to the former, as upon it the fruit is grown. In England the tree form is preferred, but with us the bush form is more popu- lar, as it will live longer and produce more fruit under that method. Regarding fertilizers for the goose- berry, much will depend upon the needs of the soil as to the kind, but with regard to quantity it can scarcely be made too rich. Barn manure is no doubt the most useful, containing almost every essential element. Potash, either simple, or as supplied in wood ashes, is never out of place in the fruit garden. The Ailanthus. 21. Please say in sour next number if you think the Ailanthus will do well in this latitude ?— W. W. R., Toronto. This useful tree, which was intro- duced from China about one hundred years ago, is well adapted for street planting, for it grows rapidly, adapts itself to the dust and smoke of the city, and will thrive in the poorest soil. It grows well and is perfectly hardy at Grimsby, and would probably succeed in the latitude of Toronto. It has one serious fault, viz., that the pollen dust, which is abundant at the blooming season, is very injurious to human beings, producing catarrh, or 88 The Canadia)i Hortimlturist. other affections of the raucous rnem- brane. This difficulty may be obviated, however, for the tree is dioecious, that is, the pistils are borne on one tree and the stamens upon another. Now, by planting pistillate trees only, this evil cannot result ; and these may be got by making root cuttings from pistillate trees only. Errata. — On page 26, Apples for Alberta, the Longfield should be classed among the fall apples instead of among the winter apples. :T5ESR; Surplus Fruits, Sir, The flood ot fruit that inundated Montreal last season from Ontario, would lead an observer to the belief that the Upper Province either does not consume much fruit itself, or that the land is chiefly devoted to producing all the fruits that succeed in a northern latitude. Over-supply causes waste, and there should be some means de- vised for canning or evaporating the surplus. It is a mystery to me how growers can afford to harvest and ship fruit for the poor returns they receive, and often it seems that real and serious loss must be the only return for the labor. When people begin to realize the value of fruit as diet, instead of as a luxury, it will be more encouraging to grow it, for during the summer heated term, it should largely take the place of meat and all food of heating quality. At present it is a problem not easy to solve, how best to dispose of the surplus, and there' is great need of a better and steadier knowledge of the markets in our principal cities to save losses when overstocked. — A. L. J., Chateauguay Basin, P. Q. Healing Girdled Trees. SiR,_If any of the readers of The Hor- ticulturist happen to find some of their apple trees girdled by mice or rabbits in the spring when the snow goes away, they may, perhaps, like well enough to know how I once saved one of mine that was badly girdled by mice. Many years ago when the snow melted in the spring, I found one of my apple trees badly girdled by the mice. The wound was six or seven inches in length, and completely round the tree, and not a particle of bark or rind left in all that space. As soon as I noticed it I piled up a cone of earth around the tree, high enough to cover up all the injured part and more, and let it remain till sometime in the summer. The result was that the tree flourished as well as if it had never been injured at all, and when the earth was removed, I found the girdled part of the tree covered over with a nice, smooth, new bark. Lest you should think that I lay claim to superior knowledge of botany or fruit grow- ing, I may tell you how I thought of trying that experiment with the girdled tree, as I never heard of the same plan being tried be- fore by anyone. I had sometimes noticed that when earth was piled up around a tree, new roots would shoot out from the tree into the pile of earth considerably higher than the surface of the ground, so I imagined that if I piled up earth around the girdled apple-tree, sorte roots might possibly strike out from above the wounded part into the pile of earth and save the tree. But instead of new roots, I found a new bark covering all the injured part, and now I cannot tell which tree is the one that was girdled. I never had a chance to try the same plan again, as I never had a tree girdled since. — Gordon Burgess, Durham, Co. of Gray. We have also had similar experience with Mr. Burgess, in case of trees freshly girdled, especially where the inner bark was not closely eaten off. In such cases, if the wound is at once protected from the drying effects of the atmosphere, either by a mound of earth, or by painting over with linseed oil, a complete restoration of the bark may be expected ; bui if the inner bark is closely eaten off, or the wound is neglected until the part is dry, the plan will prove futile. — Editor. Results of Advertising. Sir, — We take pleasure in giving the Horticulturist credit for bringing the first application for our catalogue and prices. We are already in receipt of quite a number from all quarters. One this day from Fredericton, New Brunswick, making special mention of our " ad." in the Horticultur- ist.— W. E. Chisholm, Oakville. ^a-^^^f' THK ciiKiclian 4^T()rticultUpist Vol. XII. APRIL, 1889. No. 4- CHRYSANTHEMUMS. The Buttercups and Pansies will have all been laid to rest, The Tulips and Carnations all be gathered to earth's breast, The Roses and the Lilies will have lost their sweet perfume Before to cheer the lonely earth. Chrysan- themums will bloom. — Dar/ Foi'honi'' . CHRYSANTHEMUM In- dicuni, "the India plant," has, from time immemo- rial, been cultivated in India, China and Japan; and in these coimtries this flower, so free to flower, so easily cultivated, and so varied in its forms, has been a particular favorite. The Chinese and the Japanese have been compe- ting with each other in the production of new varieties, and their success proves \hat the florist's art is by no means neglected in those distant countries. The Japanese have in- vested it with especial importance, and regard it as a sacred flower possessed of peculiar religious s^ni- bolism. This plant, introduced to America by some traveler, has now become one of our most popular flowers, and is produced by our florists in such infinite variety that none but a specialist could make any pretension to being posted on the endless named varieties that have been catalogued. So great has become the rage for this flower that at least a million plants were sold by the florists of America last Spring, and probably a larger number, still, will be sold this season. Chrysanthemimi shows, of two or three days each, are the order of the day in Autumn both in Europe and America, and are attended by thousands of people. It is deservedly thus popular, for what compeer has it among our late Autumn flowering plants, thriving as it does equall}' well in the small city lot, or the ample area about the suburban or country residence. The three principal classes of Chrysanthemimis are thus described by Mr. Jas. Vick, Rochester: Chi- nese, bearing a large, loose, graceful flower ; the Pompon, with small and perfectly double flower in great abundance ; the Japanese, with rag- ged fringe-like flowers, like the Chi- nese, only more so, and the Anemone, flowered or quilled. Our colored plate represents several choice varie- ties, which group together in a charming bouquet, viz.: (i ) Pompons, Perfection, reddish brown ; and Model 90 Tlie Canadian Horticulturist. of Perfection, pink, margined with white; (2) Chinese, AuiphiUn, bright crimson ; (3) Japanese, La Cltari- netise, purple, shaded lilac and white ; and (4) Anemone flowered, Tricolor. Regarding the Cultivation of the Chrysanthemum, we give the follow- ing valuable extract from a paper by Mr. A. H. Feukes, read before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at Boston : — The cultivation of the Chrysanthe- mum should begin as soon as the plant is through flowering, for it is in a great measure upon the health of the cutting taken from the old plant that future success depends. Many growers, as soon as the plant has flowered, cut it down to the pot ; but this is a very risky thing to do, as many varieties have a weak consti- tution, and will sometimes refuse to start into growth if the old tops are cut off too soon. The best way is to cut the branches back quite severely at first, but not to cut the plant down to the pot until the shoots have begun to start quite freely from the roots. The Chrysanthemum is essentially a sun-loving plant, and any encroach- ment on its rights is full}' paid for in sickly plants and flowers devoid of that exquisite coloring that should make them so charming. The plants, as soon as they are through flower- ing, should be put in the sunniest place possible, and have plenty of fresh air, judicious watering, and a temperature of about 50'-' or 55°. An April cutting that has never been checked is much better than one started in February or March, and allowed to beconie pot-bound, for one great secret of success in Chrysanthemum culture is to be found in keeping the plants in a healthy growing condition from the time the cuttings are made until they come into flower. Pinching may begin as soon as the plant is about six inches high. Pinch out the smallest amount possible from the growing end, never cutting back to hard wood except in cases of unshapely growth. Pinching is best done a few days or a week before the plant is shifted to a larger pot, for by this time the new shoots have begun to start, and will be in condition to use the nourishment supplied by the fresh soil. For planting out, such a location should be chosen as will, at all times, have a full exposure to the sun and air. It is desirable that it should be so situated as to be protected from strong winds, but this must not inter- fere with the prime necessities of sun and air. The plants can be so staked and tied that they will with- stand all ordinary winds, but nothing will supply the deficiency of direct sunlight and fresh air. A light, rich loam is the best soil ; if possible, it should be quite sandy, so as not to adhere to the roots in hard lumps, but to fall away without taking the roots with it. With a proper soil and a high, open expo- sure, there need be little fear of mil- dew, the one nearly unconquerable enemy of the Chrysanthemum grower. The plants should be placed in rows, about two-and-a-half or three feet apart each way. For each plant a hole about the size of a potato hill is dug and filled with manure, which is well forked into the soil. The plant is placed in the hole, which is The CcDiadiaii Horticulturist. 91 then filled up with loam, being care- ful that the surface is lower than the surrounding ground, so as to retain any water that may be given to the plants. The plants are to be kept well watered until the roots have taken hold of the soil, after which they receive no water unless the season is dry and they show signs of suffering, when they may have it as often as needed, occasionally substituting li- quid manure. Whichever is used should be applied at evening, so as not to b3 evaporated before it has time to soak into the ground. As soon as the roots begin to take hold of the soil, the plants will push out branches very freely, which should be pinched as soon as they are four inches long, repeating the operation as often as the branches become long enough, and continuing until about the middle of July, after which the plants may be allowed to grow at will, simply cutting back any un- shapely branches. The most severe pinching is done while the plants are quite small, so as to secure as many branches near the bottom as possible. These remarks do not apply to varie- ties that make shape!}- plants with- out pinching ; such had better be left to themselves. The worst insect pest is the black aphis, which will cause much trouble if allowed to increase. Dalmatian powder, applied with a bellows, is an effectual remedy. About the second or third week in August the plants are lifted, the best time being when the grovmd is very drv, for the plants will then recover sooner than when it is moist. They are taken up thus early because it is better that the\' should form their buds after potting, for, if formed before, their potting will cause a severe check which is apt to result in deformed or one-sided flowers. The plants are lifted with all the roots that can be secured ; but in order to get them into reasonable- sized pots considerable of the soil is carefully shaken off, provided it is light enough to fall off easily without breaking into lumps. For potting, soil containing more manure than that for the small plant is used — about two parts of good loam to one of well-rotted stable manure. The pots are selected according to the size of the roots, being careful not to have them too large. In potting large plants the soil should never reach higher than an inch from the rim of the pot, so as to leave ample room for an abundance of water and liquid manure. After the plants are potted they are placed under trees where they can have plenty of air, but at the same time be shaded from the hot sun. They remain here about a week, or until they seem to have recovered, when they are taken to the ground where they grew, and jilunged to the rim of the pot in the soil. As they begin to grow they must have plenty of water and never become dry. The young roots soon reach the sides of the pot, after which liquid manure may be freely given as long as the buds are growing. As cold nights approach, the plants are placed under glass, even before actual frost appears. It is a mistake to try to keep the plants out until the actual appearance of hard frost, for we have man}' nights not cold ciKinch 92 The Canadian Horticulturist. to freeze, but cold enough to check their growth, and this checking of their growth is an acknowledged cause of mildew wherever it ap- pears. Those who wish to cultivate Chrys- anthemums, but have no house, will do best to procure young, healthy plants in May, giving the treatment above advised after that time, imtil the time for housing, when they may be taken in on cold nights and placed out of doors through the day. As 'house plants, they should be kept well watered, syringed as often as possible, being careful not to wet the flowers, and kept in the coolest, airiest place to be found. The black aphis, or black fly, is usually found quite troublesome, but can be con- quered b}^ persistent application of Dalmation powder with the bellows. If it is desirable to keep the old roots over the winter, they should be placed where they will be kept quite cool, and, if possible, near a sunny window. Early in the spring they may be divided and planted out in the open ground and receive the same treatment as young plants. A REPORT ON THE CRANDALL, THE NEW BLACK CURRANT. Sir, — I notice in your February issue an inquiry, No, 14, as to the Crandall Currant. I enclose my experience with growing it for two years, E. E. S. ASEx\SON'S trial of this new form among the currant family shows that it really has some very desirable quahties. In spite of the severe drought of last summer it made a most vigorous growth, fruit- ing on the one-year old wood. The Crandall is like the common Black Currant in being absolutely free from insect enemies, either here in New York State, or in Ohio, or in its original home of Kansas, but differs from it in not having that peculiar odor, resembling Ciinex Icctulanus, a well-known household insect.; the taste is like a ripe gooseberry, with something of the sub-acid quality of the Red Currant. For pies, jellies and jams, it is not inferior to any of the small fruits, which were similarly treated, and unlike Raspberries, es- pecially it has but few seeds. As far as the disseminators., Messrs. Frank Ford & Sons, of Ravenna, C, are able to learn, the Crandall is a hybrid from the Red Cherr}' Currant (Ribc's nibniiii), and the Missouri Yellow (Ribc's aureuni), and, with me, its habit and productiveness confirm that idea. The color is a shiny bluish black ; the size ranges from a half inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter, greatly resembling a Concord Grape ; and as a market fruit it seems almost without a rival. E. E. SuMMEY, La Salle, N.Y. Note bv Editor. — We have procured an engraving of this Currant, and here give it place ; but wish it to be understood that we do not know of its having as yet been fruited in Canada, and therefore we only recommend it for trial. The Cauaiiiaii IJorticiilturist. 93 %J^mt^^ Fig. 2f). — Thr Ckandam, Currant. SEXUALITY OF THE STRAWBERRY PLANTS. Sir, — Can you explain the following dis- crepancy :— Charles Green says Hermaphro- dite strawberries are productive under all circumstances. Pistillate and Staminate only when planted within say ten feet of each other. Knapp says that they may be divided info two kinds. H. and V. The Staminate being always barren, which I take it mea«s it to be of no account. — j. C. TH E stud}- of sexuality of the var- ieties of strawberries is almost indispensable to the success of the 94 The Canadian Horticulturist. strawberry grower. The Wilson, for example, will produce fruit in abun- dance wholly isolated from any other variety, but the Crescent, similarly situated, will bear comparatively light crops. The reason of this is evident upon the examination of the flowers of the plants themselves, for we find the Wilson to be a perfect flower, having both stamens and pistils, as is shown in fig. 27, in which the cen- tral portion is a group of pistils, or organs of the flower in which the seed is produced. Around these may be seen a fringe of stamens, or Fig. 27. Fig. 28. organs which bear upon their tips little pods called anthers, full of a fine yellow dust called pollen. Now unless the pistils receive a portion of this pollen the seed never will mature, and if the seed fails to mature, the strawberry, which is but the recep- tacle which holds the flower and later the seeds, will never develop. The Wilson, having a supply of its own, as represented, never fails in this respect, and is therefore called perfect or hcrmaphvodltc. The Cres- cent blossom, shown in fig. 28, has pistils, but is almost entirely lacking in stamens. It must, therefore, depend upon the pollen of some per- fect variety growing near, as the Wilson, and is called pistillate. In addition to these two classes there is a third, or stniiiinate class, in which the flowers have stamens, while the pistils are few and imperfect. These latter class, it is evident, can not bear fruit under an}- circumstances, whether near to or far from pistillate plants. This latter class does not exist among cultivated varieties, and hence Mr. Knapp's statement that strawberries may be divided into two classes, hermaphrodite and pis- tillate. From the above it is evident that to attain the best results with pistil- late varieties, hermaphrodites should be planted in proximit)'. Growers differ as to just what distance is necessary to attain the best results ; some advising a row of pistillate every third or fourth row, while others think one in seven quite sufficient. As to the kinds which succeed best in company, much success has been attained with Crescents (P), fertilized with Captain Jack (H), for quantity, or with Sharpless (H) for size; also with Manchester (P), fertilized with Sharpless (H). The Canadian Horticnliurist. 95 THE WOOD-PECKER ON THE BIRCH TREE. Hv I>. NKur,, Caiakac,)!!, On HE vermilion crested wood-pecker — I am not sure about his specified name, but he looks ver)- like the Picus Piibesccus* — is a bird about six and a half inches long, frequenting orchards and ornamen- tal grounds in the neighborhood of dwellings, and with which almost every one interested in the growth of trees is familiar. Its color is black and white speck- led. The male differs from the female, in that he has a vermilion colored patch on the top or rather the back of his head. He is easily distinguished from some other birds of the same genus, by his loud single note uttered, and sometimes repeated, as he darts from one tree to another. The young males are not adorned with the bright crest until they are over one year old ; consequently with their first coat of plumage they look very much like the mother. He is a native of North America, and remains in Ontario throughout the year. He is a remarkably in- genious and industrious bird. For a place in which to make their nest, a hole, as circular as if des- cribed by a pair of compasses, is cut in the solid wood of a tree, the first part about six or eight inches hori- zontally, then downwards to tlie depth of eight or ten inches, roomy and capacious at the bottom, and smooth as if polished by a cabinet- maker. The entrance is judiciously left just large enough for admittance. The eggs, generally six in number and pure white, are laid in the smooth bottom of this chamber. The male supplies the female with food, and about the first week in June the young may be seen climbing the tree with considerable dexterity. The bird spends some portion of his time hunting for insects on apple and other trees, throwing oflf the outer bark scales and moss in order to get at his prey, such as spiders and their eggs, wood-lice, ants and probably some insects that may be injurious to the apple tree, although he never touches the bark louse. He also has a mischievous habit of boring small holes through the bark, about half an inch apart, in pretty regular horizontal circles around the body of the tree, as illustrated in accompanying figure, making it ap- pear as if some human genius had spent some time boring the tree with a gimlet. I have seen orchards in which almost every apple tree was perfor- ated with thousands of these small holes ; yet although many of the trees were seriously injured, I am not ♦Sir,— Since I forwarded to you article on the " Wood-pecker," I have found the same bird fully described in Mr. Mcllwraiths ' Hirds of Ontario," as "The yellow-bellied sap- sucker," Sphyrapicus Varius (Linn) Here he is said to be mifiratory, but he sometimes stays very late and returns very early. He could be seen here in February this year March 28th, 1889. ' u >{icol 96 The Canadian Horticulturist. aware of any being killed outright by the operations. Not so, however, with the White Birch, the Weeping and the Cut-Leaf Birch. With this class of trees fatal results have of late years become quite common. In Cataraqui Ceme- tery, Kingston, during the last three years' time, Cut-Leaved and W^eeping Birch have been killed by this wood pecker. On ths fine smooth bark of this class of trees he bores the holes much closer together than on rough- barked trees, and the circles of holes are placed so much closer together that the tree may be said to be com- pletely barked in some places as much as one foot lengthwise the whole circumference of the tree. Whatever of the bark is left on the wounded spot soon dies, so that the tree when not killed at once, only lingers with a decaying existence for a few years. When the boring is done in spring as it most generally is, the evil effects are much more apparent because the sap flows profusely from every wound, consequently some of the trees actu- ally bleed to death. He also attacks the Mountain Ash, Linden, Larch, Butternut, Blackwalnut, Scotch and Austrian pine and Norway spruce in the same way, but seldom kills any of the five sorts. One thing particularly noticeable is that he hardly ever attacks a sickly or decaying tree. His depredations have lately become so prevalent in this part of the country that he is now considered the greatest pest that land- scape gardenershave tocontend with. Some naturalists aver that he bores in search of the larvte of in- sects which, if allowed to remain un- molested, would ultimately destroy the tree. I think this statement is incorrect, for after having made very close investigations, I have failed to find any symptoms of insect life under the inner bark of such trees as have been attacked, and I am not aware of an}^ of the trees mentioned ever being injured by any kind of insects which could have existed in a larvae state where he so incessantly labors. If there may be any animal life under the inner bark, it must be in the form of animalculae, and I have been forced to the conclusion that he bores chiefly for the sap, which I have no hesitation in saying he drinks freely of. My belief in this theory is strengthened by the fact that he is often seen to keep his chisel-pointed bill inserted for a time in some of the newlj'-bored holes. I have no doubt it is this habit which has brought on him the opprobrious name of sap- sucker, by which name he is now known hereabout. It is said by some that he taps the trees with a view of attracting insects, and that when they become gorged with sap they become an easy prey for him. I am not prepared to dis- pute this point, I am rather inclined to believe there may be some truth in the statement. At all events, whatever may be his motives for boring so many holes, the evil is immeasurably greater than all the good he does. Therefore I am obliged to adopt means of extir- pating him, the best of which I have found to be the shot-gun, using fine shot so as not to injure the bark of the tree. March nth, iS8g. The Canadia)i HorticiiltJirist. 97 NOTES ON VARIETIES OF SMALL FRUITS. Kv W . \\ . Hii.i;ciir, Milton. selects its victims not from those that are robust and able to resist, but from the already enfeebled. There is not a trace of the good Sa- maritan in them. MO The Canadian Horticulturist, When the circulation of the sap is slow, as in a tree poorlj' cultivated, or for any cause, or when a tree, as is too often the case, leans to the east so that the one side is exposed all day long to the vertical rays of the sun, or when a tree is newly set and before its fibres have fairly put their little mouths to the breast of mother earth and consequently the tree is nearly dormant and the sap motionless — the sun cooks or decomposes the sap, kills it as sap. This dead sap is what the borer has a weakness for, and he can't resist the temptation to bore for it, and the wood is killed and saturated by it. A sure preventive, so far as the agency of the sun is concerned, is to protect from the sun by any device not adapted to harbor other insect ene- mies. The main purpose of these pre- sents, however, is to give a hint respec- ting trees recently set, the proper way to protect which is to drive a stake six inches or so wide and of the height of the body of the tree, to shade it from the sun's excessive rays. It will protect the tree from the more violent winds as well. Tried. INSECT ENEMIES. Bv Jas. Fletcher, Entomologist, Etc., Gov. E.x. Farms, Ottawa. THERE are three great evils in Ontario which require im- mediate attention from fruit growers, and should be seen to during the month of May. 1. The Codling Moth, the cater- pillar of which destroys so large a proportion of the apple crop every year. 2. The Plum Curculio, which destroys plums rnd cherries. For both of these pests simple and cheap remedies are found in thorough- ly spraying the trees after the flowers have fallen, with a very weak mix- ture of paris green and water ; 2 oz. to 40 gallons of water. 3. The Black Knot. This is the fungous growth which causes the Black excrescences on the branches of plum and cherry trees. Each of these knots contain myriads of spores capable of reproducing the disease. These mature in the spring and are thrown out by the fungus, and dis- tributed by the wind. Before the leaves expand, every knot should be cut off and burnt. ENGLISH AND CANADIAN FORESTRY. To the Editor of Thv. Canadian Horticulturist. SIR, — I trust that the present Spring will see a considerable amount of tree-planting done. When travelling last Summer through Eng- land and Scotland, nothing was so plainly observable to a Canadian as the fact that the country was well sheltered. Everywhere were hedges, everywhere fine trees along them, every here and there, plantations. Those who owned the land appar- ently were far from grudging the trees their standing-room, and the result well repaid them. Such crops of wheat, such weight of grass per acre as was there obtained, often doubled or trebled Canadian pro- ducts. Comparing Canadian with English farming practice, no one could doubt the shelter given had much to do with the fertility of the land. It was a painful contrast to many of our Canadian farms, where The Canadian Ilorticultunsl. 131 it looks as if the owner had cut every tree from the surface to produce a square expanse of bare earth — as bare, as liard and as unsi^dith' as an IlUnois stock\ard. How cHfterent this to what a farm should be, with its reserve of forest well-kept, free from the intrusion of cattle, and in {^^ood forest condition ; its bed deep with leaves; its younf,^ trees rising emulous to the height of the old, — ready to replace them when they are cut down for use ; its mas- sive wealth of foliage ; its pleasant walks, cool and umbrageous in the hottest day ; its living springs pre- served by trees ; its lines of wind- breaks opposed to the cutting blasts ! Such a farm, so kept, is a place of beauty, a place to live and die in. The other, shaved flat to the surface is a place to toil, to make money, if farming pays, perhaps, but it is never a pleasure to those who inhabit it, if they possess any of the finer sentiments of our nature. It is not always even the best place to make money by farming, for he who has the trees will have the grass crops, he who has the grass crops will have the manure, and he who has the manure will have the wheat. The new forestry report is now being distributed, and any one desir- ing it, by sending his address to me, will receive it by mail. It is a pamphlet distributed free yearly by the Ontario Government. There is no price for the book, and no charge for postage. It will be found to con- tain much information interesting to all who interest themselves in the forest. — R. W. Phifps, 233 Rich- mond Street, Toronto, April 15, 1889. 132 The Canadian Horticultufist. ^' ron^ Phosphate Meal. Oar J^xclHiPUcs. A NEW source of phosphoric acid is phosphate slag. Tiiis consists of the slag remaining from the manufacture of steel or pig-iron by the Thomas pro- cess. The dephosphorization of the iron takes place by melting the iron with 'lime in a current of air, whereby the pig-iron, rich in phosphorus, is con- verted into steel, free from phosphorus. The phosphorus of the pig-iron is thus converted into phosphoric acid, which unites with lime and forms phosphate of lime. The melting mixture of phos- phate of lime with the excess of lime and combinations of the iron and man- ganese, is called Thomas slag. It is finely ground, and it is well spoken of in Europe as a cheap source of phos- phoric acid for crops that do not need this element in an immediately avail- able form. Analyses of German phos- phate slag and of English slag, made at the Massachusetts experiment station, are as follows : German Slag. English Slag. Water 5.08 0.37 Iron and alumina I5-9S 8.55 Total phosphoric acid 21.05 1S.91 Lime , 53-97 49-22' It is claimed that phosphoric acid can be furnished at less cost in this phosphate meal than in any of our known mineral resources of insoluble phosphoric acid. A few sales of it have been made in the Connecticut valley at $15 per ton. If we reckon the phosphoric acid at two cents per pound, the price put upon insoluble phosphoric acid in rock, the slag analy- zed has a valuation of $8.42 and $7.56 per ton respectively. We are glad to see that the Massachusetts station pro- poses to make some experiments to test the availability of this phosphate and see whether its acid is worth more than two cents per pound. Director Goessmann says of it: " The compo- sition of the slag is peculiar on account of an excess of caustic lime, which favors a breaking up into minute parti- cles when exposed to air and moisture The more finely ground, when exposed to atmospheric influences, the more rapidly a general disintegration ensues. This behaviour tends to diffuse the phosphoric acid and favors absorption by the roots. No previous treatment by acids has been found necessary to secure satisfactory returns when used as a phosphoric acid source for plant growth. On account of the alkaline reaction of the 'phosphate meal' no ammonia salts or organic nitrogen compounds should be used as an admixture for the production of more complete fertilizers. In case nitrogen is to be applied, nitrate of soda is used to furnish the element. Muriate of potash and kainit are recommended as a source of potash." Ex. Oup Native Plums. If, as we are told by Dr. Gray, the European Plum, Primus doniestica has its original in the almost inedible sloe, and yet there have been derived from it such a multitude of delicious varie- ties as we now cultivate, what may not be hoped, as the result of high culture, crossing and selection, from native spe- cies like those of the American contin- ent, which, when merely growing wild in thickets along the water-courses, send such waves of rich perfume across the land leeward ? It seems to me that in these native Plums we have the easy potentiality of a class of fruits that will give to the " cold north " a two months' supply of fresh fruit which will, in time abolish all regret that the Peach, Nec- tarine and Apricot are denied to them by a vigorous winter. For it is a fact that our Prunus Americana has a range far north of our national boundary being, in fact, the hardiest of all tree fruits. It is ot the most easy cultivation, and very susceptible of improvement. The Canadian Florticultiirist. ^11 If it were not already, in its wild uncul- tivated state, so good, we should have, uncjuestionably, long ago, sought to improve it. As it is, we find it nearly everywhere north of the range of Pru- nus domestica produced so abundantly in its season as to be almost destitute of any settled commercial value, which can only be imparted to it by the pro- duction of improved sorts, superior in size, beauty and flavor to the too abun- dant wild products. For canning or preserving, even these are by many regarded as quite equal to the Peach (as we get it); and, in fact, superior to most of the fruit which leaches us. But nothing is more evident ihan the easy susceptibility of Primus Americana to rapid improvement — Vick's Masazine. A Nut for Defenders of the Sparrow. The amount of damage^ that the English sparrow is capable of inllicting is pretty plainly set forth by Thos. Copsey, Hillsea Farms, Hants, in the Mark Lane Express. He says : — In one year — from September, 1886, to March, 1887 — when my bird-catcher refused to catch more for fear of the informers, I paid him 4d. per dozen for 494 dozen and 10 sparrows, and this spring I paid him for 198 dozen and six sparrows at Id. per dozen, .£11 i is. besides employing a man with a double- barrel gun to shoot sparrows. We have many fowls, and the plan was to set long troughs to feed the fowls in, so set that from port holes in a barn he could sweep the troughs with sparrow shot after the fowls had left. They generally were swarming with sparrows, and most charges brought down various nnmbers — from six to twenty-eight. I paid for 250 cartridges, if not over 300. As no account was kept, the number killed is but guess. We will say eight on the average of 250 shots will be 2,000 birds ; bird-catchers 693 dozen, equals 8,316; total, 10,316. My bird-catcher tells me that twenty dozen sparrows ate three gallons of oats or two gallons of wheat daily when he has to keep them a few days. I have entirely given up growing wheat for years on our home farm. On a five-acre p'ece of wheat (the last grown in 1882) the ground, when the wheat was reaped, could not be seen for the chaff that the sparrows had billed out. 'J'hey began to eat in the soft milk, and continued till it was carted when in shocks ; by eight o'clock in the morning, from fifty to over one hundred could be counted tlying off from one shock. If the sparrow was a friend to farmers, go back fifty years, and it will be found the overseers of every parish that I know of encouraged all the boys to take sparrows, and gave them sixpence per dozen for old spar- rows, threepence per dozen for young one?, and twopence per dozen for eggs. I never saw the cornfields damaged much at that time : the money was paid out of the rates. The boys were afraid to take the eggs, and catchers were afraid to catch them in breeding-time, so that they accumulated tenfold till the war had to be opened afresh, and thousands of guns are dealing destruction to the spa'-rows; all round our stack-yards the wounded groan, and cats get fat killing and eating the wounded. What an unkind set of people these wild bird preservers are to cause the increase for so cruel an end ! Friends of the Farmer. It may be an advantage to point out some of the friends of the farmer, which, conseiiuently, no farmer should destroy or allow to be destroyed. Among these are toads, which are, under all circumstances, the farmer's friend ; moles and field mice, probably, do a vast deal more of good than harm ; all birds, especially robins, wrens, thrushes, orioles, cuckoos, phebes, blue birds, woodpeckers, swallows and cat birds. The destruction of all these and many others, except for scientific purposes, should be made, under very heavy penalties, illegal in every .State. 134 The Canadian Horticulturist. The house sparrow, known better as the English sparrow, is to be rated an exception. This bird is now universally regarded as a nuisance, first, because of its grain and vegetable destroying propensities ; secondly, because it drives away insect-destroying birds. Among insects, many wasps are friends, especially those with a more or less protruding horn or sting at the end of the abdomen. Lady-bugs and lace-wing flies live entirely upon des- tructive insects, especially plant lice and Scale insects, and should never be destroyed. Dragon flies, or devil's darnmg-needles, are also useful as well as harmless. — Bulletin 46, JMeiv Jersey. A. C. E. S. be used as a partial guide to assist in pointing out the way to a proper selec- tion, either for home use or market. — J. H. Hale in Hartford Courant. The Merits of Various Strawberpies. From experience here in Connec- ticut, correspondence with leading fruit growers in every state in the Union and Canada, as well as from per- sonal observation in fourteen of the Western states duirng the fruiting season, I would classify the leading varieties as follows : — The most productive — Pineapple, Hampden, Lida, Bubach, Windsor, Crescent, Jessie, Manchester and War- field. Largest Berries — Jessie, Bomba, Jew- ell, Prince Logan, Ontario, Sharpless, Bubach, Belmont, Mammoth. The best flavored berries — Prince, Gold, Miner, Belmont, Summit, Down- ing, Kentucky. The earliest to ripen — May King, Iron Clad, Crescent, Parry, Lida, Warfield, Monmouth, Bubach, Hampden, Wilson. The latest to ripen — Ohio, Kentucky, Windsor, Candy, Manchester. Best for light soil — Crescent, May King, Kentucky, Bubach, Miner, Down- ing. Best for heavy clay soil — Jewell, Sharpless, Belmont, Logan, Jessie. This classification is not given as an ironclad rule to follow, but is gen- eral in its scope and each family will vary it somewhat to suit their own tastes and local conditions. It can, however. Potting" Plants. Mrs. Thompson, in Popular Gar- dening, says : A florist once gave me this rule for making up potting soil : one part sand, two parts well rotted cow manure, two parts garden or vegetable mould, and following these directions I have had marvelous suc- cess. While it is not agreed with all that drainage is essential with pot plants, yet my best success came from a liberal use of same. Liquid manure is one of the right hand measures to a vigorous and thrifty growth of plants ; strong enough to color the water and ap- plied regularly once a week, the result will astonish you. I have also used, as cleaner and less objectionable, a weak solution of ammonia. I think in geraniums I had my poorest luck ; I have read of and occasionally seen plants covered with blooms, but I never had the joy of possessing them. My plants made vigorous growth, but rarely had over three clusters of blooms, sometimes not that. I knew I fed them and tended them faithfully, but no blooms, whilst my friends, whom in my con- ceit I thought I could teach how to grow plants, often surpassed me with these. I came to learn after a long while that small pots and plants root bound were the best for bloom. I have often bought a geranium growing in a rusty, dirty tomato or peach can, and carefully transplanted it into what I considered far better soil and quarters, but which as a rule ceased to be a thing to be desired, though with the scented geraniums I alwavs succeeded. The Home Garden. Every farmer should devote half an acre or more to small fruit. Pie Tlu- Canadian Horticulturist. 135 will lind ;i home market takinj^' ever)' day (juarts upon (juarts at hi{;h prices. Every dollar expended will save two in meat and medicine bills. ;\t home anc] at school fruit is better for chil- dren than cake and pie, and the table the year round should be sup- plied with fruit, either fresh or canned. In the latter form raspber- ries retain their flavor best of all. Farmers say they can buy better than to raise, but they never buy enough. In my own family — not large — we use si.x to ten quarts of small fruits daily from June to Au- gust. A friend with a half-acre city lot had it plowed and fertilized, and planted S26 worth of plants, kept account of expenses for five years, with credit at market rates for fruit consumed ; the profit was ^160 annu- ally. Every farm and home should have such a half acre, and then will be found health and happiness, as well as money, in small fruit. — J. H. Hale. Planting Tree Seed. My way has always been a suc- cess. Ten days before planting I put the seed in a vessel large enough to allow it to swell. I cover it with water that is daily renewed for five to eight days, or till the seed is well swelled. I next saturate a cloth large enough to cover the seed antl turn the seed out and mix it well at least once a day. Be sure to keep the cloth wet. Keep the vessel in a warm place if possible, unless it be quite warm weather, and in two or three days the seed will be well sprouted and fit to plant. Walnuts (jf all deciduous seed need the most pains, or rather the plan is difterent. The best way is to put them in the ground when picked from the tree, but always observe the following rules : Place them under four or five inches of soil all together in a bunch, and they should be in a very damp place. Then keep them well soaked with water for three weeks, and occasionally through the winter throw on water. By May ist some of them will be sprouted. All that are not sprouted put into a bar- rel in the sun and turn the barrel daily for two or three days, then look at them. Most of them will be sprouted. If any are not water them, and put these through the same process and nearly every one will grow. Cover them two inches deep when planting in heavy soil, and deeper in light soil. I have made it a business. — (i. C. Hulee, Merrick County, Neb. The relative hardness of woods is calculated by the hickory, which is the toughest. Estimating this at 100, we get for pignut hickory, 96; white oak, 84 ; white ash, 77 ; dogwood, 75 ; scrub oak, 73 ; white hazel, 72 ; apple tree, 70 ; red oak, 69 ; white beech, 65 ; black walnut, 65 ; black birch, 62 ; yellow and black oak, 60 ; hard maple, 56 ; white elm, 58 ; red cedar, 56 ; cherry, 55 ; yellow pme, 54 ; chestnu', 52 ; yellow poplar, 51 ; butternut and white birch, 43 ; and white pine, 35. 136 The Canadian Horticnltnrisi. ^^e C'^ttisulphide of Carbon treatment, which consists of putting about a bushel of seed in any tight receptacle and then placing on the top any small vessel which will hold about half a wine-glass of Bi- sulphide of Carbon. Tiiis will eva- porate in about twelve hours and the heavy vapor will fall down and per- meate the whole measure of seed. This vapor is extremely inflammable and the operation should be carried on out of doors in a shed, and the seed emptied out in the open air away from all fire. The vessel should be kept closed for forty-eight hours when every insect will be destroved. 142 The Canadian Horticulturist. Mapsh Mallows 38. Is there any way of destroying marsh mallow in a lawn without injuring the sod ? — W. A. Brownlee, Mt. Forest. Reply by J. A. Simmen, Toronto. I should imagine there would not be any difficulty in destroying this. Cut the plants out and apply a small quantity of salt in each place the plant is cut out. Tulip Culture 39. Would you kindly give us a few hints on tulip culture ? Should the beds be pre- pared in the Fall so as not to require any at- tention in Spring ? Should tulips be set in beds devoted wholly to their culture ? What time should the bulbs be taken up and when replanted, etc. ? Reply by J. A. Simmers, Toronto. The proper time to prepare the beds and plant tulip bulbs is in the Fall, and if properly prepared they need have no attention in the Spring, when you will have one of the pret- tiest sights the eye could imagine, shortly after the frost is out of the ground. In some gardens, beds are made consisting entirely of tulips, but very pretty effects may be made by making a bed with hyacinths, narcissus, jonquils, snowdrops and crocus, mixed, which will flower at intervals until the summer plants are ready to be set out. The bulbs need not be taken up each year, every other year will do, and if so done, take the bulbs up about three weeks after they are done flowering, dry them thoroughly in the sun, and, when sufficiently dry, the bulbs will keep splendidly until the time of re- planting— about the middle of Oc- tober. Seedless Apples. 40. I SEND with this a certificate of a new apple. Bloomless, seedless and coreless. A seedling of unknown parentage. Been producing fruit twelve years without bloom. Apple medium size, fine flavor, rich and good, seedless, solid flesh, yellow, and a good bearer. I would like to have it tried in Canada. — G. W. Robinette, Flag Pond, Va., U.S.A. Certificate. Flag Pond, Va., April 28, 1888. We the undersigned being acquainted with, Mr. G. W. Robinette, and with his bloom- less apple, do know that he is a man of truth, and that his apple is as he represents it to be, which produces its fruit without bloom, and is also seedless. Signed by twelve persons, and ecrtified bv W. A. Oiven, J. P. We would be glad to see samples of this curious apple, and would like to test it. Thinking the sport very remarkable, we have submitted the letter to Prof. Panton, Professor of Botany at the Ontario Agricultural College, and his reply is as follows : " Regarding your question re seed- less apple, I have not much faith in its continuance. An apple must result from a properly developed flower, and w^e know fertilization has much to do with this development. See the irregular fruit of some straw- berries which are not properly fertil- ized. The whole question seems to be of a peculiar nature and the results of an abnormal character. " It is something I have never seen or heard of before, and as far as I can learn, at variance with the teachings of botanical science. I certainly would be very suspicious about it and have little or no confidence in the fact. You had better appeal to some of the practical veterans on the question." Bruce s Erfurt Cauliflower. 41. — Please tell me through the Question Drawer how much an acre of J. A. Bruce's Erfurt Cauliflower is worth in Ontario markets, and oblige T. R. H., Cote des Neiges, P.Q. Reply by J. A . Bruce, Hamilton. Respecting our strain of Erfurt Cauliflower we know that from !ji48o to iif)6oo has been realized per acre, and in many instances where the area planted was from one-quarter to one-half an acre the returns were much greater than stated above. What it may be worth in the future is hard to predict. We only talk of the past. The CanaiiiDt Horticulturist. '43 Pplmposes and Polyanthuses. The primelas sent out arc otherwise 42.— Are not the new primroses what we known as P. ojfiiiiuilis (cowsHp), and have always called polyanthus. I have P. elatior (ox lip), well known natives some in bloom now by the side of those of England. P. variabilis (Polvan- received, and I can't see any difterence. fV,,,o\ it. ^ l-...K.-;,i K^*. ^u • ThosG. Gaston, H.n.ilton. ^^"^) '^'^ ^''> ''"^' between the prim- rose and the cowslip, and also occurs Very near relatives, hut distinct, wild in Britain. OPEN LETTERS Sir, — 1 have had the enclosed in my desk for some time. If you care for it I had best send it to you. as my memory is so bad I may forget all about it. God has spared me to welcome the daisies again. I don't want you to think me a " doleful creature" ; I'm as happy as a sun- baam. Respectfully, April 2, 1889. Grandma Gowan. My Shades (a reverie). In the gloaming I sit dreaming, 'Neath my grand Catalpa tree, Vaguely dreaming of my lost ones Till I'm lost in fantasy. In the hours of starry silence, Spent beneath this leafy dome. Shades of loved ones round me hover ; I know that I am not alone. There sits beside me " Doneel Dido," Lovely, as in by -gone years ; I feel his chubby arms around me ; I feel him kissing off my tears. And there my merry laughing Nell ; I see her in that pearly rose, Breathing around her magic spell. Banishing my fancied woes. She was to me a Summer day, My playful sporti\e fawn ; Her life a sacred melody. Sweet, as the dewy dawn. There stands " Madonna Susie Mary," With eyes as soft as the gazelle's, But, ah ! some jealous little fairy Changed her to that Immortelle. Soft strains, as from an unseen shore, Like the swelling sigh of my Mary's zither I hear so oft when the day is o'er. Is it my love or the woodland zephyr ? Here close beside me dark-eyed Dora, Sombre, as that dusky pine. A mystic fragrance lingers o'er her ; I see her in that liglantine. At my feet is blue-eyed baby Willie, The sweetest of the angel lot Down from God's garden ; darling Billy, You are here, in that Forget-me-not. And through the leaves that o'er me quiver I see the dear eyes looking down, Of him who long has " cross'd the river, " " Inheritor of unfulfilled renown ;" Partner of my joys and strife, My love for thee knows no control. Deem not my love will end with life ; 'Tis changeless as my changeless soul. On the threshold of two worlds I stand, Nought but that starry veil between My blest and I : my angel band, W^e'll meet in the " Palace of the King. " • »•••»»» The spectre moon is brightly beaming ; My shades are gone, all robed in air ; Their dewy kisses, in my dreaming. Is shower'd on mother's silver hair. Mt. Royal Vale. Grandma Gowan. From Mr J P Williams, Prince Edward Co Sir, — Since your meeting here last sum- mer I have had to pass through the most trying ordeal of my life. My companion passed away in a moment about i a.m.. after having been shopping the afternoon and seeing friends in I'icton. She went to sleep and never again opened her eyes in this world or spoke; and just five weeks on the same day, Thursday, my eldest son was killed in that heavy wind on the loth Janu- ary ; this, together with the fearful depres- sion in the foreign apple market, has been a heavy burden to bear. I am slowl v reco\ er- ing just now, and I send you ii for the renewal of my paper. I have a new variety of white field pea — cross, I think, between Stratagem and Royal Dwarf. From eight single peas saved the first year. I counted 2,470 peas, one single vine producing 517. 144 The Canadian Horticulturist. Last year I planted one-quarter pound seed and gathered seventy-eight pounds of clean peas : one single pea produced 627. — J, P. Williams, Bloomfield. Direct Connection with English Fruit Merchants. Sir, — We beg to acknowledge the receipt of the last few issues of your interesting and valuable monthly journal, and shall be pleased to know your charge for a similar advertise- ment to the one we enclose, which is a cut- ting from the London Horticultural Times. We notice in your issue for February an abridgment of a letter you have received from Messrs. John Seed & Son, of Hull, which we can endorse, and at the same time we would supplement their remarks by bring- ing before you and your readers the advisa- bility of direct communications with the English inland markets. Our market has hitherto been supplied with Canadian and American apples from Liverpool and Hull, thereby, of course, adding expense to your importation before they reach us, which ex- pense certainly might be placed in the pock- ets of Canadian and American growers by direct shipments. Doubtless your readers have already got their eyes open to the fact that it is desirable that the grower and con- sumer should be brought as near together as possible, so as to avert all middlemen expenses which are not absolutely necessary. We recognize the fact that it is now too late to ask your subscribers to make us any direct shipments this season, as it is too far advanced, but we hope to bring our name before them in your valuable paper before another season comes round. Awaiting your reply. — Buckoll, King & Co., Nottingham, Eng., March 4, 1288. Liverpool Apple Market. Sir, — Your interesting publication for Feb- ruary has been duly received and read with great pleasure. Since our last, SS. "Sarnia" has arrived, and the cargo she brings is, on the whole, exceptionally good, which has assisted materially in sustaining prices : poor stock, however, can only be realized at a considerable discount. We quote : Baldwins, 7s. gd to 15s.; Russets, iis. gd. to 27s. 6d.; Spies, iis. to 17s. 3d.; Various, 8s. gd. to 15s. gd. There is only a medium demand, and heavy shipments would com- pletely demoralize the market. Awaiting vour further favors. — Williams, Thomas & Co., Liverpool, Eng. sparcity of blossomed buds. Last season's crop being in excess, a reaction is necessary in order to restore vitality to the trees. Pear trees make a better exhibit, and a fair yield of fruit may be anticipated. I have never seen a better show for plums ; the trees are fairly crowded with blossom buds. Last season the plum crop was a failure, but this season is likely to make up for the defi- ciency. Small fruits look well. Strawberry plants, raspberry canes and grape vines have all passed through the winter apparently without damage. The past winter has been exceptional. The lowest point reached was only 15' below zero, and that only on two occasions, whilst during the previous season it reached 30" below zero, which was fatal to many vines and canes not protected. — Simon Roy, Berlin. The Champion Grape SiR.^In 1887 my Champion grape vine took a rest by coming out in leaf first June, and bearing a very light crop. This year it has regained its ascendancy by ripening more than 150 pounds of grapes. — Franxis Coleman, Hamilton. Fruit Prospects in and Around Berlin for Coming Season. Sir, — As might naturally be expected, the apple crop will be light ; indications show a Encouraging. Sir, — It is with much pleasure that I again send you my annual subscription for The Horticulturist, which I hope may increase in circulation, as well as it has in usefulness, for it is an honor to our Ontario Fruit Growers' Association to have such a journal, giving the fruit growers an opportunity to communicate their experience in different subjects enlightening one another in a very friendly manner, and also encouraging every attempt at fruit raising and home adornment. The latter is needed badly enough in some parts of Ontario, for in some places you will find nothing but a few fruit trees, and some currant and gooseberry bushes strug- gling for an existence amongst grass and weeds, with no attempt at making home at- tractive by the addition of a few evergreens or ornamental shrubs. Men who are very well off and have fine houses, are as slow, and some of them are slower, than they of moderate means are in making beautiful. A few dollars well spent each year, will soon change the appearance of most farms, and will add much to its value. If our farmers generally could be induced to pay more at- tention to small fruits, and even a good vege- table garden, it would help to lessen the doctor's bill in many a house, and I think that for all the extra time that it takes to keep a small garden in order, that the time so spent pays better than buying your supply from the fruit dealer. — J. M. Waters, Maple Grove, Fernhill, Ont. The Canadian Horticulturist. OUR BOOK TABLE. '45 New Books. The Illustrated Dictionary ok Gar- dening, a practical encyclopedia of horti- culture. This is the most complete work of the kind ever published, illustrated with over 2,000 enjcr» and ^eed^trtcti. PER C. PER M. SI 00 $5 00 1 25 10 GO 2 50 20 00 1 50 12 00 4 00 35 00 3 00 BEST MARKET VARIETIES. PER DOZ. Cuthbert Red Raspberries S 25 Mammoth Cluster Black Caps, tips 25 Maniiiioth Cluster Black Caps, yearlings 50 Gregsr Black Caps, later, larger, firmer 40 Raby Castle Currants, fine grower, 2 yrs. , great bearer 1 00 Houghton Gooseberries, 2yrs. and 3 yrs 75 Downing Gooseberries, larger,fruit 2yrs 125 8 00 Concord Grapee, 2 yrs 75 4 00 35 00 Worden, Delaware, Brighton, Pock- lington, Salem, Lindlej', Aga- wam. Wilder 1 25 S 00 Norway Spruce Trees, 20 to 25 in 10 00 Cut Leaved Silver Maples, 6 to 10 ft 10 00 Russian Mulberries, 5 to 9 ft 8 00 Ash, 6 to 7 ft., nice S 00 Many other varieties of Trees, Small Fruit Plants, and Ornamental Shrubs. (t f) E. MORDEN, Niagara Falls. South, Ont. ORCHARD OR FOREST PLANTATION. A competent planter and farm manager will take an equipped farm on shares, or other terms, where allowance will be made for an orchard or timber plantation, or will contract to plant and care for the same, replace all losses, and guar- antee a fixed number to liv and do well for three years. ORCHARDIST, (Feb. t. f.) Care Hoetioulturist. NOTICE. To all who intend planting out Fruit of any kind: It will pay you to send a list of your wants to us, and we will give you as ^ood prices as goi d and reliable stock can be got for in Canada, and guarantee your Trees and Plants to come in good order. Plants, Vines and Small Trees Mailed to all parts of the Country. The New Apple, Princess Louise, a specialty. Niagara Grapes at low rates. An assortment of new Fruits. Send for Catalogue and prices to S7VVITH 5^ KIERTVTMN (Successors to A. M. Smith), ROSES, GRAPE VINES, ETC. HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES, About 100 varieties, including the hardiest and best kinds, good strong plants, worked low on Manetti. Price 25 to 50 cents each, $3.00 per dozen, $20.00 per hundred. GRAPE VINES, Rogers' varieties, etc., 25 cents each, $2.00 per dozen, 815.00 per hundred. CURRANTS, Fay's Prolific, extra stroi g plants, 20 cts each, 31.50 per dozen, $10.00 per hundred. Raby Castle, strong plants, 75 cts. per dozen, $5.00 per hundred. Gooseberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, etc. Price List on application. S. BURNER, Hamilton, Ont. A NURSERY AT YOUR DOOR. TREES, VINES. PLANTS, Just the kinds wanted. Strictly first-class. SPECIALTIES -The Globe Seedling Peach, Russian Ajiri- cot, Eaton, Vergennes and Wor- den Grape Vines, Jessie Straw- berry, and other New and Old Sorts. Your order solicited at the Central. The Mailing Depart- ment receives special attention. See Free Catalogue before plac- ing your orders. A. 0. HULL, Central Nursery, St. Catharines, Ont. _^Feb. 4t) NORWAY SPRUCE. 6 to 8 in. transplanted, - - - $3.00 per 100 8 to 10 do. - _ - 400 do. A. DAWSON, Mch 3t Mohawk P. O., Ont NORWAY SPRUCE IN LARGE QUANTITIES. Also ROSES CLEMATIS. Climbers, Shrubs, Dahlias, Herbaceous Plants etc., etc. Send for Price List. A. GILCHRIST. Removed to WEST TORONTO JUNCTION. 3-3t.. Stfawbeffies fof $1,011 each Collection. No. 1.— 5 Eureka, 5 Bubach, 5 Jessie, 5 Candy's Prize, 5 May King. No. 2.- 5 Eureka, 5 Candy's Prize, 5 Haverland. 5 Cloud, 5 Mammoth. No. 3.-5 Eureka, 5 Monmouth, 5 Gold, 5 Pineapple, 5 Warfield. No. 4.-6 Eureka, 5 Burt, 5 Jessie, 5 Belmont, 5 Mon- mouth. I will send the above four collections,fourteen varieties of strawberries, by express, for $3.00. They embrace from the very earliest to the very latest varieties, and they will be" packed and labeled in the most careful manner. A tree circular giving a description of the new seed- ling " Eureka '' now for the first time offered, and other new kinds, with the most valuable of the old varieties. This circular will Le ready about the middle of February. Send for it. 3-2t. JOHN LITTLE, Granton, Ont., Can. CHARLES CITY NURSERIES. For a most Instructive and best Illustrated and Descrip- tive Retail Catalogue, especially for the North and West— also for wholesale rates — write to C. G. PATTIN, Propr., 4-2t. Charles City, Iowa. HONEYSUCKLES. CANABIAN HORTICULTUKIST. Till-: &^adiai^ ^Torticaltdrist Vol. XII. /[/NE, 1889. No. 6. HONEYSUCKLES. MONO the few de- sirable climbing plants suitable for the adornment of the home grounds, and hardy in Ontario, the Hon- eysuckles claim a prominent place, both on account of the beauty of the flower, and the fragrance of most varieties. The name honeysuckle is probably got from the practice of sucking the flower for the drop of sweet juice at its base. It has long been the favor- ite creeper to adorn the pillars of the porch, and to cover a lattice screen, as it is witnessed by Shakespeare, who, nearly three hundred years ago, wrote " Beatrice, even now, Couched in the Woodbine coverture," referring, no doubt, to the Honey- suckle, so common in England. known as Lonicera caprifolium, or else the Lonicera periclymeniiiin, both of which were introduced from the Continent, and known as Woodbines. The former was also called Goat's- leaf, which is simply a translation of chevre fcuille, the French name for the whole family of Honeysuckles, and of Capri/oliaceac, the Latin name for the botanical order to which they belong. We find John Milton, speak- ingof the Honeysuckle, miscalls it the Eglantine, a name poetically given to the Sweet Briar {Rosa ntbiginosa), " Through the Sweet Briar, or the Vine, Or the twisted Eglantine." The genus Lonicera, or Honey- suckles proper, received its name Irom Adam Lonicera, a German botanist, who flourished between the years of 1528 and i5t: bruised by its use, but it is stated by those who have used it that the fruit is in better condition than that picked by hand. We have secured a cut of the APPLE GATHKKKR, which will be of interest to our Canadian growers, even if the Gath- erer itself should not entirely fulfil our expectations. The weight is not very great, for two men can take it up and carry it to any part of the orchard. In size, it is 18 ft. across at the top; can be folded to occupy a space 4x4 ft., Fig. 39. — Apple Gathekkk. and is 11 ft. high. The shaking of the branches is easily performed by using a pole with a hook on the end, and, where the lower branches are in the way, they may be easily pulled aside by such an instrument while the apples above are being shaken down. The cost of this machine is !j>50. We hope soon to test it at Maple- hurst fruit farm, and will then be prepared to say more about its merits and demerits. A USEFUL LADDER. The time has not yet by any means arrived when we can dispense with the ever-useful ladder, for, even should the Apple Gatherer come into general use, it would only be in large commercial orchards, and, even there, ladders would be needed for strip- ping the trees of apples, which could not be shaken down into it, from the tops and middles of the trees. Among the various styles of lad- FiG. 40. — Fruit Ladder. ders, such a kind as w^as described by the writer on page 56 of vol. I. of this journal is most useful. It is made of one stout pole, mortised into a base made of scantling, and having rounds, driven through it for climbing upon. Such a ladder can be very easily made on a rainy day, and can be used in cases where the ordinary two-barred ladder is useless ; for, by reason of the single pole at the top, it can be safely rested in any crotch, while the scantling at the bottom pre- 150 TJie Canadian Horticnlturist. vents it from turning. Such a ladder is convenient in the peach orchard, among very tall trees, where a step- ladder is too short, unless of an un- wieldy size. In a recent issue of the Farm and Home, Mr. Niles, of Vermont, gives directions for making a ladder which has the double bars at the lower part and the pole at the top. He says : " Cut a spruce pole, or one of some other suitable wood, of the de- sired size and length. Have it as free from knots as possible. Bore holes through it every eighteen inches, and let the holes have a dia- meter of at least an inch and a half. Beginning at the thickest end, split the pole to within two feet of the top with a rip saw. At this point fit a ring around the pole. Now spread the halves apart as the engraving shows (fig. 40.) The ring will prevent the pole from splitting further, and if it be green and tough it will not break. Strong rungs, which have already been prepared, should be inserted and the pole pinned to them. The bot- tom of this ladder should be a trifle wider than the top. The beauty of the contrivance is that it can be in- serted in any part of the tree and will not tip over worse than ordinary ladders. I prefer it at picking time to any step-ladder I ever saw." A PACKING HOUSE. Among our building plans, that of a suitable house for the fruit grower to store and pack fruit of all kinds has not yet appeared. The growing and shipping of fruit to distant mar- kets is a comparatively new busi- ness, and has not yet been furnished with all the best appliances. Most of us in the Niagara Peninsula use our barns and carriage-houses as fruit packing-houses during the fruit season. The writer has a building about 72 X 36, two stories high, all of which he devotes to storage and packing of fruit, and the storage of baskets, barrels, etc. Besides this, Fig. 41. — Fruit Packing House. temporary sheds are erected outside near the strawberry patches for use in packing time. A very neat berry packing-house is shown in the engravipg, copied from the Orchard and Garden, which would be a great convenience in a plantation of small fruits, providing a dry place for the storage of bas- kets and crates, and a cool, airy room for packing and storing the fruit until ready for shipping. Where the plantations are separate from each other on the same farm, a movable house of similar design might be constructed of light lumber on a smaller scale, and having run- ners made of pieces about 3 x 6 in., so as to be drawn about as required from one patch to another. The Canadian Horticulturist. 151 TOMATOES TESTED. AT the Agricultural College, Mich- igan, 148 varieties of tomatoes have been tested. A large number of the socalled varieties have been found SN'nonjnious, or so nearly alike that they could not be readily distin- guished ; still the result of the work greath' simplifies the work of the gardener who, when selecting, need only consider the groups, and not the Fig. 42. — WoNiiER of Italy. sub-varieties, which differ little from each other. For pickling and preserving, the Cherry, the Pear and the Plum to- matoes are commended. One of the varieties of the latter group, known as " Wonder of Italy," is shown in our engraving. For ordinary cooking and table use, the apple-shaped varieties are the best, as Advance or Hatha- way's Excelsior for early, and almost any in the group of Cardinal, Para, gon or Perfection groups for main crop. Of these latter, the Ignotum. of tlie I'aragon group, is especially commended in the following terms : Among the older varieties the Ig- notum deserves special mention. This tomato was obtained as a sport from Eiformitre Dnuer. This year it exhibited some tendency to revert, but it furnished us the largest and finest fruits we had. They were thick, solid and quite smooth. One of the earliest to ripen, the plants remained vigorous throughout the season notwithstanding the dry wea- ther, and still bore a number of green fruits when killed by the frost. The variety was tested by quite a number of specialists, and without exception they spoke favorabl}- of it. Prof. Goff, of the New York Experi- ment Station, writes: "Although the fruits were not very uniform, some were as fine as anything in the shape of a tomato I have ever seen ; of good size, remarkably solid and perfectly smooth. With a few sea- sons' selection it will tloubtless be unsurpassed." The Mikado is described as quite early, and averaging the largest of any tomato grown : the Acme is of thin skin, making it too tender for distant shipment. 152 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. STACHYS TUBERIFERA. THERE seems to be a great dif- ference of opinion respecting the value of this new vegetable. Mr. E. S. Goff, of the Geneva Experi- ment Station, says : — Stachys Tuberifera, a so-called new vegetable from Northern Africa cannot be pronounced a very great acquisition. It belongs to the Mint family, and produces small, fleshy tubers, which in our trial only at- tained the size of acorns. A correspondent of The American Garden, says he is certain that it grows in the district of the Bay of Chaleur, P. Q., being, perhaps, brought there by the early settlers from France, but whoever introduced it, he considers it as great a nuisance as'the Canada thistle or the dandelion. It is just possible that the variety of Stachys growing near the Bay of Chaleur is not the same as the one recommended for a garden vegetable, as there are at 'least i6o named species, some of which are of a very weedy character and grow very freely. Monsieur Fr. Burvenich, Professor in the State School of Horticulture of Belgium, in an article in the March number of the Bulletin cC Arboricul- ture, etc., speaks favorably of the stachys, so far as his experience goes, and adds : — " This new vegetable has been favorably noticed at the National Exposition of the Art of Cookery, held at Brussels in December, 1888. One of our friends, a great lover of vegetable culture, once said to us that the Crones (Stachys) were at Fig. 44. — Stachys. least no worse than artichokes. But the question of taste is a settled one, for at the banquet given to General Carnot, upon his accession to the presidency, all the guests found the dish a delicious one." We copy from this journal a cut of the plant showing the tuberous roots in their relative size. SOME PROMINENT CANADIAN HORTICULTURISTS.-VII. R. Mcknight, owen sound. IT is always interesting to trace this world, and from humble posi- the history of those gentlemen tions gained wealth and honor. The who have made their own way in consideration of such instances ,is Tlie Canadian Horticnltnrist. 153 inspirint^f to our younj,' men, inipart- inf,' niiihition to excel, and suggesting hints for their guidance. Such an example is set before them in the case of Mr. R. McKnight, of Owen Sound, who came to Canada from Ireland in the year 1836, at the age of nineteen, to seek his fortime. His first employment was in a saw- mill, where, owing to his ambition to stand first to his qualifications, h(> became, in six months time, man- ager of the con- cern, held a post he for three years. In i860 he turn- ed his hand to school teaching, which })rofession he pursued with ability for six years, and, later on, devoted him- self to mercantile life, which he con- ducted success- fully in Markdale, Cookstown, and last of all in Mea- ^'^-^ ford. Not long since, he was ap- pointed Registrar for the County of North Grey, a position which led him to reside in Owen Sound. His home surroundings at the latter place testify to his taste and skill in horticulture, and, although more properly classed among the bee- keepers from the especial attention he gives to that pursuit, yet as a fruit grower he holds no mean place, and merits a notice in these pages. In reply to a letter asking Mr. McKnight for some notes of his life as a horticulturist, he wrote the fol- lowing letter which we insert in full: — Dear Sir : — Referring to )our favor of the loth April, in which you note receipt of electrotype, kindly offering to use it if furnished with notes, I have to say in reply that nothing I have done in the way of horticultural pursuits entitle me to be classed among the prominent pro- iiKitcrs of the industry. I have never been other than what may be fairly termed an amateur in the business. I have two orch- ards; but my home one receives most of what attention I bestow on the culture of fruit. In this I cultivate all the fruit — large and small — adapt- ed to this section of Ontario. Some years ago I thought of growing what peaches would ser\e m y o w n family, if that were possible. To this end I ordered one liundred trees of the most suitable varieties, and I regret to say there is not one of them alive to-day, nor did I even get a fruit from them. Most of my spare time has been devoted to bee-keeping in recent years. When in London at the Col- onial Exhibition (where I went as one of the delegates in charge of our honey exhibit) I thought it would be a good opportunity to secure a future market for the one hundred or so barrels of apples I yearly have to sell. I accordingly made the acquain- tance of John Draper & Son — one of the largest fruit handling firms of Owi. N Soumj, planted them. 154 Tlie Canadian Horticulturist. Covent Garden, London. I wrote home ; had three or four barrels of apples sent out, which arrived and were sold under my own eye. The venture was the reverse of profitable, and anything but creditable to the country. Depending upon others to pack them, they were put up in the usual way with the usual result ; superb fruit thrown away through careless handling in the orchard. London is a good market for good fruit, but a poor one for inferior fruit. Fruit, especially Canadian apples, always does and will continue to bring a good price. But it is worse than folly to send them to arrive in a damaged state. There is a class of dealers in London with whom quahty is a first and price a second- ary consideration, and who never touch inferior or damaged fruit. The latter are slaughtered among the costermongers and East End corner grocers and fruit men. The men who successfully cater to the wants of the first class may calculate upon uniformly good prices year after year. I was present at the sale of a number of consignments from Canada, and could not help blushing at the folly of our people in sacrificing fine fruit through carelessness in packing and sorting. Nova Scotia sends a great quantity of apples to London. Their barrels are not so large as ours. They are sold as "Nova Scotia Bar- rels,''' while our packages are always advertised as " Canadian Casks.'' There is money for the man who uniformly succeeds in laying down our apples in London, carefullly graded and in prime order. — R. Mc- Knight. FIGHTING INSECTS. THE CODLING MOTH.— The experience of others confirms our own regarding the benefits of spraying, and therefore we are doing the work more carefully than ever among all our fruit trees. Mr. A. C. Hammond, Secretary of the Illinois Horticultural Society, says he treated his trees twice, at an interval of ten days, with London purple, and as a result from 60 to 75 per cent, of his apples were perfect, and about 85 per cent., marketable, while adjoin- ing orchards not sprayed did not produce a peck of perfect fruit. We would advise all orchardists reading this journal to lose no time in giving their trees a careful spray- ing, and we shall be glad to have the results for publication. The proportion of Paris green that we recommend is one quarter of a pound to fifty gallons of water, or one ounce to every ten gallons. Plant and Bark Lice. — The spraying pump comes in most useful for these insects also, as it is impos- sible to apply kerosene emulsion with a brush or broom, except to the trunk and larger limbs. These we first scrape carefully with a hoe, and then scrub thoroughly with a wash of potash and water in the proportion of two pounds of the former to seven quarts of the latter. But sometimes when the bark lice are very bad we find them far out on the branches, and then nothing will do but spray- ing with kerosene emulsion. For this Prof. Cook recommends the fol- lowing formula : Kerosene, one pint ; soft soap, one quart ; and boiling water, two gallons. A stronger emul- sion, which is also suitable for spray- ing our cherry trees for the black aphis, is made as follows, and is one we use for all purposes, viz.: Soap, half a pound, mixed to strong suds The Canadian Horticulturist. 155 with one j^^illon of boiling' water, and while still hot add two j^'allons of kero- sene. This may be used diluted as wanted witli ten parts of water, and sprayed over the whole trees about the first week in June, when the younf( lice are first hatched out. Some are afraid to use kerosene for fear it will destroy the bark of the trees, but diluted as above described there is not the slightest danger. To test the danger of its use, we applied clear kerosene with a brush to some trees affected with bark lice, giving one application to one tree, and three to another, in the month of June. The former tree was not injured in the least, while the bark of the latter was destroyed in several places. From this it is evident that when diluted no injury need be feared. The Borer is much more trouble- some in our orchards than we like to admit. We find that where trees are situated on unfavorable soil, or are for any other reason somewhat stunted in growth, the borer is espe- cially destructive, and treatment should not be neglected. A good preventive is made as follows : One pint crude carbolic acid, one quart soft soap and two gallons hot water. Thoroughly mix and apply with a cloth to trunk and large branches, two weeks after blossoms fall, and again three weeks later. Another, recommended by Prof. Saunders, is simply soft soap reduced to the con- sistency of a thick paint b)' the addition of a thick solution of wash- ing soda in water. Apply in the morning of a warm day, and it will soon dry, and not be easily dissolved by the rains. The treatment should be given early in June, and again during the early part of July. There are two kinds of apple tree borers — the round-headed, and the tiat-headed, the latter of which we described in vol. xi., p. 147. The former is known scien- tificall)' as Sapcrda Cn ii- (fidn, and was first notic- ed as destructive to our apple orchards in the vi- cinit}- of Alban)-, New York State, in the year 1825. Our readers may be able to recognize the full grown c beetle from fig. 46-c, which is about three quarters of an inch long, and pale brown on the back, with cream-colored stripes. While the flat-headed borer deposits its eggs very often on the upper side of the large branches, this one chooses only the trunk, near the sur- face of the ground, and usually upon the south or south-west side. These are laid singly during those months, and hatch out within a fortnight into a whitish larva, with a chestnut browil iiead, with black jaws about an inch in length, and without feet (see fig.46-rt.) In this destructive stage it remains about three years, the first just beneath the bark, and later ex- cavating through woody portions of the tree until ready to transform into a chrysalis (see fig. 46-/;), and two or three weeks later into a perfect insect- 156 The Canadian Horticulturist. THE LARNE APPLE— ALIAS, THE BAXTER. Bv D. NicHOL, NOTICING that this magnifi- cent apple is now gaining some prominence, and being, per- haps, the only one now living who can give its correct history, I deem it expedient to ask you the favor of its publication in the Horticul- turist. In the year 1855 I started nursery business in company with the late Mr- Rich. Coleman, of Lyn, near Brock- ville. During the following Winter I observed an old gentleman (Mr. Bax- ter) peddling in the village some very handsome, large, red apples at five cents each ; I purchased a few, and being so struck with their appear- ance I made inquiry as to w4iere they were groAvn, and so forth. Mr. Baxter informed me that the tree from which the apples were plucked was growing at Larne's Mills, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, about thirteen miles west of Brockville. I asked him for some scions from the tree, and in a few days thereafter he kindly brought me twenty-five strong shoots, which I root-grafted, and from which I raised about fifty trees. These, I believe, were the first trees of the kind ever propagated. I named them the " Baxter." The following year I spoke of my discovery to Mr. George Leslie, nur- seryman, Toronto, and at his request I purchased for and sent him a bunch of scions of the " Baxter " apple tree. Subsequently becoming anxious to see the parent tree with the fruit growing on it, and to ascertain its CATARAf)LI, OnT. habits, I drove to Larne's Mills, and I found it growing in an old orchard belonging to Mr. Billa Larne, who told me he brought with him from France, in the year 1813, the seeds from which the tree grew, and that he was entitled to the name of the apple, although Mr. Baxter had a large tree top-grafted with the same ; so henceforth it was called the "Larne" apple; that is its proper name. I have of it here in my orchard at Cataraqui, twenty trees in robust health, yielding annually profitable crops. In Kingston mar- ket the fruit sells more readily and at rather higher price than any other apple offered for sale, although it is not by any means equal in quality to the N. Spy. At the same time the Larne trees were planted, which is twenty-one years ago, I planted 100 Spys and am now digging out the last of their remains. I will not longer strive to produce my favorite apple in this climate. In trying to produce good fruit of the Sp}', Greening, Baldwin and King, I think I have expended more time, labor and money than any other living man, but am now forced to the conclusion that these choice sorts can only be grown successfully in a ver}^ small propor- tionate area of Ontario. In apples our great need is a hardy, long-keeping, showy apple of good quality, which could be shipped to foreign markets with advantage. Tree hardy as the Duchess, fruit hardy as the Baldwin, color, size The Canadiatt Horticulturist. 157 and flavor approachinf:^ the Sp}- ; the Larne there is no small trash, whoever will produce such an apple I:5ut it is not really a shipping apple, would be entitled to a bonus equal unless we obtain better shipping fa- to that offered to the genius who will cilities with more careful handling kill all the rabbits in Australia. than we have at present. If the We have innumerable varieties of Larne could be presented in good good Fall apples which thrive well condition in the English market, I north of here, but a good hardy have no doubt it would bring the Winter apple we do not possess, very highest price. I have shipped The chief value of the Larne con- to England a good many barrels of sists in the hardiness, robustness different kinds, but the only kind and durability of the tree, its regular which arrived at their destination in bearing habit, and the showiness of good condition was the American the fruit. As a cooking apple it is Golden Russet. The demand for it, decidedly preferable to the Alex- however, seems to be limited, on ander, and it keeps three months account of its rather small size. But longer. Its flavor is infinitely su" I fear I transgress on your valuable perior to the Ben Davis, and with space. — May iitli, i88g. HORTICULTURAL REMINISCENCES. By George Leslie, SO^IE time ago I gave your read- ers some notes* of my first ramble among the American nurser- ies of the early days. My second visit was nearer home. In the Spring of 1840, I found Mr. Barr}-, of Rochester, a clerk in the seed store of Messrs. Ronald & Batome, corner of Buffalo and State Streets, and Mr. Elwanger in charge of the green- houses of the same firm. With the exception of a few small patches covered by a miscellaneous collection of young trees there was nothing about Rochester to indicate a forth- coming nursery centre. In the Fall of the same year Messrs. Elwanger & Barry entered into partnership, and leased six acres of land near See vol. xi., p. toi. Sr., Toronto, Ont. Mt. Hope from a Mr. Oilman for the purpose of starting in the nur- sery business. I found these indus- trious young men busy fencing and plowing their land. That Fall I could not find all the stock I wanted, although I got some samples from Mr. Row, of Greece, five miles west of Rochester, who was beginning business. I piu-chased a few apple trees from Boarden Brothers, and some roses and shrubs from Mr. King, who had four acres under nursery near Mt. Hope. Gathering these small purchases together I took them to Toronto on the schooner Vollcr. At this time I was still in the seed business in my old store on Vonge Street, where I also occasion- ally dealt in such fruits as were 158 TJie Canadian Horticultnrist. obtainable in those early days, INIy intention was to make a purchase of some apples while in Rochester, but, being verj' scarce, the price was high, and I did not purchase. I visited Messrs. Elwanger& Barry again in 1841, when they had their little field well planted with an assortment of fruit trees, from which I selected my first order to that firm. In 1842, Messrs. Elwanger & Barry proposed a partnership with me in Toronto, this city being then con- sidered a better centre for such a business than Rochester. We ac- cordingly agreed upon terms, one of them to take charge here with me, and the other to continue the Roches- ter business. Our first field was twent}^ acres leased from the late Charles Small, which field now forms a part of the present grounds on the south side of Oueen Street. In 1848 I purchased the interests of the other members of the firm for $5,000, they finding that their Rochester business was increasing so rapidly that it required the attention of both. In the earl}' part of 1847 I sold out my seed business and turned all my energies and capital to the nursery, where my tastes had always led me. From a beginning of twent}'^ acres ni}' nursery reached fully 250 acres, while Messrs. Elwanger & Barry, by honesty, hard work and constant application have made for themselves a great name. It is wonderful what good may be accom- plished by honest perseverance. Al- though I have grown old in the business my interests are as fresh as ever, and looking about this countrj- almost from ocean to ocean it grati- fies m}' old heart to know that my labors have to some extent helped to beautify and enrich many homes. STRAWBERRIES TESTED AT THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE GROUNDS, GUELPH. PROF. PANTON, in a bulletin, dated 15th April, 1889, gives the results of experiments made with ten varieties, grown m matted rows, on clay loam, as follows : Wilson's Albany has done excel- lently and may be ranked first. It yields well and is a very suitable variety for shipping. Crescent Seedling ripened sooner than Wilson, and has been quite productive, but there is a tendency among these berries to be imperfect, owing to incomplete fertilization of the flowers, but this is overcome by having a variet}' rich in pollen planted near, or among the rows. We overcame the difficulty by plant- ing the Wilson side b}' side. Cres- cent Seedling seems to bear more pistillate flowers than staminate. The foliage of the Crescent, being somewhat sparse, does not assist in keeping the berr}' so clean as the varieties that grow more leaves. Early Canada ripens soon, but is liable to be caught b}- frost, and on the whole has done poorly with us. The Caintdian Horticulturist. '59 Arnold's Pride, is a clean, good- sized, nice berry, but has not been very prolific. Monarch of the West proved to be a large berry, l)ut only gave a fair yield. Captain Jack was somewhat late, but very prolific and a good berry. Alpha has been a slim bearer, but it has a delightful flavor. Nicanor gave only a fair crop and ordinary berry. Maggie's was rather small in berry, and as comparatively poor a bearer. Cumberland Triumph is a large and irregularly shaped berry, with only a fair yield. It is a variety more for the amateur than one de- siring to raise berries for market. CONXLUSIONS. 1. Strawberries will do well in a locality such as ours, if the soil is rich, friable and well drained. 2. Ground for strawberries should have a good supply of plant food, be easily worked, and should certainly be well drained, kept clean of weeds and well cultivated. 3. We are inclined to favor grow- ing in rows where large quantities are to be grown, and to renew the plants every two years. 4. In well drained, sheltered and good soil, planting out in September is advisable, so as to enable the plant to get thoroughly established. A fair crop next season may be ex- pected ; but if such conditions are absent, then plant in Spring and only a medium crop may be looked for 5. Strawberries may be grown in almost any climate if care be taken. W^here the climate is severe protect the plants by scattering over them pea-straw or some other light cover- ing. Avoid heavy substances such as manure ; some place boughs with good results. 6. The following is a list which embrace varieties that are likely to suoceed well : — Wilson, Crescent Seedling, Daniel Boone, Manchester, Sharpless, Alpha, Prince of Berries, Bidwell and Jewell. Crescent Seed- ling and Manchester, being poor in pollen, require such as Wilson amoqg them. Sharpless is large, delicious, but somewhat late. Bidwell is a good family berry, sweeter and larger than the popular varieties, Wilson and Crescent. FORESTRY NOTES. By T. M. Grover, B.A., Norwood, Colnty of Peterborolch. PLANTING TREE SEEDS. IN the May issue of the Horti- culturist, you give a letter from Mr. Hulee, of Nebraska, stat- his practice with tree seed to be a thorough soaking for five or eight days till every seed is fully sprouted, and not till then does he place them in the soil. Though I liave never tried just this treatment, Mr. Hulee may be right. In the case of the large hard nuts, like walnuts, gener- ally so slow to sprout, taking some- times one, two or three years in the soil (and after we are done looking for them) before they come up, this i6o TJie Canadian Horticnltnrist. will render it practicable, as so many desire to plant the nuts just where the tree is to stand, even over a large plantation. Mr. Thomas Meehan, the well-known seed dealer and nurseryman at Philadelphia, in his price list says his method is to plant his seed very early in the moist earth, even while partly frozen, and trust to shading and natural dampness of the soil to sprout the seed, and he and many others say they never knew any good arise from soaking the seed. But by keeping the seed under treat- ment till the last one has shown sign of germination, and where we can see just what we are doing with them, and at the same time fully work the soil and keep down the weeds and by putting the seed in the clean soil just when ready to open its seed leaves, we would save great trouble and disappointment. The seed of white ash has a tough coat, and unless in very moist ground I find it very apt to lie two years, and a great many seeds are lost entirely. I find it useless to plant it in the Fall, as even if a few come all right, there is a great loss, and invariably some of the seeds, however planted, do not germinate till the second year. The weeds always start too soon for ash as well as maple seed, and if there is no other objection to Mr. Hulee's practice of soaking, I see so many advantages that I will try it in future. THREE FAST GROWING TREES. Ash, Locust, Catalpa. The best growth I have yet seen in this climate is in the case of the Catalpa speciosa, and I regret that it is not quite hardy enough to be desirable here, as it is at the same time such a handsome and useful tree ; it ought to be a favorite in the warmer parts of Ontario. One Am- erican paper counts it as a great advantage that its leaf is rather late in appearing in the spring — hardly in its favor, in my opinion. I do not care to see the bare limbs so long after other trees are fully out, and a good many of my neighbors who have a few trees have thrown them out, thinking they were dead, when, if they waited till June they would have found plenty of showy foliage. It is so easily transplanted, as well as raised from seed, if planted after the soil is warm, and its cultivation offers no difficulty to its general dis- tribution. Frequently it will grow eight or nine feet, and I have doubt that, as is claimed for it in Ohio, it will produce a railway tie in ten years. The yellow locust, very common and just as easily raised from seed, is nearly as rapid in upright growth, increasing in diameter a little more slowly. It offers no trouble in the nurser}' except that it is not quite hardy the first year, and is a most useful timber tree both for fuel and for manufacturing. It will grow from the seed to be three, five or eight feet high the first year, and transplants readil}'. It also is very late showing a leaf, and loses all its foliage very early in the autumn, and like the Catalpa, I do not admire it for an ornamental tree. Farmers do not like it from its liability to spread by sprouting from the root if wound- ed, as well as from its seed, the light legume being carried by the wind too easily. In foliage and limb it is The Cauadiaii Horticulturist. i6i too thin to be imicli use for a shelter belt, but its timber has few equals. The ash is well-known and is a little more trouble to get from seed, though transplanting just as readily. It is not generall}- called a rapid grower, but a two year seedling in fair soil will soon grow into a very- handsome tree, very straight and clean in liiuik and limb, and useful for street decoration or forest plantation and hardy enough for an}- climate. It is largely sold by the American nurserymen as a tree for timber claims and sent out at one or two years old, when it varies from one to three feet in height. It is said that some of them use the green ash, a more rapid grower, from a little further south, and sell them for white asli. 1 think some of them tried this on me, for one lot of seedlings sup- posed to be white ash, which I im- ported from the States, has turned out not to be quite hardy and freezes back nearly to the snow, whicli I know white ash should not do. The white ash of my own raising from the seed are straight, plump, and sound to the terminal buds with very solid root, and so are some imported seed- lings ; so I think if any of us find our ash seedlings suffer from frost, we may conclude we have not used the true white ash. This ash is a tree of which no one can speak disparagingly — it cannot be abused for any defect in growth or habit and cannot be surpassed in vigor, beauty, or usefulness. What more do we want, except more of them ? SECOND GROWTH WALNUT. The Hamilton Spectator of a late date quotes the following : — " United States Consul Albert Roberts, in a report from Hamilton, Ont., on wood and woodenware, says: 'Much of the imported walnut has been planted in the United States by men not yet old.' If Mr. Roberts will inform us in wliat portion of the United States the walnut he mentions as having been planted is cut, he will let in a side light on the lumber busi- ness that will be an astonisher. Somebody has been stuffing Mr. Roberts." (NortJiiccst Lttuihennan.) and remarks "the walnut makes more rapid growth than hickory and large quantities or second-growth hickory are imported into Canada. W'e believe Col. Roberts to have been quite correct in his statement." It is evident that Col. Roberts is mistaken, and the learned Editor of the Spectator a little out of his lati- tude too. The a priori argument from hic- kory is just as absurd as it would be to predict an annual cutting of walnut from the example of the osier willow. Second growth hickory used for spokes, handles, etc., in thicknesses of less than an inch can be got from very young seedlings. At the last meeting of the Fruit-growers Associa- tion it was suggested that walnut forty years old was only fit for repair- ing barns; for manufacturing, seventy to eighty years would be the earliest age, and, although I believe walnut is a most valuable tree to plant, and agree with the Spectator so far, I at the same time consider the Lumber- man perfectly right that second growth walnut is not an article of commerce. There are no old planta- l62 The Canadian Horticulturist. tions where it could be got. For one thing, it is only an odd tree that can be heard of, as the walnut does not sprout as the hickory; it differs from hickory also, for the small hickory is the more valuable, whereas the elegant finishing wood for furniture, or such work as the Hamilton Court House where the meeting was held, must be over lOO ysars old. I hope the Editor of the Spectator will be able to attend future meetings of this Association. NOTES FOR FRUIT GROWERS. WE notice in Popular Gardening that Mr. Samuel Miller fa- vors selling fruits in SMALL TOWNS IN PREFERENCE TO LARGE CITIES. He says : " It is a mistake to think that the large city is the place to sell best. The reverse is the case. I live but one hundred miles from St. Louis, and have been growing fruit here for nearly twenty years, yet in all that time I only sent five consignments of ruit there, and each time received less for it than in the smaller towns in the interior of the state. Neither was my fruit of inferior quality, for I don't send that kind. Plant good varieties, cultivate well ; don't let them overbear ; then sell as near home as possible, avoiding express charges, commission, etc. As a rule, these two items take half of the re- ceipts, while the grower has to raise, gather and pack for the other half. The man who can devise a plan whereby the grower can obtain what he earns in growing fruit, will de- serve a monument." There are some good points in the report of Mr. Curtice's address on THE CANNING INDUSTRY at the meeting of the Western New York Horticultural Society. He said that growers and canners must work hand in hand, as their interests are identical. Only white cherries are generally wanted for canning, espe- cially Bigarreau, Spanish and Na- poleon, or any good-sized fair meated sort, of the red acid sorts. Montmo- rency is good, had paid 14 cents per pound for them. He know"s of a single cherry tree having yielded $80 for fruit in one year. Plums pay the grower well. He has paid from $5,000 to !}58,ooo a year into the little town of Webster for plums, and yet there is nothing that might be called a plum orchard. Imperial Gage, Monroe Egg, Reine Claude, and a variety he only knows under the name of " Mottled Egg," are the ones used for canning. Prunes are too high for canning purposes. Ger- man prunes average $3 a bushel. Prefers the Bartlett to all other pears for canning. The supply of fine quality in fruit does not keep up with the demand, and the canners have hard work to get such fruits as they want. The persistent grower of superior fruits will be successful financially, and need not to be dis- couraged by the cry of low prices and overproduction. Canners want an acid, firm strawberry, and the Wilson is now the only one used. Of red raspberries, Cuthbert is as good as any. The demand for Quinces is rather limited, but for good Western New York peaches there is no limit. Growers should not confine themselves to Early Crawford, as it lasts only a short time. Any large, yellow - meated The Canadian Horticulturist. 163 peach is good, Wager, Allen, Foster, etc. By planting these varieties besides the Crawford, the season can be greatly extended. The Crawford, however, is best in flavor. Of cur- rants, the Dutch is highest flavored and best for canning. He pays 4^ to 5 cents a pound in the average. Regarding the DISPOSAL OF FRUIT to the best advantage, the following remarks of Mr. J. N. Stearns are worth (juoting: " I received in Chicago lti3 a keg for my pears the past season, a keg holding a trifle over one bushel. For the past two or three years, how- ever, this market has been so flooded with almost worthless fruit that growers are beginning to be discour- aged, and so we have the quer\' : ' What shall we do with our fruit ? ' " As one of the means of securing this trade, I sent small consignments of fruit to reliable dealers in small towns with my card, guaranteeing the fruit select, placed in each package. I find plenty of consumers who pre- fer to purchase of the producer at an advanced price, expecting of course to get what they pay for. It should be remembered that fair treatment will hold a customer. " I have been engaged in fruit growing as a business for many years, and never with more satisfac- tion to myself than at the present time. I find the demand fully keeps pace with the increased production." PINCHING BACK THE CUTHBKRT CANHS_ A writer in the Country Geiitlcinnii says : " I have just finished trimming a row of Cuthbert raspberry bushes which, partly at Mr. C. Mill's sug- gestion last year, I left untouched until now. There is a decided con- trast in appearance between it and the rows pruned according to the method I practice, namely, pinching the new canes before they reach three feet in height, and shortening the laterals to nine or ten inches when clearing out the old wood, which is done as soon as it is con- venient after the berries have been picked. The Autumn-trimmed canes resemble bushes with six or seven short, well-seasoned branches of the size of a lead pencil ; the Spring- pruned ones are simply bare poles. I have counted the buds on half a dozen canes of each kind of pruning, and the bushy ones average sixty- three buds, or five to seven laterals to a cane, while those without later- als average eighteen. With the exception of just the tips of a few late-growing, unpinched laterals, no injury was done by frost, and as to- winter-killing generally I do not think either way of pruning has an advantage, certainly not in this sec- tion. The canes on which the buds were counted are marked with tags, and I shall weigh or measure the fruit on each to satisfy myself which plan is best. Pinching the canes when young I think has a tendency to produce laterals at the head, mak- ing the bushes top-heavy when loaded with fruit, and consequently more liable to be blown or beaten down by severe storms, as was the case on July loth last year; but where properly supported or fast- ened to a wire the berries are out of danger of being covered with dirt or grit during heavy rains. " Each succeeding year that I grow the Cuthbert only increases my liking for it, and did it ripen ten or twelve days earlier I should con- sider it the most reliable and profit- able red raspberry grown." HOW TO MAKK THF ORCHARD PAY. Dr. Hoskins writes in Vick's Monthly as follows : " I have never yet seen an orchartl too rich for profit, or one upon which the last load of manure did not pay the most profit. .\n orchard of the Williams' Favorite .Apple in the vicinity of Boston is kept ' as rich as 1 64 The Canadian Horticulturist. a barnyard.' The fruit is double what might be called the normal size of the variety; every apple is handled like an egg, and is got in the market at just its point of perfection. This orchard, though small, is very profitable. The only orchard to rival this that I have seen is in the City of Montreal, where some seven years ago the fruit of thirty-six trees of Fameuse was sold, ungathered, that season for $800. They were all very large and perfectly healthy trees which had, all them- selves, almost an acre of rich land." FLORICULTURAL. Ppuning Roses. The low bush or dwarf form is the best on all accounts for our so-called hardy Roses. The shoots that grew the previous year should be cut back in early spring to six inches or a foot from the ground. From these stems that are left will be new shoots which will bear the present year's bloom. In all cases the shoots that flower start from the wood that grew last year, and the object of pruning is to keep this new growth down close to the ground, and to regulate the amount of bloom by the quantity of last year's growth that is allowed to remain. In spite of the best of pruning the tendency of the plant is to make its new wood higher up each year, but the skilful pruner will at- tend to this, and not allow his plant to get up too far ; a shoot sometimes starts voluntarily, or if not, it can be forced out low down, and advantage is taken of it to renew the whole plant, cutting away all the older growth above it. Thus, with a little care, the Rose bushes can be kept low, and in this form they are easily sheltered in winter, easily syringed, and their flowers are pro- duced where they are best displayed. The yearly care required for a dozen Rose plants in the garden need not exceed twelve hours — an hour apiece. These remarks about pruning apply to the most popular kinds of Roses, those commonly cultivated, the Hybrid Perpetuals and Mosses. It would not do to prune so closely the hardy Yellow Roses and the climbing Prairie Roses. But the general principle of shortening in the growth of the previous year applies the same to these. The little Poly- antha Roses, also require to be well cut back, -every spring. — VlcVs Masdzine. That Garden Long Ago. I REMEMBER, I remember A garden, long ago ; 'Tis not laid out in modern style, In curious bed and row, And only sweet, old-fashioned flowers Grow freely, gaily there, And make a mass of glorious bloom. And perfume all the air. Along the narrow gravel path The violet Iris grows, And on each side a Snowball bush And royal Damask Rose ; While Hollyhocks, and Four O'Clocks, And Pinks, and Poppies glow In every nook and corner Of that garden long ago. I remember, I remember The branching Lilac tree. Its fragrant purple blossoms So oft in dreams I see ! Once more I stand in wonder To see the primrose blow ; Ah, these are only mem'ries Of that garden long ago. — F. A. Reynolds. The Catuidian Horticulturist. 165 anaMan ibor^icufturieL SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. The Plant Distribution. — Owing to the ver}' rapid advance of vegetation this Spring, it was found impossible to fill the last orders re- ceived with any prospect of giving satisfaction. We therefore a?k those who have not received their plants this Spring to have the kindness to wait until next Fall for them. The same list will be continued for the Summer, so that subscribers sending in their names may still select from it. The Crandall Currant. — We wish it to be plainly understood by our readers that we do not endorse anything that has been said in these pages concerning this currant, and that the writers are alone responsible for the statements made. The Cran- dall is quite a new thing, and as in the case of all novelties we desire as quickly as possible to test it on our own grounds, and to receive the testi- mony of planters from all quarters. Our object is to defend the interests of the growers of fruit, and not to boom any nursery stock. Now, while Mr. Summey's experience with this currant seems to have been favorable, the experience of some horticulturists at Rochester, express- ed to us personally, is adverse, to the effect that it is a poor bearer, and that its peculiar odor is serious fault. We await further testimony with interest. The Newtown Pippin. — An English correspondent of the Garden and Forest writes in high praise of the Newton Pippin, an apple which we well know brings the highest price in the English market, some- times selling for as much as %j per barrel. He says that in point of flavor he considers it tHe best apple in the world, and wonders that so little is said of it in our journals, and that we do not value it more highly than we do. He does not know of a single apple in either France or England which can compare with it in high flavor and lasting qualit}-. Now, as applegrowers, wecertainly do wish to plant and grow only tlie very best kinds, and we know that this apple stands at the head of all apples, but we have also long ago found that it is a failure in the apple regions of Ontario and New York on account of the apple spot (Fusicla- dium), to which it is particularly subject. If, however, the use of hvposulphite of soda or of copper solutions should 1 66 The Canadian Horticulturist. prove reliable as remedies for this dreaded plague of our apple orchards, we may yet grow the Green Newtown Pippin as our best Winter apple, the Fall Pippin as our best fall Apple and the Early Harvest as our best summer apple. School Grounds is the subject of the editorial in a recent number of the Garden and Forest, in which the editor commends Mr, Chase's sug- gestion that prizes be offered for the best kept and most tastefully embel- lished school grounds. Would it not be even better if the Government would give a special grant to every school for excellence in this way, the amount to be based upon the approxi- mation to some high standard of excellence which should be designed anew every year by an expert, and distributed among the trustees or teachers of each section. One very important feature in planting school grounds is the educational ; they should teach not only the proper dis- posal of walks and lawns, and flower beds among trees and shrubbery, but also some knowledge of our native trees themselves, and with this in view it is a mistake to plant too many of a kind. We think that each returning Arbor Day it should be the rule that no tree be planted which is a duplicate of any already growing on the school grounds, and thus, with a proper system of label- ing, our school grounds would soon become a place where our children would become familiar with the characteristics of our many varieties of forest trees almost without any mental effort. Rural New Yorker No. 2 Potato has been tested at the Michigan Agricultural College, and is thus des- cribed : — In form, nearly as broad as long and flattened. Skin, white ; eyes, few and inconspicuous. Generally very smooth and regular, although an occasional prong manifests itself. Flesh, very white and mealy when cooked. This potato is quite pro- ductive and is an extremel}- valuable variety. Had it been grown under better conditions it might have headed the list. Well worth planting. The Purple Leaved Beech. — The Garden and Forest advises grouping this tree with beeches of the normal hue, or failing in this, with the Horse Chestnut, or the Scarlet Maple. Grouped with the White Pine or Norway Spruce, its effect would be ruined. As a general rule, however, it is better planted as a single lawn tree, where it attracts much attention on account of its peculiar color and beautiful sym- metrical form. Ocean Rates for Apples. — Mr. George Thom, of the Beaver Line, sends us a sailing card, and quotes the rates for apples to Liverpool at two shillings and sixpence, or about 60 cents. The Woodpeekep. Mr. Nicol's article on the Wood- pecker, page 95, calls forth the fol- lowing comments from the Orillia Packet :— How mortifying — after your little friend has flitted away on his kindty errand — to take up the April number of the Canadian Horticulturist to find all your pretty theories knocked into a cocked-hat. Your favorite, with the red top-knot, is also a sap- sucker ; and while he has been gam- moning you with the idea that he has been catching insects, he has, in reality, been boring holes and sucking the sap — nay, the very life — out of your white birches ; every hole he makes being, so to speak, " a nail in its coffin." This places you on "the horns of a dilemma," and the notion of a full grown man or woman being put into such a degrading position by a six-inch-long woodpecker, or sap-sucker, seems absurd, but shows what mites we are with all our swag- gering. You can't " eat your cake The Canadian Horticnltnrist. 167 and have it"; that is to say, you can't let your woodpecker eat your white birches and preserve liim and them ! Happy thow^hl — blaze away at him with Itlank cartridf^e and keep him on your neighbor's lots, so as to be able to admire him over the fence! Not a bit of good, my dear Madam or Sir. After fifty shots or so he will begin to enjoy the fun ; will bring over his whole family, and will en- camp on your premises for the season. Several sleepless nights of thought will make you decide to shoot him, using fine shot so as not to injure the bark of the tree ; but when you have killed him you cannot — as a self-elected member of the Audubon Societv — wear him on your hat as an ornament. If however — waiving all considerations — you determine-on so doing, )'Ou will be perpetually haunted by a fear that he might resuscitate himself and peck a little hole in vour head to see what is inside. Supposing that he did and found sap instead of brains ; where on earth could you " hide your dim- inished head?" and Echo answers — where ? " Peaeh Yellows. Now that tliis mysterious disease is being made a stud}' by so man}- practical and scientific horticulturists, we hope that some Solution \\\\\ be forthcoming, and an effective remedy discovered. We have already re- ferred to Prof. Erwin Smith's elabor- ate preliminary Report, which shows clearlv the symptons of the disease, and the history of its distribution, but nothing definite concerning its nature ; and also to the theory held b}' several cultivators in Massa- chusetts that it is a result of true starvation, for want of a sufficient supply of potash, and that by liberal applications of this substance the tree can be saved. Now we have another theory, this time from Vir- ginia, by Mr. W. H. Massey, who says he believes the Yellows is caused by the black aphides upon the roots. These, he claims, destroy the small, hair like appendages of the roots, and thus interfere with the absorb- tion of a sufficient amount of those mineral matters upon which the per- fection of the assimilative substance in the foliage depends, and a yellow- ish, sickly color is the result. He claims that of a large number of affected trees examined, he has never found one which was not covered b}' millions of black aphides destroying every young and tender rootlet. Let our peach growers give this matter their attention and report the result. Canning Fruit. As the season for Fruit Canning is again at hand, the ladies who read this journal may be interested in the following table from an old paper : — TIME FOR SUGAR TO FRUIT. THE OUART BOILING OJ FRUIT. Cherries 5 min. 6 ounces Raspberries 0 " 4 " Blackberries 6 " 6 Strawberries 8 " 8 Plums 10 " 10 Whortleberries 5 " 8 Pieplant 10 " 8 Sour pears (whole) 30 " 4 " Bartl't " (halves) 20 " 6 Peaches (halves) 8 " 4 " (whole) 15 " 4 Pineapples (sliced) 15 " 6 Crab apples 25 " 8 Sour apples 10 5 Ripe currants 6 " 8 Wild grapes 10 " 8 Gooseberries S 8 Quince (sliced) 15 " 10 " Tomatoes 20 " ♦X 0 sugar *But one-half teaspoonful of salt. The Plum Cureulio. Experiments in progress at Cham- paign, 111., go to show that this in- sect feeds upon the plum leaf, botli by eating and sucking. It has little choice between the plum itself and the plum leaf, and also feeds upon the blossom and the leaf of the peach i68 TJie Canadian HortiailUirist. tree. The important point to be no- ticed in all this is that the curculio begins its work long before it stings the young fruit, and therefore the wisdom of the advice which we have frequently tried to impress upon our readers to spray the plum trees very early with Paris green, even before the blossoms are fully expanded. It has also been found that spray- ing the peach with Paris green of the ordinary strength will kill the peach leaves, but that an application of the poison in a more dilute form is sufficient to destroy the curculio. In an experiment tried in the early part of May of the present year, out of a cheque lot of twelve curculios fed on peach leaves without poison, only one died ; but out of twelve fed upon leaves sprayed with Paris green, all died in ten days. QUESTION DRAW^ER The Saunders Plum. 43. — There has been a person around here selling plum trees, which he calls " The Saunders," for the moderate price of #2. Please give the merits and demerits of this new claimant for public fa\-or through that very valuable paper, " The Horticul- turist," the exposer of humbug and fraud. — R. Trotter, Owen Sound. The Saunders Plum is no fraud, but was brought before the notice of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario at their Autumn meeting in Barrie, in the year 1884, and was named after the then President, Mr. Wm. Saunders, now director of the Central Experimental Farm. It was sent in by Mr. John Arris, of Belle- ville, as a seedling which had at- tracted no small attention among fruit growers in that vicinity. It was then described as follows : — Tree, a good spreading grower ; foliage, of a bright green color, holds on well to the end of the season ; a very valuable point. It bears an immense crop every year, the limbs this year (1884) were just bending under the weight of fruit. The fruit is above medium in size ; form, long- ish oval with a distinct suture; stem, one half an inch long ; color, bright yellow with a slight blush where exposed to the sun ; flesh, melting, sweet and good ; free stone ; flesh, yellow. This plum, on account of its hardiness, productive habit, good growth and freedom from black knot, will stand in the front rank as one of the best market plums, k is one of the first to ripen, being several days earlier than the Green Gage. Of course the price is extrava- gantly high, and is asked onl}- on the ground that the variety is compara- tively new, and difficult to bu}- except from an agent. Probably the nur- ser}^ represented by the agent has secured a monopoly of the stock, and so controls the market for a time. We suppose that no one of our readers would pay any such price for a plum tree, except as a luxury ; trees for a commercial orchard can usually be purchased direct from the nursery much cheaper than through an agent. Apple Evapopatop. 44. — Is there a sheet iron apple drier made in Canada to set on the stove for family use ? — Thos. Rickard, Alvinston. We do not at present know of any such dryer made in Canada, but R. • Ferris, of Essex Co., N. Y., describes a Home Made Evaporator in the Farm and Home, which might suit the requirements of our correspon- dent. He describes it thus : — A HOME-M.^DE EVAPOR.A.TOR. I secured a box two feet long, 18 inches deep and two feet high. The The Canadian Horticulturist. 169 cover was missing, so I invertcU it, making the bottom answer for a top. I removed one side, cleating the pieces together near each end and put leather hinges on, fastening it to the former bottom, but now the top of the concern. At the loose corners I nailtKl on an inch-square strip to hold them firm. Inside, on each of the ends I nailed half-inch strips, two inches apart, as slides for the trays to run upon. The trays were made of strips of half inch stuff, one V« I I % ^^m.^'4-}mm}-x^m,^^i^/ii^^^^i<^^^\!^ )^i I I /• 5 f»J/HI!lH>IJJ/lH>l/i>!ll)>lll)//i\'l>/,\>}n7t ; -■>■ li: Fig. 47. inch wide, halved in at the corners and braced by diagonal wires. They are covered with white mosquito- netting. At the top and side furthest from the door hinges, I removed a piece of the top two inches wide. I then made a chimney two inches wide, two feet long and a foot high, which I placed over the opening and nailed fast. After supper, when the even- ings are long, we all set to work at the apples, and putting a few pieces of wood in the stove, begin filling the trays, the lowest [first. As the second tray is prepared, the first one is moved up and the new one put in next to the fire, until the evaporator is full. The evaporator is placed on four pieces of brick, stood edge-wise on the stove at the corners of the machine. The apples dry off the first evening to some extent, and when the work is done up the follow- ing day the evaporator ma)- be lifted on again, and by evening the fruit is ready to put away. My method of cutting apples is to peel, and take off two slices from each end, then core, and slice the remainder to a thickness of one- fourth of an inch. The trays should be made one or two inches narrower than the box and arranged so that the hot air is driven from front to rear and back again as in the sketch, which gives a sectional view of the evaporator. The door is hung at the top as shown, but should be kept closed except when putting in or removing trays. A Cook Stove Dryer is shown in fig. 48, which is sold for $7, and only weighs twenty-five pounds, but this is made in Waynesboro, Pa. For those farmers who have large orchards and wish to go largely into the evaporating of fruit for market, we may mention that we are just in receipt of a catalogue of Fruit Evap- orators, from Cincinnati, Ohio. They are made in six sizes and impress us favorably. No. 3, fig. 49, weighs 600 pounds, and its capacity is 15 to 20 bushels of apples per day ; it has a furnace with grate for coal, and will also burn cord wood. It is catalogued at !ii>ioo. Goosebepry Maggot 45. Is there any remedy for the gooseberry maggot ? Some insect lays an egg in the berry, when about two-thirds grown, causing the berries to fall to the extent of one-third or more of the crop The frowning is most afifected. I have carefully watched for something on this pest, in \nin The worm I70 TJie Canadia7i Horticulturist. when full-grown is about a quarter of an nchlong?— W.E.P. Mr. Saunders, in his work on "In- sects Injurious to Fruits," describes two which injure the fruit of the goose- berry, viz : — The Gooseberry Fruit Worm, the eggs of which are deposi- ted by the parent moth on the young gooseberries soon after they are set, and the young worm which grows to a length of about three-quarters of would ;help to keep it in subjection. We would suggest spraying with Paris green and water, while the fruit is very small, and believe it would be the simplest and easiest mode of rid- ding the bushes of the pest. We should be glad to hear the result of such an experiment. Forms of Potash. 46. You will oblige if in an early number an inch, burrows into the young fruit. The latter soon indicates its pre- sence, either by discoloration or by premature ripening. The other is the Gooseberry Midge, a two-winged fly about one-tenth of an inch long, which deposits its tiny eggs within the young gooseberry. These de- velop into very small yellow larvae, resembling the wheat midge. Without seeing a specimen we cannot determine what insect our correspondent refers to ; but, in any case, Mr. Saunders' plan of gathering and burning of the premature fruit Fig. 49. of the Canadian Horticulturist you will give an account of the different forms of potash, similar to that you gave on nitrate of soda. I wish to get at the best form to apply to the soil, where wood ashes cannot be got. Prof. F. Panton, in last year's Report of Fruit Growers' Association, gives what he says are two good mixtures for fertilizers, but he takes wood ashes as the foundation. Now, it is very hard to get good wood ashes in the town where most everybody burns coal. Any information as to the next best thing will oblige, I believe, many others as well asW.M., Oshawa. Reply by Prof. J. H. Panton, O.A.C., Guelph, Ont. Potash is employed as a manure in the form of ivood ashes : the ashes The Canadian Horticulturist. 171 of cotton-seed hulls; iha <^rcc)i sand of New Jerse)- ; sulphate of potash; chloride of potassium : and as ^^ pot- ashes," usually a mixture of li\-drale of potash and carbonate of potash. A chloride of potassium, known as " muriate of potash" has been largel}' used as a fertilizer, so also sulphate. The latter has been preferred ; but on the whole the results are not so successful as where wood ashes can be secured. Next them may be ranked the so-called " Potashes," a mixture of hsdrate of potash and carbonate of potash. This fertilizer is likely obtainable where fertilizers are sold. It is common among American dealers, and sold in con- siderable quantities. The Russian Mulberry. 47»I AM much pleased with the improved appearance and manaj^ement of the Cana- dian Horticulturist. I hope you will meet with corresponding encouragement. Had two fine-Russian Mulberries last year just come into bearing. There were a few- small berries on each but scarcely worth the name, although I had believed the one was staminate and the other pistillate. They were distant ninety-six feet from each other but one half of each tree intercepted from the other by the interference of a corner of the house. Was obliged to cut down what I believed to be the pistillate. Would it do to graft the staminate one with Downing mulberry? Would it produce fruit ?— A Subscriber. Undoubtedly the Downing mul- berry, where it succeeds, is far superior to the Russian varieties which had only their hardiness and vigorous habit to commend them. You might possibly succeed with grafting the Downing upon the Rus- sian variety, but it is not verv prob- able as the tree bleeds badly when cut. You might succeed with buddingupon some of the young wood as soon in Summer as you can get well-de- veloped buds. Cuttings about two feet long, planted in Spring, in a moist, shady spot, are likely to grow, if taken from matured wood of the previous Siun- mer's growth, and a small piece of two-year-old wood attached. Only one or two buds should appear above L'round. Hydrangea Culture. 4S. I vviM. be thankful for a few hints on Hydrangea culture. Mine bud, but not one quarter of the buds mature ? — Mrs. Wm. C\)OK. Hydrangeas are of easy culture, and you should have no trouble in getting abundance of bloom. One very important point is to give them plenty of water when growing ; and })erhaps this was where you failed. Another is plent}' of air and sun- shine, and a third, is rich soil, such as might be prepared by mixing erjual parts of loam and decayed cow manure. Tuberous Rooted Begonia. 49. Does the tuberous rooted liegonia reijuire any special treatment. — John S. Warren, Orillia. These are of easy culture. They require plenty of water during time of growth, and good rich soil in pots, similar to that recommended above for the Hydrangeas. When the sea- son's growth is over, water should be gradually withheld, until the tubers are ready to be taken up, and packed away in dry sand until needed again. To Drive Away Black Ants 50. Can you tell us of anything that will effectually destroy black ant hills in the lawn. We have tried salt, lime, sulphur, coal oil, heilabore, and only succeeded in killing out patches of grass? — Mrs. Wm. Cook, Ctirville. A good many ways have been sug- gested of destroying the ants and stopping their work on the lawns. I-"or ilestroying them in the nest, an application of boiling water is recom- mended ; also a liberal dose of hot aliun water, made in proportion of one pound of common alum to three gallons of rain water. Bottles of sweetened water simk in the ground near the hills make good ant traps. 172 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. They may also be poisoned by spreading about molasses, poisoned with Paris green, or cyanide of potassiinn. For trapping the ants, a sponge moistened with sweetened water may be used, and when black with ants throw it into boiling water. Fresh bones may be used in the same way. A Peap Tree Beetle. 51. For the past three years our pear trees have been infested with a broad-greyish- brown bug about the time the fruit begins to ripen. Can you tell us a remedy for them ? — Mrs. Wm. Cook. It would be impossible to identify an insect from such a brief descrip- tion. Can you not send in a speci- men this Summer ? The Indian Cetonia is a beetle a little more than half an inch in length, with a broad body. The second brood appears in September, and burrows deeply into the ripe fruits and inducing decay. For it, the only remedy suggested is " Catch 'em and Kill 'em." Duty on Garden Seeds. (See Question 35.) With reference to this, Mr. G. F. Fawcett, Customs Department, Ot- tawa, gives us the following list of transfers to the free list. Green fruits, and edible berries in their natural condition, viz : — Bana- nas, Olives, Pineapples, Plantains, Tamarinds, Apples, Blackberries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Straw- berries, Cherries, Cranberries, Peaches, Plums, Quinces, Apricots, Lichi-fruit, Mangoes and Melons, Pomagranates, Citrons, Tomatoes. Seeds, viz : — Anise, Anise-Star, Canary, Caraway, Clover-grass and Flowers, Cotton (crude), Cardamon (crude), Chia, Jute, Mustard, brown and white. Sugar-beet, Seeds of fruit trees and forest, (not edible,) Sesame, Sugar-cane, Anise-Star, Cummin and Tonquin Bean. Plants, Trees and Shrubs, viz : — Apple, Peach, Pear, Plum, Cherry, Quince and all other fruit trees, and the budded stock of the same: Goose- berry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cur- rant and Rose bushes. Grape Vines, Strawberry Vines ; Shade, Lawn and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Plants. London Purple. 52. I NOTICE some advise London purple as safer to use and quite as effectual as Paris green. Which do you advise ? — A. Ronald, Mincsiiiple8, pears, jilunis, and grapes are practically des- troyed by the late spvere frost. Tliere are yet a few apples hanging tn the branches but I think there is but little doubt that these will fall shortly. There will be no cherries here. The black knot has destroyed nearly all the trees in the district, and the fmst took the very little fruit on the few branches iii.t totally des- troyed by the knot. In stra\vl)erries, Cres- cents, and a few other hardy varieties, will be a fair croj). Sharpless, and other large varie- ties will not i)roduce more than from one-third to a one-half crop. In currants, blacks will not be more than a half ci ,p, White (irape is perhaps a little better, Red Dutch will produce nearly a full crop, the other red varieties from oiie-half to a two-third crop. Gooseberries will be nearly or quite a full crop. In Rasp- berries, Cuthberts and (ireggs promise an enormous cro]». Some of the earlier varieties were somewhat injured bv the frost already referred to of the 2!lth of" May. In flowers, roses, (which up to the 2'.»th jproinised an abun- dant crop) will now produce but a Very sniall first crop of bloom. — Fhed MlTCHKLL,/»(H(rAiyi. ■ Lincoln County. Sir, — In reference to the prosjiects of the fruit crop in this section of Ontario, ojiinions differ widely, just in iirojxirtion to the extent of damage causefl by the late frost. Well mav one give expression to his feelings of despair when he looks over a fine patch of strawlterries, that told him a few davs before to lay by a good stock of baskets ami crates, and now to find them almost worthless ; or to see a fine vineyard, nicely cultivated and trained to the trellises, with the foliage destroyed and the berries drying up and falling off. Happily, however, this unfortunate state of affairs is not general, some escaping ; those near the moun- l82 TJic Canadian Horticultiifist. tain and lake have suffered very little indeed, but in some sections the opinion is freely ex- pressed that even the apples, cherries, and plums are entirely destroyed. One cannot help hoping that when the flash of disajipointment has passed away, the prospects will look brighter. In this immediate locality, straw- berries will be a good crop and of fine quality. Other small fruits promise well ; pears will be a fair crop as well as jjeaches and jjlums ; grapes, where not injured by frost, will be a tine crop ; apples will not turn out nearly so well as last year, although the quality may in a measure make up the general average. The codling moth, I think, lias not done as much damage as in other years, perhaps on account of the cool and wet weather. The Greening is promising again to be more productive than ■ other varieties. I am glad to see that variety, so much desjiised a few years ago on account of its color, maintaining' its old reputation for quality and productiveness, being superior to many of the red varieties, — fine feathers they say make fine birds, but that will not apply in all cases to fruits. On the whole I think we may fairly sum ujj the prospects by saj'ing there need be no cause for alarm, there will be on the whole a fair average crop, and perhaps the large commission houses may wisely dispense with their dumping grounds for this season, as no great over-supply need be apprehended. — A. H. Pettit, Grirashy. also took each observation with duplicate thermometers, so I am sure they were accurate. —George Bcnburt, Suffolk Lodge, Oakville. Halton County Sir,— The frost of the 26th ult. did a good deal of harm h^re, but the frost of the 29th played havoc. The strawberry crop is about half destroyed. Apples and grapes almost entirely. The latter were ruined at once, but the apples showed no ]>alpable injury until last week, when almost the whole of the blossoms fell off — Ribstons and Blenheim Orange seemed to have suffered the most, and they gave a splendid promise this spring. As far as I can see Greenings and Russets seems to have fared best, but the blossom of the latter was light. Raspberries, black caps and blackberries are all now opening their blos- soms, and all show some injury, although not severe. Gooseberries and cherries suffered a little, especially cherries. The Downing goose- berry seems all right, but Crown Bob, White- smith, and Industry, have all shed a lot of their fruit since the frost. Of strawberries, Wilsons are very badly hurt. All through this section. Crescents and Maiiche.steis have escaped fairly well, whilst James Vick is hardly touched. I find also Uauiel Boons, Lacon, Seneca Queen and Atlantic have got off pretty well, and Bid well also keeps ahead of Wilson witli regard to damage received — Monmouth and Jessie with me are totally destroyed, not one berry where there would have been a hundred. On the 29th I kept fires burning all night round my strawberrj^ ground, but do what I would I could not keep frost off entirely. I managed, however, to prevent the thermometer going below thiity degrees, Fahr., whilst on other parts of my farm the thermom- eter went as low as twenty-four and a-half degrees, Fahr. That was at 3.4.5 in the morn- ing. Of course these temperatures were taken with the thermometers laid on the ground. I Simeoe County. Sir, — The late frosts have done a great deal of damage to fruit here. In the early j)art of May the prospect for a large crop of fruit was never better. But a great change has been made by the exceedingly cold weather in the latter part of the month. Grapes are ruined for this year, and strawberries are badly damaged. Most all of the early blossoms turned black, and in some places gooseberries were frozen and dropped off the bushes. Snow fell here on the 28th, accom- panied with cold wind, resembling a day in March rather than May. And at night the wind feJ] a»d we had a severe white frost, which, in some places, formed ice more than one-eighth of an inch thick. The previous warm weather had forced vegetation at a ra))id rate, so that everything was very tender. But the wet weather' that followed no doubt did much to rejiair the damage done by the frost. Apples and plums escaped pretty well, being too far advanced to be injured very much ; but tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, corn, beans, earlj' potatoes, etc., were almost entirely destroyed. However, many of those things can be replant- ed, and the strawberries continue to produce fresh bloom, .so that, with favorable weather, we may yet have a fair crop. Bvit grapes are a hopeless case for this year, and they had never showed in my experience such an abundance of blossom as they did this spring. I am sorry I did not try the experiment of lighting fires among the grapevines to keep off the frost, as I saw it stated in the Horticulturist some time ago that that is the plan adopted in France. The idea is that by keeping up a constant smoke all night by means cf small fires here and thei-e through the vinej-ard. the smoke will keep off the frost. I believe the Concord vines, with a very little protection, would have come through all right. I would like to hear if anyone tried the smoke remedj', and whether or not they succeeded in saving the crop by it. — G. C. Caston, Craighurst. Victoria County. vSiR, — I enclose ^-ou the following report on fruit prospects for summer of 1889 : Apydes. — All trees blossoming early and that had not borne too heavily in 1887 will, this year, yield a very large crop. The frost of the 29th May injured, to some extent, varieties not having their fruit set at that time. Blackberries. — Canes look remarkably well, and show plenty of bloom ; a large j'ield may therefore be expected. Unfortunatelj' the cultivation of blackberries is on a very limited scale here. Currants. — White and red will yield a large crop, black but moderately. Gooseberries. — As usual there will be a large crop of all varieties. The English varieties. Whitesmith, Crown Bob and Industry, are mildewed, but not so badly as in former seasons. The Industry suffers most. The new variety, The Canadian Horticulturist. 183 (Joldon Prolific, is as badly mildewed aa In- dustry. I'larsi will be the largest ci(>|> <'ver grown here. The fruit on many of the trees must be thinned to preserve the trees. .\11 pear trees bore a superabundance of bloom, but a few trees unfavorably situated, so that the young fruit did not set during the hot weather, lost uuich— in some cases all — of the fruit by the frost of 2'.lth May. Plum* will be an average crop, notwith- standing a lieavy loss by the late frost. Rasphcrr'nis (A all vaiieties are looking well, and promise a large yield. Strawhcrries are doing mucii better than could iiave Ijeen e.Kpected, when the injuries from the white grub and the drouth of last year are considered. There will be less than an average crop in this district. — Thos Beall, Lindiiiy, June 10, 1881). Stormont County. Sir, — The apple crop promi.ses to be fair, but likely under our average. Still, there will likely be more realised off our moderate crop than from last j'ear's unusually large ime, as we are likely to have le-is work and better prices. The tent caterjiillars were unusually numerous and in many cases were left unn:olested, our care- less neighbors bringing us in for much damage from their shiftlessness. It shoukl be as com- p\Usory to destroy the caterpillars as to cut the thistles. We would like advice from some of our friends as to the most apjiroved method of destroying the pests. Some burn tliem off with a coal-oil torch, I don't know with what success. Our plan was to wind binding twine round a thin pole, besmear it with pine tar and wind it round in the nest. Nests on small detached limbs are cut off with long handled |>runer. Raspberries, currants and gooseberries pro- mise well. Strawbei ries also have a good show of fruit, but the unusually wet fall jirevented the beds being kept clean, and heavy rains during tiie last ten days have given the weeds a great start on us. — John Croil, Aultsvillc. City of Ottawa and Vicinity. SiK, — 1 liave mucli pleasure in reporting that the prospects for fruit here are good. Currants and gofiseberries will be a heavy crop,also ])lums and ai)ple3. The raspbevrv canes were some- what injured by the winter, as the snowfall was light. On some grounds tlie strawl)erry will be a conijilete failure, owing to the same cause. Where ]>lants have been saved prospects of a crop are fairly good. Much here depends on our winter weather. The dark season of 18S8-!) was comparatively mild, with a light snowfall. The currant worm — saw Hy— has been plen- tiful and jiersistent, attacking gooseberries and currants with unusual avidity and persistency. It has been practically almost impossible to keep hellebore on the leaves, owing to the heavy and constant rains. Had it not l>een for the use i>f Paris green no bush could have lived, as it is, some branches have suffered. The Tent caterpillar has also been exceedingly severe on apple and i>lun; trei.-s ; it is feareil these i)ests will do great damage where the trees are not carefully watcheil. and in some instances this is almost im|)ossiblu where far- mers have other fish to fry at the same time. Cut worms have been numerous and have done much damage to all sorts of garden stuff in its green and succulent state, destroying melon jjatches and otiier ))lants of a like nature. The Amelanchier looks well and is loaded with fruit. Liicretia Dewberry is ahnr.st killed out with winter frost. (Jrapes are looking well, but tliey now re(juire heat ; though they made an early start the late persistent showers have kept them l)ack. .Still they came through the winter well, where covered with earth, and are making a good growth. P. E, BucKE, Ottawa, June 5, 188!). Hupon County. May2\), p. in. ()n the night of '_>7tii we had a gale of wind, witii heavy rain ; next day, 2Sth, we had a very cold, strong wind all day, with snow in tlie morning, and during the fol- lowing night a heavy frost, ice on jiails of water three-sixteenths of an inch thick. The leaves on trees seemed full of ice. I expect most of our fruits are destroyed ; if so, a loss of many mil- lion dollars to the country. The clothes on the line were frozen stiff. I covered all of my grapevine shoots saved from last week's frost, l)ut they were all blackened in the morning. If the Weather had ke|)t favorable, I e.xpected hundreds of weight of grajjcs, but now will not get a cluster, except from a vine or two against the house Gooseberries are laj'ing on the ground by hundreds ; the same with currants. Raspberries are hanging down their heads. As for strawberries, I can't say yi't how thej' are ; they were in full bloom. Seedling oaks and Cataljjas cut severely, and my young Catalpa tree blackened on the tender shoots. Mail 80, a. ni. — I have just been examining the various fruits ; I can't see much damage done to apples or ]>ears, but cherries, a lot of them, are brown. The same with i)lums. The gooseberries and currants don't seem to be hurt very mucii. Strawberri<'s don't show much hurt, nor rasi>berries, but it is rather soon to make any decision. I see the leaves of Virginia creeper are killed, a ])lant I thougiit to be hardy. I expect most of the tomato("s planted out are spoiled, also beans that may be u|». This morning we have a cold driving, rain. How changealile the weather is I On tlie 18th tlie mercury was 114 in the shade, and ten days after several degrees below freezing. We had May weather in March, and now March weather in May. P. m. — Have made further examination, and find that the gooseberries and currants are badly fro/en that were expo.sed, but those under the leaves and br;mche> escaped.— Walter Hick, Qodvrirh. Wentwopth County Sir, — There could not have been a better ]>rosi)ect for an abundant crop of all kinds of fruit than we had in Div. No. 7 this spring. EverythiiiK' came through the winter in excellent condition, and at the end of May was about two weeks in aelled by a heavy frost. 1 84 The Canadian Horticulturist. which almost entirely destroyed grapes, straw- berries, etc., and in some places cherries, pears, plums and even apples were destroyed. Rejwrts have been so much exaggerated that it is diffi- cult to arrive at just the amount of damage that has been done. There is no do\ibt, how- ever, but that the fruit crop will be very light, particularly grapes and strawberries, although that portion on the south shore of Lake On- tario, between the lake and mountain, has suffered very little from frost, and the prospect is good for peaches, grapes and all other fruits. — M. Pettit. Winona, June S, 1S89. City of London. Sir, -I have made much enquiry in this neigh- borhood about the damage the frost has done, and find strawberries about half cut off, grapes badly injured, currants and gooseberries f per- haps a third destroyed, apples and pears not hurt ; apples well set and at present ])romise a good crop. The rest of the stuff, such as potat(5es, beans, tomatoes, etc., we shall not miss, as the season is very early. — John M. Denton, June 4, 1889. Kent County. SiR,-The fruit prospects here are good. They were extra good but for the late frost, which destroyed most of the currants and first crop of grapes ^though many yet look for second crop of grapes). The strawberries were hurt a little. All the other fruits are looking well. Apples appear very favorable for a great crop.— F. W. Wilson. Norfolk County. Sir, — Previous to the morning of the 29th of May the fruit prospect for this section was the best, by far, that I ever remember. In some apple orchards it is now difficult td find a sound specimen of fruit ; but in other orchards there may be half a crop. Peaches destroyed. In some localities there will be a small crop of pears, plums and cherries. Grapes are all killed. About one-eighth of the strawberries are left. Black caps are killed, but red rasp- berries are but slightly injured. Currants and gooseberries are very badly frozen. — J. K, McMiCHAEL, Waterford, June b, 1889. Prince Edward County Sir, — Prospects of the coming fruit croj) are not altogether promising now. We never had a larger show of bloom than this year, but very much has failed to set. Apples are very thin in the trees, and the spots are already developing upon such varieties as are liable to that disease. Duchess look well, but only in some places. Ben Davis looks well on one side of our orchard while on the o]iiiiisite side a perfect failure. The Golden Russet looks more promising than any other variety oa our place, and they will not be one half of a cr'>p. t'jars are doing fairly well ; and if it was not for the spot we would expect an abundant crop of Flemish Beauty. The Dempsej' looks better than ever before at this season of the year ; not being subject to spot, we look for a good crop. Cherries cannot amount to much with us this j'ear. The Old Kentish and the Pearly Rich- mond are the only two varieties that are fruiting to amount to anything this year. Grapes are doing well, having come through the winter in good order and just now com- mencing to blossom. The season seems favor- able for small fruits. — P. C. Dempsey. Norfolk County. Sir, — The fruit prospects in this section of the country previous to the morning of the 29th of May was on the whole the best we ever have had. The frost, however, has changed the outlook to one of the poorest. The apples are mostly frozen with the excep- tion of those that were protected by thick foliage. Pears, plums and cherries are even worse than the apples. Peaches, grapes and the earlier varieties of black raspberries nearly all destroyed. Red raspberries not very much injured. Currants and goose berries about half destroyed. Strawberries nearly all frozen but there will be a small crop from blossoms after the first. — J. K. McMiCHAEL, Waterford. York County. Sir, — Your card of 14th at hand. I have not been through the country a great deal so as to enable me to give you what I would call an accurate account of the fruit jjrospects, at the same time from what I can learn, I find that in this district fruit is likely to be a short crop. Strawberries were in manj' cases greatly injured by the frost, and the apple crop will not be more than half a crop if it goes to that. Pears in a great manj' sections look pretty well, but there will be no plums to amount to anything, and few cherries. I think rasp- berries were not injured by the frost but in this district, except in this immediate vicinity there are very few grown. Summing the matter up, I think, as a whole, there will be a very poor fruit crop in this agricultural dis- trict.— W. E.Wellington, Toronto, June 17th, 1S89. Huron County. My Dear Sec'y, — In reply to your post card, I can only say that grapes are almost altogether cut off ; peaches are badly killed ; jjlums along lake front nearly a half crop, pears a fair crop, and apples a very small crop, not a quarter crop. Cherries were badly cut and the first blossom of strawberries also. Currants and goo.seberries are a fair croj). This is along lake fronts only. Inland I find that there will be very little fruit of any kind. I fear the prospect is not at all a bright one for apple shi])pers in this Province. The curiculio is worse this year than it has been for some years, so that, Mr. Roy to the con- trary, we must have recourse once more to Paris green. — A. McD. Allan, Goderich, Ont. The Ca/iadiau Horticulturist. 185 Lambton County. Apple*. — I'l'unpt'c't I if fair cmpM and |)os.sil)ly a very (,'iMid yield to the hardier kinds. An r.<. — Ditto. Plums. — No l>lossoin8. Peachim. — Few blossoms inj\ired l>y frost. Grape».—\\M\\y injured by frost in May. Ooaschirrit's, currants and strawlx-rries par- itially injured by frost, but yet promise a fair crop. Btiitplurries i)ronii8e a eood crop. Plant.s iiealthy appearance near here. — J. A. Mc- Kknzie, Harnia, June 18th, JitW. Perth County. SiK,— From th.- first to the middle of May the prospects of an abundant crop of fruit was never better in this c<>untry ; at the time of writing, June ir)tli, the promise was never poorer. So far as applt^s are concerned the outlook is a gloomy one indeed. During the past ft.'W days I have visited and examined a numl)er of the best orchards in the county and venture the statement that theie will not be a barrel of perfect apples in the half dozen or more orchfirds visited. Such j<. condition of affairs, as indicated prevails throughout the county. I have no recollection of a sjiring frost so sweeping in its disastrous effect to the apple croi> as that of three weeks ago. With the exception of a few old native trees the destruction of the i)ear crojj is just as com- plete as that of the apple. I have one pear tree thirtj'-five j-ears old that seems to have resisted the effects of the frost and is maturing its heavy croj) of fruit ; but all the other trees of various varieties though covered with blossoms, are not gf>ing to mature a specimen. Gra|)es are totally gone, and it is doubtful indeed, if the wood of last year's growth will recover the shock. I am forcing mine out again from the bottom so as to have an entire new vine. Currants and goxiseberries suffered much, though on well protected bushes there will be a fair crop. The currant worm got at his work earlier than usual this season and had some bushes niore or less stripped of their foliage before his presence was ribserved. In such cases the frost did its damage comi)!etely, but where the foliage was heaw the young fruit was protected and saved. I'lums, there will be none. There was not in fact an average show of blossom in this section, and what there was is killed. Cherry trees nuide great promise in the blossom but the meagre percent- age of blossoms that withstoorl the fiost will mature a |«>orly developed fruit at l>est. Straw l)erries will be an average crop though late. All the earlier bloss(jms were killed, but the abundant rains produced a growth that we would, under ordinary conditions, not likely have had, and the result will be a fine avera;;e late season fruit. In ras|il)erries there is promise of an abund- ant yield ; never better.— T. H. R.\(k, Mil- c/hH, June loth, 18S;l Dundas County. The worm has not been as lively this spring as in former seasons. I have only j)ut a little slug shot on my gooseberries twice, and there is not a worm to be seen. My blackberries, the Taylor, Blackcajis.Tyler, (iregg and Mam- moth Clu.ster, are just loaded with berries. Tiie red raspV>erries, Cuthbert, Hrandywine and Philadeliihia are all bearing heavy crops. The ( Joldeii <^ueen " White " even exceeds my most sanguine expectations, being loaded very heavily. Cabbage and all other vegetables are first-class, although we had so much wet weather. Potatoes, very early. I have had some Henderson's Early Puritan in blow for two weeks and Early Rose about nine days in blow. Peas: Bliss, American, Monte, first crop ready to pick on Saturday of this week. All crops looking well, and fruit of every des- cription good crop, and, so far as we can judge now, free from spot.— Levi F. Sellkck. Mor- risliurg. 1 86 The Ca7iadian Horticulturist. THE LARUE OR BAXTER APPLE. r~^ IR : — I do not know whether Mr. vj Nichol or your printer has made a mistake — probably the latter, as a ii may easily be mistaken for an n when writ- ten, but a mistake has been made in the June Horticulturist in the name of the apple Mr. Nichol writes about. It should not be Larne, but Larue. It may interest your readers to know that Billa Larue, from whom it took its name, received a grant of a number of lots of land in the township of Escott as early as 1802, and planted not only ap- ple, but walnut and chestnut trees. Some of the apple trees planted by him yet remain on the property, now in the hands of a family named Snell, also descended from the first settlers. Larue's apples became famous all through this part of the country. Last year I was spending my holidays in that neighborhood, and became interested in some rifle pits and other relics of the early wars on the Larue property. Some time afterwards I happened to speak of the matter to my father, now over eighty, when he immediately asked me about the apple trees, as he remember- ed hearing of and eating Larue's apples when a boy. I could relate some of the legends respecting Larue and his alleged wealth, and of the appearance of his ghost, or those of his numerous w'ives, who lie buried beside him under the shadow of some of the old apple trees on the old farm ; but as yours is a horticultural rather than an historical journal, I will forbear. But let the cor- rect name be applied to the apple, so that the memory of its introducer may be properly handed down. — J. J. Bell, Brockville, June, i88g. Words from the Cold Nopth. Sir : — Is there not some mistake in that valuable paper of Mr. Nichol's as printed in the June Horticulturist on the " Baxter " apple ? I notice he calls it the " Larne." I am inclined to think the mistake is in the reading of the manuscript, and it is one that could be very easily made. I have known the apple for several years under the name of " Larue or Bax- ter," but never knew it to be called Larne before. Kindly see letter in Horticulturist for March, 1884, page 59. This apple was first brought to my notice on the tables of one of the ag- ricultural exhibitions in Kings. It is very large, attractive in appearance, keeps till February, and is fair in qual- ity— as Mr. Nichol says, preferable n this respect to either Alexander or Ben Davis. But in our section it must rank along the " almost hardy enough " varieties. As yet I have not suc- ceeded in growing it successfully, neither do I know of any one growing it in this section. Our fruit prospects this year are very poor for everything but small fruits. Plums, apples, and even crabs are a complete failure. Small fruits will be in abundance. Can any of your readers give me any information re the crimson pippin apple. I have two trees that are very promis- ing. I have had them now for four years, and as yet they have withstood our cold winters remarkably well. They were given me by one of my horticultu- The Canadian Horticulturist. 187 ral friends and what liorticulturist has doing well. They havcMiot fruited with not got horticultural friends ? And me as yet, conscvjuently I know nothing would it not be a sin to refuse about them, either as to size, appear- an offering from such an one? I ance or (juality. Am pleased to note took the trees, planted them, expect- the continued improvement in the ing they would die the first winter ; Horticulturist. — A. A. Wright, but to my utter astonishment they are Riiifrcxu. DECORATION OF HOME GROUNDS. DEAR EbiTciR : 1 was pleased to see in June number of your much prized journal, an article on the Honeysuckle, accompanied bya colored plate of three popular and desirable varieties. Nothing so much improves the apj)earance of our homes as a few hardy climbers and flowering shrubs about the grounds, and the climbing Honeysuckle is one easily managed, of thrifty growth, and that will abundantly repay the small amount of annual care required. It is a pity some of our Canadian farmers do not pay more attention to the adorn- ment of their homes by the addition of a few hardy flowering shrubs and native shade trees. We know they are indus. trious, hard-working people, and that " time is money " to them, as well as to the merchant ; but a very few days out of each year given to the care of the lawn and flower garden, would so amply repay those concerned that we should like all owners of homes to try the experiment. One or two common lilacs, say a white and colored ; a syrin- ga, or mock orange, a snow ball, and that most showy of all white flowering shrubs, the' Spirea Van Houtti ;" these with a few of our native evergreens, as Spruce, Hemlock or White Cedar, would re(^uire little or no care after they are once .started, besides making home more home-like to our children : they would also add money value to the place and make the neighborhood a more desirable one for strangers to settle in. Almost any one who has them growing would be pleased to give for the asking a few sprouts or suckers of the shrubs named above, and they may i)e transplanted in either Spring or Fall. .Some of our farm houses in this district are really elegant structures, and a credit to those who, through thrift and industry, have acquired the means to build and furnish them ; yet we have ofcen remarked that some of these grand places, without either flowers, shrubs or trees, do not look nearly as home-like as an unpainted cottage, perhaps not far from them, which is sur- rounded by foliage and flowers. I hope you will continue from time to time to give a little space in your valu- able journal to articles on the cultivation of flowers and lawn decoration. .\t some future time I may i)erhaps write you on " House Plants — How I Suc- ceeded with Them," etc. — Frkh. (;. Lockett, BcllevilUy Ontario. The Canadian Horticulturist. AMATEUR GARDENING. By W. S. Turner, Cornwall, Ont. THE size of my garden plot is about loo feet square. I com- menced work by ploughing the sod under, and putting in corn and pota- toes as a first crop. I saw there was a goodly quantity of quack grass, and having read of the experience of others in the Rural New Yorker, the Canadian Horticulturist, and other journals of that class, I came to the conclusion that my best part- ners must be the hoe, rake and per- severance. I used these three articles with such good purpose that the following spring I saw very little of my old enemy the quack grass ; though I was not quite so successful with the nut grass, and which even yet troubles me some. The second spring, having made my soil a little mellower by cultiva- tion and old manure, I put in ten apple trees, some gooseberries, black and red currants and raspberries. I now began to aspire to a few vege- tables, such as beets, turnips, man- golds, sweet corn, peas, beans, toma- toes, celery, etc. I cultivated between the fruit trees just as if I did not have any. I soon found that my family could not begin to consume the good things I grew, so I gave away some, and as that did not pay very well, 1 began to sell, so my little garden began to pay expenses, and more so when my celery began to be fit to sell, for celery, as some of you are aware, comes in as a good second crop. The third spring, my garden, being in a proportionately better condition, I aspired a little higher, and put in one or two grapevines and a few strawberries, more currants and gooseberries. I find thejre are some things I can grow to better advan- tage than others, for I believe in mak- ing use of every foot of ground and taking out of it all I can get ; and it is surprising what one can take out of a small piece of ground, well cultivat- ed, well manured, and well studying the demands and requirements of each variety of fruit or vegetable. Now, for instance, take a tomatoe plant, it will take up about the same space as a hill of potatoes, and will produce, on an average, three times the value ; true, it requires a little more care and cultivation, but the potato bugs will not trouble it until all the potato vines are dead. I will just say here that it is necessary, if you want extra fine tomatoes, to train them to one or two stalks by nipping off" the laterals or small branches that grow out just above the leaves, and tying the one or two leaders to a stake, using a soft string for the purpose. Some gardeners assert that poor soil is best for tomatoes, but that is not my experience. I give them good soil, rotted manure, and a sprinkling of wood ashes during the growing season. I would here put in a protest against our farmers selling their wood ashes to enterprising Yankees The Canadian Horticulturist. 189 to be shipped to the States, and there sold at $2.50 per barrel. It ought not to recjuire much arithmetic to convince them that it would pay them to use ashes as well as our friends across the border. This valuable fertilizer is especially good for currants, gooseberries, straw- berries, and, in fact, for all small fruits, and also for everything else in the garden. A favorite vegetable with me is celery. Too much can- not be said in favor of this excellent vegetable, and certainly too little of it is eaten ; even physicians and druggists are beginning to recognize the good qualities of celery, for you may see in the druggist shop windows beautiful pictures, setting forth the wonderful cures by Paine's Celery Compound, and guaranteeing to cure all diseases of a rheumatic character ; but why not use the celery in its purity, just fresh out of the garden. Once taste it, and the relish for it increases, and you want more every day. There are many vegetables that can be grown as a second crop, celery is one of these. It is some- thing like the mangold and field tur- nip, it grows best in the cool, moist nights of the latter part of August, September and forepart of October, and it will take a very severe frost to hurt it. Vou may put your plants in after early potatoes, beets, onions, shallots, peas, beans, and even after taking up old strawberry beds. For the more minute details of growing celery, I would refer to an article in the Canadian Horticulturist. When I began to grow more than my family could consume, I made a bargain with one of our local vege- table pedlars to take my surplus stock, but he could only come on certain days, as the other days were taken up in going out to the country to sell vegetables to the farmers ! just think of it. This is carrying coals to Newcastle with a vengeance. Now friend-farmers, do not suffer this reproach any more. Fence off a (}uarter of an acre near the house, give it a good dose of old manure and plough it up. Do not forget a corner for a few flowers ; it will brighten the home for the girls • another corner for strawberries, it will be fun for the boys; another por- tion for tomatoes, celery and other vegetables, and my word for it you will receive the blessings of your wife and family, and everything will look brighter and pleasanter, for 3'ou will have everything fresh from the garden, and the vegetable pedlar will be a thing of the past. 190 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. MUSHROOM CULTURE. Bv Hkkmann Simmers, Esq., Toronto. Fig. 51. THE cultivation of this nutritious esculent is a very simple matter, and requires only ordinary intelligence and care. The materials needed are fresh horse manure, good soil and live spawn. The manure should not be too short, as it does not combine the necessary qualities. Long strawy litter plentifully mixed with short manure, makes by far the best beds, as it does not heat too violently, de- composes slowly, and retains its heat for a long period. Put in a heap and turn every three or four days to per- mit the escape of noxious gases, and prevent burning. Manure that has become white or "fire fanged" and mouldy is worthless for mushroom beds. When ready for use it should not possess an offensive odor, and should be as hot as can be borne comfortably by the hand. It should also be moist, for if too dry the de- composition of the mass will be rapid, and the bed exhausted before the crop has matured. If a shed or cellar is not available they can be grown in the open air, but the time necessary to perfect a crop will be longer. Make the beds 3 feet wide at the base, i\ feet high, tapering to 6 inches at the top, and of any de- sired length. The manure, when in proper condition, should be quickly handled to prevent the loss of heat, and be beaten down to make the heap firm and compact. When of the desired size the sides should be dressed down neatly and the heap covered with long litter. Allow this to remain till the heat has decreased to go°; at this point the bed is ready to receive the spawn, which is done by raising the manure with the hand and inserting pieces of spawn 2 inches square, g inches apart each way. Liberal use of spawn results in larger crops. Many beds fail to give satis- factory returns owing to the bricks being broken in too small pieces. At the expiration of three days the spawn will have commenced to run, and the bed is in proper condition for covering with soil. Any good fresh soil will answer, but turfy loam from an old pasture or meadow is preferable. If the soil IS poor add a liberal quantity of bone meal. The earth should be just moist enough to press together nicely ; if too wet when put on it is apt to crack and thereb}' permit the heat to escape instead of permeating the bed evenly. If the soil is light put on to the depth of 2 inches, but if heavy i inch will be sufficient. The bed should again be covered with the litter, and it should remain on till the bed is exhausted, only re- moving it to gather the crop. If the bed shows signs of dryness water on top of the litter, and not directly on the soil. Mushrooms can be readily grown in cellars, stables, sheds or pits. The requirements as to manure, soil, etc., are similar, but the season can be The Canadian Horticulturist. 191 prolonfjed and the temperature re- gulated more easil)- than in the open air. Many are successfully grown on a shelf in an ordinary cellar, and yield sufficient crop to compensate the grower for his effort. Spent hot beds also meet the requirements of them exactl)-, using materials m same manner as described. They will also grow admirably on top of the bench, using cloth for shading instead of litter. The time required for a bed to come into bearing is three to six weeks. the mushroom in a large measure. Bits of mushroom can be inserted before the bed has become cold be- tween the plants. When the plants are removed keep shaded with long litter, and water occasionally if necessary. The space under green- house benches or stagings will suit In gathering the crop do not cut with a knife, but pull them up with a twisted motion. The spawn we offer is the best French and English. Amateurs and ordinary cultivators will find the English best suited to their needs. HONEYSUCKLES. A^^UUR interesting article in the X June number on the Twining Honeysuckles doing well in Ontario is suggestive. Of those you name only the L. Scmpcrv'ircns will endure our sum- mer and winter air, and the eastern and southern forms of this species are tender. The hardy species we grow were imported from east Europe, and their botanic names show the uselessness of specific names from a horticultural standpoint. Some of the best we re- ceived under the names : Loniccra Cicrmamca, L. Media, L. Grata, L. Douirlasi, L. Cocci Ilium, L. Frascri, L. Flava, and L. Qucrcifolium. The books say that some of these are natives of the eastern and south- ern U. S., some to our north-west ccast and some to west Europe. But those familiar with the great herbar- iums of this country and Europe know that these species are widely distributed and include hardy and 192 The Canadian HorticiiUurir.t. tender varieties for given climates. As introduced from coast climates on our latitude from either continent, these species will not endure our summer heat or winter cold ; while the interior varieties of either con- tinent are perfect and even more beautiful in foliage and blossom. It is the old story illustrated by the hardy and tender Box Elders, Red Cedar, Silver Spruce, etc. The great extent of our country, and extreme variations of climate, suggest the need of a garden botany ; species not only vary in hardiness, but desirability for garden culture. Our grounds contain a very large number of illustrative varieties. Among them I will name the Josika Lilac and the Privet. The books say Syringa Jos'ikaea was first discovered mingled with the Beech and other moisture loving plants in Transylvania. The flowers are described as " bluish purple and scentless." This was tried and found wanting in our climate several years ago. Hence we were surprised to find varieties of this lilac in 1S82, in nearly all parts of Russia. One of these from Central Russia has the typical foliage and flower of the Josikaea, but the leaves and flower trusses are larger and handsomer, and they are so fragrant as to per- fume the whole house. It flowers fully four weeks later than the com- mon lilac, and is as hardy with us as the Siberian Almond. The common Privet (Ligustrtim Vnlgarc) of west Europe, is defective in leaf and wood with us. But the form from Central Russia is perfect in plant and much handsomer in foliage and flower. Yet it is named L. Vnlgare. The point I wish to make is that trees and shrubs distributed under their specific name, as found in the botanical works, are delusive, and that w^e should have garden names that mean something. J. L. BUDD. Agrl. College, Ames, Iowa. Note by Editor. — We thank Prof. Budd for this article, and hope for frequent communications from his pen. We must explain, however, that on page 147 we did not intend to convey the impression that we had found each of the three varieties illustrated to be hardy in Ontario. We have the Scmpervirens and Halleana ; and these grow finely at Grimsby. We also have the native climbing honeysnckle, Parviflora and Hirsuta, doing well in our woods. We have still to find out by testing how far north Flava and Pericly- i}ie)iiuni will succeed. FLORICULTURAL. U Adam's Needle. UCCA FILAAIENTOSA" is Y a native of our SouthernStates, but sufficiently hardy to be success- fully grown in the latitude of New York, and even farther North with a slight protection. The foliage some- what resembles that of the Aloe. It is a plant of striking form that is sure to arrest attention. It seems natur- The Canadian Horticulturist. '93 ally to find a place in okl-fashoned grave-yards as well as in the modern cemetery, and as an ornamental plant deserves a place in the flower border and on the lawn. It may he readily recognized by the long, thread-like filaments that grow along the margin of the leaves. These thread-like ap- pendages have given rise to several names, such as Eve's Thread and Bear's Thread, but the plant is most commonly known as Adam's Needle. The scape or flower stalk of a well- established plant grows five or six feet high, and produces from two to three hundred flowers of a creamy white, which last a long time. The Yucca is a plant of very stately appearance. The wonder is that it is not more commonly grown. It is propagated from seeds, suckers, and root cuttings, suckers being preferred, as they soonest make large plants. There is quite a pretty variegated form of Yucca filamcntosa, but it is rarely seen, except here and there under glass, where its variegation becomes more pronounced than in the open air. The variegation con- sists of a white stripe along the mar- gin of the leaves. The variegated form does not sucker as freely as the type, but may be readily propagated from root cuttings. The Yucca grows best in a light soil, and will even eke out an existence in pure sand ; but it is worthy of something better.— P. B. Mkad. Note. — The Yucca succeeds well in Southern Ontario even without protection, and for a back ground, not too near, is a most desirable p,lant, soon propagating itself to fill a large bed, and thus becoming particularly showy. It is grown on Dr. Beadle's grounds, St. Catharines, and on the grounds of the writer at Grimsby. Management of Roses. A coNc.KNiAi. soil is the first reijui- site for success with roses, ami this is not always at hand. That in which the rose delights more than in any other is a deep, rich, heavy loam, moderately moist. The rose is a gross feeder and will at all times resent neglect. Poor soil will not yield good roses. No, not even poor ones. A liberal supply of plant food is absolutely necessarj-, in order to secure roses. The amount of flowers is proportionate to the growth of the plant ; they will appear just as fast as the wood is produced that bears :hem, and the wood is produced according to the supply of plant food furnished. That is about all the secret there is in growing roses. The best plant food for the rose is a compost of well-rotted turf and cow manure in equal parts ; this is to be applied at any and all times ; it makes but little difference how or when, so long as the plant has always a supply on hand ready for use. Manures should never be applied to rose beds until thoroughlv decom- posed, then a surfeit is impossible. The best plan is, after the plants have been set in a well-prepared bed, to mulch the surface, say to the depth of two inches. If the soil is naturally cold and heavy, horse dung will be better ; if light and dry, cow dung is decidedly prefefable. Whatever the nature of the ground may be it should always be kept moist and warm, at the same time never sodden ; too much wet is as fatal as drought ; either will consume. The best situa- tion for the rose is an open and airy one ; in such, with a liberal supply of manure, roses can be had the entire summer, and it is folly to think of getting a crop in any other manner. In cases of drought, liquid manure can be applied with excellent results. Growth must be constantly kept up; the more rapid, the greater will be the number of flowers, and the quality will be proportionate. As a rule young plants are to be preferred, and these that have never hail a check from the time the cuttings were put into the propagating bench give the best results. Old ami half- 194 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. starved plants we would not plant under any circumstances, and it is by far the best economy to set out new plants every spring, or at least as often as once in two years. To keep roses over winter, take them up after a good hard frost, and heel them in, in some protected place in the garden ; lay them close to- gether at an angle of about forty -five degrees ; pack the earth closely around the roots, then cover the whole with newly-fallen leaves to the depth of six inches ; over the leaves lay some brush or throw over them sufficient earth to keep the leaves from being scattered by the wind. The following spring gradually un- cover upon the approach of warm weather, and replant as soon as the seil is in proper condition, — American As^riculturist. Summer Floweping Bulbs. The following hints from the Gardeii and Forest will be especially interesting to those of our readers who have selected the summer flowering bulbs : " An important point to remember in the culture of these bulbs is that their flowering season is the rainy season of their native countries. This is particularly true of the Tigridia and the Gladiolus, which bloom in cool, rainy or winter season, while their period of rest is in the excess- ive hot, dry weather peculiar to their home. The Calla, a native of the Nile, blooms when the roots are a foot under water in the spring, and rests at low water, when their roots are as dry as it is possible to be and live. The same is the case with many of the so-called Cape bulbs. " The Gladiolus will grow under any conditions, but it will not grow well. A cool, moist atmosphere is the one in which they delight. Climate alone is what makes them succeed so well in England. Last year we had rain in abundance, with low temperature, and never before have we had such perfection in Gladiolus flowers. We make a mistake in planting our bulbs too early. They should be kept cool and dry, and in a dark room until the first of July, when they will come into bloom about the first of October, throwing up spikes that for number and size of flowers would hardly be recognized as the varieties that bloomed in midsummer. If planted earh^ so as to flower in July and August, they should be protected against the heat of the sun b}- a lat- tice or light canvas covering, and the bed should have a light mulching of newly-cut grass. This will keep the roots cool and is not unsightly. The capabilities of the Gladiolus are only known to those who grow them in this manner. The soil makes but little difference with the Gladiolus. Any soil that will yield good crops of potatoes will be equally good for these plants. If it is heav}^ plant shallow, say from one to two inches deep ; if light, from four to six inches will be better. It is best to use ground made very rich for some other crop, the previous year, as fresh manure does not suit them. " Lilies, quite as much as Gladio- lus, need a good mulching to keep the root cool and moist. A bed of lilies that has been properly mulched a few years will yield enormously ; more than thrice the number of flowers will be produced, and they will be much larger, with better defined colours and of greater sub- stance. A lily-bed should be made in a position where it can remain undisturbed for a number of years, and as long as the plants flower well. An Ascension Lily (L. Candidum), the handsomest of all Lilies, should be planted in July or August, while the bulb is resting. They will live when planted at any time, but will flourish only when planted at the proper season. " Tigridiasare Mexican bulbs, and do not endure our northern sun. Treat them as Lilies should be treated. In October the flowers The Canadian Horticulturist. 195 remain open nearly the whole day, while in August they close before noon. Give them a moist, cool situa- tion, and they will appreciate the treatment. "Dahlias are not properly bullions plants, but they may properl}' be included in the same list. To be grown well they must have a cool and moist soil, which is usually a heavy one. If the garden does not afford such, assist it by heavy mulch- ing. If Dahlias are grown simply for distant effect, give them plenty of room to branch out and plenty of the plant food, for they are great feeders. If individual blooms are desired, thin out the smaller branches and disbud. We prefer the former treat- ment, and want the plant to occupy all the space it requires, and to pro- duce as many flowers as it likes." EVAPORATION OF FRUIT. WITH many of our farmers it is certainly becoming an impor- tant question, what disposal shall we make of our surplus fruits ? Even when situated near a good market, there are times of low prices when the shipments of small fruits scarcely pa}' expenses, and every year the large orchardist finds he has a large quantity of second class apples on hand that are unfit to ship. Many are so situated at such inconvenient distances from the railway, or from a city market, that even with the best quality of fruit land, there is no en- couragement to grow fruit. Now, the fruit evaporator seems to us a solution of the problem, and, by co-operation, several growers might use one machine among them, and so economise expenses. The annual report of the Secretary of Agriculture for Nova Scotia con- tains some interesting matter on this subject, and from it we have made the following selection on the extent of this industry about Rochester, N.Y., in view of the importance of the subject at this season: — Glancing, first, at general facts in- dicating the character and extent of this new industry: 1,500 evaporators were At work in the neighborhood of Rochester during the year i>S87, and some 150 more were started during 1888. These range in capacity from 25 to 1000 bushels of apples per day. The 1500 evaporators in question gave employment, during the autumn and winter of 1887, to 30,000 hands, who earned from 5 to 12 dollars each per week, according to skill and ex- perience. The total quantity of dried apples produced was about 30,000,000 lbs., and their value two million dollars. Five million bushels, or 250,000,000 pounds of green apples, were required for this purpose, from which more than 200,000 tons of water were driven off by the con- sumption of 15,000 tons of coal. The product finds a market all over the world, but the chief consuming countries are Germany, England, Belgium, Holland and France. Eva- porated apples are packed in cases, each containg 50 lbs., and the cost of carriage per case to Liverpool is 30 cents. The same quantity of green fruit sent in barrels would cost S2.50, and canned fruit §2. 10. In the case of evaporated fruit, nodamage is done even by the longest transit ; while fresh fruit suffers enormously, and canned fruit is always liable to ferment. The refuse of the apples, consisting of cores and parings, is not lost, for these also are dried, and form the basis of all the cheap jellies now so largely manufactured. Twelve millions of pounds of dried cores and parings were exported from America during the year in question. Sliced apples, dried without coring or paring, are i. 196 The Canadian Horticulturist. exported in large quantities to France, where they are used in the production of the cheaper wines, and sometimes by the distiller. Eighteen thousand barrels, containing four million pounds of sliced apples, were sent to France during 1887, and of this quantity more than half was furnished by the Rochester Evaporators. The dried apples of Western New York can now be bought in almost every town on the Continent of Europe, while an increasing demand for them is springing up even in such remote parts of the world as Australia and Western Africa. Passing from the general to the particular, it may, in the first place, be remarked that the practice at Rochester is to dry not only apples, but peaches, plums and raspberries. Green apples are bought in average years, at from fifteen to twent}- cents per bushel of 50 pounds. The actual cost of drying averages from twelve to fifteen cents per bushel. The total cost of the dried product is from six to ten cents per lb., and the average selling price seven to twelve cents per lb. One bushel of green apples produces about 6 lbs. of dried apples. The best apples are barrel- led and exported as fresh fruit; only the second grade fruit is evaporated, while a third grade goes to the cider mills at an average price of 7^ cents per bushel. Nothing is wasted. The cores and parings are dried and sold for jelly, making an average price of $20.00 per ton. A bushel of apples yields 30 lbs. of meat and 20 lbs. of refuse. The 30 lbs. of "meat" is reduced to 6 lbs. by evaporation, and the 20 lbs. of refuse to 4 lbs. One pound of coal is used in evaporating one pound of fruit. Peaches are dried both in the " pared " and " unpared " state. The cost of a bushel of good peaches in average years is fifty cents. Each bushel yields ^^ lbs. of dried pared, and 8 lbs. of unpared fruit. The actual cost of drying, in both cases, is fifteen cents per bushel. The cost of the dried "pared" pro- duct is 15 cents per lb., and its selling value twenty to twenty-two per lb. The cost of "unpared " dried peaches is eight cents per lb., and the selling value from ten to twelve cents per pound. Raspberries (black) cost, in average years, six cents per quart. A quart of fruit 3'ields one-third of a pound of dried product. The actual cost ef drymg is two cents per lb., and the total cost of the dried raspberries twenty cents per pound. Pliuns are only evaporated when so abundant as to become unsaleable. One bushel of green plums produces 8 lbs. of dried fruit, whose average selling price is seven cents per lb. Fruit evaporation is mainl}- an in- dependent business. The 1500 eva- porating establishments already men- tioned as surrounding Rochester are all of this character. The farmer indeed owns a dryer of his own, whenever his orchards are large, but he sells for the most part to the nearest "Evaporator." Apple orchards in Western New York are commonly from 100 to 300 acres in extent, peach orchards from 50 to 150 acres. The Evaporators themselves vary in capacity from 10 bushels to 1000 bushels a day. The smaller drying apparatus is of the simplest description. It consists of an iron stove, surmounted by an upright wooden casing, the stove being fixed in the basement, and the wood casing on the floor above. The pro- ducts of combustion are carried away by a flue, while the hot air rising from the stove passes upwards through the box-like dryer, which ter- minates in a cowl and vane. The dryer itself is fitted with a number of sliding trays made of wire netting, upon which the fruit is placed, and these are replenished by hand as the drying proceeds. Evaporators of the greatest capacity do not difi"er from the smallest in principle, but the former usually employ steam instead of fire heat. The Canadian Horticulturist. 197 The cost of the smaller (l\irnier's) apparatus is very trifling, and the cost of coal has already been stated as I lb, per lb. of evaporated fruit. Mechanical appliances for corinf^ and paring apples are extremely ingenious and very numerous. They are worked by hand and are continuous in action — 7. e., one apple is being "chucked" while a second is being pared and a third cored. Peach-paring machines are also in vogue, and cherries, when these are dried, are stoned by a very pretty special machine. None of these mechanical adjuncts to the system of fruit evaporation are ex- pensive, although it must be said they are all specially American pro- ductions. PHOSPHORIC ACID. THE fourteenth Annual Report of the Ontario Agricultural College contains among other inter- esting matter some particulars about phosphoric acid which we as fruit growers are interested in, from which we select the following portions : USES. Plants require phosphorus for the development of their seeds, and animals also require it for the struc- ture of their bones. When we speak of phosphoric acid in connection with soils, plants and animals, we refer to a compound of phosphorus and oxygen (P2 O5) : it is the white fume that comes from the burning tip of an ordinary match. It is not found, however, in this condition in soils, plants and animals, but it exists, combined with such substan- ces as lime, iron and alumina, form- ing salts which are termed phos- phates. To say, therefore, that a soil, a fertilizer, a grain of wheat or a bone contains so much of phos- phoric acid means that the acid is present in the combined state of a salt. The most common form is the compound with lime, known as phos- phate of lime, or calcic phosphate. Soils require phosphoric acitl for the development of plant life and are often deficient in this regard. Hence the application of phosphates in one of the several forms will often con- vert an unproductive soil into one of great productiveness. Three samples of soil lately ana- lyzed here gave 0.31 per cent, of phosphoric acid, while one that was said to be unproductive gave little trace of it. Let us take a soil of average quality as possessing 0.20 per cent, of phosphoric acid. Twelve inches of surface soil will weigh from one thousand to two thousand five hundred tons per acre, and will con- tain from four thousand to ten thou- sand pounds of phosphoric acid to the acre. There is in the average soil, therefore, a supply of phos- phoric acid (as of other mineral materials) sufficient for many years crop production. That crops cannot thus live upon the constituents of the soil without the regular return to the soil of fertilizers can be explained in two ways : ist, the plant, through its roots, is brought into close proximity to only a small portion of the soil ; 2nd, The food is, for the most part, in an insoluble or unavailable form. Hence we need a much larger supplv of plant food in the soil than is required for the immediate necessi- ties of the plant, and some of this food must be in soluble form. The difference in value, owing to the state of solubility, will be seen at once from the following trade values i9« The Canadian Horticulturist. used by the analysts of the Eastern States during the present year : Ph. Acid — Soluble in water, 8cts. p. lb " Reverted form, 'j\ " " Fish, fine bone, 7 " " Fine med. bone, 6 " " Medium bone, 5 " " Coarser bone, 4 " " Fine gr. r'k ph. 2 " A value is thus arrived at by con' sidering the solubility, the size of particles, and the source. Let us next distinguish between soluble, reverted or partially soluble, and soluble phosphates. We shall take the different phosphates of lime. The relationship of the various forms can be most easily seen from the following arrangement : Pure Acid. Soluble Phosphate. Water) Water | Water' Ph. Acid. Water -Ph. Acid. Water! Lime j Insoluble Phos. Limel Reverted Phos. Water] Lime -Ph. Acid. Lime |-Ph Acid Lime J LimeJ Or, in chemical notation : H2O] H20^P205 C20 CaO] C,0[P205 c, o phosphate in simple form as follows: I W' ater. | Lime j 2 -Sulphuric^ + Lime -Ph. Acid = i [Acid.) Lime) Water) 1 Lime. \ Water -Ph. Acid. + 2 - Sulphuric [ Lime ) ( [Acid. I H-iOj H2O 'P2O5 H20J H2OI CaO -P2O5 c^oj The change from the pure acid to the insoluble form is a removal of water and an introduction of lime. In our rock phosphate, and in bones, the form is that of the insoluble phosphate. The treatment by sul- phuric acid changes this, more or less, into soluble phosphate, the lime that is removed being changed into sulphate of lime or gypsum. Super- phosphate thus made, therefore, con- sists of soluble phosphate, gypsum, and variable quantities of the other two phosphates. In harmony with the above, we can represent the formation of super- Or, in chemical notation H2 0 1 S O3' + Q O) QO'-P QO) H, 01 H2O-P, 0 + 2] o, c, o fc, o [ |S O3 J Sulphuric acid and insoluble phos- phate of lime react on each other, forming soluble phosphate of lime and sulphate of lime or gypsum. Bone superphosphate, or dissolved bone, is considered more valuable than mineral or rock superphosphate. The mixing of lime with superphos- phate tends to change the soluble phosphate back to the less soluble form, the reverted. Decaying organic matter, whether in a compost heap or in a soil, will have the effect, to a small extent, of changing the in- soluble forms to soluble. Phosphates are of most service with organic fertilizers on black humus soils, along with farm-yard manure or nitrogenous fertilizers, and are of less benefit in connection with lime. Phosphatic fertilizers give good results when applied to pastures, cereals and roots, especially turnips. SOURCES. I. Farm-yard manure contains from 0.15 to 0.75 per cent, of this acid, having an average of about 0.50 per cent., or 10 lbs. to the ton. Poultry droppings hive about four times as much. II. Ashes (fresh and leached) have from -I to i\ lbs. per bushel. III. Fresh bones (sold as crushed bone, bone meal, or float bone, according to texture) should contain The Canadian Horticulturist. '99 about 4 % of nitrogen and 25 % of phosphoric acid. A good fertihzer may be obtained by mixing 500 lbs. of bone with 25 bushels of fresh ashes per acre. I\'. Bone ash, the ashes obtained b) burning out all of the organic matter. Little used in Ontario. V. Boiled or steamed bone, the refuse bone from which most of the organic matter has been boiled or steamed for glue, this is more easily ground and made into superphos- phate than III. VI. Bone, char, animal, charcoal, bone black, or bone charcoal, the refuse charred bone after being used for the refining of sugar. A sample analyzed here gave 30% of phosphoric acid. VII. Bone superphosphate or dis- solved bone, made by treating bones (especially V. or VI.) with sulphuric acid — -1510 25 per cent, phosphoric acid. VIII. Guano contains from loper cent, to 30 per cent, phosphoric acid Buy this only from reliable dcialcrs on guaranteed analysis. IX. Dried blood and scrap have 3 to 10 per cent. X. Apatite — Canadian, containing about So per cent, of phosphoric of lime, should have over 35 per cent. XI. A good superphosphate should have about 25 per cent. XII. Marls: The presence of phos- phoric acid greatly adds to their value ; those we have examined have never given much more than traces. XIII. Basic Slag, Thomas Slag, Thomas Scoria, Phosphate Meal : These are all names for the finely ground slag from smelting iron con- taining phosphorus. The phos- phorus is removed by lime and the slag therefore contains phosphate of lime. It is being experimented with in Europe, promises well, sells in Eastern States at $15 per ton, and is claimed to be the cheapest avail- able form of phosphate. It contains an excess of caustic lime. JTonx g ur An Apple Opchard as a Commercial Enterprise. Thk following paptT mIiows the profit in the ai)i)le culture in the Province of (2*'fbec, and if profitable there, it must be still more so in our more favored Province : " I think we must admit that ap|)le culture is an industry belonging to the farm, and that the bulk of the apples must be grown by the fanner. " To the fanner who has land suitable for an orchard, and who is desirous of entering intofiuit culture, the question naturally arises, which is most profitable, to grow ap)>les or cereals ''. He may read the different horticultural reports of the Provinces and States, and in almost all of them he may find reports on fruit cidture by different men, who assert that orcharding is more jirotitable than growing grain. But as to what |)er cent, it is more [jrofitable he is left to draw his own conclusions. " You ask the farmer what is the net profit on an acre of oats or barley, he answers, ' That de|)ends a great deal on the season.' It varies all tlie way from •?.') to 820, and sometimes there is no profit. And so it is in all agricul- tural and horticultural jiursuits. It is impos- sible to say what jiercentage an orchard will yield, or what net profit an acre of oats or barley will yield. The majority of farmers, when they have realized .?12 to .?1.5 net ]>rofit on an acre of oats or barley, feel (juite content. "Would the orchardist feel contented to realize that amount jier acre, or in the same ratio for the money invested ? I think not ! " Neither tht' horticulturist nor the farmer, as a rule, keeps an accoimt-t)ook that would enable him to give the amount of expenditure and receipts of his orchard. Hence the reason why it is we so seldoin see any figures or facts that would enable us to come to a conclusion as to the result of an ai)i)le orchard as a commercial enteri>rise. " 1* or the benefit of those who are seeking information, and wcnild like facts and figures of the returns of an orchard 25 years old, I will give the receipts for the last four years : - 1884 2,871 Bushels .?1,1.S2.84 1885 1,477 " 58.S.'.tO 1886 1,4(J1 " 7oS.50 1887 2,015 " 1,0(J2.05 Total 7,824 Total. S^.n.^T^ 200 The Canadian Horticultnrist. "Average of orchard per year, $884.32 ; aver- age per acre, $88.43. Deducting, say 2.5 per cent, for expense of picking, packing, market- ing and care of orchard, it would leave a net profit of $60.33 per acre per year. " Thes-e figures compared with figures in growing grain give a far better result. "Notwithstanding that this orchard was planted 25 years ago, on a stony piece of land, prohibiting cultivation other than top-dressing with manure, and before anj' reports as to the most hardy varieties for this Province had been published, and the fact that the orchard con- tains more than 30 varieties of ajiples, and some of the varieties almost worthless, I think the above figures show that orcharding as a com- mercial investment has given fair i)rofits. — N- C. FisK, before Montreal Horticultural S ociety . Girdling Gpape Vines. I have practiced girdling more or less for many years to test its value in a scientific and economical way. The numerous experiments made in the college vineyard lead to the follow- ing results : 1. No injury to the vines girdled has ever been detected, even where the girdle was made on the main trunk near the ground. 2. The time of ripenine is generally hastened by one or two wetks. 3. Careful sugar tests show no injury to the quality of the fruit. 4. The fruit was larger, more beautiful, and sold for from three to five cents per basket more than that from ungirdled vines. .5. The best time to perform the work has been found to be early in July. 6. For reasons of economy of the forces of the vine, only a part of the cane of each vine should be girdled and only those that are to be cut away. 7. Annual arms should be grown for the purpose of girdling to bear the fruit, and fi few unbearing ones fruit for spurs to produce the canes for next year's girdling. 8. The best results were obtained when the ring of bark taken out was from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch wide, according to the size of the cane girdled. 9. Good results were obtained when wires were twisted about the canes, but only when twisted very hard with pincers. For this pur- pose about No. 20 annealed was used and the work done late in June. 10. From our experience we believe that girdling will result in profit to the vineyardist, and in much pleasure to those who are growing choice late grape varieties. In our practice we have worked out a method of girdling that may be applied to any system, but is most satisfactory where one cane is al- lowed to grow ungirdled on one side of the vine, but not jjermitted to grow fruit, while the cane of the previous year has been girdled and is producing fruit. — S. T. Maynard, Mass. Agric. Coll. Capagana Arboreseens. Caragana ARiiORp;scEX.s, the Siberian Pea- tree, is an old inhabitant of gardens, and a perfectly hardy small tree, of good habit, and an unfailing bloomer at this season of the year when the erect branches are covered with its handsome, bright yellow, pea-shaped flowers, borne in fascicled clu.sters from the axils of the compound leaves. These have spinescent stiiiules, and consist of four to six pairs of small, oblong-oval vilous leaflets. This tree, which will grow to a height of fifteen or twenty feet, is often found in nurseries grafted as a tall standard ; but it makes a more beautiful object when it is grown on its own roots and is allowed to send out its branches from near the ground. The shrubby ^^ Caragana fruescens" is a native of Siberia also, and a desirable plant. It has larger solitary flowers of a paler yellow, and smooth leaves with broader leaflets. It flowers a few days earlier than C. arborescens, and is eqvtally hardy. Both species are easily grown from seed. — Garden and Forest, June 5 th. Mixed Manure. The t'xjieriments at stations and by indi- viduals continue to confirm the old opinion that barn manure is more universally use- ful and efficient under all circumstances than any of the special fertilizers. In rating its value by analysis, the carbonaceous n;atter which it contains is not commonly taken into account, but its abundant presence is one reason why it is so generally beneficial to all soils. It operates in several ways, among them in the mechanical condition given to land, and in promoting the absorption of moistui'e and essential ingredients of fertilizers. It greatly assists in improving the texture of many soils. With these qualities, it is well to mix with yard manure various other sub- stances. Inquiry is often made as to the best way to apply bone-dust, plaster, marl, air- slaked lime, superphosphate, etc. In most cases the easiest way is to mix them through heaps of manure, in their alternating layers ; and if there is plenty of the luanure, and the quantity of the other iiigrtdicnts is small, the more perfect the intennixturp can be made, the thinner and more numerous the layers, the more perfectly thej^ will be diffused through the manure, and the less labor will be required in working over the pile of manure. — Cidtivator. Ink for Zinc Labels. A LEGIBLE and permanent black ink for labels may be made as follows : Verdigris, one ounce ; sal ammoniac, one ounce ; lamp black, half an ounce ; rain water, half a pint. Mix in an earthenware mortar or jar, and put up in small bottles. To be shaken before use and used with a clean quill pen on bright zinc. Ruby Currant. Moore's Rcby Currant.— Mr. Hooker— This currant originated in Rochester, N.Y., and has borne with us for several years. It was produced by crossing the Cherry with the White Grape, and shows characteristics of both parents ; is of fine quality and unsurpassed for family use. It is about the size of the Victoria, and is much more jH-oductive than the Cherry. The Canadian Horticulturist. 201 It haH HurpaHHed Fay's Pri)lifie with us, but I would not nay that it would do so with others. 1 think it should bf recoiurftended for amateur use. Mr. Willani I think Moore's liuby the best red currant for talile use I have ever seen, and I endorse all Mr. Hooker has said concern- inp it. Mr. Hubbard — I saw this currant fruited on the governuient jirounds at Washington, and was favorably ini])ressed with it. — Vick^i Report of N. \. HorticuUuriil Socuiii. The Apple Picker. Thk (juestion whether it was advisable to use an apple picker was answered at the meet- ing of the N. Y. State Horticultural Society, by Dewane Bogue of Medina, who said that a grower told him that a Ijuvi'r refused to buy his ai>ples because they were gathered with a picker. Another buyer came along and ])aid five cents more a barrel for the same apjfles because they were not bruised. Mr. Harris, in giving his exjierience with the jiicker, said that with that article apples cotild be gathered at half the cost of hand work and with less damage to the fruit. The Use of Coal Ashes. EVEKYTHIN(; grows well under a mulch of coal ashes, ])rovi(led that the jilant leaves are not covered, and that the ashes lie stii-red after rains, during the growing season. Without this they jiack so as to exclude the air. In l>lanting the seeds we cover them with soil or leaf mould. We have tried coal ashes, think- ing that the3'oung seedlings might push through the easily broken inch of ashes. But very rarely has a plant appeared through such a covering, because of too clo.se exclusion of air, 8on\e being indis])ensable at the moment of germination. — Ch icarfo News. A Profitable Use of Apples. Some of us are feeding' our apples to stock. I feed them to horses, jugs and i)oultry. For the general ])urpose horse of the farmer I know from experience tliat ap()Ies are a valu- able food. I have had horses that were in a very low condition from worms entirely freed from this trouble by the use of apj>les, and mj- horses always improve in the fall when run- ning among ajiple trees, where they eat all they want. 1 believe that a horse not ai hard work would do as well on 4 qts. of oats and a peck of api)le8 as on a i)eck of oats. If this were so, it would give apples a feeding value of about 24c. per busli. Now if the windfalls and refuse a|>ples are of any vahie, why should not good sound fruit be of still greater food v:due '! My pigs eat apples when they don't eat meal. To about 50 hens I feed 2 or 3 tjts. of apples daily, crushing them a little with the foorl. The hens seem to fairly revel in them. — E. H. HUTCIIINSIIN. Value of United States Fruits. Thk census reports, which are, of course, only approximative, give the following value of or- cliard i)roducts in the United .States : For 1880, estimated, ap|)les, .«!.")0,400,000 ; j.ears, 8;l4,l.%,- 000: peaches, .•$.")•;, 1.S.5, 000 : grajK^s, .*!2.118,!)00 ; strawberries, -So, 000,000 : <.ther fruits, SIO.OOO,- 000. Total, .'?1H7,783,!IOO. hi IHKO, the census report made the whole amount ^^>0,H7C),l')A. The gradual increase since l.s50 was alxmt the following: In Is.oO, .'?7,72.S,000 ; in ISfjO, .$19.- 991,000 ; in 1870, !?47,;«r),00O. With the only exception of the decaer bushel would be a reason able estimate. Some years many of the nuts are abortive, while other years nearly all will gi-ow. A fair estimate of their germinating (pialities can be made V)y cracking a few, as nearly all plump, natural apiiearing kernels will grow under favorable circumstances. It i.«i best to ]>laiit rather more nuts than trees are wanted for ; like most nut-bearing trees, the walnut does not transplant easily. After being gMthered, the seed should not be allowed to dry ; if shipped a distance the nuts will keep from drying out with damp moss almut them. In the fall they can be planted at once, and cov- ered three or four inches deep in well-prejiared ground. If planted in the spring, over winter siiread the nuts two or three layers deep, mixed with earth or leaves, and covered lightly ; if the ground is moist, at least jiart of the rains should be kept off. planting as siion as the frost is out of the ground. (Jood cultivation should be given for the tirst few years, after which but be g; littlt little further care.— /ojco Uonifstcml. 202 The Canadian Horticulturist. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. Water Lilies on the Lawn. — Orchard and Garden suggests a very pretty plan for growing Nyiuphcea odorata. Several tubs, coal oil barrels cut in two will answer, ma}' be sunk in the ground quite close to each other in a group, the spaces between them being filled with Calla lilies, tuberous-rooted Begonias, Caladiums Ferns, Grasses, etc. In planting, fill the tubs about half full of a mix- ture of good loam and thoroughly rolled cow manure in equal parts, in which imbed the roots, and cover the soil with about half an inch of clear sand. Fill the tubs slowly with rain-water, and replace the loss by evaporation. Nymphcca Dcvonicusis is commend- ed as the queen of all water lilies, surpassing in brilliancy of flower if not in size of leaf, the famous Vic- toria regia. It is a night bloomer, each flower opening from 8 p.m. to lo a.m. for three nights in succes- sion. Under favorable circumstances a single plant of this variety will, in one season, cover a circle of twenty feet across, with leaves twenty-five inches in diameter, and flowers twelve inches from tip to tip of petals. The flowers are rosy red with bright scarlet stamens. Carelessness in handling Paris green and London purple is likely to follow the wholesale use of them. The dry powder rises almost imper- ceptibly. Breathing this will intro- duce arsenical poison into the system through the lungs. In case of acci- dental poisoning occurring, the best antidote to administer is the h}- drated sesqui-oxide of iron, which should be taken at once. Benefits of Spraying, — Mr. A. C. Hammond, Sec'y 111. Hort. Soc'y, states that, as a result of spraying one portion of his apple orchard in 1887, he gathered 500 bushels of apples, of which seventy-five per cent, were perfect, and eighty-five per cent, marketable ; w^hile from the same number of trees in the other orchard he had not a peck of perfect fruit. Let our readers give us facts and figures, until the question is settled to everyone's satisfaction. The writer has used fifteen pounds of Paris green this season on his orchard, while some neighbors say they have not confidence enough in it to go to the expense and trouble of applying it at all. RosEBUG. — The R.N.Y. recom- mends spraying with pyrethrum The Canadian Horticnlturist. 203 water for this beetle, known scien- tifically as Macrodactylus subspinosus. The method is : Wet two tablespoon- fuls of the powder with water and mix into a paste. Stir this into two gallons of water, and apply with a force pump in a fine spray. Niagara Falls Park. — The Gar- dot and Forest, a journal of the very highest standing and of the most correct taste in matters of landscape gartlening, devotes the editorial of a recent issue, to warning the public against allowing this beautiful park to be marred by the erection of museums, monuments or buildings for educational ends, as being wholly out of keeping with the object with which the park has been set apart. Constant attempts are being made to utilize the wonderful privileges of the place for private ends, or to suit a vulgar taste. In the memorial to the Gov-ernor of New York and to the Governor-General of Canada, the great point made Avas that " objects of great natural beauty and grandeur are among the most valu- able gifts which Providence has bestowed upon man. The contem- plation of them elevates and informs the human understanding. They are instruments of education. They conduce to the order of society. They address sentiments which are universal. They draw together men of all n^ltions and thus contribute to the peace of nations." Notwithstanding this, it appears that a memorial has already been presented to the New York State Legislature at Albany by the Niagara Hydraulic Electric Company, asking for the privilege of building coffer- dams above the cataract, erecting machinery and boring a tunnel under the bank of the river, and this has passed the committees of both houses. The bill has been checked by the Senate, but its existence shows the constant danger to which the attractions of this delightful reserve is subject. Spraying for the Plum Cureulio. At a recent meeting of the Central Illinois Horticultural Society, Prof, Forbes, the State ICntomologist, gave an address giving the result of his investigations and experiments in reducing the extent of the ravages of the plum cureulio by means of spraying. According to the Prairie Farmer s report. Prof. Forbes stated that it had been found by careful experiment, that the mature inse'ct subsisted on dead and decaying leaf vegetation until the green leaves and fruit appeared. One pound of Lon- don purple or Paris green to 100 gallons of water was found to injure the foliage of the peach and plum. Experiments showed that one pound to 500 gallons of water destroyed the plum cureulio in ten days, and this solution was recommended as proper for the peach and plum. The stronger medium killed somewhat quicker. The advice in general was to spray early in the season with a solution found not to weaken the foliage, operated on the basis of say, one pound of Paris green or London purple to 300, 400 or 500 gallons of water, as might be found not detri- mental to the leaves of a species. There seemed no doubt in the mind of the speaker that the cureulio could be killed in the early season by the means recommended. This accords with our experience at Grimsby, that where the poison has been applied early enough in the season, and repeatedly enough, almost the entire plum crop can be saved ; but when delayed until the plums are formed, and cleared of the calyx, the damage will be done before the parent beetles can be destroyed. We await further evidence on this important question. 204 The Canadian Horticulturist. QUESTION DRAWER The Pithy Gall of the Blackberry. 53. I ENCLOSE to you by to-day's mail a pecu- liar growth found on a Brinckle's Orange rasp- l9erry cane in the garden of Mr. J. H.Davison, of this'town. Mr. Davison showed it tome some days ago, when I suggested that it be sent to you for examination and description in the Horticulturist. The cane upon which it was found was dead and when the knot was cut open there was found in it a small black fly about a sixteenth of an inch in length. Please give us your opinion. — W. A. Brown- lee, Mt. Forest. This peculiar growth is a gall caused by a gall-fly belonging to the family Cyripida:, and known to our entomological friends as Diastrophus Ncbulosus. The tumor is formed by the unnatural growth of the vegetable cells, which is produced by the depositing of the eggs. The tumor or gall is soft and spongy, and the one sent us is shown in the engrav- Fig- 53- ing, Jig. 53 « , with little holes, through which the flies have escaped. The section b shows the interior, with several oblong cells, about an eighth of an inch in length, each of which has contained a larvae, or yoimg grub, one of which is more plainly shown at c. These are about one- tenth of an inch long, white, with reddish mouth ; they remain through the winter safely hidden in these galls, and change to flies in the spring-time. The fly is described as black, with transparent wings and red feet and antennae. They more commonly attack the blackberry canes than the raspberry, but are not very troublesome, as thej^ are destroy- ed by parasitic insects and by birds. Kerosene for Bark-Lice. 54. Sir,— A friend of mine in Toronto gives the following method of dealing with the Oyster Shell Bark Louse nuisance: — " In early spring, before the buds commence to swell, apply crude petroleum to the affected parts." He assures me that no injury whatever is done tlie trees by this treatment, and that when growth commences in the spring, the outer bark of all twigs so treated will peel off, taking with it all the shells with its eggs, and leaves the inner bark smooth as if polished. Will you please give your readers your opinion of this — to me — new treatment. — Thos. Beall, Lindsay. We have tried this remedy and find it certainly most effective in' destroying the bark lice. Not a single one remained to tell the story of the disaster. But the bark of the tree in places was totall}' destroyed also. On one tree three applications were made, washing the bark thor- oughly with a cloth dipped in the oil ; on another only one application was made. On the former the bark was so badly killed that the tree must eventually die ; on the latter it was only killed in places on the under side of the limbs, where it would naturally collect. The only safe mode of applying kerosene is as an emulsion with soap and water. A half pound of soap, dissolved in a few quarts of water, is set on the stove until it boils. Then while boiling add two gallons of kerosene, stirring at the same time, and a perfect emulsion will be formed. This may be applied with an old broom, or a scrubbing brush, after first scraping ofl" the loose bark, The Canadian Horticulturist. 20; and will be fouiKl most effective, and quite harmless to the tree. We have not had very much suc- cess with wasliing-soda and water, nor even with caustic soda and water. The latter was applied so strong that it burned the bark and leaves, and yet we find the insects still abundant on those very trees. further through the intricate rami- fications of these galleries." Frosted Grape Vines. 55. Gkai'Ks are all p,iM\v licif. What do you adviso in the matter? Leave old canes to tlirow out fretih shoots or cut them back for fresh canes from the root? — A Godkuich Cok- HE8PONDENT. The wholesale destruction of the young grape wood by frost such as has happened this year to vineyards in many parts of the country is so unusual that we cannot speak from experience. In our opinion the best plan is to wait until the new growth starts, when it will be plain how much of the vine is destroyed. Ants in Doopyards. Sec Question 50. 5(>. A writer in Orchard and Garden recom- mends bisulphide of carbon as a reliable remedy, and gives the following- method of application as very successful : " A large horse blanket was satu- rated with water and placed over as much of the nest as it would cover, a tablespoonful of the bisulphide hav- ing first been poured into each of some 20 holes. The blanket was allowed to remain for about 15 minutes and was then removed. A long-handled torch was then made with a rag saturated with kerosene tied at the end of a broom, which was ignited and the vapor at the mouth of several of the orifices was exploded. For the next fifteen minutes successive pops were noticed at the mouths of many of the orifices, at many in fact in which the sub- stance had not been poured, showing that the vapour had thoroughh' per- meated through the subterranean galleries of the nest. The object of exploding the vapour was to drive it The Kniffen System of Grape Pruning. 57. Plkask pive a short account of the Kniffen system of prape training. This system is re- ferred to in the report of this year, but from some cause, | erhaps the want of a ut in as much of the iondon ))urple as was recommended to be safe. I «|irayed the trees once and it soon showed itself; it must have killed the curculio for it killed the leaves, and where it dropped otf the trees on the currant and gooseberry bushes t burnt in spots like vitrei would. Perhaps it was too strong. The next time I'll put it on weaker, but 1 don't think the trees will recpiire it this year. — Tuos. (i. (tAston, Hamilton. • The Seedless Apple. Sir, — I see on page 142 of Canadian Hokti- CULTURlsT my letter, etc. about my new ajiple, also Prof. Panti>n's statement. Mr. Panton seems to be 8cei)tical. I will ask you to refer him to June number of American harden. He there can see a plate of this fruit taken from a twig sent to Mr. L. H. Pailey, of Cornell Uni- versity, K.\periment Station, Ithaca, New- York, at blooming time. Of course it is im- po.ssible for me to write and send .samples to an army of scei)tics. What I have stated on page 1-12 of the HoKricii.Ti'KisT is true, and I can- not hel]) the unbelief of Professor Panton or Pri>fessor any body else, unless they are dis- posed to believe ten or twelve good men on oath. I would like to have it tested in Canada, but as to sales of scions I could not half way supply our own home wants this season. I had to return over fifty orders for good lots and every scion that would do was cut. I sell at $5.00 I >er hundred. I would like for Prof. Panton to write me a letter. I will answer him kindly — G. W. RoBlNKri'K, Fla(i Pond. Too Much Paris Green. Sir, — I duly received your post card of Itith May, and also by same mail the four straw- Iterry ]>lants. They were nice, healthy plants, carefully packed, but whether they had been delayed in transit or not, of course I could not say, but they were imquestionably dry. I at once put their roots into tejiid water and kept them immersed seven hours, and in evening planted them carefully, and have given them good attention since. They are doing well. The May number of the Canadian Hokti- t'ri.TlRisr didy reached me. Its contents have piven me very great satisfaction, in it there IS, inter alia, much seasonable information about curculios and codling moths — antagon- ists that I have Ijeen fighting for a good while and not always successfully, and I feel assured that many fruit growers will be very thankful for it. I had, however, anticipated the advice the day before, and hail giv»Mi all my fruit trees that were in blossom, plums, i>ear8 and apples, a good spraying of Paris (ireen, i o/,. average to the patent jiail. exactly the |>ro|M>rtions recoiiunended by Mr. Fletcher, of ()ttawa, and others, and hope to secure my fruit this year from these ruthless s))oliators. Three years ago my orchard suffered con- siderably from an overdose of Paris (Jreen, arising from the indefinitf! nature of the instruc tions given res|Mcting the amount recpiired to a given cpiaiitity i.25; Greening, $1.00. A committee was also appomted to prepare a complete fruit list for the Province of Ontario, showing •the absolute value of each known variety, upon a scale to correspond with that upon which judges at fairs ought to base their awards ; and also to prepare a list of a limited number of varieties for each county or agri- cultural division in Ontario, of such kinds as were proved by actual test- ing to be best adapted to each dis- trict. This committee will also re- port at the next meeting, and it is obvious that the result of such work, if carefully done, will be greatly to the interest of our Province. Another very important plan of usefulness is being matured, and that is one for engaging in the work of the farmers" institutes. Our object is to encourage farmers to grow such varieties of fruits as will succeed in their respective sections, both for home use and for market. The great wheat fields of this continent are situated in the limitless North- West of our young Dominion. It is claimed that there are 250,000,000 acres of wheat land in the North- West, south of the 54th parallel ; and north of that, along the McKenzie river, that there are 500,000,000 acres of arable, habitable land ! What 212 The Canadian Horticiiltnrisl. chance then has Ontario, in the near future, to compete with such a country in grain growing ? But in all that vast country very little fruit can be grown, and to us in Ontario will fall the opportunity of supplying it with those fruits which grow in such perfection with us. The import- ance of our work, therefore, can scarcely be over-estimated. The Ontario Government has made arrangements for sending out our best and most practical fruit-growers to speak at Farmers' Institutes upon such subjects connected with fruit culture or forestry, as ma\' seem to be most desirable at each place of meeting. In view of the Dominion Conven- tion of Fruit Growers which is to be held next January in either Ottawa or Montreal, under the patronage of the Dominion Government, it has been decided to hold the next annual and winter meeting of our Association in the month of December next ; and, in response to an invitation from the North Essex Farmers' Institute, it has been decided to hold it in the city of Windsor. THE HEART AND BIGGARREAU CHERRIES. THE cherry crop at Maplehurst . . Fruit Farm has been unusually good, although requiring early har- vesting to save it from loss by rot. Out of some twenty varieties, now about twenty-five years planted, onl}^ a few have proved themselves really valuable for market, and a limited number will give a successive supply of this most delicious fruit through- out the months of June and July. From the HEART CHERRIES we get as a rule less fruit than from the Biggarreau class, and on account of their tender skin they are more sub- ject to being eaten up by birds ; yet they are so delicious and so much sought after, that they bring the very top prices in the market and deserve a place in ever}' garden in southern Ontario. The following list will sup- ply the table with a succession of daily supplies until the Biggarreaus ripen, and with the Dukes and Morellos continue the cherry season for a period of about four* weeks. The Early Purple, though of medium size, has no competitor in the market, ripening as it does about the first of June. Governor Wood is a delicious cherry for eating out of hand, and is fairly productive ; the skin is a pale yellow half covered with red. It is closely succeeded by the Elton which we class as the best of the white heart cherries. The tree is a fine grower, and very productive. No cherry is more desirable for home uses; but for shipping it is some- what tender. Of the black hearts we commend Knight's Earl}-, Black Tartarian and Black Eagle. These are three varieties of the most excel- lent qualities, tender, rich, sweet and juicy. The latter, however, is not very productive, and would not pay to ffrow for market. The Black Tar- The Canadian Horticulturist. 213 tarian is the most popular of them all, but the birds know this so well that they usually fi^et the largest share of them. The HIGGAKKKAU CHERRIHS are of firmer flesh than the preceding class, yet, owing to tiieir great produc- tiveness and large size, the)' are usu- ally more profitable. Among the light colored ones, the Yellow vSpanish is particularly worthy of notice. It is a beautiful pale-yellow cherry of enormous size and excellent quality, and tliough not a heavy bearer, yet, if sound, it would be very pro- fitable togrow/or market in southern Ontario; unfortunately, it is among the ver}- worst to spoil upon the trees, even before it is ripe enough to gather. This season it has been particularly unpopular in the market on account of the rotten specks ; indeed this fault has been found with almost all light colored cherries, dealers writing, " Sent! no more white cherries." The Napoleon is the heaviest cropper of any variety we have tried, and though inferior to the former in quality, it is far more profitable, for it is almost as large, and is much in demand for canning purposes. Of the dark Biggarreaus, we have found two which excel any other cherries for profit, viz. : the Mezel or Great Biggarreau and the Tradescant's Black. The former is an enormous cherry, that has yielded with the writer as many as a dozen i2-quart baskets to a single tree, and that, of such cherries as sell in Toronto market at Si. 50 per basket. The latter comes in with the Kentish, at a time when the market is clear of all the finer varieties. It is a fine shipper, because the flesh is so firm, and, like all the blacks, it has the ad- vantage of color in concealing the specks of rot, which so disfigure the white ones, even when too small to really injure the fruit. We have been troubled badly with the black knot on our Kentish cher- ries, but thus far we have kept them free by careful clipping off" of all affected limbs. If we could contend successful!}- with THE ROT, the growing of the Heart and Big- garreau cherries in favorable sec- iMG. 56. tions would be more remunera- tive than that of strawberries. Thus far, however, no very certain reme- dy has been proposed. Scientists very wisely tell us that it is a fungus known as Oiiiiiini fnicti- •j;iniini, which is very widely distri- buted especially upon the cherry and the pliun. It consists of much branched threads which permeate the tissue of the fruit and cause it to turn brown and decav ; and when 214 The Canadian Horticultiwist. the air is moist these produce tufts of dirty white, dusty fruiting tlireads. These are divided into sections, which, when ripe, separate and form spores. When the fungus is ripe these successively ripen and drop away. We reproduce from the re- port of the Geneva Experimental Station, in fig. 56, a representation of two fruiting threads of this fungusj before the spores have begun to fall away, magnified 250 diameters. As these spores can only develop in a moist atmosphere, it is evident that if we could keep our cherries perfectly dry there would be no rot ; but as this is impossible, we can only employ preventive measures. They have great vitality, and preserve their generative powers from one fruiting season to another. Some- times a fruit is attacked before it is ripe, and in that case it hangs upon the tree all winter, until the next fruiting season, and the spores are to be found on it during the whole time. Fallen cherries also serve to propagate the fungus from year to year, and therefore it is evident that much can be done by carefully clear- ing up and burning all that is de- ca3'ed, and, where possible, by having pigs under the trees to eat up all that drops. NOTES SUGGESTED BY JULY NUMBER OF "CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST." BY THOS. BEALL, LINDSAY. THE reports on the prospects of the fruit crop in the July num- ber, coming as they do from reliable correspondents from all sections of the Province, make it one of the most valuable numbers yet issued. This number should be studied by every fruit dealer in the country as well, as by every horticulturist. When will the idea be exploded that whereas certain fruits, trees, shrubs and plants are affected in- juriously by exposure to the cold, and may with difficulty be grown in a certain latitude, therefore it is folly to attempt their growth at any point further northward ? Many other factors besides latitude must be taken into accoun to determine how far north certain fruits, flowers, etc., may be grown. The frost of May 28th, 2gth, which prevailed not only over the whole of this Province, but also over the States, both to the south and west of us, did much less. injury in some of the more northern portions of Ontario than in the southern districts. At Ottawa the temperature was only about one degree below the freezing point. At Lindsay about three degrees. At Woodstock, six degrees, while more than six degrees below the freezing point was reported from several places in the neighborhood of I^ochester, N. Y., and south of that city. The injury and injustice done to- The Canadian Horticnltnrist. 21 the more northern portions of this Lindsay is about 260 miles north Province by creating and maintain- of the latitude of N:;\v York ing erroneous impressions as to the City. capabilities of its soil and climate is The Siberian Pea tree so highly due principally to thoughtlessness on recommended on page 200 is not a the part of our southern neighbors, beautiful object here during the sum- In the July number, Canadian Hor- mer months. It is perfectly hardy TicuLTURisT, page 192, P. B. Mead, and has very beautiful foliage until writing of the Yucca Fildiiiciitosd — the hot dr\- weather sets in, but not a southern plant — says it can be afterwards. When the thermometer " successfully grown in the latitude shows the temperature to be above of New York, and cvoi fid'tlicr )iortJi eighty degrees, the leaves quickly with a slight protection." A num- change their beautiful green color to ber of fine specimens are now in full a sickly, yellowish brown, and it re- bloom on my lawn where they have mains an unsightly object on the grown without protection. They lawn during the remainder of the were planted many years ago. season. — ^uly ijth, i88g. LETTERS FROM RUSSIA.— I By Jaroslav Niemetz, Colncillok ui Siate, OuEsbA. (Original in Fraich.) I. STONE ANTONOVKA. ONE of the finest of Russian apples, the white (ordinary) Antonovka is well known in America, although it has there unfortunately lost its Russian name, and is cul- tivated there under other names. " Queen of the Steppes " is the name which has been given it by the cele- brated Prof. Budd. In the provinces of southern Russia, where it keeps until October, it is not counted among the winter apples, and is re- placed by an apple which they call here " Lipovoe " (Linden apple). The finest qualities of the Antonovka are developed only in northern Rus- sia, and there is no reason to doubt that in America it will succeed best in the North. That apple has several varieties in Russia, of which the best is w^ithout doubt the " Antonovka longovia " (meadow) or " Ramen- naia" (Ramen signifies stone), which is a veritable winter apple, not only in the South but also in the North. Having only some ver)- insignificant distinguishing points, it is very diffi- cult to identify the " Stone-Anton- ovka," and it is necessary to have long practise to be able to recognize the two trees, but the former grows more slowly, is less umbrageous, and the wood is so hard that it scarcely yields to a knife ; in one word, this apple tree occupies among the others the place which the oak occupies among the forest trees. The great difference is in the fruit. That of the Stone Antonovka is not so long 2l6 TJic Canadian Horticulturist. in form as that of the Antonovka ordinary ; it is of a brighter color, and has a red tint on the side turned to the sun. The wind is unable to cause it to drop, until it is ripe in September. The apple carries easily, keeps well until June without losing either its flavor or aroma ; while. the ordinary Antonovka loses its flavor and becomes mealy. All these qualities have made the Stone-An- that variety, which for its excellent flavor and ease of transportation, may become an article of export and as popular as the " Duchess." II, KOSLOV PROLIFIC BUSH MORELLO. ' The best Morello cherries suffer much from the cold in the gardens of Northern and Central Russia, indeed it sometimes happens that they freeze to the root, consequently the growth of the delicate varieties of cherries in the Fig. 57. — Stone-Antonovka. tonovka a very lucrative product, especially in the gardens situated at a distance, away from the great centres, and in the market it is more prized than other apples. It is not by any mistake that this variety supplants all the others in our gar- dens. Perhaps the " Stone-Anton- ovka " is already known in America under some English name, if it is not I would advise the Canadian horti- culturists to introduce into Canada commercial gardens is impossible. It is with great pleasure that hor- ticulturists have learned that an amateur gardener, T. W. Mitshour- ine, raises in the village of Koslov (province of Tamboff) two varieties, which are named in honor of the origi- nator, " T. W. Mntshourine's proli- fic bush Morello," and "T. W. Mits- hourine's Morello with small leaf." It is the former, which is the better, that I wish to make known to the The Canadiati Hortiailturist. (I 217 Fig. 58.— the KOSLOV BUSH MORELLO. This cn»;raving is reduced nearly one-quarter. 211 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. readers of the "Canadian Horticul- turist,"' and I propose to name it, " Koslov bush Morello." See fig. 58. The mother trees, which are in the gardens of the cultivator, are fifteen years old, have a height of one metre* and a half, the diameter of the very large head is two and a half metres, the trunk is three and a half inch. That tree flowers very late and gives without rest, each year, from twenty to thirty-five kilogrammes! of fruit, which ripen about the end of August, a time when there are very few cher- ries in the market, which is an ad- vantage from a commercial point of view. The fruit is large, the surface is polished and of a brilliant color, the flavor is an agreeable acid, the flesh is juicy and the pit small. The originator does not grow this cherry by grafting, but from the pits, because, in grafting, this cherry loses in quality. The plants grown from pits do not vary, and after three or four times transplanting, bear fruit at the age of four or five years. The tree delights in shady places and is not affected by the cold, having already endured 35 Rea.]: (46 Fahr.) without any injury. I beg you to pay attention to this early fruit. III. There are some varieties of pears which can endure the rigorous climate of the north, of which I may men- * A metre is 39.368 American inches. — Ed. Horticulturist. t A kilogramme is about 2\ pounds avoir- dupois.— Ed. Horticulturist. X Reaumur's scale of grading the tempera- ture is chiefly confined to Russia ; in it the freezing point of water is made o , and the boiling point 80'. — Ed. Horticulturist. tion the following : Bessemianka Tonkovieska, Volga-Bergamotte, and some others. They are of no great value, but they are cultivated because the better pears are tender. Lately, attention has been called to some varieties of pears from Lithuania little known here, viz: " Beurre Slutsk " and "Bon Chretien So- biesky." These are dessert fruits and not yet tested with respect to hardiness. Two pomologists, so far as I know, are occupied in the accli- matisation of some varieties of table pears, imported from foreign coun- tries, viz : our renowned connoisseur of Russian fruits, Mr. A. Grell, of Moscow, and Mr. Mithourine, in the Province of Tambow ; and their ex- perience appears to me exceedingly instructive. I think it very suitable to quote a passage from one of Mr. Mithourine's letters. Here is what he says about the past winter and the hardiness of pears: "The past winter at Koslov has been unusually severe ; it began wdthout snow and found the trees still in foliage. The first cold was about 15 degrees Rea., and in the month of February it touched 32 Rea. ; and as a result all the pears have been frozen'. The following kinds have endured this severity without any special protec- tion, viz.: Foreign varieties: Princess Royale, Beurre gris d'Ete, Beurre Six, Champagne longue. Souvenir de congres. Russian varieties : Beurre blanc de Livonie, Beurre verte de Livonie, Kvoschtchinskaia, Berga- motte rouge, Medviedievka. It is astonishing that any of the Bessemi- anka should have survived." The Canadian Horticulturist. 219 CANADIAN APPLES IN BRITAIN. I'kOM a SL llSCKIUl.U IS Lngi-anu. T READ in the Canadian Horti- ■^ CULTURIST. that the Canadian crop of apples last year was unusually large, and the unusually heavy ship- ments from Canada and the United States wholly overstocked our mar- kets, and brought down prices below paying prices. Now I believe that Britain has a stomach for all the apples you can send provided good ones and well packed only are sent. It should be obvious that none other can pay. You must incur the ex- pense of $1 or so to place a barrel of apples here, good or bad. While the good may sell for from 15 to 20s. and some 25s., and the inferior kinds only I OS. and downwards. If Can- adian shippers do their part by pack- ing honestly and sending only good fruit, it will be sure to conmiand sale at remunerative prices. The means nuist be taken, however, to make it known throughout the length and breadth and corners of Britain, that Canadian apples are to be had, and how they are to be obtained. Local dealers will spring up everywhere to order them from such important depots as London, Liverpool and Glasgow. No such means are now taken, which you will readily believe when I tell you why I say so. Here am I, a Canadian nominally, a Can- adian fruit grower and constant reader of the Canadian Horticul- turist, so that I am fairly posted up as to what is going on in the Canadian apple trade. I am liv- ing in one of the suburbs of Lon- don, within five miles of the Bank of England. I get my London dail\- paper at my breakfast table every morning, and I see no end of maga- zines, periodicals, etc., which are now made available for the circulation of advertisements of every conceivable thing that the makers or vendors desire to bring under public notice, and yet I do not know and cannot easily learn where or how to put my hands on a barrel of Canadian apples. I get a portion of my supplies of household necessaries from one o^ the many co-operative supply asso- ciations in London, from which I have for years had American, that is, United States, apples. Enquiring of them, they tell me that they keep only Greenings and Baldwins, which they know and tlieir customers like. Their prices for these are 22 and 20s. per barrel. They know nothing about Canadian apples, and as to apples being more plentiful than usual, they were quite unaware of it, and could not purchase their supplies any lower than usual. London has so vast a population, equal as you know to that of all Scotland or Ireland, that it ought to be your chief market. Of all your shipments to Britain this year, the proportion that has gone to London must be but a flea-bite com- pared %<'ith the consumption, and could not affect the market prices at all. 1 see that the largest propor- tion of your apples goes to Glasgow. Probably the freights are lower than to Liverpool and London, and these I know have been affected by the lib- eral supply. Friends in remote parts 220 The Caiiadian Horticulturist. of Scotland, say at Campbelltown, Argyleshire, tell us they are getting good apples from Glasgow at little more than half the London prices. I can easily understand how heavy arrivals must bring down prices at Liverpool and Glasgow, where the local markets are limited until a proper system of trade is established by which outlets to all parts of the country are provided. The course of time will ultimately regulate this, but in the meantime your shippers are suffering serious loss of their legitimate profits. If your fruit growers want to put their trade on a proper and satisfactory footing, they must take the matter into their own hands. The}' should have an intelligent, active and effi- cient general agent at London and make it their headquarters. If they cannot find in London such a man with local knowledge, they should engage a man in Canada, make it worth his while and place him there. If this be considered too costly, I venture to say that the losses of ship- pers, for want of such an agent, ts more so, but it does not follow that the apple trade alone need have to bear the whole cost. Thebusiness of the apple crop would be confined to limited seasons, leaving a large por- tion of time available for other busi- ness that might be associated with it. The suggestion is enough. If it commends itself to your fruit growers they will doubtless work out details for themselves. — H. F. THE SIMON PLUM. Dear Sir, — In looking at the colored plate of Simon's Plum in your last issue and noticing the statement on the opposite page regarding its quality, etc., I feel it a duty to say that this illustration shows the fruit about twice the diameter of the actual specimens as I have seen them, or fully four times its actual weight. These exaggera- tions are not only damaging to the papers publishing them, but a great wrong to those who may be induced thereb}^ to plant. The quality of all the specimens that I have seen, of this variety, has been remarkably poor, even when compared with our cultivated varieties of American plums. Yours sincerely, H. E. Van Dem A'!i.5o. Vines on the Old Trees. In the rambling door yards of the farm houses of the land there is often to be seen a patriarchal apple tree, or a number of them, for, a century ago, our ancestors had to be utilitarians, and the apple trees not only furnished them with shade, but with fruit and flowers. But these old trees that have, for so many years, held aloft their yearly bidden of fragrance and fruition are in the decay- dence, and every season there are less of them ; it is, however, a pretty fash- ion when one breaks off, or has to be cut, to let it form its own monument, by leaving the stump, and, if possible, a small section of branch, and planting with some fresh earth a Clematis or Virginia Creeper at the foot, and plac- ing a pretty bird house on top. Espe- cially as it is not always convenient to have it dug out by the roots, and as it often leaves a space where one would prefer to have something growing. — Vick's Magazine. firmly compacted about them, but they should not be given a great deal of water. Protection of the soil from dry- Climbeps in Autumn. Climbing plants on walls require attention if not already attended to. They have completed their summer growth, and many of the shoots have extended considerably, and have not a particularly neat appearance. Some The Canadian Horticulturist. --/ persons adopt the ready method of reducing order out of confusion by cut- ting off all the summer shoots of their chmbers close to the wall ; but this a mistake. Some plants will endure it very well, but in the case of others it simply amounts to cutting off the flowers for next year ; many shoots are removed on which flowers would be Ixirne if the wood became hard and ripened by exposure to sun and air in autumn. Ripening of the growths is an important matter in the production of blossom. This may be seen with fruit trees, which after a hot summer are covered with " sheets of bloom " in the spring ; but after a dull, wet summer, blossom is sparse. It is the same with plants of a woody nature, and climbing plants therefore should not be allowed to become so crowded with shoots now that they cannot ripen, or there will be few flowers next year. With plants grown for the sake of foliage alone the case is different, and they can be al- lowed to ramble and intertwine accord- ing to the taste of the cultivator. THE VIRGINIA CREEPER. This one (ampelopsis quinquefolia) is the easiest and quickest wall-covering plant in cultivation, and appears to grow as well in cities as in the open country, if it has fairly good soil to root in. Plants are also grown in boxes out- side, and the growths arched over win- dows or trained as a green drapery to balconies. It is necessary to see that the chief stems of the plants arc well secured to walls now, or the autumn rains add so much to their weight that the plants are liable to be dragged down to the ground. This occurs every year, and it is with the object of preventing such disasters that this reminder is given at a time when the hint may be of service. The plant referred to is known by many persons as the Ameri- can vine. It is propagated by layers and cuttings. A.MI'ELOPSIS VEITCHI. This is another species of the same genus, but the species referred to, \'eitch's Ampelopsis, is a native of japan, and is one of the most beautiful summer and autumn wall-covering plants in cultivation. The leaves are much smaller than those of the \'irginia creeper, and the shoots cling to walls like ivy. In sunny positions, and where the soil is of a dry nature, the leaves assume brilliant tints in autumn. Many persons see and admire this glowing autumn wall plant at this sea- son, but do not know its name, and are consequently unable to order young plants for themselves. This reference will enable them to identify what they admire, and procure plants if they desire to do so. Those who have them in a young state should secure the growths at first, directing them to the space they are expected to cover, after which they will require no furthej care. This attractive creeper is perfectly hardy, but casts its leaves in the winter. l>eautiful specimens may be seen on the South church and high school build- ings, as well as other places in Spring- field. In Boston, where it was first l)lanted to any extent, are some magifi- cent vines. HONEYSUCKLES. The long streamers should now be affixed to walls where there is space for them, arranging them six ''nches apart, and those that cannot be secured may be cut to about a foot in length. This portion will then have a better chance of ripening or getting firm, and in winter the shortened shoot may be cut still more closely, or within an inch or two of the main branches from which it springs. I'he young shoots that art secured to the wall — that is, the growths of plants that have not occupied the sjiace they are desird to coAer, may be topped now, and pruned back to where the wood is firm, the soft portions being of no use for producing flowers. — Farm and Honw. 228 The Canadian Horticnltiirist. v^ '"<«^ SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. Notes and Comments. Wragg and Vladimir Cherries. — Mr. A. A. Wright of Renfrew, sends us samples of these cherries. In point of quahty, if these are a fair sample, we are disappointed in both of them. As may be seen on p. 239, Mr. Wright most values the Wragg, but both are much in ferior to the Kentish, having a somewhat bitter taste and tough skin. The Vladi- mir resembles the Kentish in size and appearance, but the Wragg is much darker. Possibly they would be valuable in pies, and perhaps Mr. A. A. Wright, or his estimable wife, can give us some information on this point ; but rather than eat them for dessert,even if we lived in the cold north, we would prefer to pay the express on a basket of fine Canadian cherries from Toronto. The Cr.\ndall. — We are just in receipt of a quart of sample berries of thi'j new currant, and also of a limb with fruit attached. They are in size very large, much larger than the largest size of Lee's Prolific. The ripe ones are jet black, and altogether seem to be a fruit that would sell at a very top price in the market for black currants. We like the flavor both raw and cook- ed. We have had a few made into jam, and all pronounce it much ahead of the ordinary black currant jam. The only fault we can discover is the tough- ness of the skin, which is not made very tender even by cooking. Possibly this may be in its favor as a shipping fruit, because it would carry well. Kerosene Emulsion. — Prof. Ri- ley's formula for making a kerosene emulsion is as follows : — Gradually add to kerosene half as much milk, stirring thoroughly the two until they are per- fectly combined nnd no drops of oil are to be seen, and a complete emulsion is formed. For use one part of this emul- sion or mixture is added to twelve parts of water, and thoroughly stirred. This he says is a most generally useful in- secticide. Potted Strawberry Plants. — Mr. W. F. Massey writes in the Garden and Forest, favoring the use of potted plants. His custom is to make the soil clean and mellow between the rows, and to train out the runners to strike root in this as soon as possible. He does not sink pots, but instead he takes up these young plants as soon as they have made roots half an inch long, and removes them to the potting shed of the greenhouse where he pots them com- The Canadian Horticulturist. 229 fortably in good soil. These lie places in partial shade and keeps them well watered, and as a result he has better plants than those which are grown in full exposure. These plants are ready for setting in the end of August, and will become sufficiently established to bear a fair crop the following year, and a tull crop the year after. This is as long as he would keep his bed, for he finds it less troublj to plant a fresh than to keep an old bed clean after its second crop. The Fruit Prospfxts do not IMPROVE. — There is a great outer}' in the Grimsby section tliat the grapes are dropping from the stems, and that this misfortune is so serious that in some cases almost the whole crop is already lost. One gentleman who has a vineyard of Niagaras, a kind which appears to be suffering more than any other, says that a few weeks ago, liad any one offered him S700 for his crop he would have scorned it ; now, he says, his whole crop will not be worth five cents. Even the Concord is suffering ver}' much in some vineyards. We can give no satisfactory explanation, unless it is the excessive rains which occurred at blossoming time. The apple scab has returned with more destructiveness than ever, especially upon the Early Harvest and the snow. Many of the yourig apples are literally covered with the fusicladium, and are cracked from stem to calyx. Greenings and Kings are also much affected. Popular Gardciiiiifif publishes a report of the respective fruit crop in the United States in a chart in which 5 indicates a very heavy crop, 4 above the average, 3 the average, 2 under, i poor, and o a total failure. As a result it is computed that all fruits will be under the average except Raspberries, Blackberries and Straw- berries, and these are very little more than an average. Thinning Fruit. — This is a prac- tise more often neglected than ob- served. Most of us acknowledge the utility of it, but we have yet failed to meet with the Canadian orchardist who regularly thins his fruit. Nodoubt it can be proved that it pays in dollars and cents, for, when a tree or vine is overloaded with fruit, much of it will be too small to gather, and the whole will sell at a low price. As for the extra labor, this is not to be considered, for if a tree has on it two hundred peaches what difference is there whether we gather one hundred now and one hundred in October, or the two hundred in the latter month ? Many of our apples and pear trees, too, are cumbered with a large am- ount of defective fruit, which is rob- bing them of their vitality in the maturity of the seeds. These should by all means be removed as earl}- as possible, in order that the strength thus being wasted may go to the enlargement of the finer specimens. There is no doubt it will pay well to thin our fruit, and we would like to hear from any one who has given it a fair trial. The Pear Blight and the apple twig blight are both playing havoc with many beautiful trees this year. Mr. E. J. Woolverton has a beauti- ful orchard of fine thrifty Duchess dwarf pear trees ; they are of bearing size and were the pride of the owner until early in June, when alas ! this terror of the pear grower, visited that orchard, and now it is a sad spectacle; whole rows of trees with scorched bark and withered leaves, tell the ruinous tale of destruction. The Quince is also suffering very much, though as with the apple, it is chiefly the smaller twigs that suffer. Prof. Burrill, of Champaign, 111., says the mystery of the blight is now explained. It is caused, he says, b)' tiny organisms known as bacteria, which are so very small that they can only be seen with the high powers of a compound microscope. To the same group belong most of the so- called disease germs to which are The Canadian Horticulturist. now attributed many of the deadly diseases which affect man and animals. In this we believe no one has as yet contradicted him, and indeed, when it is so hard to study the habits of the visible creation, few of us will attempt to disprove the statements of the careful scientist with regard to microscopic life. The germ of the pear blight is described as egg-shaped and consisting of a single cell which multiplies by divi- sion across its middle. It has no mouth, stomach, leaves or roots and can only take in nourishment by ab- sorbtion. The only way in which it can gain entrance to the cells of the pear tree is through wounds or through such young and tender parts as are not yet protected by a skin- like covering, e.g., through the tips of growing twigs. Once there, it absorbs for its own development the materials stored up in the cells for the tree, and increases with such rapidity that there are soon millions of them in a single twig. The only remedy proposed is care- ful cutting away of the affected parts. The extent of the injury can usually be seen by close examination and when the lowest limit is found, the whole of the part should be cut away, and the wound painted with raw linseed oil and lead to exclude re- entrance. Comparative Apple Shipments. The following table of apple ex- ports from years 1880 to i88g, may be interesting to Canadian apple growers. From this we learn that last year was the heaviest exporta- tion ever made of apples from the American continent ; and if we could read behind the scenes, no doubt we would also learn that it was on the whole the most disastrous to ship- pers. We notice that New York is the largest port of export, and Montreal and Portland next. We class them together, because Port- land only takes the place of Montreal when that is closed by the winter. The table is prepared by R. Dixon, of New York City. O »«1 -*■ " C\ - o> m f^ r^o *^ C^ ir>^ inMD rN.GO ^ '^i_:c_o_^o "t ^ ^ 0_ " O -' en iCo'oO Sy rf _• I . -1-x o -+ hs ^s. -hXt "TO CTi a\ » - 0\ n-iO -^ 0\ M o cnoo o^ n 0 u^ 0 ■ • 0 rt fO eu o <:>o\^'^ o a> ► 30 VD O Cr> CTi o Cio -frn0 O O N O 'O CO C\ u-i o mvo vo ) uto r^ hs. r^ 0CX3O3CGO0O0OGOCC XCCOCGC3000000000 XX30X300O000OSO The Canadian I forticultiirist. 231 Preservation of Grape Juice. Mr. W. D. Kitchkn treated the Ontario Fruit Growers Association to some f,'rape juice at the bantjuet <,Mven us at Grimsby two years aj^'o, and it was pronounced excellent. He has now in his cellar some 10,000 bot- tles which he has kept two years without the slightest fermentation. In view of this the following from Vick's Monthly is opportime : — In the report of the Chemical Divi- sion of the Department of Agricul- ture, for 1887, occurs the following on the " Preservation of Wine ": " The method par excellence for the preservation of wines is Pasteuriza- tion, already alluded to in this report on malt liciuors. The temperature employed is from 50' to 65' C, and serves to completel}' destroy all vege- table life in the wine. When a pro- cess so unobjectionable in every way answers its purpose so admirably, it furnishes an additional argument in favor of the legal suppression of all chemical means of arresting fermen- tation b}' the use of antiseptics, etc." The temperature mentioned above, of the Centigrade scale, corresponds ver}' nearly to 125^ to 150' Fahren- heit. Pasteurization, then, consists in heating the liquid to be preserved to the degree mentioned above, and then excluding the air from further contact with it. Grape juice can in this manner be kept perfectly with- out fermentation, or it can be allowed to pass to a certain stage of fermen- tation, developing a desired quan- tity of alcohol, and then being held at that point. The close bottling of such liquids is an essential condition, and then they must be used when opened, otherwise, with the access of air, the fermentive process com- mences. Tlie Po^yde^y Mildew. ( Uncinula Spiralis) Mr. W.m. Orr, of Stoney Creek, called at our office on the 27th in.st. to say that a mildew had suddenly appear- ed at Stoney Creek and was working .sad havoc with the vineyards, which had e.scaped the frost. \\'e at once inspected our own and a neighboring vineyard and found it l)ut too true, and remedies must be at once applied in order to save our cro|). One year ago we gave some account of the Downy Mildew, (or Feronospora), and as the treatment of the two is wholly different, flour of sulphur being a specific remedy for the one, and use- less for the other, it is very important that all vinyardists should learn to dis- tinguish them. Without entering much upon the botanical, we may call attention to the external characters, by which the Pow- dery Mildew may be known. In the first place then it requires a compara- tively dry atmosphere for its develop- ment, while the former retjuires a lib- eral supply of moisture ; for this reason it is a serious pest in California. Secondly, it appears in dull grayish- white patches upon the upper surface of the leaves, and sometimes thickly covers the berries themselves with the greyish powder; while the Downy Mildew appears chiefly upon the lower sides of the leaves as white patches, and on the upper side only as yellowish spots which soon assume a brownish hue, and fmally the leaf becomes dried and shrivelled. From these characters no doubt the observer can readily dis- tinguish which mildew is upon his vines. As the Powdery Mildew grows wholly upon the surface and does not pene- trate its host as the Downy, it may be destroyed by the direct application of some fungicide, while the mycelium of the Downy Mildew so penetrates the leaves and fruit, that remedies for it must be preventative, and consist of copper solutions applied early in the season, before the fruit has formed. The simplest and most effective remedy that has ever been discovered for the destruction of the Powdery Mil dew, which is the one just now (June The Canadian Horticulturist. 27) so rapidly spreading through our vineyards, is the flour of sulphur. The fumes given at high temperature by this powder are destructive to the fungus ; and therefore the best effect can be gained when the thermometer is the highest, as say from ']'f to gs"" F. Where the temperature of the soil is as high as no'' to 120" during the day it is found that it is sufficient to merely strew the sulphur upon the surface of the ground under the vines. It is stated also that where the temperature does not exceed 77' the effects of the sulphur will not be apparent until after a week's time. QUESTION DRAVS^ER The Grape Vine Flea Beetle. 5i. I SEND you a sample of the doings of an insect that I have foami playing havoc with both ^rape vines and Virginia Creeper. It is something new to me, but, perhaps, some of the members of the F.G.A. may know it. I got it at Mr=. \Vm. Ball's, HuUet, near Ball's Bridge. The grape vines were killed off wi;h the frost and now the young shoots are being destioyed with this pest, and it is just as bad on the Virginia Creeper, leaves of both I enclose with the little worm. The moth you see was on the leaf just where I ciushed it. I thought it might be iuteresting 10 the Society, I therefore t"'-k 'ome specimens for you. — WaiITER iifOI^r Godtrich. •j'. rm / •- J '1 I 10 lo orb i'-jj;/ij'3H^j ^! TP)!;. -^iU^f ffi^ffiRj^fe; Vine Flka Beetlk. ,,.fT];^e jfis^ct,.^eaiclosed in the box, together Avithsome well riddled grape vine, leaves, is the Grape-vine Flea beetle, known to entomologists as Gmptodera Chalyhea. It is a near relative of the potato beetle, both belonging to the icLmWy Chrysomelidce or leaf eaters. The moth enclosed has no connection with the larvae which have so greedily stripped the vines of their foliage ; the parent is a beetle, which is very destructive some seasons by boring into and feeding upon the young buds. It hibernates under loose patches of bark or other refuges from the cold, and after feeding upon the buds dur- ing the month of April, and the leaves in the month of May, it deposits upon the foliage clusters of orange colored eggs, which soon hatch out into the still more destruc- tive larvae, such as those which Mr. Hick has sent in to us. In order that our readers may the easier distinguish this beetle and its progen}-, we copy an engraving show- ing its various stages. The larvae is shown in Jig. a, hard at work skele- tonizing a leaf, and at b highly mag- nified. When full grown, it is a little more than three-tenths of an inch in length, of a brown color with a black head. After feeding about a month it descends to the earth and encloses itself in a small roundish cell such as is shown at c, from which iri about three weeks emerges the perfect beetle. The latter is described as about three-twentieths of an inch in length, and varying in color blue to green. To destroy the beetles, Prof. Saun- ders recommends in his book on " In- sects Injurious to Fruits," strewing air-slacked lime or unleached wood The Canadian Ilorticultunst. ^11 iishes about the infested vines in the autumn; and, to destro)- the hirvaj, spra\in^f the young foHage with Taris green and water. Root Ppuningf. 62. What is the correct time and moile of root pruning. I have two plum trees, a Lom- bard and Brailshaw, that make much wood but little or no fruit. O.ne man says cut yt)ur trench at a distance of eighteen inches, another thirty-six inches. Again, there is a question as to season. The diameter of trunk i> near si.\ inches. Can you recommend me a first-class work suitable for Canadian Horticulture. I am in want of one for reference. — Wm. R. HuGHts, Toronto. Root-pruning is a practice which we would like to have come under discuiision at a meeting of our Asso- ciation. In our opinion it is an exploded notion that any particular good can come fiom such a barbarous custom. How can any one give directions for cutting off just the proper proportion of roots, when those roots are buried from sight, and the length depends upon so many conditions, such as prosperity of the soil, manner of cultivation, etc., etc. Such an operation would be something like pruning the branch- es of a tree in the dark, or like cut- ting off all limbs extending beyond a certain distance from the trunk. Of course root pruning will check the growth of a tree, and possibly as a result throw a too vigorous tree into bearing, but the same object can be gained by other means, such as less cultivation, summer pruning, etc., and with less permanent injury to the trees. There is no Canadian work that we know of on Horticulture except " Beadle's Canadian Fruit, Flower and Kitchen Garden." Among Am- erican authorities we have " Down- ing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of .Vm- erica " ; " Thomas' Fruit Culturist " ; and " Barry's Fruit Garden." Sample Goosebeppies. 63 Sir, — I send you a few gooseberries for examination as I rather fancy their shape. I think the bush is a seedling, as it came up close to a post in the garden. — G. Wii.gress, Co- bourg. In shape this berry is obovate, but in size it is scarcely as large as Smith's Improved, and probably no better. 64. By post I send some gooseberries. I gtew the bush which bore them, from seed. It ii grown on a heavy clay soil. The bush is about three years old, and very healthy and the leaves very green and firm. I should like to have your (jpinion on it. No mildew has appeared on it and no grub, but the latter may arise from the fact that it is not very near any other gooseberries or currants. — Alfred lius- KiN, Toronto. These samples are larger than the last, and w'ould average larger than Smith's Improved. We can say little about them, however, without seeing more of them. Our friends should send us a branch of the bush with the berries attached, for sample, where convenient. The Junebeppy. 65. Could you kindly inform me, 1st., What varieties of the Amalanchier family are useful as small fruits; 2nd., Are they in cultivation; 3rd., Where can they be had to purchase; 4th., How are they propagated ; 5th., What is their value for home use or market as compared with huckleberries and are they a profitable fruit to grow? — P. E. BuCKE, Ottawa. We have had no experience in the cultivation of the Juneberry, and therefore can give no personal ex- perience. A writer in Vick's Mn<^a- ziiif says : — " In the cold north, where the variety of iron-clad tree fruits is \et limited, any addition is acceptable. Arborescent forms of the Amelan- chier are quite numerous in northern Xew England. I have received tour very distinct kinds from Aroos- took county, Maine, and here in Ver- mont the wild trees vary much in the size as well as abundance of their blossoms and their fruit. But west of the Mississippi there are found dwarf, large- fruited species which bloom and bear at two or three vcars from seed, and make compact bushes 234 The Canadian HoTticiiltnrist. not larger than the currant. The fruit of these vary, but on some they equal or exceed the size of the Cherry Currant, and are produced abundant- ly. This fruit is sweet and pleasant, less acid than the Blueberry or Huckleberry, and is an acceptable garden substitute therefor. It is, however, much more sought after by birds than either the Currant or the Huckleberry — in fact, they are dis- posed to take it all, considerably in advance of ripeness, and I fear this will prove a serious difficulty in the way of its successful culture. Still, it might pay to cover the bushes with cheap netting. Almost everybody likes the fruit, the native variety going here by the name of " sugar plum." Mr. H. Vandeman, chief of the U.S. Department of Horticulture, says : — " I have been experimenting with the dwarf varieties of Amelanchier for about fifteen years, and I have several varieties growing upon my place in Kansas which are abundant bearers, extremely hardy, and have never been troubled with any fungus. Have sold four to five hundred quarts of the fruit in a season, generally at good prices. The varieties differ greatly. I have one from the moun- tains of Pennsylvania which is of unusually fine flavor, and very pro- mising." They are propagated by layers, cuttings, or by grafting upon the Hawthorn or the Quince. of the same shape but much larger than the common huckleberry ; flavor sweet, or of a very mild subacid. It is becom- ing very popular, transplants easily and is quite hardy and stands the summer sun exceedingly well. Planted once, they continue for one's lifetime as they propagate from suckers that spring up from the base of the bushes. Although the Juneberry does not rank equal with some of our best small fruits, still it is certainly well worth a place in the family home garden, and the variety " Success " is the best vet introduced." Pot-gpown Strawberry Plants. 67. What is the best time to plant pot- grov/n strawberry plants? — T. G. Gaston, Hamilton. Reply by T. C. Robinson, Oicen Sound. The best time to plant potted straw'- berry plants is just as soon as they are obtainable. Runners start from vigor- ous old plants early in June. If these are " layered " on the surface of rich soil in small pots they will usually form well-rooted young plants in the pots early in July. Planted in July they will yield next season more than half as much fruit as a plantation, equally treated and of equal size, started in the previous April, although, if well treated, they will do a great deal better than many a " full grown " plantation of equal extent which may not have been hoed just as promptly or may not have been manured as plentifully as desir- able. 66. Mr. p. Allan, of London, writes ask- ing about the variety being introduced under the name of "The Success." We cannot reply better than by quoting from a letter from Mr. J. G. Lovett, Little Silver, N.J., the introducer, who is probably the only one who has tested it. " SiR^ — As to the Success Juneberry we would say that we consider it by far the best variety of the Juneberry that has yet been introduced. It is of a much finer flavor than other sorts ; the fruit is of a dark purple when fully ripe; The Dying- Oak. 68. I TAKE the liberty of writing you to see if you or any of your readers can give me some information on a subject that interests me. I have a few large old oak trees on my place. They look healthy except a few limbs at the top. Every year a few more die off leaving the tops dry and ugly. The lower limbs of the trees keep healthy and grow considerably every year. The trees are so large and high I can't get anyone to go to the top to cut off the dead wood. What is the cause of the death in the trees and what remedy would you suggest ? — W. W. F., London, Ont. The Caiia itait Ilorticttltnrist. 235 Reply by T. M. Grover, Xorwooil, Out. This oak, of which it is said a few top liml)s die yearly, is probably too large to be permanently preserved. The death of an additional part is per- haps due to the root being very long in some parts and reaching a soil unsuit- able to nourish it. It has got to a stratum of rock, wet clay, or got expos- ed to some injury or change by drain- age, excavation or mutilation. but there are plenty of men in London wlio will ascend that tree and cut out the dead limb ; and fortunately the oak is one of the few trees that does not depend on the regularity of outlines for its beauty and, no matter how broken up, it may live grand and safe for generations. The Gooseberry Fruit-worm. (Diikniiiui coivoltitclla.) 69. I send to-day specimen gooseberrie.-; containing worms referred to by you in June HoRTicui.TDRisr. If you keep them a few days they will make a hole but will not leave the berries for somj time longer. We have also experience with the large green worm which webs a number of berries together. Those in- closed are more destructive. I inclose a speci- men of mildewed Industry. — W. ElJ.lsON Taylor, Beaver ton, Ont. Thi-: specimens sent us by Mr. Taylor contain the larva of the goose- berry fruit-worm. It is of a reddish- yellow tint, its bod\- tapers a little toward each extremity and its head is small, brown and horn)- looking as described in Prof. Saunders' work on Injurious Insects, and one of its dis- tinguishing characters is hanging down by a thread when disturbed. When full grown this worm trans- forms into a small brown crysalis, which lies hidden among the rid)l)ish on the ground imtil about the end of April, when the moth comes forth and is prepared to deposit its eggs upon the young gooseberries as soon as they are formed. The gathering of all the affected berries and destroying the larva they contain is about the only plan that has been advised. Dusting the bushes with air-slaked lime in spring time is also said to be usefid by de- terring the moth from depositing its egRs. OPEN LETTERS iss— Crops in Stormont. Sir, — The clerk of the weather has dealt so dl with us we have to own up, to having trusted too much to appearances, in our report last month. We prcdic'ed a fair crop of apples, and had blossom enough to feel sure of it, but apples are a coiii[)lete failure with us, and the few we have are as badly spotted as ever. Surely a wholesome rebuke conies here to our grumblers who last year had it thai apples were so plentiful they were not worth growing. They will miss their apple sauce this vear, and we can hardly pity them. Strawberries were a failure with us. Last year we picked i,cxx) baskets off quarter of an acre ; this year it took one and thiee-(|uarter acres to make up the same am juut. The few raspberries, currants and gooseberries we had, the birds devoured. We begin to see the pith of friend Dempsey's advice to us on this point —grow enough for the birds too — but their appetites are enormous, they open a market for us greater than our limited space can supply. They hay crop here is heavy, but to make hay when the sun shines may be good advice if you have the sunshine ; this season we have to take it by starts, between shower-, which fail us never. Constant rains have done us much "laniage. Wdl you or any of your readers kindly tell us how to kill Poison Ivy. We have it grow- ing around the roots of trees where plowmgis unpracticable. — Joh.n Croii,, Aultsville, /uly, rSSg. A New Strawberry. Sir, — -This berry originated in the garden of .S.D. Birchard.in Townshipof Scott, about forty 236 TJie Canadian Hortiadtnrist. miles north of Toronto, in 18S1. First noticed the berry as a seedling, and were so favorably impressed that we picked the plants of that kind, and when we moved to Watford we brought a few with us and continued to in- crease them, and have tested them and found them perfectly hardy. All callers praise them and say they are nicer than others previously handed to them. They are preferred in the market to anything we have. It is preferable to Crescent in hardiness and flavor. The plant is a vigorous upright grower, and the dark, glossy green foliage covers the fruit well from the sun. It is a perfect blossom and a good fertilizer for Crescent. We use no other. Fruit is very firm, perfect in form, inclined to be wedge-shape sometimes ; color, deep crim- son, pretty much same to centre when fully ripe. It is of a pleasant rich flavor, and about size of Crescent. It is a good shipper, firmer than Crescent, and a favorite with consumers. It is a few days later than Crescent. — O. F. BiRCHAKD, Kingscotirt, Out. Big Berries. SiR^ — Mr. W. S.Turner, of the Cornwall Manufacturing Co., is probably the most success- ful amateur gardener in Cornwall, having the faculty of taking an enormous quantity of stuff off a limited space, which after all, is the measure of a gardener's ability. Mr. Turner has paid a good deal of attention to strawberries, and his crop this year is something out of the common. He favored us on Monday with a basket which was well filled with twenty ber- ries, several of which measured over six inches in circumference. They are of the Jessie variety, which, with the Bubach, Mr. Turner considers the best variety he has struck yet. They are even larger than the Sharpless, and of a better shape, while the flavor is rich and luscious. We would advise anybody who has a strawberry patch to try Jessie. She's a daisy. To the above I would call particular atten- tion as also to another case I will cite giving evidence the most conclusive, that it is the thoroughly cultivated ground only, be the ex- tent large or small, that pays. Referring readers to Mr. Turner's excellent letter on Amateur Gardening, in the July num- ber of the Horticulturist, which I have read at the Farmers' Institute meeting at Corn- wall, and feel safe in saying it was the best paper on Horticultural matters laid before the meeting, and none met with a more favorable reception. I think because it was short, but not too short to give all the information the writer meant to convey. Pead his letter again, friends, in it you'll find multuni in parvo, and I think you will agree with me that I am giving Mr. Turner no more than his due. — John Croil, Aultsville. Robson's Seedling Plum. To the Scci-flaiy F. G. A ., 0/ Ontario : Dear Sir,— Knowing how deeply you are interested in any horticultural novelty, I trust you will pardon me for venturing to enlist your attention by describing a seedling plum which I have growing in my garden, and which by sheer accident I discovered it possessed the property of transforming itself into a soft, flexible and delicious prune perfectly cured, and will keep the year round without the least sign of becoming hard or dry. The way I discovered it was by simply leaving this plum in a closet in my tool-house with many others, to make an assortment for our Fall show last year, and having more of this kind than was wanted the balance was left in a small wooden tray all the winter. On opening the closet this spring I was much surprized to find this plum in a perfect state of preservation, very inviting in appearance, and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Beall pronounced it excellent in taste. Some of my horticultural friends think it must be valuable, to dry without sun or fire heat. I would have sent you a specimen, but, having only two left, and they being in a muti- lated state by opening them, to show the pit and flesh to many parties. I should be much pleased to have your opinion (or that of any of your numerous subscribers) respecting this — to me and many others a novelty in Canadian plums. — Yours truly, W. M. Robson, Lindsay. A Correction. Sir, — A typographical error in my letter, in the July number of the Horticulturist, respecting the Larue apple, causes the name of an old family in this section to appear as Snell. I should be Buell. The error is not of any great consequence, but as some of your readers might wish to communicate with the present owners of the property where the Larue apple originated, it is just as well to correct it. — J. J. Bell, BrockvilU, fuly, i88g. Fruit Prospects at Orillia. The frost destroyed our grape blossoms, with early tomatoes and beans, but was just too late to hurt the apples, which are as yet quite too thick on the trees. There is a second crop of grape blossoms which cannot ripen. Wild plums are a full crop, which has not been for years. Plenty of gooseberries, tame and wild. Wild strawberries, irregular ; garden ones, rather late. Pears numerous on the few bearing trees. A good season for newly planted trees and grafts. — J. CuPi'AGE. The Jessie. Sir, — Of the three plants, Jessie Straw- berry, I received from you in the spring of '88 The Canadian Horticulturist. ^17 only one is living. That one is a strong plant, vigorous grower, and has borne a very heavy crop of large berries. The largest one measured five inches around one way and four inches and a half the other way. I did not measure the diameter. It was quite ripe all through and of excellent flavor. I think the Jessie is all that it is claimed to be. — Yours truly, Tho.mas K. lludiiKS, Cote des Neiges, Montreal, Que., [illy 2, jSS,). Turpentine for Black Knot. Sir, — The black knot has made its appear- ance on two of my ]ilum trees. As soon as I saw it I thoui^ht I would try the linseed oil, but I had none at the house ; but I got some spirits of turpentine that I had in the house. I thought I would cure the black knot or kill the tree. I applied the turpentine with a feather, and in ten days the black knot was killed, and the unaffected part of the tree not any the worse, only where I had dropped the turpentine on the leaves they turned yellow. Hoping this will be of use to the fruit growers, I remain respectfully, Le\i Brilli.n- (JER, Gollingzvood, fuly 4th, i88g. Off to China. Sir, — A line 10 say good-bye. I am off two days hence for Vancouver, Yokohama, Hongkong, Singapore, India, etc., so shall not be at the horticultural meeting at Ottaw.i next winter. I did try hard, having this in view, to have the meeting held in Montreal last winter. — Yours truly, C. GiBH, Abbots- ford, Que., /uly ^th, i88g. The Crandall. Sir, — As to the ])roduclivenessof the Cran- tlall, it this year beats all we have ever claimed for it by far. Can you not come and see it next week, in the interests of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario. We think it will well pay you to do so, and see for your- self that the Crandall is the most productive of all small fruits of any kind or name. — \'ery truly yours, FuANK FoRDiV SON, Ravenna,0. Using Liquid Manure. •Sir, — I appreciate your ))ublications very much, and have tried carefully many hints published therein, in the cultivation of grapes, strawberries antl raspbtrries, these being the only fruits I have yet tried my fortune on. I have this year an abundant crop of straw- berries and a tine prospect for raspberries. The strawberries average an extra size, many measuring four to five inches in circumference. The plants are exceedingly full and strong, on some of which the berries just hang in clusters of one dozen to two dozen each, and some plants have three to four clu'-ters. I received the ])lants from Mr. Robinson, Owen .Sound, two years ago. They were good plants, but I atlriljute my success to my persistent watering with litjuid manure. This hint I saw in a .Scotch paper last year, that to make a success of straivl'erriei, raspherricn and ros<'j use li(|uid manure freely. — 1 am yours truly, J. I). Henderson, Toronto, Out. The Conn Gooseberry. .Sir, — Per to-day's mail I send you four King Conn gooseberries just picked to-day. I got six bushes from Mr. Conn at Kemptville, one year ago, and they had a few berries on last year and they made good growth, and this year are just covered with berries such as I send you. I have Smiths and Houghton and Industry growing in the same row with th^se King Conns, und the others are all more or less mildewed, but the Conn shows no sign of mildew, and the foliage looks as though it were made of green leather. I am delighted with this variety and would heartily advise every person to invest in a few, as they are first-class in every respect. — Levi .Sei.i ick. Varieties of Small Fruits at London. .Sir : — I have three acres of Ikandywine raspberries, which I think has no ec|ual on the Continent. It is a large berry, firm, of excel- lent quality, and hardy in every respect. I have one acre of the Turner, some Cuthburt and .Shaffer's Collossal, but they are nowhere coinpired to the Brandywine. I have one acre of the Mammoth Cluster, a splendid berry and a good bearer, also some of the Kittatinny. The price of raspberries at the present time in the city of London, wholesale, is ten cents per box ; which I think pays well indeed. I intend to enlarge and set out more fruit. I expect to take a trip to Grimsby and .St. ( atharines this fall, and so inspect some of the fruit growers' gardens in the Niagara district. The (irape I received last year ma^ e a splen- did growth, and the Vergennes I received this spring was doing well when the heavy frost took it, but it has recovered and is growing nicely now. — Ja.me.sA. Pool, London East, July Jjth. Russian Letter. Sir, I thank you very much for your kind reply, and also for sending ine the very inter- esting Report of the Fruit Groweis' Association of Ontario. Will you have the kindness to say to the members at the next meeting of that respectable society, that I wish them to nccept my best wishes for the prosperity of that body, but also that I am ready at any time to send them, without remuneration, some grafts and seeds of our fruits, in response to any selection 238 The Caiiadian Horticulturist. they may wish to make, and that I take the most Hvely interest in all the affairs of the society. It is to be regretted that ihe Russian productions have lost their true names in Am- erica, which is the only means we have of knowing the kinds you lack, and U is therefore difficult to complete your collect ons. It would be desirable that besides the English name, there be placed, in parenthesis, the correspond- ing one in Russian. They say ihal the nom- enclature of fruits is not estab i-hed with us; but tell me, on the other hand, where it is established ? In America only perhaps, and that because the country is young and the varie- ties are new. But bye-and-bye, as in Europe, each fruit will have a dozen synonyms. Yet, in spite oi the chaos of our nomen- clature, we have some persons who know per- fectly well the Russian fruits, but it is not necessary to search for them among the foreign botanists at the botanic gaiden of St. Peters- burg and at the Academy of Peter the Great of Moscow. I would like if you would send me the fol- lowing : (i) As many scions as possible of the Idaho Pear, which interests us very much. (2) An assortment, pretty large, but choice, of Canadian apples, 10 or 15 scions of each variety. (3) Some seeds of grapes which ripen in Canada. (4) Some stones of Can- adian plums. I will send you next winter for distribution among the members ol the Society, some scions, of " Stone- Antonovka," some bushes of " Koslov Morello " and soma pears which are hardy. I will send you from time to time some notes of Russian fruits and vegetables which may be cultivated in Canada. — Jaroslav NiEMETZ, Counsellor of State, Odessa, June 2S, i88g. The Belle de Boseoop Apple. Sir, — Would you, or some of the subscrib- ers to your valuable paper, give me informalion about the keeping qualities of the Belle de Boseoop apple. I had about one-half bushel off a top graft, and my children found them so good ihat they disappeared early in January. The grafts made a very vigorous growth, the fruit in shape being very much like Ben Davis and far better in quality, but not quite as well coloured. I sold the last of the Ben Davis on the 8th of June, and if the Belle de Boseoop was as good a keeper I would prefer planting it. I began selling Yellow Transparent the last week in July and finished the jlen Davis the first week in June, making a lor g season to sell apples in. This cold wet June is causing our Fameuse to spot. I have always noticed that a season too cold for corn to grow is a time for apples to spot also. By the appearance of the trees at the present time, those that are free from spot are the Yellow Transparent, Wealthy, Golden White, Alexander, Ben Davis and Golden Russett, the two last having immense crops- Nothing like Paris green for the tent and other caterpillar. I tried one of the McGee force pumps but they were no use for large orchards; the wooden piston soon wire out and sent as much poison on our faces as on the trees. I would advise our friend Mr. Croil to get the National force pump manufactured by J. A. McMartin, Craig St., Montreal. He supplies the hose, nozzle, etc., ready to be applied to an empty coal oil barrel. I used it on twenty-tive acres of orchard and eighteen acres of potatoes The price was $12, and I would not do without it for a g od deal. — R. Brodie, St. Henry, 0/ AJentreal. Note. — We have not this apple, and have enquired of Dr. Hoskins, of Vermont, who writes: " I have no experience with the Belle de Boseoop, except so far as to have learned that it is not haidy here. Wellington County. Sir, — I see by the Horticulturist that you received leporls from a number of counties giving the results of Jack Frost's sad havoc. So far as this part of the country is affected I might say it is ditto to most of the others. Apples, plums, pears and cherries are very much a failure. Gooseberries and currents are a fair crop. Raspberries very scarce. Grapes of course are nowhere, altnough a good num- ber of the dormant buds started making new shoots and setting a few bunches of fruit. Still the season is too short for their maturi;y. So far as apples, plums and cherries are concerned they won't be all lost for they required a rest from last year's production. I may state to you that this has been a year of discovery with me. I have really solved the problem of effectually stopping mildew on the gooseberry. My Whitsmiths and Industries were badly affected with it but I saved both bushes and crop in good order. I also think I have discovered how to prevent the black currant borer. None of the Llack currants have dropped off this season so far, and the gooseberries much less than formerly and if I had repeated the opera- tion with the last I believe my success would have been all I could expect. I have also succeeded in growing both the grape and plum from green cuttings (not bad for an ama- teur) although I presume it is no secret to your professionals. I am glad to see the Horticulturist keep- abreast of the times. It is now a valuable dis- penser of knowledge in its sphere. — F. W. Porter, Mount Forest, Ont., 2jth July, i88<). Encouraging Words From the Cold North. I SEND your by this mail samples of the Vladimir and Wragg ^cherries. The Vladimir The Canadian Hortiadtnrist. !39 has been growing on my grounds for four years and appears as yet to be cjuite hardy. It is of a low fjrowing bushy habit, but as mine has been planted in such a place as to be mostly below the snow line in winter, I would not like to speak positively as to its cold-resisting properties when entirely expo-ied. The in- dications, however, are that it will be t|uite " ironclad " enough for our inclement winters. Unfortunately the fruit is not as good as we would like, but will do where we can get no better. The Wragg cherry mentioned above is one of which I hope much. It was sent me three years ago from Central Iowa where it originated. There, it has been tested for fifteen years with favorable results. The fruit is large, of a dark- ish red colour, resembling the English Morello, and a great improvement in quality on the Vladimir. The tree is an early bearer and has every indication of being hardy enough for our test winters without injury. Mine is still only a small tree and I would not like to speak too confidently of it till I have a more extended trial of it. Our northern friends should certainly give it a fair trial and I do not think they will be dis- ajipointed. — A. A. Wrujht, Renfreiv, /uly, The Detroit International Fair. Your kind favor of the 20th inst., arrived during my absence from home, in attendance upon the summer meeting of our slate Horti- cultural Society and at Detroit, to effect the preliminary arrangements for our department of the fair. The buildings and grounds are already in a state of forwardness ; and the arrangements are being matured on the most permanent and effect- ive basis ; the convenience of access from the city by street cars, railway, and steamer could hardly be improved, and the roomy and gen- erally satisfactory arrangements of the building promises to be all that need be desired. I regret that your Society cannot exhibit as such ; am greatly obliged for your expressed purpose to invite attention to the matter through the Horticulturist ; and trust to receive individual exhibits as suggested. I will send premium lists whenever desired. — T. T. Lyo.v, South Haven, Mich., /uly, 2gih. OUR FRUIT MARKETS. Montreal. We sold some Canadian Peaches to-day, $1.40 per basket ; blackberries, 10 to I2cts. ; blackrasps, 7 to lO cts. ; raspberries, 11 to 13 ct*.; apples, all Southern stock, selling well, $3.25 per bbl. About 1,500 bbls. per week arrives of that stock. — Vii'OM), McBride & Co. We have to report our market a little lower on red raspberries to-day. They sold as fol- lows this morning: — Red raspberries, 12 cts. ; black raspberries, 7 cts. : black thimble berries, 14 cts.; Canadian peaches, per basket, $1.50 ; red cherries, $1.50. W^e have had a few Canadian pears on this market, but they were very small and poor, l)ut we expect that the next few days will bring in a good many ; and, as the crop is large, we would advise our ship- pers to get them into market as soon as pos- sible. Apples selling at $3.50 per barrel. All consienments shall have our very best care. — [.J. Vll'OND&Co. OUR BOOK TABLE. Annual Report ok the Secretary i-or AGRICULTURE, Nova .Scotia, 1888. A. B. C. IN Cheese Making, a pamphlet by J. H. Monard, Winnetka, III. Price 25c. Prize List, Industrial Exhibition, Toronto, September 9-21, 1889. H. J. Mill, Manager. Calenparc^ueen's College AND Univer- sity, Kingston, Canada, for year 1889-90. Report Agricultural E.xperi.mental Station of the University ok Minnesota, E. D. Porter, Director. Prize List Central Canada Fair, Ottawa, 9th to 14th September, 18S9. Ofiice, 39 Queen .Street, Ottawa. Premium List Detroit Intern.ational Fair& Exposition, September 17th to 27th, 18S9. C. \V. Robinson. < General Manager. Detroit, Michigan. The Horticultural Depart- ment of this Fair is to be under the charge of 240 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. the Michigan State Horticultural Society, and bound volume of 477 pages. It differs from therefore is of special interest to us as members ours in several particulars, and especially in of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. A having a large number of sub-reports from letter has been received from President Lyon, various committees, and from the various local of New Haven, Michigan, asking that we horticultural societies of the state. This lat- should make an exhibit as an Association. ter feature might, i^erhaps, be very wisely This the Directors thought not best to attempt, adopted by. us, if the secretaries of all local but at the same time would call the attention societies in Ontario would send in their ad- of all members of our Association to this Fair, dresses and in response to our call, give us some who may receive prize lisis on application to account of their year's work for publication. Mr. T. T. Lyon. His letter also appears in There are also two dozen committees on another column. such subjects as Floriculture, Small Fruits, Vegetable Gardening, Deciduous Trees, Rus- HORTICULTURE IN MINNESOTA. — We sian Fruits, Forestry, Ornithology, etc., etc., have just received the Report of the Min- all of which are expected to report at the nesota Stale Horticultural Society, a well annual meeting following their appointment. GARDENER'S SONG. H ! a gardener's life is as pleasant a life As a working-man's can be : Tis a glad pursuit to plant the root. And nurse the flower and tree. His life is set to ceaseless song, Sweeter than poet can sing, Warbled in notes frorn the feather'd throats Of the birds, from summer to spring. And doth he not make the wildest brake Gay as a conqueror's fleet ? For his strong right hand is the magic wand That brings fresh flowers to our feet. With a sneer or a frown a man may look down Upon many ignoble trades ; But Purple and Pride even dare not deride The work of the King of Spades. The oldest craft known he claims as his own, The only work Heaven thought well Should be done by a man ere a trouble began, Or the " grand old gardener" fell. Then the inen of the spade should be proud of their trade, Invading no crowded mart, .Whose daily toil gives wealth to the soil, And joy to the home and heart. — Rowland Brown, in the " Gardener's Magazine. THE Vol. XII. SEPT EMBER, 18S9. No. 9 THE RED-FLOWERING DOGWOOD. \ ^ .7^ E have only one genus of ' » the Dogwood family in Ontario, viz., the Cornus, a name given it with reference to the hardness of its wood. Of this genus we have in Ontario seven species, to some of which we shall briefly refer. The Red Osier Dogwood {Cornus stolonifera) grows abundantly in the Niagara district, along our fences, and is a very ornamental bush on account of its bright red-purple branches and its white berries. The Bunch-berry (Connis Canadensis) is a small plant, which we found growing plentifully about Gravenhurst, and around Muskoka lake, blooming about the first of July. The Flowering Dog- wood {Cornus Florida) is a small tree, reaching sometimes a height of twenty or even thirty feet, and is very ornamental both in fruit and flower. The flowers are white, often tinged with a shade of pink, and the berries are a bright scarlet. Tiiis tree is very frequently met with in rocky woods in the Niagara dis- trict ; we have found it in flower aboat Grimsby , and near the village of Fonthiil, about the beginning of June. The Red Flowering Dogwood, of which our colored plate is an illustra- tion, is simply a variety of the latter species, and Mr. Thos. Meehan, of Germantown, Philadelphia, speaks of it as follows : — " In walking through the woods in Spring when the White Dogwoods are in bloom, we have often seen flowers that had quite a tinge of pink running through them, though not sufficient to make them particularly desirable. When this new red flowered variety was first introduced, many persons thought it was but one of these light pink forms, that was perhaps a trifle more marked than some of the wild white ones. Be- ing anxious to learn just what merit it possessed, through the kindness of the originator, we secured some flowers of it, and upon opening the box were agreeably surprised to find them of the most beautiful rosv pink 242 TJie Canadian Hortiadtnrist. color, somewhat bordering on red. A growing plant before ns also showed the leaves to have a rich velvety appearance, and to be darker than the white variety. So much so, that it was quite easy to dis- tinguish them, when growing side by side. The tree makes a close upright growth, another characteristic of its own. Whether the bunches of scarlet berries will follow after the flowers have dropped, we are unable to say, but we see no reason to the contrary. That this is undoubtedly a grand acquisition to the list of ornamental flowering trees, no one will doubt after seeing it in bloom. Can any- one imagine a more beautiful or unique group on the lawn, than the Red Flowered, the White Flowered and the Weeping Dogwood.' \y A RAMBLE IN VICTORIA PARK AND VICINITY. THE term of Lord Duff"erin's rule, as Governor-General of Can- ada, will long be had in grateful remembrance by that large and con- stantly increasing number of excur- sionists from both sides of the line, who, tired with the press of business cares whether of farm, orchard or office, seek much needed rest and recreation without incurring extrava- gant expenditure. It was in the autumn of 1878 that the suggestion concerning an International Park was made by Lord Dufferin to Gov- ernor Robinson, of New York, and in May 1888, that the Victoria Niagara Falls Park was opened to visitors ; that on the American side having been opened some three years pre- viously. To any one who has not visited this park since its emancipation from private greed, the sense of relief, with which one can now view this world- renowned cataract and its surround- ings, is most gratifying. From the Clifton House right away past the Horse-shoe Falls, for a distance of two and a half miles, an area of some one hundred and fifty acres has been improved and beautified by the park commissioners, in a manner which reflects credit upon their taste and good judgment. An eflfort has been made to restore to the whole sur- roundings, as much as possible, their natural beauty ; and to this end all unsightly buildings have been re- moved, and the dusty roadway by , the riverside replaced by a narrow walk, bordered with grass and trees, and here and there a rustic seat, and a drinking fountain. The rustic entrance is most appropriate in de- sign, and the boundary fences are made of almost invisible gas piping ; thus there is little to obstruct or to offend even the cultivated eye of the critical observer. THE FLORA of this locality is very rich, and the The Canadian Horticulturist. 243 botanical student will here find much a series of lectures in Hotan)- and to enrich his herbarium, it is stated Geology, ten on each subject. We that as many as 500 species have believe this is the true way to study been identified, a list of which has these sciences, viz : — beginning with been compiled and published. No the objects themselves, and graduallj* wonder the iilea occurred to Prof, proceeding toward the technical and Panton, of the Ontario Agricultural the abstract. The contrast was very College, that here would be an admir- marked with the university mode of able point at which to gather a band years ago, when we waded through of students for practical instruction books and took notes of lectures upon in the sciences of Botany and Geology these subjects, committing whole during the summer vacation. We pages of technical names, and of met him on the afternoon of Tuesday, classifications, without so much as the 23rd of July, leading a band of ever seeing the objects themselves, twenty-six ladies and gentlemen, for In our ramble along the river an excursion along the river margin margin we found a beautiful speci- in search of specimens for analysing, men of Campanula Americana, the tall Bell-flower, in full bloom, and also the coarse growing Polymnia Canadensis or Leaf Cup, which is onl}- known to occur here. But tlie richest returns were found in the walk to the DUFFERIN ISLANDS than which a more attractive re- sort for the lover of Nature can not well be imagined. " Riverside Ramble;" " Lovers' Walk "; " Lov- ers' Retreat," etc., are names sugges- cach one with his cojiy of Spotton's tive enough of romantic retirement ; Botany, and many of them provided and the realit)' is no disappointment, with tin boxes slung from the shoulder Amid the dense forest growth for the better preservation of the through which these walks are laid plants. Many of the students were out, leading the rambler across rustic teachers preparing in this way for bridges, along streams and brooks, more thorough work in their own lined with ferns and wild shrubs of schools. We followed the peripa- many species, numerous fine speci- tetic Professor on an excursion along mens were found. Daphne ineze- the margin of the river, listening to renin was there in abundance, with his practical method of teaching ; its load of red berries, as also was and on the following morning at- Actaea spicata, with similar fruit, tended two of his morning lectures, known commonly as the Baneberry. The course, it seems, extends over a Onoclea sensibilis or the Sensitive period of two weeks, and consists of fern, grows abundantly in wet places Fig. 63 — The Princii'al Entkanxe, 244 The Canadian Horticnlturist. on these islands. Alonji^ the border of a marshy place, peeping through the grasses, we found the pretty httle hght-blue flower of Lobelia Kaliiiii, and, near by, plants of the strong scented Hcdconia, or Mock Penny- royal. Laden with such treasures as these, we found our wa}- to our head- quarters for rest and refreshment. Finding that we were in the vicin- it}' of the great Lund\'s Lane, and He plants his currants, gooseberries raspberries, etc., all six feet one way and four feet the other, so that he can cultivate two ways, a great sav- ing of hand labor over the common method of planting in rows one way only. He complains that the Sou- hegans and Tylers have suffered very much from rust. The same was also true of the Saunders, of which he has quite a large number. He does not Fig. 64 — American Falls— from Bluff Overlooking Park. that the whole neighborhood was devoted more or less to FRUIT CULTURE, we decided to trace out some mem- bers of our fruit-growing fraternity. We were soon directed to the resi- dence of Mr. E. Morden, who took pleasure in showing us over his plantation of small fruits. Although his place is not large, only twenty- five acres, of which twelve are devoted to fruit culture and the propagation of plants, it is a model of cleanliness ; a point worthy of mention in these days of grass-grown vineyards and ' shabbily kept raspberry plantations. recommend this variety, both on account of rust and because its small size and poor color make it less attractive than the Shaffer. This latter variety he has tested pretty well, but in size our plants and fruit at Grimsby are ahead. He says he has no difficulty in selling the fruit when once it is known, but otherwise its color is a serious objection. From a commercial point of view he would place the Shaffer ahead of the Gregg, as it is more productive, but he does not consider it equal to the Cuthbert for profit. He thinks well of the Honey Locust as a hedge plant. He has one now about five years planted The Canadian Horticulturist. ?45 and it is a sufficient l)anier to turn l)est prices, W'e are not surprised cattle. Mr. Morden sells all his fruit therefore to find that he is an on the American side of the river, ardent advocate of Conniiercial where he claims that he can sfet tin,' Union. SEASONABLE HINTS FOR FRUIT GROWERS. OXIC }'ear ago, on page 195, vol- ume xi., of this journal, we gave our readers some information upon the (]uickest methods of packing apples for shipping to foreign mar- kets, with an engraving of a conveni- ent packing table, one of a handy crate to be usetl in tlie orchard for bring- ing apples into the packing house, and making some reference also to a Yankee invention for gathering apples, an illustration of which has been given on page 149 of the pres- ent volume. Progress and improv- ment being the motto of Canadian fruit growers, we hope that a year's experience has taught us something worthy of mention in addition to what we knew a year ago. FOR N'KAR MARKKTS, there is nothing gained as a rule in gathering fruit of any kind before it has attained its full beauty, and a certain degree of ripeness. It is a great temptation to do this when prices are up, and a drop is feared, but immature fruit is a drug in a dealer's hands, and the shipper soon receives word that no more is wanted. Experience only, however, can tit a man to judge just in what stage of ripeness a fruit should be gathered. The writer has, for some years, been in the habit of growing summer apples for near city markets, and has learned some lessons in this respect. He has one hundred and twenty bearing trees of Red Astracans, and no kind has proved to be more re- munerative when properly liandled. Our practice is to go over each tree about twice a week for about three weeks, taking off the fruit as it ripens and colors up. The Astracan, is a beautiful apple, when it has its full color, but to get it just in its prime of excellence the trees must be gone over very often. As fast as gathered they are brought into the packing liouse in a spring wagon, and assorted. They are turned out upon an in- clined packing table, and the extras, or perfectl}- formed, highly colored fruit, such as is suitable for table use and dessert purposes, is packed very carefully by itself in baskets, while all the rest is put up in barrels. None but the very finest will pay for the trouble of putting up in baskets and sending into market by express, the rest will do much better in barrels. We found that b\" carefullv keeping our fruit up to sample we could get a pretty constant price for it right through the season, even when apples were coming in abundantly. The\- seemed to become known and sought for in the market. 246 TJie Ciiuadian Horticuitui ist. It is a great deal of trouble to gather a crop of apples in this way, and to do it on a large scale requires constant attention. Sum- mer apples would not pay the farmer, for they need harvesting just when he is busy with farm crops. Just now, for example, (Aug. 13th) a part of our force has to be detached to harvest a field of oats, and that means a waste of pears and apples that are now ripening, and in most seasons, it would be of peaches also. An APPLE-PICKER is a useful tool in gathering the first ripe apples and peaches, very often saving the use of a ladder where it would otherwise need to be set up and climbed for a single specimen in a place. We use the apple-picker described on page 283 of volume ix, but a device that will answer the purpose, may be easily made at home on a rainy day at a trifling expense. We noticed a description of one in the Kansas Fanner, by Wm. C. Cole- man, which we give for the benefit of any one of our readers who may desire to have a home-made one : — Take a hard-wood board one inch thick, mark on it a circle seven and one-half inches in diameter, inside of this draw another circle six inches in diameter, between the two circle> bore one-fourth inch holes one and one-half inches apart, cut the wood away from the outside circle, and you have the back of the apple-picker. Next, make enough round, hard- wood pegs, six inches long, to till the holes. Before driving in the pegs fasten the handle to the back. The handle should be a light strong pole, six or eight feet long. Now diive in the pegs or teeth, be careful not to drive too hard and split the back. When it is finished it looks so simple that you wonder you hadn't thought of it long ago. With it you can pick the choicest apples, which always grow on the top branches, without bruising ; and instead of standing on a ladder all day you can pick most of your apples from the ground. TRE.-\TMENT OF THE RASPBERRY PLANTATION. Many of our fruit growers neglect to cut out the old canes of their rasp- berry and blackberry bushes until the spring after they have fruited, either from neglect or because of a notion that they afford some pro- tection to the young canes. The only possible use in this respect, which they can serve, is in helping to gather snow banks about them, a very mefhcient means of securing winter protection. If in a place where it is necessary to protect them, some better method should be adopted than that of leaving a mass of ugly, straggling brush standing in the rows, impeding the growth of the young shoots and spoiling the whole appearance of the plantation. To this we will refer in a future number ; and in the meantime ad- vise our readers, if they have not alreadv done so, to make no delay in cutting out the old canes, and in thinning out the new ones to three or four from each stool ; for this will allow all the strength to go to the development of the bearing canes for the next )'ear, and give more room for their proper development. Some of the small fruit growers at Grimsby have just completed the task of clearing up their plantations in this way, and the better condition for growth and fruit bearing strikes even the least observant passer-by. Where the canes were shortened back in the month of July, it will now be in order to cut back the side shoots, especially of the blackberr}- bushes ; for the greater number of fruit buds that we can grow near the The Catiadian Horticulturist. M7 ground, the better. All this rubbish ought to be gathered up and burned, if any reputation is wanted as a tidy cultivator. STKAWBKRRV PLANTS. We hear a great deal about potted plants, and no doubt that for remov- ing a long distance, they are very desirable ; but on one's own place, in a wet time, young plants may be removed quite as successfully without any pots. They may be lifted witli a spade and a ball of earth, in such a manner as to be almost unchecked in growth, and if done before the end of August, the)- will bear a fair crop the next year. Wm. Falconer says in a late number of the R. N. Y., that from plants set in July or Au- gust, he gets a capital crop the fol- lowing June, and invariably his largest berries. The jffssic receives a great variety of criticisms, both favorable and adverse. Our own were in no wa}- disappointing, being fully up in size to all e.xpectations. But most peo- ple are too ready to pass judgment on a new thing, after the very slight- est experience. It is not enough to have a few plants in the garden ; one needs a large plantation to be able to judge fairly. Secretary Williams, of New Jersey, speaks very favorably of this berry, but prefers the Pearl, because more regular in shape. The fessie is larger, but has a tendency, inherited from the Sharpless, to ripen unevenly, and to lose its flavor soon after ripening. Of the Bnbacli he speaks very favorably as follows : " Bubach is the most promising of the newer \arieties, fruiting with me this season for the first time. It is early, large, bright-colored, handsome, vigorous and productive, and ripens evenly — all valuable traits in any berry. The (juality is hardh- up to that of some of the others, but still I think it will do to plant more of it." Secy. Craw- ford also commends the Bubach as being the " largest berry that bears a heavy crop. The plant is faultless. The blossom is pistillate and quite hardy. The berry is not firm enough for a distant market, but it is the berry for a home market. Little's No. 4., a seedling of our old friend, Mr. John Little, of Granton, is also highly commended by Mr. Crawford. He says " This was the finest berry, all things considered, that I fruited this season. The plant is strong and vigorous, has a perfect blossom, and continues in bloom a very long time. I think it is the most productive very large berr}- that I have ever seen." This accords with our own experience with it this season. Its free bearing and im- mense size were points that we noted down especially, but we intended to give it another year's trial before speaking of it. We have now about fifty varieties under trial at Maplehurst, and we hope to make the results helpful to the members of our Association in course of time. 248 TJic Canadian Hortic?utnn'st. SUCCESS WITH ENGLISH GOOSEBERRIES. i\ J R. EDITOR,— Thegooseberr}- iVl season being now nearly over, I shall give your readers a few words regarding some experiments which I have been making with English varie- ties of that fruit. I have been testing forty different kinds, and am con- vinced that Avith generous treatment and careful pruning, with a view to renewing the wood, the only thing to be dreaded is overbearing. If the bushes are not allowed to rest, by stripping them almost entirely of their fruit, at least once in eight years, there is a great likelihood of the bushes becoming exhausted, and eventually dying. This has been my experience wath the Crown Bob, \Miitesmith, Red Warrington and Ocean Wave, which I have grown for the last fifteen years. During that time I have had an abundant crop every year, except with the exhausted bushes, and have had no trace of mildew on any of the English sorts. I feel persuaded that on a clay or clay loam soil with proper care mildew need not be feared; on sandy soil or a sandy loam I have no experience and cannot speak. I know of no other small fruit which will give such abundant crops or so well reward the labor of its cultivator. I am in favor of training the bushes to a single stem of about eight inches from the surface of the ground to where they branch out. I have tried stems fifteen inches high but found the plants were not so vigorous in growth, did not bear so heavily, and were not so long-lived. The nearer the ground, while securing a free circulation of air under the branches, the better. The severe frost this spring caused a good many of the blossoms and parti}- formed fruit to drop off, and the intense heat in July injured many more, causing them to whiten on the side exposed to the rays of the sun, and by and by to drop off, while others not so badly scalded by the sun were so injured that the}^ did not mature properly. The In dustr}- suffered most from the heat. Fully one-half dropped oft' and the remainder were so injured that I failed to get a single good berry. My experience of this variety leads me to believe that it has been greatl}' over-estimated. It has not yielded such large crops nor is it equal in quality to the most of the English sorts which I have tested. The following tabulated statement, which will be found on the next page, is the result of my experience : — The others, I have not their names or have not sufiiciently tried them to decide on their merits. In conclusion I would suggest that some of our hybridizers would be rewarded by hybridizing with the pollen of some good English variety on the best American, and would confer a great boon upon those whose soil is sand}'. TJie Cafiadiaii Horticulturist. ?49 ANALYSIS OF SIZE, Etc., OF GOOSEBERRIES. Name. Red \akiei ies. Industry London Speedwell Red Warrington . Lancashire Lad . Ritleman Dan's Mi5taiuke of Sutherland . . Freedom Jolly Angler Stockwell Ringer V'ellow Varieties. Two to one. . . Companion Coiner Shiner Princess Royal. . . Leveller Queen of Trumps. Catherina IMunder Overseer Keepsake Champagne White Varieties. Whitesmith Size. 3 X 2>^ y/z X 234 3Xx2^ 3Xx2i4: 3^x3-4: 3^4 X 1% 4 X 3>^ 3>^ x3 4 4 4 4 X3X X3X x3 X3X y/z 4^x3^ 3^x3X 4 x3>^ x3>^ x3 ^y/z y/2 4 3^ y/2 4 X 3 X3K yi X 3X 3'A ^3 4 X 3>^ 3>^x3 Quality. Moderate Good Excellent Deliciou.s Excellent Good Not a good table but rxcellent preserving Superior Bp.aring. Good bearer Heavy bearer Good bearer 'Superior Very good Good Moderate Good Superior Excellent Heavy bearer Good bearer Heavy bearer I Very heavy bearer I I Heavy bearer {Abundant !Good bearer (not j fully tested) Abundant Abundant August, li A. Morton, Brampton, Out. PREVENTION OF GOOSEBERRY MILDEW. IN the August number of the Horti- culturist Mr. F. \V. Porter, of Mount Forest, writes that he has solved the problem of effectually stopping the mildew on the goose, berry. The experiences of another year in gooseberry culture have added further strength to my convic- tion that plenty of air, plenty of sun- light and a liberal use of hardwood ashes as a top dressing are all that one requires to effectually prevent mildew. The solution, j'ou will see then, is a very simple and natural one. For three years I have e.xperi- mented with ashes in gooseberry 250 The Canadian Horticulturist culture, and my success has been gratifying in the highest degree. Last year every grower of the White- smith in town, except myself, com- plained that the fruit was not worth picking on account of tne mildew. Out of my fifty bushes of that variety not a single specimen could be found that was not as clean and bright as it is possible for a berr}' to be. This year other growers in town have suffered to a greater or less extent, while I have invited my friends to go through my Whitesmiths, Golden Drop, Industry, Crown Bob, and a large English variety, and find a mildewed specimen if they could. They could not do it. My soil is a clay loam with a western slope, giv- ing it a fair natural drainage. I have my Whitesmiths planted five feet apart and Industry four feet apart, in the row, with six feet between the rows. I dig about the bushes every spring and apply a coat of ashes immediately underneath them every second year ; and for size and thriftiness of bush, for heavy bearing and for the size and perfection of the fruit several experts have told me that my garden excelled anything they had seen. Now, in this matter I do not claim to have solved any problem. Nature's methods are perfect and if unobstructed in her operations she will give perfect results. Let the sunlight into the bushes ; give plenty of room for a free circulation of air ; purify the soil with unleached ashes and if the results are not satisfactory I have studied nature's methods and operations in vain, and my faith and confidence in her laws governing the vegetable kingdom have been mis- placed.— T. H. Race, Mitchell, Aug. 77, i88g. A NEW JERSEYMAN'S REVIEW OF THE STRAW- BERRY SEASON. CRYSTAL CITY came in a week ahead of other varieties. We have tried nothing yet which will take the place of it for the table as it is so early and so good, but it is not sufficiently productive for the mar- ket. May King is also a necessity on account of its extra quality, and it sometimes produces paying cro[)s for market, but oftener not over two- thirds as much as Crescent and other market sorts. Among newer varieties Warjield No 2 is most promising for market. It is pistillate, and an immense run- ner like the Crescent, and like that makes rather small plants under or- dinar}' circumstances, but the berries are fifty per cent, larger on an aver- age through the season, firmer and of better color, and at least as pro- ductive, a small plat of them (1-40 of an acre) having produced this season at the rate of nearly 7,000 qts. per acre with ordinary treatment. This berry is broadly conical with a slight neck, of a bright crimson scarlet as usually picked for market, coloring all over very evenly. When fully ripe it is a dark glossy crimson. It is, however, too acid to eat without plenty of sugar and cream. Decidedly promising. The Canadian Horticnltnrist. 25' Hnvcrland, another pistillate va- rietv, is equally larj^e and productive, and would be equal as a market ber- ry if not rather light in color which is a light scarlet. It is not so acid as W'arfield, but rather watery and insipid in flavor. _ Some of these, which were transplanted in May, when nearly ready to bloom, pro- duced a fair crop. Gaudy is a prom- ising very late variet)', being this season just two weeks later than Crystal city. It is an exceptionally strong grower, and the first berries which ripened were the largest of the season, but the balance of the crop has not kept up the extra size. In color it is a bright scarlet; the quali- ty is good, and it is firmer than any other variety we ever tried, except Atlantic, but it has not this season produced enough to make it a paying variety for market, and a considera- ble per cent, of the berries have a hard tip. In spite of these defects, however, we value it highl)- as a late variety for our table, and think it has come to sta}-. We hoped to see jfessie turn out a bigger crop this season than last but it has not done so, and although it has some excellent qualities as a market • berry, prominent among which is great firmness, we fear that for our section, it will only be retain- ed for its extra quality, and will not be much grown for market. It also has the fault of being verv variable in size, producing some very large berries and quite as many small ones, Biibnch No. j, is remarkable for size of growth, very large and very productive, yet I do not like it ; it is soft, and most of the berries cocks- combed with deep and irregular su- tures between the lobes. Boiiiha, with us, rusted both last year and this worse than an\' other variety, and of course the fruit was worthless. Pearl I has only been fruiting on very poor sandy land without culture, and it produced all that could be reasonabl)' expected. The berries are good size and good in quality and fairly firm, but not very bright in color. Plants which we set in September last on good soil are making a vigorous growth. Cloud's Si'cdli)ig set this spring gives promise of being more produc- tive, and of larger size than any other very early variety we have yet seen, and it is of fairly good (juality, but not nearly as good as Crystal City. Among older varieties which have some excellent points we shall retain Prince of Berries and Indiana, the former for its good quality and late- ness ; both would be good market vatieties li a. little more productive. — ir. F. Bassett, in Popular Garden- GRAIN AND FRUIT A POOR COMBINATION. THKOWI\(; AWAV THK I'OUNO TO CET THE PENNV. TI I K practice of sowing wheat, oats or barley in orchards even after they have reachedfairbearing age, seems to be still finite common among farmers. At least orchards thus treated can be found in every neighborhood. On its very face the practice appears like rob- bing Peter to pay Paul. In fact, it is much worse. ^Ve should bear in mind that the same amount ot plant food needed for the production of thirty bushels of wheat is more than sufficient for the production of 600 bushels of apples, or a corresponding (juantity of other fruits. Suppose an acre of apple orchard contains sufficient plant food for thirty bushels of wheat crop. If we devote all this raw material to its legiti- ^52 The Canadian HorticuUurist. mate purpose (the production of fruit) we will raise on that acre, say 600 bush- els of good apples, worth $1 50 or up- wards. Many farmers, not satisfied with this, attempt a system of double cropping, and sowing wheat among the trees, use up half of the plant food in the production of fifteen bushels of wheat, worth not over $15, thus leaving only raw material enough for half a crop of apples. In the spring the trees had made all preparations for a full crop, setting fruit freely, and this fruit, for the want of the needed supply of food which the wheat has consumed meanwhile, remains part- ly undeveloped and undersized, so that the market value of even that half crop grown is greatly impaired. The half crop will certainly not be worth half the money, and the 300 bushels are much more liable to bring less than $60 than to bring more. Now let us compare results. The apples grown without grain gave us $150. From the grain and fruit combination we receive $60 for fruit and $15 for grain, an aggregate of $75. This amounts to a loss of $75 per acre ; and it is a loss plainly tra- ceable to double cropping. In other words, the cost of production of every bushel of wheat grown in a bearing orchard is not less than $5. I think this is a plain statement, and should convince every grower the extreme folly of the practice. Now I might follow up this line of inquiry, and also call at- tention to the sickly look, the yellowish leaves, and the feeble growth generally found in orchards habitually cropped with grain. The loss, figured out, is not a temporary one. The injury to the trees themselves is still more serious, as it is permanent and in a measure ir- reparable. Robbed of the mineral plant food, the trees are stunted, and forever incapable of producing first- class fruit, unless, perhaps, by the most careful nursing afterwards. The best treatment that could be given to an orchard injudiciously put in grain last spring, is to let stock tramp down or eat up the halms before the grain is formed, or to mow it at this pe- riod and leave it right on the ground where it fell as a mulch. — T. G. R., in American Garden. CAUTION IN THE USE OF POISON. AT tlie latest meeting of the Social Science Association, reports proved that not one New England homestead out of twenty is conducted on correct sanitary princi- ples. The cellar, as 3'et built and used, is still almost invariably a pestilential adjunct to homes. Pro- bably the only means of avoiding the danger arising from these dug-outs, will be to dispense with them alto- gether. In their place we should build underground storehouses sepa- rate from the houses. Certainly it has become a criminal affair to reside and rear children above damp rooms in which are stored large quantities of vegetables and fruits undergoing a slow process of decomposition. The most care- ful attention to ventilation and re- moval of waste will not keep such apartments safe when located under our living and sleeping rooms. Re- cent scientific investigation has shown it to be beyond question that the typhoid fevers and diphtherias, with a thousand minor forms of disease, are traceable to precisely these causes. The skilled physician finding the disease, immediately searches for a neglected cellar, or sewer, or poison-infested well. But I desire to call attention to some other sources of danger. At this moment I am suffering TJie Canadian Horticulturist. 253 from a unique and jet not an un- common sort of poisoning. Havinj,' placed a lawn chair, covered with a coat of cheap green paint, in m)' study, the arsenic contained in the paint was volatized by the heat of the radiator until my whole system was penetrated with the mineral. It will be months before I will recover mv health. The use of arsenicated paints is growing more and more common, but should never be tolerated on furniture or wall inside the house. Green shades of wall paper are to be avoided as probably containing arsenic. Whole families have been poisoned by such apparently harm- less decorations. The extensive use now made of Paris green and other arsenical poisons should be a warning to us. Some of our ablest physicians insist that tliere are forms of disease trace- able directly to thepresenceof arsenic in the potato. This, I doubt, and yet it seems certain that the use of arsenic on vegetation more or less checking the perfectly healthy de- velopment of the leaves, produces a chemical change in the tubers de- trimental to health. It is getting almost impossible to purchase potatoes entirely free from a tinge of bitterness, while a very large part of the potatoes that find their way to market are quite unfit for use. Many farmers use five or ten times as much Paris green on a potato field as is necessar}' for the purpose of destroying the Colorado beetle. The practice of sprinkling Paris green into cabbage heads is criminal and inexcusable. I have recently seen the account of five persons having been killed by the use of such' cabbage. Probabh' there is no direct danger, from the recently derived method of sprajing apple and plum trees, to the fruit eater, but there is serious danger to those who handle the poisons. Paris green should be used and stored with every precaution. We are getting quite too familiar with the drug and are losing our fear of it. — Mai'vldiid Fanner. CULTIVATION OF PEACH ORCHARDS. IT has been our experience that the best cultivated orchards pay the best. The trees thrive admira- bly under the severest cultivation. It might seem that the mutilation of the roots of a tree, while in a grow- ing state and so near the stirface as are those of the peach, would enfee- ble or kill it outright. But it is not so. The aerating and pulverising of the soil more than compensates for the injurv to the roots. A leading an.l successful peach grower in Mi- chigan says : " It puts me out of pa- tience to hear any one whose opinion has any weight deprecate or discour- age in any way the most thorough cultivation. I liave an orchard which for eighteen years has been plowed annually, to the depth of five or six inches, some time in April or May ; then in about two weeks when the weeds have sprung up, a heavy harrow has been passed over both ways. After this when the weeds were stronger and larger, a two-horse cultivator set to run four or five inches in depth has been passed over from three to five times during the season. This is each season's culti- vation, and I suppose, according to many writer's views, that nn- trees ought to have been dead long ago ; and yet I believe there are more peaches of the best quality grown on the same number of trees than in any 254 The CanadiiiJi Horticulturist. other orchard in the State. Trees eighteen years old have made a growth of from one to three feet in one season while bearing a heavy crop. The cultivation required by the peach is simply to keep the surface mellow and free of weeds. In making the annual plowing in spring, it is well to use a light low plow, plow- ing very shallow. In afterculture and for keeping the surface clean and mel- low there is nothing better for per- forming the work rapidh* and thoroughly than the Acme harrow. — Orcliard and Gavdcii. THE SIMON'S PLUM. Editor of the Horticulturist. DEAR SIR,— I regret that through the effects of the late June frost I am not able to send you a per- fect sample of the Prumis Simoni this year, my tree only bearing two speci- mens and those not perfect. I send you one of them which was stung hy the curculio or some other insect and dropped off, and though not quite up to your plate in size in the July number, I think you will agree with me that it is considerably above one-quarterof it as it measures 5)^ inches in circumference ; and I think you will agree with me, also, that we must have a better strain of this plum than our pomological friend, Mr. \'an Deman, is accustomed to seeing, or that our Canadian soil is better adapted to their growth than that of the States. (The quality I do not expect to be perfect in its present partially decayed state.) — A. M. Smith. Note by Editor. — The sample is very well represented in our colored plate in color and form, and in size it falls so little short that the plate can hardly be called an exaggeration. Indeed there is upon the tree another which exceeds this one in size, and when fully matured will probably equal the representation. We think, in this case at least, that Mr. Van Deman's criticism was over severe. We may add that the aroma of this fruit is most agreeable, and the quality very good indeed. DECEASE OF REV. R. BURNET. WHEN we gave our readers the sketch of Mr. Burnet's life m our January No. we had little thought of having to chronicle his death before the end of the same year. This sad event took place at Milton, Ont., on August 13th, at the age of sixty-six, and the news will be received with sincere regret by the officers and members of our Associa- tion, to which he rendered such active service during his Presidency. The Canadian Horttcultiirist. 255 FLOWERS Support for Climbers Essential. A distinctive fact in plant growtli not gencrall}- thou<;ht of, is the waste of vital force in all vines unable to clasp surrounding objects by tendrils or by their young shoots. By actual experiment, the yield of flowers and fruits on uncared-for vines has been decreased sufficiently to prove that the little time needed to tend these plants at the proper season is a paying investment. Vege- table gardeners have long been aware of this in cultivating Lima Beans, although many of them may not know how very important it is to assist the tender tips to clasp the support. And the same rule governs growth and development of peas, especially the taller kinds. If no support is furnished them the inconvenience of gathering the crop is a small matter in comparison with the loss sustained by the plant in its efforts to climb as nature intended. The same law ap- plies to plants cultivated for the flowers. Annuals, such as Cobcea, Baclyana, Cypress-vine, etc., will produce finer and more blossoms if supplied with adequate support than if permitted to struggle along unas- sisted. Perennial wood-climbers are no exception. If we remove the sup- port from Wistarias, Tecomas, Cel- astrus, etc., their nature undergoes a change, and the inclination to climb is apparently lostj but if at any time some foreign body is placed near by, the old tendenc}- returns, and the young shoots eagerly clasp it and at once begin their normal upward growth. Gardeners have taken ad- vantage of this peculiarity, and, by close pruning as well as dispensing with any support, have metamor- phosed the climber into a pretty tree- like shrub. The solution of this ap- parent mystery is not difficult. The change of habit is due to loss of vital force occasioned by the plant's struggle for its natural condition. This same principle may be exem- plified in the grape, which, although producing a crop when pruned sev- erely and tied to a single stake, does not yield so abundantly as when growing freely over an adequate trellis. — Josiali Hoopcs, in N. Y. Weekly Tribune. Management of House Plants. Oni-: of the chief re(juisites in man- agement of house plants is plenty of sunshine, next an atmosphere neither too dry, nor too close, and a uniform temperature, lower during the night than during the day. Watering. — Rain water is better than spring, or well water. Hard water may be greatly improved by adding a drop or two of ammonia, or a little soda, a small nugget about the size of a pea to every gallon of water used. Morning is the best time to give water, and evening next. Never water house plants when the sun is shining brightly upon them. The supply of water must be regu- lated according to the demands of the plants. The condition of plant and soil is the best guide. Never give water when the soil is moist to the touch. Nearly all plants require more water when in bloom than at any other time, more in a warm tem- perature than in a cold, and more when m a state of active growth than when at rest. Plants in open rooms usually require water once a day and some demand it twice. Syringing. — Cleanliness is essen- tial. The leaves of plants should be kept free from dust, hence frequent washings are absolutely essential, although when watering, never wet 256 The Canadian Horticiiltutist. the flowers of a plant, nor allow drops of water to stand on X\^ leaves in the sunshine. Never allow water to stand in the saucers of the pots unless the plants are semi-aquatic. Water- ing supplies plant food or elements of fertility contained in itself and converts the plant food, or nourish- ment of the soil into a liquid form, so that it may be absorbed by the roots. The roots of a plant should be kept moist, not wet. Where the drainage is the most perfect, plants will gener- all}- be the healthiest and will need watering the oftenest. Give house plants as much light as possible during the day, and darkness with a lower temperature at night. A uniform temperature of 60 or 70 degrees in the daytime, and 40 to 45 degrees at night, will give the best results. Turning the plants toward the light should not be done, unless done regularly. Besides light, house plants require a good supply of fresh air. Ventilation is absolutely neces- sary. Refreshing Cut Flowers. — The question is often asked, " How can I restore or refresh this flower?" It may be a rare flower, or one that is prized highly, as the gift of a friend. In either case joy will follow its res- toration. Cut flowers have frequently been restored to freshness, even when every petal is drooping, by placing the stems in a cup of boiling hot water, leaving them until the petals have become quite smooth, then cut- ting off" the cooked ends and placing in luke warm water. For this pur- pose rainwater is thought preferable. Tlie freshness of cut flowers is due wholly to two conditions. Either evaporation from the flowers must be prevented by enclosing in a case containing a saturated atmosphere, or the evaporation must be supplied by moisture at the cut end or stem. This stem is composed mostly of woody fiber, or cellulose, whose power to absorb water soon dimin- ishes, hence to enable the stem to absorb the most water, the end must be frequently cut off. — Scc.C Watscn^ before Clyde Grange Nat. His. Soc. Fall Tpeatment of Roses. Dox't forget the roses this fall. Place a good covering of manure on the ground and fork it in very lightly next spring. Ever-blooming roses in the open ground must have special care. They should always be planted with two or three buds below the surface of the ground. There are very few tea roses hardy enough to winter out of doors in New England. But the hybrid teas and the Bourbons are hardier, and if they be killed to the gr'^und, the buds below the surface will send up strong canes that will give the best of blooms. Whether canes be killed to the ground or not, they should be cut off close to the earth every spring. The soiJ can hardly be made too rich for this class of roses. Before the ground freezes each fall, the earth should be drawn up around each plant in a little hill, and a heavy coat of manure applied. Then the en- tire bed should be covered thickly with evergreen boughs or a similar mulch. Hybrid perpetual roses should be care- fully bent to the ground and covered with the same material. Persian Yel- low and Harrison's Yellow are entirely hardy and need no protection. They should be pruned sparingly. But as these roses bloom better on new canes, it is well to have more than one plant and to prune each rather severely in al- ternate years, because these, especially the Persian, do not often throw up new canes as long as they have old wood upon which to grow flowers. Severe pruning induces new canes, and while it is growing, of course the plant does not produce so many blossoms. If one be setting roses this fall, he should re- member that to set them near large trees is fatal, as they will be starved to death, the trees robbing them of their nourishment. The Canadian Horticulturist. 257 foi^e:str.y LAWN TREES OF FAST GROWTH. Bv T. W. Grovkk, THERE are now several nurser- ies near the principal cities of the Eastern States making a busi- ness of supphing large trees, twenty or thirty feet in height, for newly made premises, and all the nursery- men say the demand for large trees is increasing. Purchasers insist on inmiediate effect, and, generally, re- gardless of expense, want a tree that will cast a shadow on the lawn to- day rather than a seedling in which is only a hope of a tree some day in the future. The forest planter, of course, is more concerned in securing a good seedling of any size and at a cost of money and trouble not too great to be calculated by the acre. A forest, containing the largest per centage of thrifty trees, is far more attractive than a single specimen of the greatest beauty when profit is considered in the planting. The removal of these large trees is not difficult. The system of preserv- ing a large ball of earth has been abandoned, and it is found that, pro- perly transplanting just after the death of the leaf and before its fall, the large tree is not more trouble than smaller trees or more risk on our Canadian lawns. If we were pay- ing five dollars each for trees, we would probably get discouraged if we found a percentage of loss, which we would not notice in trees at five dollars per hundred. H.A., Norwood, O.st. Witliout waiting for the time when we will have millionaire planters, we may have very handsome lawns by a little more pains taken with some of our fast-growing ordinary trees. Xo one but a nurseryman would believe the difference cultivation and care will make in the growth of any tree, or we would see more labor spent on nearly all our lawns. The best known American tree fanciers who have laid out lawns, which are now of scientific interest, usually cultivate all the soil about their tree, or groups of trees, as well as thoroughly fertilize and mulch them just as much as a fruit grower. The commonest tree we have, such as white ash, maple or spruce, will make more than ten times the growth when cared for properly than in a close sod or overrun with weeds. The size of the tree, as well as de- velopment of flowers and seeds or fruit, is directly dependent on the chance the tree has. The small spruce, commonly sold by the hundred, will hardly live at all in a state of neglect, and it takes a large tree of any kind to hold its own in some places we see trees planted. . To secure trees on an entirely new lawn it should be well cultivated and underdrained as if for gardening or farming, and, after being well man- ured and free from weeds and being allowed to lie over all winter, it may 258 TJie Canadian Horticnlturist. be planted with any size of trees found convenient. Grass seed or sod may be put where desired but not about the trees. Maple, ash, elm, basswood, box elder, walnut, larch, spruce and pine, of either native or imported varieties will develop rapidly. For rapidity of growth only, it is likely the box elder will stand first, then the white elm and ash. In this climate the new wood on either may reach six or eight feet a year. A little further south the catalpa ailanthus and chestnut will equal or pass these. It will be easy in any local- ity to find trees which will soon grow to a conspicuous size. The time spent in fitting the ground before planting is more than gained both in smaller number of failures and in the more immediate growth of all. Forest trees resemble fruit trees and repay all the care, though in a different way. ^rboricUltaral. The Judas Tree. The' Judas Tree or Red-bud af the middle and Southern States {Cercis Can- adensis) is in bloom. It is one of the most beautiful flowering trees of North American forests ; and there are no more beautiful objects than the great masses of this tree in some parts of the South or South-west, notably along the east- ern borders of the Indian Territory and in eastern Texas, when they are cover- ed with their purple flowers in very early spring. There the Red-bud be- comes a tall tree, with a stout trunk ; further north, although nearly always arborescent, it never attains the size developed in the more favorable cli- mate and more generous soil of the South. It is remarkable that so fine a plant should be neglected by our horti- culturists, who hunt the remotest cor- ners of the earth for novelties with which to embellish their gardens, and pass native species which cannot be matched anywhere. Cercis Canaden- sis is rarely planted in gardens these days, and yet a plant in flower standing out alone before a dark background of Hemlocks or of Pines, or where it can contrast its purple flowers with the white floral leaves (the two jilants flower here together) of the Flowering Dog- wood ( Cornus Florida) is an object which fully satisfies the imagination, and one which is not easily forgotten. The Red-bud, although not a native of eastern New England is perfectly hardy here ; it grows rapidly, and is an object of beauty from the time abundant flowers cover the naked branches until the late autumn, when the red-brown pods are x'\^Q..--Garden and Forest. Forest Trees for Ornamental Use. THEautumn is an excellent timeof the year to dig from the woods,and transplant on the grounds, specimens of our hardy forest trees ; but do not make the mis- take of too close planting, especially about the house. Maples are always fine, and to this we may add the Tulip Tree, Basswood, Elm and White Birch, Walnuts, Black and White, and But- ternuts may be easily grown from seed, also Chestnuts. A grove maybe quick- ly grown from Locust seed, and these trees, as well as the Basswood and Tu- lip Tree, are especially valuable as honey producers — Orange County Farmer. The Ciina.iiaii Horticulturist. 259 k The Trade in Bananas. I- Ku people have the faintest con- ception of the immensity of the trade in l)ananas, although it may he better understood by the statement of tlie fact that there are at present forty-seven steamers plying between the West India Islands and \c\v York, engaged almost exclusively in the banana trade. The profits attached to this business have l)een enormous to the steamship own- ers, and a source of considerable rev- enue to importers and dealers. Large as is the production of bananas in the Islands, it is increasing rapidly, and the consumption on this continent appears to be keeping pace therewith. In Can- ada, this favorite fruit has become (juite popular, and, where some yearsagoonly a few bunches were required, it now takes car loads to satiate the demand. Prices vary considerably during the season, as the least .scarcity causes them to advance to $1.75 to §2. 50 per bunch, whilst an over supply brings them down to Si. 00, but fair average figures for this market are S1.25 to $1.50 for good, sound red and yellow fruit. It must be borne in mind how- ever that the great bulk of bananas im- ported into Canada is composed of second qualities, the first being reserved for New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other American cities. An im- porter stated a few days since that it was a very rare occurrence that a straight car of firsts came to this city, but the average quality of bananas sold here it is claimed are equal in flavor to the firsts, although the bunches and fruit are scarcely as large. — Trade Bul- letin. Forest Tree Culture. From Annual AUilrcssof I'ratdent Elliot, oj Minntsutu Horticultural Society. There is a very erroneous im- pression among young people, and many old ones, that governments ought to do all the planting in forest culture; they thinking that men's lives are too short for such work ; also that the planting of trees, even if successful in growth, is a very un- certain investment to the planter. Life is very uncertain, as statistics inform us ; not more so than a great many other things that we do. All {)rospective operations have cluster- ing around them many uncertainties; but really, in what can a young man invest a few dollars that will give him so much real enjoyment in his old age, as the planting of a goodly number of useful and ornamental trees and shrubs? In your youth plant trees ; in middle age plant trees ; in old age plant trees, that they may spread their ample shade over your head when silvered with old age. Intelligent, useful men are trying to solve the problem of reforestation of our continent. The work may not be done in this generation, but i will surely exercise the most thought- ful intellects of this land until it is accomplished. This great scheme has come to stay with the best free educators of our land. There will be discouragements and dark days for this enterprise, but it will end in either the government or private capital undertaking this great work. Trees, like men, begin to show age and decay at the top ; but men un- like trees, return to their second childhood, and if an active, useful, energetic man in youth, they never lose opportunity for doing or saving something as a source of pure enjoy- ment ; and I would inquire what more impressive scene of unalloyed sacrifice, than this useful employ- ment in planting trees in their de- clining years for future generations to admire ; living monuments that shall long remain for our children to appreciate ; silent reminders of thoughtfnl, industrious usefulness ? 26o The Canadian Horticultjirist. MANURES FOR THE ORCHARD AND GARDEN. (Extract of Paper read before the Western New York Horticultural Society by joseph Harris. MANURE is a by-product. Its price is determined, not by the cost of production, but by competition among consumers. If stable manure were sold in Rochester for lo cents a load, there would be just as much produced as if it sold for $2.00 a load. This view of the subject seems to be overlooked. If gardeners, nursery- men and fruit growers would study the subject of the oft ridiculed "special fertilizers " I am confident they would soon be able to use them with great profit, and not be obliged to bid against each other for the by- product of the city stables. As fruit producers we should study to grow those crops that people are willing to pay a good price for. And if we grow crops in which the carbo-hydrates, instead of being worth $30 per ton, are worth §100, or $200 or $300 or $500 or $1000 per ton, we should see to it that the plants have all the food, and especially all the nitrogen, that they want to pro- duce "a maximum growth. It will not pay, perhaps, to use nitrogen to grow carbo-hydrates in hay, corn, oats and wheat, but it will pay largely to use them to grow carbo-hydrates in apples, pears, peaches, strawberries and other fruits. But it should be understood that when we use manure for fruit trees we should see that the fruit trees get it. If we grow wheat, oats, potatoes, beets, strawberries and seeds among our peach, pear, and apple trees, we should have to furnish an excessive supply of nitrates before the fruit trees would get much of it. The greater portion would be aV)sorbed by the annual crops and weeds, and it may well happen that a moderate dressing of manure would, by increasing the growth of the weeds, actually lessen the crop of fruit, for the reason that the greater the growth of the weeds the more water they evaporate and the drier would be the soil where the roots of fruit trees are searching for food and water. As vegetables and fruits are im- proved, they require richer land, just as improved herds of animals require richer food. I do not call grass and hay rich foods ; neither are phos- phoric acid, potash, soda, lime, mag- nesia and other ash constituents rich food for plants. They are absolutely indispensable, but in addition to these we must have a liberal supply of nitrogen. It is nitrogen that makes rich land. Of the three most costly ingredients of plant food, nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, nitrogen is the only one that can be evaporated or washed out of the soil, and it is only in the form of nitrates that nitrogen can be washed out of the soil. And there seems good reason to believe that it is only in the form of nitrates that nitrogen is taken up by ordinary plants. One thing is certain, our orchards need more nitrates, or, as we used to say, more available nitrogen. If we can get nitrogen, it is a compara- tively cheap and easy matter to get phosphoric acid, potash, etc. The cheapest source of nitrogen is the organic matter in the soil, and this is derived from a previous vegetable growth, possibly some of it thousands of vears ago and some of it onl}- last year. The more recent the growth the more readily it is changed into nitrates. It is only within the last dozen years that we know how the nitrogen of organic matter was con- verted into nitrates and thus rendered available food for plants. The change is effected by a minute plant, or what would popularly be called a fungus. The essential conditions for its growth are air, a moderate temperature, moisture and lime, potash or soda. Stagnant water, by excluding air, The Canadian Horticulturist. 261 I stops its j^rowtli ; so does a reduction of temperature to near freezinj:? and dry soil. A drained soil, well tilled and repeatedly exposed to the air, with the necessary moisture and a temperature ranf^nnp from 50 to 100 degrees are hij^dily favorable to its growth. This is a far cheaper way of getting nitrates than sending to South America for nitrate of soda. If the matted sod in orchards was plowed, harrowed and cultivated and exposed to the air, as soon as the soil got warm these nitrate-producing plants would grow and produce nitrates for the growing plants, and if there were no growing crops or weeds on the lantl, the trees would get the nitrates. If you let them, the crops and the weeds will take up the nitrates. You can convert nitrates into carbo-hydrates in the form of weeds that pay nothing, or into carbo-hydrates in the form of grass or grain that pays a little, or into carbo-hydrates in the form of fruit or garden truck that is worth four or five, or ten, or twent}' times as much as in the form of grain ; or you may convert it into a block of nursery stock that is popularly sup- posed to be worth a king's ransom. If we put on half the (juantity of ordinary manure, and sow broadcast 200 lbs. of nitrate of soda per acre in addition, this will be fully equivalent to a good dressing of the very richest of compost, and a good deal cheaper. I say nitrate of soda, because it is not only a cheaper source of nitrogen than sulphate of ammonia or the organic nitrogen in our different fertilizers, but the nitrogen is in just the condition necessary for absorp- tion by the plants. I have used it with great advantage on peaches, strawberries, roses, currants, rasp- berries, asparagus, celery, plants, potatoes, onions, beets, and nearly all garden crops. For several years we could not raise peaches ; the leaves curled up and turned yellow in June, and frecpiently fell off, and in a year or two the tree was death For two N'ears the trees that have had nitrates have shown little or no symjitoms of the disease — if disease it is. The leaves have that dark green luxuriant color that is the characteristic eflfect of liberal manuring, and better than all we had fine crops of peaches. lUit will not nitrate produce a spongy growth with immature buds, easily killed in the winter ? I think nitrate of soda sown early in the spring has precisely the opposite effects. Nitrate applied early in the spring are taken up by the peach trees in May and Jime, or at the very time that the trees usuall\- show signs of a lack of vigor. Late in the sunnner or early fall, little or no nitrate of soda would be left, and consequently would produce no late spongy growth of wood. It is true that peaches could be grown forty years ago where they do not now liourish. INIa}- it not be that the organic matter in the new soil held more water, and consequently fur- nished the peach trees nitrates early in the spring, and that what our peach trees need to make them as healthy and productive as formerly, is a liberal supply of nitrates early ill the spriii75,ooo, showing how very disastrous were most of the apple shipments of last season, when the fruit lacked all this of paying even the freight charges. The Trade Bulletin, writing in the interest of the trade, of course, uses all this to point out the evil results to Canadian growers of attempting to ship their own fruit direct to English houses. Now, while on account of ignorance of the standing of houses so far awa)-, and of proper methods of packing, etc., this advice mav be wise for all small growers to follow, yet for large growers we consider it is the height of folly to pa\- charges to two com- mission houses, one in Montreal and one in England. Of course it is very important to make a connection with some reliable English house, but is not this just as important in ship- ping to a Montreal house ? We have ourselves had the misfortune to lose money with Canadian commis- sion men even, so that there is need of caution even in honest Canada. It is our aim to introduce to our 264 The Canadian Horticulturist. Canadian growers, through our ad- vertising cohimns, some reUable apple merchants both in Montreal and in England, and thus put our readers in the way of placing their apples in the best possible hands. At the same time we would advise all small growers to sell their fruit at home at any fair price, rather than to try the doubtful chance of consignments to a distant market. The English Woodbine. — The Garden and Forest speaks as follows regarding this climber: " It is sur- prising that the EngUsh Woodbine {Lonicera Periclymenium) is not more generally grown in the gardens of this country. It is one of the most beautiful of all the climbing honey- suckles—a perfectly hardy plant, and the delicious fragrance of the flowers is unequalled. The flowers are pale-red externally with yellow throats, and are produced from the ends of the branches in closely sessile heads which are stalked above the upper pairs of leaves, which are closely sessile though not united. This is a widely distributed plant, from Scandinavia to the shores of the Mediterranean." The "Dutch Monthly " is a variety of this plant, so named, it is said, because it originated in one of the Dutch nurseries. The flowers are rather darker than those of the species. These honeysuckles flower quite continuously during the summer months, and there are no more charming plants to train over the porch or verandah of a dwelling house, that the fragrance of their flowers may be enjoyed constantly. The grape crop along the Hudson river, according to the New York Herald, has been thinned out at least one half by the unusually heavy rains that fell about the beginning of last month. Even the Concords were shelled off to the ground like snowflakes. Truck gardeners com- plain of very heavy losses, as well as farmers generally. Strange that such heavy and continuous rains should have fallen in Eastern New York State and along the coast of New Jersey, and that we in Ontario should be suffering from such a long con- tinued drouth, that our raspberry crop was cut short and our crop of Kittatinny blackberries are dried up completely on heavy ground. These circumstances, following the frost of May 2gth, have resulted in high prices for all small fruits ; and the prospects are that those vineyards escaping the mildew, the frost and other calamities, will bring their owners satisfactory returns. QUESTION DRAWER The Yellows. 70. The last two years the peaches on one of my peach trees have grown to the size of marbles and then stopped growing altogether, and of course never ripened. Can you tell me the cause, and also the cure if any ? — W. W. R , Toronto. We think your tree must be affected with the yellows, which often shows itself b}^ the symptoms which you mention. The disease is usually recognized by (i) the premature ripening of the fruit. Sometimes this occurs on a single limb only, but, within a 3'ear or so, it affects all parts of the tree. (2) The next mark is the singular color of the fruit when ripe, it being mottled and dotted exteriorly with red, and on the inside the flesh is also streaked with red ; while that about the stone is wholly dyed that color. (3) The third mark is the growth of summer shoots of a dwarfed and feeble appearance ; and The Canadian Horticulturist. 265 the following year of curious tufts of sickl_\-looking leaves. In the course of two or three years the tree usually dies. Other diseases may somewhat similate the )-ello\vs, as, e.g., the eftects of the peach-tree borer in the root ; the presence of the root aphis ; or the yellowish look of the foliage of trees growing upon a wet sub-soil. There is no established cure for the yellows. Some Massachusetts peach grower claims to have effected a cure by the use of muriate of potash, in cases where the disease had not gone too far. \\'e have found in our own orchard much benefit from the liberal use of unleached wood ashes applied broadcast under the trees. We can- not see that any cases have been positively cured, but certainly a wonderful thrift has been imparted to the whole orchard, and we venture to say there is not a healthier nor thriftier peach orchard in the Niagara district. The Early Green— A Seedling Plum. 71. I >EMi you for your inspection my seed- ling plum " ICarly Green," whicli, considering its size, fair quality, and in particular its early season {/si .•Jwi,'. ) of ripeuin^, I think may prove worthy of cultivation. Hoping you may , receive the box in good order. — VV. Holhin, Hamilton. Fig. 65— OiTMSE Sketch ok the Karlv Green. This is a delicious plum of most excellent quality, of meditnn size, roundish in form, with a delicate skin marbled in two shades of green ; the pit is small and free. The stem is delicate and about J of an inch long. In our opinion it is well worth dis- seminating and other points proving favorable, it will take a prominent place among our market varieties. We have prepared an outline draw- ing from one of these specimens wiiich fairly represents its form. Robson's Prune. 72. YouK.s of the 31st ult. to hand, re seed- ling prune. Only having two prunes left I am pleased to forward you one by to day's mail. The tree is bearing well this season and I shall l)e ready and' willing lo send you a sample in the fall if approved. If this plum has any merit in your estimation kindly let me know, and you will oblige. — W. M. RousON. The qualit}' of this prune is excel- lent, and in a good state of preserva- tion. We hope to see more of it in order to form a more correct opinion of its value. Cultivation of the Apple Orchard. 73. I H.WE an orchard that is from fourteen to tifieen years old and it has always been under cultivation. I am told that you never plough hut let your orchards alone for years, using a top dressing of manure and wood ashes. I saw in the report that Mr. Dempsey cultivates his orchard and grows potatoes or corn. VVould you please either send me an article on the subject or write me what you think. gHow much manure and wood ashes do you u e per tree ? I have great confidence in what you say as I have heard so much of the success you have in fruit growing. An early reply will greatly oblige. — J. Funnel, Sk. It is a mistake to say that we do not cultivate our orchards ; we culti- vate thoroughly for the first ten or fifteen \-ears imtil the orchard is well established, and then seed down to clover ; leaving it in that shape onh so long as the trees show a thriftx growth, and when they begin to show any lack of vigor we at once work up the whole ground. The better cultivation and care of the apple orchard is one of the points which we believe our representatives at Farmer's Institutes should press most emphatically upon the attention of the farmers. \\'e do not mean bv culti- vation simply the growing of some other crop in the orchard, though this may sometimes be done to ad- vantage ; but the particular cultiva- 266 The Canadian Horticulturist. tion of the trees themselves, as if they were, as indeed they should be, esteemed the most important vegeta- tion occupying the ground. Nor do we mean ploughing deep furrows between the rows of trees and leav- ing the rows themselves in sod, to extract the strength and moisture from the soil, but a working up of the whole field, and the clearing away of all the grass and weeds from about the trees. What would be thought of any farmer who would treat a corn crop as he often does his apple trees, and leave the sod along the rows or about each hill ; and yet that kind of cultivation is counted all right by many persons in the apple orchard. Great care must be taken, however, to plough shallow furrows, or great damage will be done to the roots of the trees. Cultivation exposes the elements of fertility, which are already in the soil, to the action of the air; by which they are rendered soluble, so that they can be taken up by the roots for the benefit of the tree. Cultivation also, if kept up during the heat of the summer, serves to keep the ground in a moist condition, and thus bring about a large growth of the fruit. With regard to the use of manure and ashes, we are con- vinced that herein lies the secret of the successful orchard and fruit garden. Potash enters largely into the composition of the wood as well as of the fruit of our orchard trees, audit is astonishing what an effect is brought about by its use. The writer has been in the habit of applying about a thousand bushels each year to his orchard, applying about a bushel every second or third year to those of bearing age. This, in addition to thorough tillage, has brought about wonderful results in the vigor and fruitfulness of the trees. It is difficult to get a sufficient quantity of barn- yard manure to spare much of it for the orchard ; but where it can be obtained it should be applied, as well as the ashes. Aloe and Agave. 74. I HAVE a nice little specimen among my house plants of what is commonly known as Devil's Tongue, as well as one of the variegated Indian Aloe. Please inform me in your next issue what is the technical name of the former, and if it is of the same species as the Aloe, also what is the proper cultivation of both ; also the proper soil for Ice and Dew Plants and others of a succulent nature which are not of the Cactus tribe. I am very much interested in the great improvement of your journal.— R. H. Light, Kingston, /uly 10' h. Kcply h\ .Y. Robertson, Supt. Govt., Grounds, Ottan-a. Aloe variegata is the botanical name of the variegated aloe. I am glad you bring this matter up, because much confusion exists amongst ama- teurs over the Aloe and Agave, clas- sing them together. Now they are two distinct orders; the Aloe belongs to the Lily order whilst the Agave be- longs to the Amaryllis tribe. The Aloe flowers every year, producing long spikes of tube-shaped flowers, and every part of it ma}^ be said to be a purgative. The variety Soco- trina is the variety from which the medicine called Bitter Aloes is taken. They are natives of the Island of Socotra. \\'hen grown as house plants they should be potted in light sand}' soil, as it will bring out the flowers, in better color ; but when larger specimens are wanted a stronger soil may be given. They are plants of easy cultivation, but, like all classes of succulent plants, must have perfect drainage. They will not stand sour soil. They are propagated easily by the mmierous offsets they throw out. The Agave is called the Century Plant because it was said to only flower once in a hundred years, but it will flower in twelve or fifteen years, and then it exhausts itself and dies. It is a native of South America. By Dew Plant, I think you refer to McsymhryaiithemiDU Crystalliiiuiii, but there are several hundred varie- ties of them. It is also called Ice Plant, as leaf and stems are covered The Canadian Horticulturist. 267 over with small watery pustules that appear as fragments of ice. A light soil, with full exposure to sun, is all they recjuire. There are annual and perennial varieties of them. Hardy Irises. 75. Can you tell me in the next issue of the IIORTicULTUKisr what variety of Iris would stand this climate ?—/-tems of tree planting and report at our next meeting ; so far the pole system receives the greatest support. I will give you a summary (f the whole when finished. It has been mo.-t interestirg, and brought out some unihoucht-of features. " Which variety of Tomato is the best for general market purposes" was 268 The Canadian Horticulturist. discussed. Opinions varied ; Livingstone's Per- fection was preferred by one, liailey's Improved by another, and Canada Victor by still another. — N. Robertson, OHa-wa, fuly iq, iSSg. Caution about Paris Green. Sir, — While admitting the great help of the Canadian HoKTictJLTURisT to fruit growers, I think it wouki be a power for more good if your subscribers would only tell of their failures as well as their successes. Now Paris green for the destruciion of insects has proven a failure with me, inasmuch as it kills the leaves and fruit also. Of course it was too strong, but I only used a little over half the amount recommended — a little over half a teaspoonful to a pail of water. Where it touched a leaf a nole was burned through, and where it came in contact with a stem the leaf or fruit gradually died. My firm belief is that Paris green, being indissoluble in water, will burn anything it comes it contact with, whether much or little water accompanies the particles. Three years ago I sprayed my plum trees with tobacco water and had an excellent crop. Last year I did not use anything and I had no crop, while this year Paris green has been of no use. Possibly it was not ground fine enough. The difficulty of getting tobacco for the purpose may be a difficulty to many, but the plant can be grown successfully in Ontario, and when once dried will keep for an indefiniie period. It is perfectly harmless and will kill most all kinds of insects, besides being a benefit to plants. — Wm. Lindsay, London, Out. Note by Editor. — Half a teaspoonful is plenty of Paris green to an ordinary pint of water for apple foliage, and is possibly too strong for the plum. Another point is in applying the spray, as by contmuing too long in a place, an over dose would be given. Ben Davis Spotting-— Low Prices— American Fruit. Sir, — I must take back what I said about the Ben Davis being free from spot. They became spotted a little later in the season than some other varieties. This has been a season to promote fungus growth on anything in our section. We have potato blight, onion blighi, caulifiower blight, oats rusting, beans and apples spotted, and a severe hail storm besides. One gardener told me it would cost him $ioo for hot-bed glass to repair damages caused by the had. If we only had remunerative prices for what we do sell, it would help, but after being at great expense forcing early vegetables we found American truck almost gluiimg our market. Last v\'eek we were getting good prices for our tomatoes, but five car loads came in from the States in a couple of days' time and knocked the bottom out of the tomato market. We used to get fancy prices for our Harvest apples, but American apples are selling for $2. 50 per barrel and less. The market gardeners are discouraged, especially those with high rents. One of our most successful gardeners told me at the very least he would be $1,500 out of pocket with poor crops and poor market on account of American competition ; they get the cream and we get the skim milk, and pretty well watered at that. — R. BROniE, St. Henry of Montreal, Aug. /j, i88g. Fruit in Huron County. effects of flood, frost and blight. Sir, — We had a regular little flood here on the isi July, and again on the 3rd of August, that did us a good deal of harm. We had just got our corn hoed and replanted after losing so much from the previous wet weather, when this storm washed a lot of it out and away. We had a hard job of it in hoeinj^ as the ground was so hard and packed that we could scarcely pick it up, and our potatoes were, a lot of them, drowned cut so that our crops will be very light. Since I last wrote you on the 29th of ^lay, regarding the frost, we had a great deal of cold wet weather that destroyed a great deal of our crops, such as corn, potatoes, peas, beans, etc., — the seed rotted in the ground — at that time I did not know- to what extent the damage was caused by the frost ; the apples were nearly all destroyed ; my favorite apple, the Rihston Pippins, was beautifully clothed in bloom, but now perfectly naked of fruit. The only apples that escaped all are the Northern Spy, the large Alexander and the Snow. On those trees there appears to be nearly half a crop. I expect to get one barrel to where I got forty last year. Apples are wormy. All the best cherries were killed ; the common ones such as the Kentish not much hurt. Plums are scarce, and pears very much damaged. I find the Flemish Beauty and Manning's Elizabeth stood it the best. Duchess are all gone, and what there is of both pears and apples are poor specimens. Our strawberries were not more than quarter of a crop ; grapes, of course, in the open ground all gone ; currants ard gooseberries a very good crop, those on top of bushes were frozen, but they were mostly good ; raspberries were not half a crop, and the flavor very poor. The Cuthbert, generally so delicious, was not fit to eat, scarcely, and the canes seemed to dry up. The ShafTer seemed to be very fair, but the best of all was the Golden Queen, It is a noble berry. I sowed a large quantity of choice garden peas but the continual rain rotted nearly all of them, as well as my beans, and now lately the pear blight has been very bad. I kept cutting eft all small branches, but I hated to disfigure and mutilate the trees so I put on linseed oil which seemed to stop the blight from going The Canadian llorliciiltnrist. 269 down any further, and I pulled oil" all the blighted leaves, hut I s.'c it is gone uj) and ills leaves are turned black above. I hardly think the blighted branches will survive, as the bark seemed to be blistered anil turned black and withered. The Flemish Beauty seems to be most nllecled ; there is a little on '.he Bartlell and .Manning's Elizabeth. The bark on the stock of my standard pear tree for some years seemed to have died and rotted on the south-west side. What couKl have been the cause of it ? Our grain crops are mostly good. The grain aphis was rather bad in the fall wheat, and the midge in the bald varieties of spring wheat. On low land the peas are not very good. My son, S. E. Mick, of Paris, was at Grimsby Park last week, and in writing to me he described a berry that is growing wild on the side of the mountain, and asked ine if I knew what it was. He siys it is something like a red raspberry, the blossom something like the Sweet Briar, and leaves similar to a grape. What is the plant ? I see the English sparrow is getting more numerous. They are pretty thick in the wheat fields. — W,\i/rEK Hick, Goderich, Aug. /y, 1889. Note uy Editor. — The plant described so clearly by your son is the Purple-Flowering raspberry \Riibus odoratus), and is very common in the Niagara district.] Representatives from Michigan. Sir, — The annual meeting of our society is hxed by our constitution for the week preced- ing your winter meeting at Windsor ; (ist Wednesday in December), and I reckon con- fidently on the appointment at that time, of a strong delegation to represent our society at your gathering. — T. I. Lyon, President, South Haven, Alich., Aug. ig, i88g. Brunswick is extremely light. A great many trees have died or are nearly gone, and this summer's drought will also diminish ihe number of barrels of fruit. The late spring frost destroyed the huckleberry blossoms, and raspberry bushes died for want of rain, but gooseberries v/ere a fair crop. Plums very scarce. — N. hvuvKE, Sliejield Acadef/iy, //. B., Au^^'. 14, i88g. Fruit in New Bpunswick. Sir, — I have had fine crops from Fay's Prolific Currant. Moore's Early Grape does not ripen with me. The apple crop in New The Junebeppy. Sir, — In the August number of your maga- zine, I notice mention made of the Juneberry. This fruit attracted my attention in 1^(73, and by gold fortune I happened to secure a few plants from a friend anil neighbor in Kansas, who had brought his old plants from Illinois. The plants from Illinois were originally laken from the woods in the mountains of Penn- sylvania. This is the correct history of the variety which I named and introduced as " .Success " about ten years ago. Mr. J. T. Lovett, of Little Silver, New Jersey, and several others hive been buying plants from me for several years past. This year I have sold to Mr. Lovett my entire stock, (except a few plants kept for the fruit, on my farm near Geneva, Kansas. This variety is dwarf in its habits of growth, but the berries are very large and delicious. They are in my opinion, the bsst I have ever seen. Other v.irieties pro- cured from other sources have all proven of less value every way. Vou are quite mistaken in saying that the frui; can be propagated by cuttings ; at least they have invariably failed with me. There is no doubt that plants could be propagated by grafting, but the only practi- cal way which I have found, is to take up the suckers from around the old bearing plants. All attempts to cultivate thcsjieciesof Amelanchier, which is commonly found in our forest as a small tree have not resulted profitably, but the dwarf kinds are generally prized verv highly. — II. E. Van Deman, Pomologist, Division of Pomology, Washington, D.C., Aug. 77, i8Sg. Note by EnrrOK. — In England the method of propagating the Juneberry and other trees by cuttings is frecjuently employed with suc- cess, though of course cuttings of any kind will succeed much more easily in that moist climate than with us. OUR FRUIT MARKETS. The Prospect for Apple Gpowcps. Ik the quantity of apples in inir orehards in Ontario is small and the quality poor, there is, at least, some satisfaction in the prospect of good prices : and after the sad experience of last year we shall consider it in no way unfair to take from consumers as 270 TJtc Canadian Horticulturist. much as $2.50 per hhl. for winter fruit, f.o.b. Indeed only last week, we had summer apples sold in Montreal at that figure, an unusual thing nowadays and which indicates a hungry market. The fact is, apples are a very short crop. New York State is one of the most important apple-growing States in the Union, and the prospect is that it will not give 75 per cent, of an average yield. Ontario probably has not 50 per cent, of an average, even when we include in our calculation the fact that in the Erie sections, between Niagara and Windsor, there is a fair hang of fruit in a good many orchards. Mich- igan promises a yield which will run below the average, and Ohio a very light crop. Aside, therefore, from the impulse of a foreign demand the pro- spect is that our apples will all be required for our home supply, and that at constantly increasing prices, unless some other fruits fill the gap. From our foreign reports we gather that there will be a lively foreign demand for apples also, as the crop in England and on the Continent is much below the average. We hesitate to speak encouragingly to our readers concerning the apple market, after the misfortunes of last year ; yet the con- ditions are different, for while what we said about the English supply was true, the unprecedented quantities sent over from America exceeded the require- ments about one-half. It will not, however, be necessary for us to ship to England to get good prices this year, as we shall l)e able to command them at our own doors, without risk. Ives, 25cts. to 35:ts. per 10 lb. bisket. — Pan- coast & Griffiths, Wholesale Fruit Mer- chant, Aug. 75, iSSg. Philadelphia. Sir, — Apples ; choice stock scarce and wanted, $2.75 to $3.00 bbl. for Blash ; $2.25 and $2.50 for Alex.; 20 o:., Grav. etc. Peaches, light supply and firm, $1 50 to $2.00 per b isket for choice, down to 50cts. and 75;ts. for seconds and common stock. Pears, choice large bright stock wanted, $6.00 to $7. 00 bbl.,bul inferior and dull $3.00 to $5.00 bbl., a-i to quality. Plums and grapes increasinj in demand with improving quality. Plums, sects. to $1.00 per 10 lb. baskets. Concord grapes 5o:ts. to 6octs. ; Delaware, 70cts. to 8octs. : Sir, — Southern fruit being done and our local crop being s/ioi't and poor in quality, gives us at present a good fruit market. We think we can please you on car lots of apples and pears ; " Maiden Plush " are a favorite apple here, and command $2.50 to 3 50 bbl. as to quality, choice stock scarce and wanted, at outsi te prices. Bartlett pt-ars $4.00 to $6 00 bbl., as to quality and condition, very little choice stock here. — Pancoast & Griffiths. Mont eal. Sir, — The market thi'^ week is quiet on all lines. Apples ; several cars good Southern apples have sold from $2.00 to $2.25, and one car Canadian Astrichans at $2.00, while some extra lots of Astrachans and Duchess brought $3.00 per barrel. For good summer fall apples, the outlook is very good, and we can use a great many. Pears, good Hudson River Bartleits have sold fast from $2.75 to $3.00 per keg, and $6.00 to $8.00 per barrel. But smoky are a glut in the market and almost un- saleable. Canadian basket pears hive sold from 50ct-. to $1.00 per basket as to quality. Peaches, in fair demand, good basket stock, $1.25 to $2.00 per basket ; c immon, $1.00 to $1.25. Grapes, not many in yet. Selling 80CIS. to $1.00 per basket. Plums, scarce and wanted. — ViroND, McBride & Co., Au£. 14, 18SO. London, England. In reviewing the business of the past season we regret we canmt re'er to it with satisfac- tion. The unprecedented quan i ties of apples that were shipped fr jm the United States and Canadi to this country had a disastrous effect upon prices, which ruled exceedingly low during the greater part of the season. We may say that last seasoti's supplies exceeded re- quiiements by about half. The prospectsfor the coming season are of an encjuraging character. From accounts received the appli crop in this country promises to be very small, and similar reports have co.iie to hand of the French aid Continental crops generally. We think there will be a good opening for American and Canadian apples during the coming sea- son ; fall fruit particularly, we think, if at all good, will meet with a good demand ; but shipments of this class are only to be recom- mended when condition is likely to stani the voyage. — Van Os & Co. Covent Garden, London, England. In view of the early resumption of apple shipments, I have aijain the pleasure of sub- mitting for your information particulars of the apple crop prospects this season in Great The Canadian Iloyticnltunst. 71 Hri'ain and the Continent. N'our perusal ol the various independent reports from the most reliable sources at my command, added to a wide personal survey, will, I trust, aid you in fjrming some idea as to the conditions under which shipments of apples from the United States, Canada, and Nova .Scotia will arrive here. United Kini'Jom. — The period of prolonged drought during the greater portion of the early .Spring and early Summer, combined with a general attack of caterpillars, hive, in the Southern Counties of England, nearly des- troyed the apple crop, which has suffered more than any other fruit in the orchards ; in the Midlands result are not (|uite so discouraging, the yield, however, is much under the average ; in the Northern Counties, though showing fairer results, the cultivation of the apple is merely nominal, and can have no appreciable effect on the imported fruit. Holland. — Like the .Southern Counties of England the fruit has suffered largely from the drought, and the yield in the most favored parts is reported about half a crop compared with 18SS. France.— The Northern and Western Dis- tricts report about half a crop, mostly common sorts. In the .South and South- West the yield will be very small ; the (juantity of fall- ings is reported very heavy nearly all over the country. Relgium. — The reports are more encourag- ing, and late varieties showing an average yield. Germany. — The North estimates a fair aver- age crop. P'rom the .South the report is about half a crop. Spain and Portugal. — Crops reported light, prices are therefore high, but arrivals commence early in July and in September ; arrivals after that have no influence in the English markets. The conclusion which may be fairly antici- pated ii that our wants will be ([uite equal to that of last year, which, with shortened sup- plies and better fruii — as we are led to expect from your side, this season — must tend to better nett results for shippers. — J. B. Thomas, Aim. i88q. Dried and Evaporated Apples. The prospects of a short crop of apples for 1S89, has already had the efTect of stiffening prices for the supply of dried apples left over from la-it year, sales having been recently made at 4c. to 5c. per. lb., although at one time they sold as low as 3c. Evaporated apples have likewise been held with much greater confidence, prices having advanced from 5c. per lb. to 6c. (a 7c. There can be no question that the piesent apple crop will be very much kss than that of 1S88, and considerably short of an average yield, and consequently new supplies of dried and evap- orated will, it is expected, be very light, for the reason that prices even at the late advance will not induce production, as growers are expecting to obtain prices for the green Iruit which will pay them better than preparing the dried and evaporated products. — Montreal Trade Bulletin. The Glasgow Market. — While this number was going through the press the following report of sales of apples in Glasgow by Messrs. James Lindsay & Son was received, viz.: Cranberry Pippins, 22,' 1023/; Nonesuch, 15 to 16, , Kings, 2j/ to 24 , Reports from all over Great Britain, as well as from the continent of luirope, agree that the crop will be small, and under the circumstances American apples, I'li ^ood coititition, should do well. OUR BOOK TABLE. The DoMi.NioN Illustrated for August 3rd is up to the usual high mark. The Wim- bledon Team comes in for due attention, and the tine portraits of the members will be appreciated. .St. John, N.B., and British Columbia have a large share in the remaining illustrations. The grasshopper hunt in Algiers will recall the shudders of some years ago to Manitoban farmers. Altogether, a good number. Thk Annu.vl Report ok the Bureau OK Industries kok the Year 1SS8. Part> I, II, and III. A. Blue, .Sec, Toronto, Ont This report is an exceedingly valuable one to the farmers of Ontario, and shows a great amount of carefid work in preparing ajiproved, correct estimates of the various farm croi)s, values of farm property, farm wagesetc.,etc., but it is very incomplete regarding the progress of Horticultural industry in our I'rovince. Out of 177 pages of matter, only seven are devoted to the Orchard and Garden, and while careful estimates are made of tha various farm crops such as wheat, rye, oats, beans, etc., giving in detail the acres, the bushels, the bushels per acre, etc., for each county ; and in addition the totals for the Province. Now this is the very report we which need concerning the fruit industry. We have at present no means of knowing, for example, how many barrels of apples are produced in a given year in any county of our Province, nor the increase in the yield during the last decade. The report should give us full statistical tables showing the barrels of apples, the pounds of grapes, the baskets of peaches, etc., together with the acreage de- voted to each, in each county. We have been frequently asked for the value of the fruit in- dustry in our section, but in the absence of any reliable statistics ii was impossible to give any definite answer. We hope the Covernment will give favorable consideration to our interests in this matter, and that a larger sjiace will be devoted to Horticultural .''Statistics. 272 TJie Canadian Horticnltiirist. -^ (3i'i^^^^^ jP ^^^t^*y* *^ "FORGET ME NOT.' ONNY wee flower wi" gouden ee, Blmkm' sae blithe and daintylie, You surel}' ken, ye're dear to me Dearer to me than a' the rest ; Sae I'll kiss ye, and place }e on my breast And tell ye why, I loe ye best. Altho' you are but a tiny flower O'er my auld heart your mystic power Cheers me in m}- twilight hour. My wayward memory travels back Three score j^ears on life's rough track To youth and happiness and J-ack. A glow of girlhood, I ween. Steals o'er me, as in love's young dream When he crown'd me with a diadem Of these sweet flowers of simny hue, Forget-me-nots of azure blue ; Emblems of his love so true. Ah ! then my heart beat double measure When roaming with my God-given treasure, Hand and soul were linked together. When unrelenting fate laid low My love, I kissed his lips of snow, Sair, sair, I wanted too to go. But I have lived life's summer through. And winter soon will claim his due. My sacred flowers, a short adieu ; W' e'll meet again : for in my dream I saw you in God's " Pastures Green," Blooming beside the Living Stream. Grandma Gowax. Mount Royal Vale, Montreal, P.Q. APRICOT-RUSSIAN VARIETY NICHOLAS. FOR CM-IADIAK HORTICULTURIST. THI{ (^apadiar) 4H[^>i'ticaItUrist Vol. XII. OCTOBER, 1889. No. 10. ^->Cj^€yr^ THE RUSSIAN APRICOT. ^,N England the Apricot is esteemed as one of the choicest of stone fruits whether for jams or for dessert, great beauty when well much extolled. The number of varieties is not great, being limited to about ten or twelve, among which the Moorpark, Breda, Peach and Royal are prominent. It is usually planted about twelve feet apart, and trained to grow fan-shape along the walls of the gardens or of the gables of cottages, and like the other plants and trees in an English garden, receives far greater attention in the culture, pruning, thinning, etc., than do the fruit trees in the majority of Canadian gardens. The most suitable soil is a rather light, sandy loam, well drained, such as is also adapted to the peach tree. In America, the Apricot is very little grown cast of the Rocky Moun- tains, owing to the curculio, which has a special fondness for it and usually destroys the whole crop ; but west of the Rockies, where the curculio is almost unknown, nearly all the favorite English varieties are successfully cultivated. These have \'ery few points by which they may be distinguished from each other, and the chief reliable ones are : The color, the shape of the stone and the taste of the kernels. All may be pro- pagated, with more or less constancy from the pits. Owing to the tenderness of all these varieties in our country and in the Northern States, a great point has been lately made of the introduc- tion of the Russian stock to Kansas by the Mennonites for which every known excellence is claimed for them, as, for example : freedom from curculio, borer, black-rot, blight, etc. Now all this must be taken with some caution, although we have great hopes that from these will be ultimately developed a race of apricots suitable to our climate. The writer has some twenty-four of these trees, three years planted, and although they have bloomed freely, no fruit has as yet been produced. 1 Ic has, therefore, no criticism to offer 274 Tlie Canadian Horticulturist. as to the quality of the fruit, but some of them have not proved even hardy, for at least a half dozen have been winter-killed, and that in a peach orchard which has not been affected in the least by the cold. Mr. G. C. Brackett, Secretary of the Kansas State Horticultural So- ciety, saj^s he paid a visit to the orchards of the Mennonites in Western Kansas, two or three years ago, and was rather disappointed in the condition of things ; for while the trees themselves were perfectly healthy, and the fruit, when well grown, handsome and similar in quahty to that of the well known English variety, the Breda, only rather more tart, yet niuchof it was so subject to the scab and the curculio that it was rendered worthless. Any- one, therefore, who buys trees of this apricot, expecting that he will not have any curculio to fight with, is likely to meet with disappointment. Still we hope that from this stock some constant varieties of real ex- cellence and acknowledged hardihood will result. This is claimed for some half dozen kinds now being propa- gated, as will be seen on page gg of this volume in Dr. Beadle's article, among which is included the Nicho- las, described as a fruit of medium size, sweet and melting, which ripens about the middle of July. None of these six commended varieties have been tested in Canada, but we have made arrangements to have one of the most desirable included in our list for distribution in the spring of i8go, so that our members them- selves in various parts of Ontario may test them and report the result. SEASONABLE HINTS FOR FRUIT GROWERS. JUST in proportion to the increase in value and importance of the apple crop in Ontario, will be the in- terest of our readers in the best modes of grading and packing the fruit for, market. Some twenty-five or thirty years ago bags were used both for gathering and marketing apples, and no thought was given to separating them into grades, with respect to perfection of growth. Apples in those days brought us from fifty to seventy-five cents a bag, but were the same methods employed at the present time, our local markets would be quickly over-stocked with apples in no condition for shipment, and there would be no sale for them except in such a season as this when we have an apple famine at home. But owing to the improved condi- tions, such as facilities for transporta- tion and distribution, suitable pack- ages for carrying fruit without in- jury in handling, shippers, commis- sion houses, etc., better prices can now be obtained than in days of old, notwithstanding the largely increased acreage of apple orchards now in bearing in the Province, The farmer who neglects to grade his apple crop before offering it for sale is on a par with one who would offer his grain in the market without passing it through the fanning mill to separate foul seeds and other impurities from The Canadian Horticnltnrist. 275 the f^ood grain. In \'ol. 1 1, page 196 In using it, the extreme end of the A GOOD SORTING TAHi.H !^'^"^^,^ '" t^c barrel is held up by an iron liook, which is attached over was described and illustrated, and the rim of the barrel, thus forming a one which \\v have found to serve a pocket into which the first fruit in most excellent purpose in lessening the tedious work of fruit packing. A writer in Popular Gardcnhi!^ de- scribes another one which has some the barrel falls, without injur\' ; then when this pocket is full the hook is freed, and it is gently lowered to the bottom of the barrel and emptied. The front end of the sorter is of a advantages, especially that one of height to allow of a barrel being set a provision for emptying the fruit underneath, and the other is three • i i.1 1 4.4. fill 1 -.-i ,. inclies higher to admit of the fruit into the bottom ol the barrel without , . T', , , , , , , ,..,. , , . , , being easily moved along the canvas the least bruise, a difficulty which has .^^ -^ -^ ^^^-^^ graded. If more pitch to be overcome, when using the other is desired, this is secured by further packing table, by means of a basket, tilting up the back end of the sorter. In fig. 66 we copy the engraving When not in use, this sorter can be of this fruit sorter, and here quote the writer's description of it :— The support consists of four legs b, b crossing each other X shape, and held together at the middle by a wooden or iron pin. To the upper ends of these supports are attaclied compactly folded up by loosening the end pieces. AN EXCELLENT APPLE-PACKEK. One of the chief troubles facing the farmer who wants to pack his own apples is in the heading up of the barrels. To stamp the heads in place [a with tlie feet is no pleasant operation, a mode at first tried by the writer, but glad- 1\- abandoned when the much more convenient method of using a lever press, such ,• 1 . . I .1 11- as is shown in fig. 67, was suggested two light two-by-three bed pieces, t. /> t>fc> extending lengthwise, each support- ''>' ^ f"end. This latter is so simple ing a side-board a of inch stuff, four in construction that any one can inches wide, with a similar piece make it after seeing our engraving, across the back also. ^^^\ it ^ee^g no further description. The bottom, c, of the sorter is made ,.., . 1 r 1 1 \\ here tliere are onl\- a tew barrels Mk — CONVKNIKNT FriIT SoKTII'. of canvas, this being well tacked at the upper edge on the side and end pieces, with slack enough to form a trough three to five inches deep and hanging free from the sides, in- teriorly. The cross section view- gives the right idea as to its form when ready for use. This canvas, it shoukl be added, extends forward some two or more feet longer than the frame, for reaching down into the packing barrel, as shown by the dotted lines. to head, this press will answer all purposes, but as it cannot be handled to advantage by a single person, the screw press was found to be much more economical in a large orchard. It was used by apple packers for a long time, but has latterly been sup- erseded by the apple packer (fig. 68), w'hich we find to be the most conven- ient and speedy of any. This latter we 2/6 The Canadian Hortiailtiirist. have been using for the last ten or fifteen years, and cannot conceive how anything more suitable to the work could possibly be devised. W'e Fig. 67. — The Levkr Press. copy from the Country Gentleman a figure and description of this apple- packer, believing that there are man}' readers of this journal who would be pleased to have one made for their own use, if they only could learn how it is constructed : — The cross-piece (7 is of hard wood, 22 inches long and i^ inches square, under which is attached a 2 inch block 6 inches wide, 15 inches long. The vertical pieces h h are of rod iron 20 inches long, \ inch in diameter, and pass through each end of cross-piece a, with nuts on the upper and lower sides. The rods c c act as clamps, are 15 inches long, loosely riveted to each end of lever d : d is of band iron i inch wide, J inch thick. It is semicircular in shape, and acts as a lever with fulcrum at each ends of rods b b, where it is loosely riveted 2^ inches from either end. The operator places the block on head to be put in position, raises the lever, and fastens the clamps to chime of barrel, then by pres- FiG. 68. — The Apple Packer. sure of foot on lever, the head is brought down, and both hands are left free to com- plete the operation. The above can be made by any good blacksmith for $1.50. THE CECROPIA MOTH (PLATYSAMIA CECROPIA). WE are just in receipt of a ing, with an inquir}- what it was. packet by mail (Aug. 23rd) We give in fig. 6g an engraving containing an immense green cater- showing it life size, so that any of Fig. 6q.— The L.\rva of the Cecropia Moth. pillar, together with some plum our readers may easily identify it. leaves upon which it had been feed- It is the larva of the Cecropia moth, The Canadian Horticulturist. 277 one of the largest and most interest- ing of all our native moths. The cat- erpillar is no dwarf, measuring as it often does some four inches in length, and being nearly as thick as a man's thumb. It looks rather pretty, with its pale green skin so beautifully or- namented with a double row of blue Fig. 70.— Cocoon of the Cecroi'ia Moth. tubercles along each side, and a double row of yellow ones along the back, excepting those near the head and tail which are coral red. As one might imagine from his size, this fel- low is a voracious feeder and is not over-partial to any one kind of tree ; however it is most often found upon the apple and is able to defoliate a small tree in a short time. He has gone through several changes in e,\- terior appearance, since he made his e.xit from the egg, and has now changed his clothes for the last time before his transformation. It is worth the time for any of our readers who have an interest in the study of insects, to place one of these moths in a box and feed it a few apple leaves until it spms its cocoon, (see fig. 70) a rusty grey pod-shaped coffin, made of two layers of silk, in which it spends the time until its resurrection time, in the May or June of the coming spring. This cocoon is about three inches long, and some- times the silk is unwound for use, Imt with much greater difficulty than that of the Polyphemus moth, which also belongs to the Bombyx or Silkworm family. Then, if one is so fortunate as to see it issue from its chrysalis, and develop into its beautified state, as we have done, he will feel amply repaid. Issuing forth from the smal- ler end of the cocoon it climbs up some convenient place where its wings may hang down, and gradu- ally unfold their beauty ; and, in the course of an hour, the insect will have developed to its full size, often measuring from five to seven inches from tip to tip of its wings. Our en- graving, fig. 71, kindly loaned by the Entomological Society, is an excellent representation of this magnificent moth, which our readers cannot fail to recognize. The prevailing color of the wings is a rich brown, varied by a wavy dull-red band edged with 2 78 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. white, a kidnev-shaped white spot our enemies, and must be destroyed. about the middle of each wing, Its large size, however, gives us so 1 iG 71 - Cecropia Moth. and other unmistakeable marks, great an advantage over it, that there But with all its beauty, it is one of is Httle fear of its becoming a pest. SPRAYING PLUMS WITH ARSENITES. AT the meeting of the American Association for the Advance- ment of Science, held at Toronto dur- ing the last week in August, this subject was taken up by Prof. A. J. Cook. He said : — The arsenites and carbolized plaster will protect against the plum curculio if they can be kept on the tree or fruit. But in case of very frequent rains the jarring meth- od will not only be cheaper, but much more effective. Again, as our wild fruits are more cleared away we must have plums in our orchards to protect the apples from the curculio. When apples are seriously stung they become so gnarled and deform- ed as to be worthless. It will pay, then, to set plum trees near by or among the apple trees. Then we will escape mischief among our ap- ples from the curculio, and will only need to spray our apples once, to destroy the codling moth, and can treat the plum trees three or four times with Paris green or carbolated lime in case we have only occasional The Canadian Horticulturist. 279 showers, or can jar the trees when the rains are very frequent. For the apples we can use London purple, one pound to 200 f^jallons of water. For the plums we must use Paris green, one pound to two or three hundred gallons of water. If the carbolated plaster is preferred, we use one pint of crude carbolic acid to fiftv pounds of land plaster. This is thrown freely over the trees, so as to strike every plum on the tree which is being treated. Care must be taken not to spray the plum trees until the blossoms are all fallen, as otherwise it will kill all bees that visit the poisoned flowers. He suggested that it be made con- trary to law to spray the trees with arsenites before the falling of the blossoms. Respecting the injur}- done the foliage by the use of arsen- ites, he said : London purple is more injurious to the foliage than is Paris green, and white arsenic — ar- senious acid — is more harmful than is either London purple or Paris green. This is doubtless owing to the soluble arsenic which is quite abundant in London purple and al- most absent in Paris green. London purple may be used on apple, plum, cherry, pear and most ornamental trees, but on these should never be stronger than one pound to two hundred gallons of water. If the application is to be repeated, as it must be for the curculio, to prove effective, or if it is to be used in June or July, Paris green should be used, in the same proportion as above, or else we should only use one pound of London purple to three hundred gal- lons of water. I now think that this necessity is more due to time of ap- plication than to the fact of increased quantity of the poison. If the arsen- ites are to be used on the peach, to defend against the curculio, Paris green only should be used, and that not stronger than one pound to three hundred gallons of water. The injur}' done to the foliage is never immediately <-(/)parent. It usu- ally shows somewhat tiie second da}-, l)ut the full injury is frequently not manifest till the fifth day, and often not till the tenth. He likewise dem- onstrated that there is no danger of cattle being poisoned by eat- ing the grass under the sprayed trees. Prof. Clarence M. Weed, of Col- umbus, O., read a paper on a similar subject — remedies for the plum cur- culio. An experiment with cherries was made, spraying half an orchard with London purple (i lb. to 160 gals, of water.) He then picked cherries from sprayed trees and unsprayed trees, and in every case there were more wormy cherries on the unspray- ed than on the sprayed trees. The average was : — Unsprayed trees, eight per cent, of wormy cherries; sprayed trees, three per cent, of wormy cherries. The benefit from the spraying, hence, was 75 6-10 per Cent. Experiments were also made with plums, when an orchard of plums was sprayed with London purple several times. An enormous crop was the consequence, although two untreated trees had their entire yield destroyed. He concluded that very much of the damage done by the curculio could be safely and cheaply prevented by the use of ar- senites. Prof. Saunders, of Ottawa, expressed his opinion that Paris green was a better arsenite to use than London purple. 28o The Canadian Horticult7irist. FRUIT GROWING IN A NORTHERN CLIMATE. Hv L. I'ooTE, Nepeau, Ont., near Ottawa. AFTER twenty years' residence in the Ottawa Valle}', in which time I have practiced a habit of close observation concerning fruit-grow- ing, coupled with some experience, I would venture a few thoughts on the needs of that industry in a Northern climate. What is true here, is mainly so in the same isothermal lines of climate east and west of this, hence one feels that he has the agreement of a wide range of experience in what is needed to foster the fruit-growing interest, where so many discouragements must be surmounted. One requisite is a class of nursery agents who will only sell such stock as will succeed in this climate. Hundreds of dollars of useless nur- sery stock has been palmed off on the farmers and would-be fruit growers of the Ottawa Valley, so that many are discouraged in the work of fruit- growing almost entirely. There are some honorable excep- tions, however, of agents who will onlv sell such varieties as they know will succeed with right treatment, and such win the confidence of the people and make good sales. The " Experimental Farm " must prove a boon to the farmers and fruit-growers of the Dominion just in proportion as they appreciate and appropriate its benefits. It has demonstrated the fact, that far more can be accomplished in the work of fruit-growing in this climate, than many thought ever could be, and yet the work of tree-growing is but fairly under way. All kinds of small fruits are a decided success, and all who visit the " Farm " are forced to admit that fact. A great variety of ornamental shrubberv and forest trees is well under way, and a fine collection of flowers adorn the grounds and greenhouses. One quality to ensure success in fruit-growing in this climate is per- severance. The would-be fruit- grower must be prepared to contend with obstacles ; not dive into every novelty that is presented that might do well in a more southern clime, but venture upon a few well-tested varieties of each class of fruit, and plant for mutual protection'. I plant a row of currants in line with a row of apple trees, and a row of grape vines four feet from each row of apples and currants, with a view of putting a tile drain between them. Hedge and tight fence protection around the fruit garden aid in re- taining the snow late in the spring, which is much needed to prevent spring freezing. Tramping a snow mound around each tree prevents mice from barking the trees, and keeps back the flow of sap until the hard northern blasts are past in spring. Winter protection is a prominent item to success in this climate. I have used pine boughs as a protec- tion to strawberries, and prefer them to anything else, as they keep the snow up from smothering, and allow the vines more liberty to come on early in the spring. Straw or forest TJie Cniiadian Horticultitrist. 281 leaves serve a very good purpose if evergreen boughs cannot be had. Grape vines must be buried or a large percentage will freeze out. The two-arm s\stem of training is preferred to the fan-tail by those who have tried both. The renewal system is spoken of by some, but I know of none that have yet practiced it. But how to protect my Russian Apricots, and Lombard Plums is the burden of my enquiries at present. I have thought of a wrap of twisted straw, with a fold of tarred paper over that, painted white to resist mice and reflect off the sun's rays ; also have been advised to use a thin board casing around each tree, and I think I will try both to test which is best. Hardy apple trees such as Tetofsky, Wealthy, Duchess, Alexander, Scott's Winter, Yellow Transparent, and a very few others, go through our long hard winters with encouragement, but a dozen varieties of the apple, except the hardy crabs, is enough to venture upon even by the most sanguine fruit-grower. Small fruits may be gone into with a certainty of success. The tests on the Experimental Farm in currants, gooseberries, rasp- berries, blackberries, and straw- berries, show a marked encourage- ment, and anyone visiting the " Farm " and noting the result of the tests can go away with the assurance that in small fruits at least, he may venture with perfect impunity in this climate. Of strawberries, I am testing about fifteen varieties, quite enough for the average fruit-grower, either for market or home use. Amontr them are Wilson, Crescent, Sharpless, Cumberland, Triumph Dan Boone, Captain Jack, Maggie, Jessie, Hubach, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Man- chester, Charles Downing and Seneca Queen, all of which are a success. Last winter was a hard one on any damp ground owing to much rain falling and freezing, and many lost their strawberries, or a large percentage of them from this cause. Taking all tilings into account, there is much to encourage the fruit- grower even here, where often five months of the year snow lies from two to five feet deep over the land. Apples grown here are of a good quality as a rule, being firm, juicy, and of a bright appearance, and good keepers if picked carefully. And now with reference to the sanitary need of fruit-growing and its more ex- tended use through this country and I will close. It is a general practice with those pursuing the farming in- dustry in the Ottawa Valley, to go to the lumber shanties in the winter, a practice which has greatly retarded the growth of farming interests. Life in the shanty is of a demoral- ising tendenc}- to a great degree, both to bod}' and soul. Strong tea, fat pork without fruit or vegetables, and tliat three times a day with dry bread, with a mixture of beans baked in grease, form the average diet of the shanty men. The result is : dyspepsia is quite a common com- plaint through the country. The practice of drinking a swallow of hot tea with every mouthful of food is very prevalent and correspondingly injurious. A free use of fruit is an 282 The Canadian Horticultiitist. antidote to the above named practices. If fruits were more freely used, both canned and dried, tlie medical fraternity would not wax rich so fast. Let this be pondered upon and profited by our farmers, and the benefits of fruit-growing will be more apparent. FALL PLANTING OF STRAWBERRIES. BY this we mean the transplant- ing of runners of the present year's growth, whether it be done in July or October. By care and skill it may be done as soon as the young roots are an inch in length, or even earlier. The rule is, however, that a plant is not old enough to set until it has branched roots ; nor is it self- supporting until sometime later. For this reason it is necessary to remove one or more of the leaves when set- ting out very young plants in the summer, lest more sap be evaporated than the roots can supply. As the season advances, more roots are developed, and there is less risk in the operation. While it is true that the earlier the work is done, other things being equal, the greater will be the crop, it is equally true that plants set early in September, when there is more moisture in the air and soil, usually do better than thoee set in a hot and dry time. If delayed too late, the danger is that they will not get sufficiently rooted to enable them to resist the effects of alternate freezing and thawing. Young plants in the summer are comparativel}^ tender and sappy, and much more easily injured than when more mature. If taken out of hard ground, the roots may be bruised or broken, and if exposed to the sun or wind for even a few minutes, many of the fine hair roots will be destroyed. For this reason it is not best to take up plants in a dry time. It is better to let them grow where they are until rains moistens the soil so that all the roots may be lifted without injury. The later the work is done the closer should plants be set to each other, so that they may fill the row with roots and shade the surface with their leaves. If set twelve inches apart in the row in July, ten inches will be enough in August, eight in Septem- ber and six in October. The sun should never be allowed to shine on bare ground between plants in the row during the winter or early spring. The soil for fall-set plants should be rich, so that their roots may find what they need near by, for they have not time to go far after it. It is well to prepare the place a week or two in advance, so as to let the ground get settled. And it is very important that the crown of the plant be not covered. If the weather be dry and hot after planting, so that the plants wilt, they should g&tone good water- ing in the evening and the soil should be stirred the next morning. If this proves insufficient, they should either have some shade during the heat of the day, or the first leaves that wilt should be removed to lessen the evaporating surface. If it is desired to test a new variety, the fall is the best time to plant it, for the reason that it will bear the next season and enable one to decide as to its value and give ample time to greatl}' increase the stock. Fall-set plants must be protected during the winter. Two inches of straw will answer. Of course the drainage should be such that no water can lie on or near the surface. — M. Crawford. The Canadian llorticultunst. 283 FRUIT ROOMS. HOW CONDUCTED AND MANAGED. THE veteran fruit grower, J.J. Thomas, in a recent number of New York Tribune, offers some val- uable sugfTestions in regard to fruit rooms and their management. For common capacity, says he, the leading and essential requisites are a building or room with non-conduct- ing walls, and ventilating windows which ma)' be opened on cool nights for the admission of cold air and be closed again for retaining this cool air while the temperature is higher outside in the daytime. In very cold weather in winter the windows are, of course, closed to prevent freezing. One or two thermometers are to be used and frequently consulted for maintainmg an even temperature. Such a house, properly regulated, will keep fruit a few degrees above freezing through a large part of the year, except in summer, when there are no cool nights for filling the apartment with cold air. In a building like this, regulated as described, winter apples, which commonly decay before the arrival of the warm weather of spring, have been retained in good condition until the middle of June; and our early winter pears, such as Lawrence and Nelis, have been kept in fair eating condition into February and March. This fruit-room may be a separate apartment in the basement of a dwel- hng ; or it ma)- be a building speci- ally erected for the purpose. If a separate building it ma)' be placed on slightly descending ground and sunk a foot or two below the sur- face, but this is not absolutely essen- tial. Erect the frame of six inch studs, or eight inch if the building is large, and cover the inside, as well as the outside, with building paper, the studs being placed just far enough apart to receive the strips of paper with a little lap. Then board up both sides, over the building paper. This double wall will be hardl\- sufficient protection against cold in the north ; and additional protection is afforded by nailing vertical strips of lumber, an inch or two square, on every joist, adding another covering of building paper and another l)oard- ing. This will make three thick- nesses of boards and three of build- ing paper, and be sufficient to exclude hard frost without the addition of any sawdust hlling, which, if used, will be liable to cause crevices by settling or to be disturbed bv vermin. Use double doors. Some fruit-houses have been built with two feet spaces filled with tan or sawdust, retjuiring useless labor and expense, as half that thickness would be (]uite enough in any case. The roof will be made in the same way as above described, with the shingles adcked. For small and very simple fruit-rooms or fruit-houses, windows placed on opposite sides, which mav be opened to any degree either for the gradual or copious ad- mission of fresh air, will be sufficient. For a separate building, there should be a plank or board floor, with openings for the entrance of air from below, or there may be a slatted floor, which will always allow the entrance of the warmer air from the earth below and prevent the freezing of the fruit, in the same wa)' that a basement is kept from freezing by the warmth of the earth. There should be \cntilators in the under- pinning of the building, which may be shut for the exclusion of warm air from without or opened to admit cool air in the night. When cold air is to be admitted, the current for its entrance is caused by an Esp)- or Mott ventilator above the roof, which always produces an upward draft when there is an)- wind or breeze. A small fruit-room may occupy a portion of the basement of a house, if separated from the rest of the basement bv a double brick wall, 284 TJic Canadian Horticulturist. and a double wall is provided outside above ground. The same treatment must be given it as for a separate building, in main- taining a uniform temperature through windows on opposite sides, which are to be opened or closed as already de- scribed. Although less perfect than a separate fruit-house, it requires less care in attendance, and such fruit-rooms have kept winter fruit several weeks or even months longer than by common management. In large fruit-houses, two stories high, the entrance should be through the upper story and down a flight of stairs, so as not to disturb the cool and equal temperature below in warm weather through the outside door. Fruit for immediate or early use may be placed on a series of shelves, one above the other, in the center of the apartment for the attendant to pass around to select ripening speci- mens. Long keepers, or such as Russets, which shrivel easily, may be headed up in tight barrels, where they remain till spring. An inter- mediate way is to put the fruit in flat boxes, i\ feet square and three inches deep, one box placed above another, in piles two or three feet high. All are easily examined by setting the top one off, then the next, and so on, thus forming a new pile. No large fruit grower, to make the most of his products, can hope to get along without such or a similar struc- ture. TRIMMING CUTTINGS. GERAN lU M slips root read- ily, if we only pre- pare them properly. Select a thrifty shoot, about three to five inches long. Cut off clean and smooth with a sharp knife, then remove the lower pair of leaves with a close cut, and trim the leaves left, so that the cutting will re- semble the one here illustrated. It is now ready for inser- tion in the propa- gating bed, or in a pot or box of sand. Sandy soil will do in absence of clean sand. Fuchsia and other cuttings are prepared in same way. — Popular Gar- deitina. Fig. 72. The Canadian lloydculturist. 28: 1^c\V 01* [ittic ICiM>\Vi> kiNiits. Morse's Seedling Harvest Apple. I again send }Ou a sample of my Seedling Marvest Apple. My Seed- ling is about "neck and neck" with the Early Harvest, with a second or so in favor of the latter as a rule. But It can distance the old sort in vigor of growth, size, freedom from "spot," and the flavor pleases me better — and it also pleases most others better — but flavor is "a matter of taste." The fierce frost of May caused a few specimens to crack, but there are no spots, while Early Harvest near at hand on higher and more open ground, has the whole crop ruined by "spots" ; other varie- ties subject to that evil have suffered more or less. The crop as a whole is a failure, very early and very late blooming are least injured. The frost, like lightning, struck whimsi- sicall}', and though not at all a re- specter of high or low as to tlie per- son, it was, as to locality and aspect. Some have apples, some pears, some plums, some peaches, some most of the above, yet very few an abundance of either ; much of the fruit is badl\- blemished by the weather and insect enemies. The codling moth and cur- culio are a vast majority compared with the fruit, and where reductive influences are not in force about ten or so insects seem to have applied for each specimen. The "blight" prevails to a slight extent, is present in both apple and pear. My premiums of later years. Yel- low Transparent, Niagara (irape Vladime's Cherry, Jessie Strawberry and Louise Apple, are all doing from fair to very good. The grape some- what protected was cut to the ground b}' the frost, while a Concord, some twenty-five feet away and not at all protected, partially escaped and is bearing some very fine fruit. I am sure the Horticulturist is becoming more and more appreciated, and by the more progressive culti- vators of both the useful and orna- mental felt to be a sine qua nou. — S. P. Morse, Milton, Aug. 21, 1889. Reply by Editor. This apple comes to us in good condition on the 23rd of August, and fully bears out all that was said in its favor on page 213, of Volume XL of this journal. It is not quite so at- tractive in color as the Early Har- vest proper, and of course is out of comparison with such varieties as the Red Astracan and the Duchess of Oldenburg ; but, in point of qual- ity for cooking, we judge it to be superior to any one of the three. Seedling Pears. I have sent you per mail, a box of my seedling pears for your examin- ation. The tree that bore them is about ten or twelve years old and has now borne two or three years. This year it had about a peck on, last year it bore perhaps a bushel ; the sample I sent you is about the average size. The tree is an erect grower, thick 286 The Canadian Horticulturist. foliage, very healthy; the fruit is borne in clusters. I counted as I picked them, seven of those little pears to each cluster, for about a dozen clusters, but some had more on, some less, of this year's crop. Last year there were some branches completely covered with fruit ; some spaces for two feet were almost solid packed with pears. I think they will beat the well-known little pear the Seckel. It think it well-flavored, sweet, juicy, neatly shaped With a short stout little stem which hangs well to the tree till ripe, not apt to be blown offbvwdnd. For pickling it is just the thing and also for preserving or can- ning, or for eating fresh it is very good. I think a man could as easy eat a dozen of these as he could one of Clapp's Favorite. Please report in the Horticultu- rist what you think of them. — D. B. Hoover, Aliiiirn, Aug. 26th, 1889. Reply by Editor. The package of pears came to hand in good order, but we cannot advise their propagation, as they are altogether too small to be grown for market purposes, and very few would plant pear trees simply for pickling pears. They are about the size of the Transcendent Crab. The quality is very good, but so is the quality of the Tyson which ripens about this time, and the Rostiezer is far superior, a pear hardly out of season yet, and these pears, though much larger than this seedling, will only command about 50 or 60c. per basket, while Clapp's Favorite and Bartlett, on account of their fine size, sell at near- ly twice that sum. In these days a fruit must have some especial excel- lence to be worthy of commenda- tion. Seott's Seedling Peaeh. I send you by mail a seedling peach grown on my grounds. Park Avenue, Chatham. Please tell me if it is a new variety, if not what is the name. The tree is young and only bore a few this year for the first. The bal- ance on the tree are just ripe now. — J. L. Scott, Chatham. Out., Sept. i^th, 1889. Reply by Editor. The peach is a magnificent one — equalling if not surpassing the Early Crawford in quality, and also resem- bling that popular variety in size and beauty of appearance. The skin is yellow with an exquisitely beautiful red cheek ; flesh yellow, rich, juicy, and melting, and free from the stone ; well worthy of propagation. Wilder Early Pear. Among the new fruits that promise well is the Wilder early pear, of which a very good drawing is here given. Mr. Vandeman, Pomologist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, writes as follows concerning it : " Among the midsummer pears there is none that pleases me more than this one, except that its size is rather small But like the Seckel, what it lacks in size it makes up in quality, although it is larger than that variety. It is a chance seedling, found in Chautauqua Co., N. Y. The original tree was par- tially grafted with scions of Buffum in 1870, when it was young, and would never have borne any fruit except of this old variety, had not three of the natural branches been left. These bear profusely, and the fruit, when fully grown, is quite attractive. It does not rot at the core. Size, small to medium ; shape, pyri- form, bell-shaped, irregular, a little angular ; surface, smooth, pale yellow The Canadian Horticultitnst. 287 ground with deep shading of l)ro\vnish carmine ; dots very numerous and small ; basin, shallow, regular ; eye nearly closed, sepals long and refiexed : apex rather abrupt, with a slight cavity ; stem short ; core closed, very small ; seeds very small, narrow, pointed, dark ; Seedling- Plums from Owen Sound. IjiK,— Knowing as 1 do that you lake a great interest in fruit growing I submit tcj ) on by express to-day nine plums for your correction and opinion of the same. Imo. 7j. — Wildkk's Eakly Pear. flesh very pale, whitish yellow, fine No. i is a plum that has been grained and tender; flavor, sub-acid, grown here for a number of years sprightly much like Bartlett ; quality f^^^ ^ ^^^^^s without a name. I very good ; season August, m \\ estern , ,^ . , , • , • New York " have shown it to the best judges in The Canadian Hortiailtnrist. this section and to Mr. Baron, of Toronto, and none were able to name it. Please name it if you can. You will observe it has a peculiar ring round the stem, which I have not observed in any other plum. No. 2 is a seedling from Duane's Purple. The tree is healthy and appears to be a good bearer, this being its second year. No. 3 is a seedling from Smith's Orleans. I have been growing the parent of this tree for a number of years until it died of old age. The tree has always been healthy, not subject to black-knot or any disease. The. foliage is very dense, the leaves No. 2 is a clingstone, with green- ish flesh, and of rather poor quality, and vmder medium size. are thick, dark, green and leathery. I might also say the tree is an over- abundant bearer. — R. Trotter, Owen Sound, Sept. ^rd, 1889. These are all dark purple plums, with blue bloom and moderately tender flesh. No. I is a very fine dark colored plum, obovate, with a broad shallow suture half round ; stalk curved, sur- rounded with a peculiar ring, very good in quality. It much resembles Brad- shaw, from which it may be a seedling. No. 2. No. 3 is a semi-cling, of yellowish flesh and very good qualit}'. It is above medium size, and should it prove, as it appears, an improvement upon its parent, and an excellent bearer, it should be better known. Nos. I and 3 appear to be worthy of cultivation. The CcDiadiati Horticulturist. 289 POISONING THE PASTURE UNDER THE TREES BY PARIS GREEN. I AN important practical question which I have tried to settle this season — 1S89 — concerns the danger of pasturing under trees which have been sprayed with the arsenites. A gentleman wishing to spray his orchard, in which he was pasturing seventy-five hogs, consulted me as to the wisdom of doing so without first removing the swine. I told him I believed there was no danger. I said use a mixture, one pound of London purple to two hundred gallons of water, watch your hogs closely, and if any seem affected remove all at once, and I will l)e responsible for damages to the amount of twenty-five dollars. The gentleman did so and reports no damage. In the following experiments I used the mixture of twice the strength which should be used, that the experiment might be the more convincing. I used one pound to one hundred gallons of water. In every case the spraying was very thoroughly done. Care was taken that every twig and leaf should be drenched. In tree No. i a thick paper was placed under one-half of a rather small apple tree. The space covered was six by twelve feet, or seventy-two square feet. The paper was left till all drip- ping ceased. As the day was quite windy the dripping was rather excessive. In this case every particle of the poison that fell from the tree was caught on the paper. Dr. R. C. Ked/.ie analyzed the poison and found four-tenths (.4) of a grain. Tree No. 2 was a large tree with very thick foliage. Underneath this tree was a thick carpet of clover, blue grass and timothy just in bloom. The space covered by the tree was fully sixteen feet stjuare, or c(iual to two hundred and fifty-six .scjuare feet. As soon as all dripping had ceased, the grass under the tree was all cut, very gently, and very close to the ground. This was taken to the chemical labora- tory and analyzed by Dr. R. C. Kedzie, There was found 2.2 grains of arsenic. Now as our authorities say that one grain is a poisonous dose for a dog, two for a man, ten for a cow, and twenty for a horse, there would seem to be small danger from pasturing our orchards during and immediately after spraying, especially as no animal' would eat the sprayed grass exclusively. To test this fully, I sprayed a large tree over some bright, tender grass and clover. I then cut the clover carefully, close to the ground, and fed it all to my horse. It was all eaten up in an hour or two, and the horse showed no signs of any injury. This mixture, remember, was of double the proper strength, was applied very thoroughly, and all the grass fed to and eaten by the horse. This experiment was re- peated with the same result. I next secured three sheep. These were kept till hungry, then put into a pen about a tree under which was rich, juicy, June grass and clover. The sheep soon ate the grass, yet showed no signs of any injury. This experiment was repeated twice with the same result. It seems to me that these experiments are cru- cial and settle the matter fully. The analyses show that there is no danger, the experiments confirm the conclusion. — A. J. Cook, before Meeting of A. A. A. S. at Toronto. 290 The Canadian Horticulturist. THE FRUIT TREE PEDDLER. DURING the spring months fruit tree peddlers get a large amount of free advertising, and this year is no exception. Already the custom- ary wail is going the rounds of the press against the wicked irrepres- sible canvasser. It has become the fashion to pounce upon him at this season of the year, and the whole world of newspaper correspondents and agricultural writers, great and small, are emptying their vials of wrath on his head, and advising farmers to let him entirely alone. One writer denounces the agent for carrying with him picture sam- ples of fruit twice as large as life and colored in a corresponding man- ner, and then advises farmers to or- der direct from a trustworthy nur- sery. I have no fault to find with this ; it is certainly better to pur- chase nursery stock direct from a trustworthy nursery than of a ras- call}' agent ; but, on the other hand, would it not be just so much more preferable to buy of a reliable agent than of an unscrupulous nursery- man? Those highly colored pictures are, with hardly an exception, fur- nished by the nurserymen themselves. Some of the most extensive nurser- ies in the United States deal exclu- sively through agents and supply their agents with sample books, as do a large majority of firms engaged in other business. The illustrations in agents' sample books are taken from the finest specimens of the vari- ety of fruit which they represent, and are, of course, larger and finer look- ing than the real fruit grown in a scrubby grass-grown orchard. As a rule they as truthfully repre- sent the real fruit as illustrations in catalogues of nurserymen dealing di- rectly with the purchaser, or of seed- men, agricultural implement manu- facturers, and livestock breeders. In the same article the writer ac- cuses fruit tree peddlers of pulling up fruit trees by the roadside, or in some farmer's yard, and palming them off for first-class nursery stock, and for this reason farmers should shoot every fruit tree peddler who dared to set foot on the premises. Why not condemn every merchant because a few rascals among the number mix sand with sugar, or would it not be just as sensible to advise fruit tree peddlers to shoot farmers because, once in a while, one makes butter out of lard, and puts stones in his hay to get even with tricky hay dealers ? I favor any movement to clear the country of rascally lightning-rod swindlers, patent-right men, and fraudulent fruit tree agents ; but I do not see why all representatives of nurseries, and book agents, especi- ally, should be sat down upon as frauds by every one who has enough literary ability to get his name in print. The business of selling fruit trees and books is an occupation of which no man need be ashamed. Many a deserving young man has received an education and gained a foothold in life by spending his vacation canvassing the rural districts in the interests of some publishing house or nursery. The honest, respectable book agent or fruit tree peddler is a friend of humanity. He has carried fruit and flowers, and useful know- ledge, to the utmost parts of the country, and caused roses, beautiful shrubbery, and intelligence to bloom where once grew unsightly briers and weeds of ignorance. While we con- demn fraud, evil, and rascality, let us not be too eager to depreciate the valuable service, or worth, of the honest, intelligent, trustworthy can- vasser.— Linden, in Hnsbandman. The Canadian Horticulturist. 291 'tieiiltaral JV^i^sccII ;ii>.v. I I Russian Pears The Besseinianka Pear (German " Samenlose," English "Seedless,") has gone through five winters, two of which were the coldest on record, in my grounds, without losing a bud. In each one of these winters, even the last, the thermometer has touched 40 degrees below zero ; and in the two worst it was as low as that fully half the nights in January and Febru- ary. These five year planted trees are now seven to nine feet high, and will bloom the present season. I have younger trees of fifteen other varieties, all of which Professor Budd of Iowa calls hardier than Bessemi- anka. I have been trying for twent}'- three years everything called hardy among the older varieties of luiro- pean and American pears, (including all the Maine and Western Vermont seedlings), with very little success ; losing all of them in the two winters which left the Bessemianka un- scathed. I have never yet seen the fruit of these new iron-clads ; but from the account we have of them they will rate from " good " to " very good," none quite reaching the standard of " best " under the classifi- cation of the American Pomological Society. But they will give an exten sion of pear-growing at least 100 miles further northward. — A writer in Orchard and Garden. New Formulas of The Bordeaux Mixture. Thk followini,'^ formulas, given to one of our grape-growers by Dr. B. T. Galloway, U. S. Mycologist, have been quite extensively experimental with in France for mildew, and have given very satisfactory results. Dr. Galloway advises that we try them, not only for mildew, but for rot also, No. I. Sulphate of Copper 4 lbs. Quick Lime i J lbs Water 24 gals' No. 2. Sulphate of Copper 2 lbs. Quick Lime J lbs. Water 24 gals. It has been found that the mixture does quite as well with the reduced amount of lime, and in two of the three places where experiments were conducted in France, these weaker mixtures did nearly as well as the old formulas, which had as high as twelve pounds of sulphate of copper. In the third place, they gave even better results than the stronger form- ulas. It was especially remarked that the weaker solutions adhered better to the vine. M. Millardet, the French experimenter, recommends also a formula, half way in strength between these two. — Fruit and Grape Grower. Green Fruit Preservation. M.\NAGER Brown of the State Board of Trade has in use a most ex- cellent method for the preservation of the color and beauty of green fruits. Liverpool salt is dissolved in clear water until the brine is strong enough to float the fruit. Let this stand over night, and then strain through a cloth until the liquid is perfectly clear. Place the fruit to be preserved in thoroughly clean wide-mouthed jars; fill to the brim with the brine and then close tightly. While this method for a long time perfectly pre- serves the bloom and color of the fruit, it, of course, unfits it for eating. Twigs with the fruit and foliage attached, when preserved in this way, are exceedingly attractive for exhibi- tion purposes. — Pacific Rural Press. 292 The Canadian Horticnltiirist. Grading Fruit for Market. Faulty packing is causing con- siderable trouble and complaint in the markets of the East, as well as our local market. The principal cause of complaint is from ungraded fruit. Growers must grade their fruits if they desire to secure anything like a market price. Your packers should receive positive, imperative instruc- tions to grade as to size. Small fruit distributed through a box or basket of otherwise fine, large fruit, will kill the sale. There is hardly a shipment made but what should be packed under at least three grades as to size. Dealers and buyers having a trade for handsome, large fruit will pay a handsome price for packages well graded ; others having trade for medium-sized fruit will purchase the same at a reasonable price ; while others having a cheap trade will pur- chase the small fruit at a low figure. The net results from shipments thus graded will be far greater than to pick and pack all sizes together, ex- pecting that the large fruit will sell the small fruit. This is one of the greatest mistakes that the fruit grower can possibly make. The large, fine fruit will sell itself at a good price, the other sizes and grades will sell themselves ; but, if mixed all in the same package, the large, fine fruit will sell for no greater price than the small or medium -sized fruit would in a package by itself. This is the true business, and growers and ship- pers have been informed of it time and again, and in the face of these facts and information they will pick, pack and ship 3,000 miles to New York without the slightest regard as to grade, and frequently, fine fruits ungraded, sell in the New York mar- ket for barely enough to pay freight and shipping expenses ; whereas, if properly graded, would pay the ship- per a handsome net profit. California fruits at the East this year are re- ceivmg a terrible " black eye" from faulty packing. It would pay Cali- fornia fruit growers, through their . various associations, to employ in- spectors or graders, who should be called upon to inspect and pass all fruits packed for Eastern shipment, and the manager and despatcher of these fruits at Sacramento and else- where should be instructed not to show and forward fruits to the East that do not bear the inspector's stamp. Great injury is bound to re- sult to the fruit growing industry of this state if more care is not exercised in the methods of packing, grading and style of packages used. Taking this season as a guide, unless some radical change is wrought, it is doubt- ful if growers generally will ever become packers and shippers to dis- tant markets. — C a I ifo r n i a F r u i t Grower. Domestic Notes. This 3'ear all our fruit has been put up in one way, and that a very easy one. We make no pound-for- pound preserves, but can everything after this fashion. The fruit is peeled, or prepared in any way desired, and then packed into the bottles, with a sprinkling of sugar all the way through. The jars are then filled up with water and stood in the wash-boiler, with enough cold water to reach three-fourths up the bottles. The bottles are stood on boards to prevent them touching the bottom of the kettle, and the lids are put on, but not fastened. The boiler is stood on the stove and brought to a boil; it is left on for twenty minutes after coming to a boil. This cooks the fruit thoroughly ; very soft fruit will do with a little less. When the jars are lifted out, a little boiling water must be poured into them, so as to fill them up, and they must then be sealed immediately. This is a very satisfactory way to do strawberries, peaches and pears. — R. N. y. The Canadian Horticulturist. 293 r'^-^:^^^^. ^^^. 1th C^nabian ^or^icuP^uriet 4|. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. Notes and Comments. A Visit from Prof. Burrill.— It was with great pleasure that we en- tertained the celebrated niicroscopist, Prof. Burrill, of the Illinois State University, Champaign, 111., for a day at Grimsby just after the close of the meeting of the A.A.A.S. at the halls of the University of To- ronto. He is engaged under the U. S. Government in investigating the cause of the peach yellows, and should he succeed in defining the nature of this mysterious disease, we may next hope for some remedy. We visited several of the peach orchards of Grimsby, in each of which specimens of diseased trees were only too easily found, and he took away samples of the wood, fruit and roots of affected trees for careful microscopic study, promising that if any good should result, he would communicate it for the benefit of Canadian peach growers, through this journal. It was a privilege to look through his powerful instrument and see the minute microbes which cause the pear blight, mounted from diseased trees in our own orchard, and to listen to his explanation of their mode of operations. He also showed us the microbe of the peach yellows, but says its habits are much the more mysterious, for while the blight microbe has the power to make its way by a kind of corrosion from cell to cell of the pear tree, no way for such progress of the former has as yet been discovered, and, notwith- standing this, it is found in all parts of a diseased tree. We asked him if there could be an\' mistake in the statement that the microbe was the cause of the pear- blight. He said there was not ; he had isolated some of them from the tree, and had caused the parasitic organisms to grow and increase in numbers, on a certain prepared gelatine, in a closed glass tube. He had then applied some of these microbes to a perfectly healthy tree, and blight was the result. In replv to our inquiry as to best time for cutting off blighted limbs of the pear tree so as to prevent its spreading, he said that the microbe most frequently found entrance through the blossoms, and that the trees should be carefully examined at that time and all blighted blos- soms cut away before the mischief 294 The Canadian Horticulturist. had time to spread. The tree should be visited every week or two for a few times in succession, and, by care- ful removal of all affected wood as far down as any discoloration of the inner bark was discernible, much of the injury to our orchards from the pear blight would be prevented. He also stated that the blight of the apple and quince was due to the same cause as that of the pear. Simon's Plum. — A fine specimen of this fruit was sent into this office on the 6th of Sept. and was carefully measured. It was exactly six inches in circumference every way. The Wager Peach gives us a favorable impression this season. Trees three years planted are well loaded with fruit, ripening about Sept. 1 2th, along with the Old Mixon Free-Stone. The tree is a good grower, the fruit is of medium size, oval, with swollen point skin, fine yellow, with red cheek ; flesh firm, yellow, of good quality. We believe that this will prove a valuable market peach for Ontario peach growers, and doubly desirable if, as some claim, it will reproduce itself from the pit, for by this means any one can grow his own trees at little expense. Concord Grapes. — The first ship- ments from Maplehurst Fruit Farm were made on the iSth of Septem- ber, and continued regularly. No grape is giving such constant satis- faction under all circumstances and conditions. This season all Rogers' varieties have failed, and Niagaras have dropped, but Concords are laden with beautiful clusters. We find the results vary with the kind of soil. On a heavy clay loam they are earlier and sweeter, but small, while on rich sandy loam they are later, but very large berries. One we measured and found it three inches and a quarter in circumference, due partly to ringing. Caution About Paris Green. — A serious typical error escaped our notice on page 68, under the above caption. In our note the word " pint " should be " pail." Mitchell's No. i Tomato, as grown on the grounds of the Can- adian Horticulturist, is equal to Acme or Hathaway in productive- ness, rather larger and of a better flavor. Early Grapes. — Moore's Early Grape was ripe, on the writer's fruit farm, about the ist of Sept., and the first basket was shipped on the 3rd of the month. The vines were loaded with fine sized fruit which was sweet and desirable for the table. It was sold wholesale in To- ronto market at 8 cents per pound. Why grow any more Champions ? Worden began ripening on the 7th, and on our vines is about equal to the Concord for productiveness. No Concords were colored on that date except a few which had been ringed for experiment, or had been tied too tightly to the trellises, in which case the same effect was produced. It is evident that ringing will cause earlier ripening and larger berries. Irrigation with Tile. — Such a season of drouth as some sections of Ontario have just passed through will lead our gardeners to consider Fig. 74.— Mode of Irrigation with Tile. favorably any proposed system for overcoming this serious drawback to their success. We notice in an ex- change an easily worked plan for ir- rigating with tile. By means of the farm windmill, a tank reservoir may easily be filled, and thus the necessary The Canadian Horticulturist. 295 water and pressure for Hooding small areas may be obtained. The water is distributed by means of common drain tile, using sizes from two to four inches in diameter ; the larger for the main or distrilniting tile and the smaller for branches. The tiles are laid at a depth of about a foot or fifteen inches below the sur- face, the excavations being made by a plow without much expense, and the lines of tile are laid about ten feet apart. When the water is turned on, into the standpipe, it will fill the pipes to their extremities, which, of course, are closed, and a portion of the water, constantly escaping by the joints, will work its way by capillary attraction toward the surface of the soil. One acre is about the extent which may be thus worked under one system of pipes and machinery. The Yellow Transparent. — Our top grafts of this Russian have borne some fruit with which we were much pleased, except with the size which was below medium. Its earliness gives it every advantage in the market, especially as the Early Harvest is no longer to be depended upon on account of the spot. Dr. Hoskins, of Vermont, has had some favorable experience with it, which we find published in the Orchard and Garden. He says : — " As to the other apples of this family, the fruit is very similar, when grown under identical conditions, though I find White Transparent smaller, and better in quality than the others. The whole family are more or less subject to blight, attacking not only the bark in the forks of the branches, but the limbs, much like pear blight. 1 regard Thaler and Sultan as identi- cal, and they are both destroyed by blight in my grounds in a very few years. Y.T. is much more resistant to the disease, the majority of my trees escaping it altogether ; but if allowed to over-bear, even it is short- lived, as compared with most American varieties. The trees should have rich ground and surface cultiva- tion ; and I find 12 feet apart in the row wide enough, as they will not often remain profitable after reaching a size to meet at that distance. While they do last, however, no apple is more profitable. Even my culls netted nearly Si. 00 per bushel last year ; and trees three to five inches in diameter gave from 4 to 6 bushels of perfect fruit, sold mostly as they ran at ^i per 100, which is a little more than half a bushel, though of select specimens 100 will make nearly a bushel. They were all sold in the home market, this being a summer resort ; but Boston dealers have told me that even lots of good size would easil}- net Si. 00 per half bushel crate in that city, as there is no apple there ecjual to it in appear- ance or quality at that season." The Crandall Currant. — Mr. L- H. Bailey writes in the American Garden, that he does not find any trace of hybridization in the plants of this currant, and regards it as a simple variation of the Buffalo currant. In his estimation it has some decided merits, especially for amateurs, promising a new and valuable type of fruit for our gardens. In jellies it is better than most other currants and is good in pies or as sauce. It needs to be eaten fresh, because, after standing two or three days, the berries become tough and almost inedible. It is variable in size and in period of ripening, but may be easily gathered singly, like {gooseberries and cherries. Oup Winter Meeting. The next annual and winter meet- ing of our Association will be held in the city of Windsor, during the second week in December. The meeting will be ably support- ed both bv local fruit growers and by 296 The Canadian Horticulturist. our Directors, and a series of import- ant topics will be discussed, such as " Fruit Exhibits at Fairs," "Judging Fruits," " Fruit Lists for Ontario," " Values of the Various Kinds of Apples," Evaporation of Fruits," " Apples for Stock," " The Cultiva- tion of the Peach," " The Cultivation of the Pear," " Grape Growing for Market," " Currant Culture for Pro- fit/' "The Fall Purchasing of Trees," etc. Now is the time to make fur- ther suggestions to the Secretary of such subjects as any member would like to have taken up and discussed, as the officers desire to make the meetings and the Report as full of variety and asinteresting as possible. The meeting is to be held in Windsor in response to the invitation of the North Essex Farmers' Insti- tute, whose worthy Secretary, Mr. N.J. Chnton, takes a deep interest in our work. The Windsor Board of Trade and the Windsor Vine Growers' Associa- tion will also co-operate with us. The Michigan Horticultural Society promise to send us some representa- tives, and the New York State Horti- cultural Society will probably be represented by Mr. S. D. Willard, of Geneva, N.Y. In many places there seems to be an impression that only members may attend our meetings. This is a great mistake ; our object is to advance the interests of the Province by encouraging the industry of fruit culture, and unless we can get the ears of the public how can we do them any good ? Will our readers please correct this error, and encourage the public, both ladies £^nd gentlemen, to attend our meeting's. The Dominion Convention. Over a year ago it was agreed between the Montreal Horticultural Society and the Ontario Fruit Grow- ers' iVssociation that a Dominion Convention of Fruit Growers would be of great benefit to the Dominion, by discussing the capabilities of the various Provinces for fruit culture, the most hardy fruits and those adapted to the colder sections. For- estry, Economic Entomology, and various other subjects of general interest. The report of such a meet- ing would form a volume of great value for distribution by the Gov- ernment in foreign countries, as well as throughout the whole of our vast Dominion. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Carling, has given his approval to the scheme, and a vote of $2,000 has been made to carry out the proposed convention. It will be held in Ottawa in February next, and the programme is now being arranged. QUESTION DRAWER The Bpown Rot of the Grape. 77. I WRITE to you for information. My grapes just now are affected with a disease. I know not what to call it. They are now fully formed and by degrees are turning a dark colour and fall off the vine. On cut- ting them open they have a peculiar smell as if decaying. It is only the Rogers grapes that are affected so. Concords and other kinds I have are not so affected. Grapes are but a small crop with me this year. You, perhaps, may be able to say what the disease is, and if ^ny are affected in the same way up west, or perhaps some of your numerous subscribers may have some grapes diseased in the same manner. Our crops in this section of Canada are excellent. We have not had for many years anything like it. — James Rosamond, Almonte, Lanark Co., Ont. The Canadian Horticnltnrist. 297 Reply by II. T. (iallouuiy. Chic/ 0/ Section of Vegetable l'atlioloi;y, Washington, D.C. The grapes are affected by what is known as l^rown Rot, a form of the downy mildew which attacks tlie leaves. \\'e send you a description of the disease. There is no doubt that the Bordeaux mixture, if used early enough in the season, will pre- vent the ravages of this parasite which seems to be the principal grape trouble north of and including New York state. (l.) — ^DOWNY MILDEW, BROWN AND GREY- ROT, These diseases are caused by a fungus known a.s Peronosporaviticola. When the Pcrotiospora attacks the leaves the disease is known as the downy mildew ; when it attacks the berries and destroys the pulp with- out forming external reproductive bodies it is brown-rot ; when it occurs on the young fruit and covers the berries with its greyish conidia or " seed " grey-rot is the term applied to it. Leaves affected with downy mil- dew show, upon the upper surface, greenish yellow or brownish spots of irregular size and shape, while op- posite these discolorations, on the lower side, a downy, whitish, frost- like growth may be seen. In ad- vanced stages of the disease, or after a heavy rain, the frost-like patches often disappear, leaving in their place light brown discolorations cor- responding in size and shape with those on the upper side. Brown-rot usually appears when the fruit is nearly full-grown and, as already stated, there is no external evidence of the presence of a fungus. Purplish brown discolorations appear as a first manifestation of this form of rot. Soon the entire berry turns brown, the pulp becomes soft and often shrinks, forming depressions, over which the wrinkled yet other- wise smooth and unbroken skin is stretched. In the case of grey-rot the berries and often the pedicel are covered with a frost-like growth similar to that which occurs on the leaves. In fact the characters of this disease are so well marked that a further description is useless as it cannot well be mistaken for anything else. (11.) — THE POWDERY MILDEW. This mildew usually makes its appearance toward the middle of summer and continues until frost. It attacks the leaves, young shoots and fruit, covering them with a pow- dery meal-like growth altogether different from the downy mildew, also differs from the latter in that it occurs abundantly on the upper sur- face of the leaves where it forms mealy white patches of various sizes and shapes. Occasionally it is spread out quite evenly over the entire surface, resembling in some respects the delicate web of a spider. Fruit affected with the powdery mildew shows on the surface a coat- ing of whitish, meal-like dust; this rapidly increases in thickness and soon the berries shrivel, the skin cracks, admitting other agents of decay, which soon finish the work of destruction. Wine Making. 78. Would you kindly answer the follow- ing question in your excellent publication, viz., how to make a fair quality of wine from say from 3 or 4 (,'allons of grape juice? I have good receipts for large (juantities with proper appliances but not in small quantities. I have made a good wine from red and white currants in small lots. — A. J. Collins, I.is- tou'cl. In reply to our correspondent we cannot do better than to give the fol- lowing quotation from an exchange : *' The grapes are allowed to ripen well before being gathered, when the juice is expressed and bottled im- mediately. The bottles are filled to the brim ami then placed, up to 298 The Canadian Horticitlturist. their necks, in vats of water within ten degrees of the boiling point. " \Mien the must and water are of the same temperature, the corks are forced into the bottles, expelling some of the fluid to make room for themselves. This part of the work must be very carefully done, as the least measure of air remaining be- tween the cork and the liquid will cause fermentation. As the liquid is in a heated state when the cork is forced, it will contract as it cools, leaving a space between the cork and the liquid ; but if the cork is, as it should be, thoroughly air-tight, this vacancy will not be an atmos- pheric chamber and will not injure the liquid. If fermentation should set in, it can be driven off b}^ re- heating the wine. The bottles are then placed on their side in a cool place and then the organic particles in the must be allowed to settle. " This settling may last any length of time the manufacturer chooses, but sufficient time must be allowed, for foreign substances must be allow- ed to settle on the sides of the bottle. Then it is decanted into other bottles leaving the sediment behind. These second bottles must also be brimful and heated up to the same degree as before and corked in precisely the same manner, using sealing-wax to exclude air. The wine is then allowed to cool in the ordinary way, and must be kept in a cool place. It will keep as long as it is kept free from contact with the atmosphere." of the latter are an} thing but heaven- ly, and are ver\- injurious to the lungs of some persons. The Ailanlus. 79. Will the Ailantus stand the winter in this latitude without protection ? — W.W. H., Toronto. The Chinese Ailantus, or Tree of Heaven, is quite hardy at Grimsby, and probably would be at Toronto. In planting it we would caution our enquirer to choose the pistillate tree and not the staminate, for the flowers Aloe and Agave. (SEE QUESTION -\. ) Reply by Anton Simmers, Toronto. (i) Technical name of -'Devil's Tongue" — ChaiJiorliriitm. (2) Pro- per cultivation of " Devil's Tongue " is the same as that given below, with the exception that we do not cellar these plants but endeavor to keep them growing throughout the winter indoors. (3) Proper cultiva- tion of " \'ariegated Indian Aloe " — generally grown in pots, consisting of loam}' soil mixed with sand to prevent the soil from souring ; add to this say half a pound of bone meal as a fertilizer which will be found beneficial. The plant should be kept in moderate moisture, and placed in any location, shady or otherwise, will thrive. During winter we cellar them and keep occasionally watered to sustain life. The cellar should be one frost -proof. (4) Proper soil for " Dew Plant " is a sandy loam well enriched with manure. (5) Technical name of " Dew Plant is Meseuibri- aiitJiemiim Crystallinuiii. Tigpidias and Wisterias. 80. The Tuberous-rooted Wisteria and Tipridia which I received as premiums are making a fairly good -but not very thrifty — growth. I have them growing in pots but out doors. Will you kindly inform me how they are to be preserved through the winter. Must the tubers be taken up and dried and stored away as we do those of the Gladiolus, or had they better be left in the earth as with the Japan lily, If the latter, should the pots be put in the cellar or not ? Should they be left quite dry or watered ? An answer to these questions in the next number of your valuable magazine will oblige — Elizabeth Trigge, Eleven Oaks, Cookshire, Que. Reply by Herman Simmers, Toronto. In reply to questions sent by your subscriber, I am pleased to answer as follows, viz. : The Tigridias are The Canadian HortiniltKrist. 299 treated in precisely the same manner as the Gladiolus. The Tuberous- as the bulbs of Gladiolus, taken up rooted Wisteria bulb is quite hardy in the fall and dried, and kept in and may be left in the f^'round all such a manner until the spring,when winter, without any danj^'er of their they ma}- be planted the same time freezing. OPEN LETTERS. Apples a Failure in Huron Co, Dear Sir, — I duly received the numbers of the Horticulturist and also the Report, and since reading them I am sorry that I did not join your Association long ago but "better late than never." We have had agood crop of small fruits and in such a year as this when the apples are a total failure, a succession of strawberries, raspberries, etc., for table use and canning purposes will no doubt supply a part of the deficiency. I was very much pleased with the Report. It is well worth the subscription price alone. — A S Dickson, Scaforth, Aiisr 24//;, 1889. Prunus Simoni. Sir. — I notice your remarks in the Sep- tember Horticulturist about Simon's Plum I find it hardy here. It fruited with me this season, measuring over 6 inches and resembling cut ; flavor excellent and a grand perfume. — W. A. Hamilton, Coll'uigwood. Sir, — According to California journals, " the Prunus Simoni develops into a hand- some, oblate, deep purple plum, much larger than it appears in the engravings of the fruit grown elsewhere," etc. — T. B. Jenkins, Horticulturist, Rochcstir. Sir, — I have read with interest your July and August numbers. I am somewhat interested in the discussion on the Prunus Simoni. The plate in the July number has been shown to an agent representing a nursery at Iowa City, thirty miles south of here. He informs me that instead of being overdrawn, as Prof. Van Deman tells us, in the .\ugust number, it does not much more than represent one-half the actual size of the plum as fruited by a Mr. Coughman, at Iowa City this season. He represents the fruit beautiful and fine for canning. Notwith- standing the discredit thrown upon the fruit by Prof. Van Deman I shall plant in the spring at least 50 trees of it. — A. B. Dennis, Cedar Rapids, loica, Sept. nth, i88g. Wickson's work on California fruits, in the portion devoted to plums, says that Prunus Simoni has a "sweet, rich, aromatic and delicious pine-apple flavor." This will sur- prise any one familiar with its worthless character, which can hardly be so greatly changed when cultivated in California. — Extract from Country Gentleman. OUR FRUIT MARKETS. High Prices for Apples. Olr remarks upon the \alue of apples in the last number are being more than sustained. In fact, e.xcept in a few favored sections, there are very few apples in the. country. In some counties bordering upon the southern shore of lake Ontario, and the northern shore of lake Erie, especially in Essex and Kent, a fair crop is reported, but on the whole there will probably not be one-third of last year's crop in all Canada, and the percentage in New York state and Michigan will be very little higher. Indeed Chicago apple buyers have already been operating quite freely in Western Ontario and as early as the first week in September had secured some 20,000 barrels at $2 300 The Catiadian Horticulturist. per barrel, f.o.b., for fall apples, and $2.50 for winter apples. Montreal men have also been in the held, and some of them have been contracting heavily, so that a lively competition isiit work to bring up prices to an unusual scale. It is even stated that quite recently the sum of $3.25 per barrel was paid for i ,000 barrels of winter fruit f.o.b. We think, therefore, that there is every encouragement for those of us who have an apple crop to expect high prices for our stock right at home, and we do not advise great haste in selling, unless outside fig- vires are to be had. Prices of Pears. If apples are bringing a surpris- ingly high price what shall we say of pears, which have sold during the latter part of September at a higher figure than was ever known in Can- ada ? Bartlett pears went up to $15 per barrel, and even $20 has been paid for some of fine quality. Fine Flemish Beauty pears have been selling as high as $6 to $10 for No. 1 quality. Great Britain. Sir, — As usual at this season of the year, we beg to give you a summary of the most authentic reports we have been able to get, as to the crop of Apples in the United King- dom. Up to date we have reports from 94 different parts, and these may be classified as follows ; — Total failure, 13 ; very poor, or almost a failure, 38; very partial, or under average, 24 ; average, 17 ; above average, 2 ; Total 94. There are some districts from which we have not yet received any special report, but we have no hesitation in placing above figures before you as representing the general crop of this country. If we should later on re- ceive any advices that lead us to believe otherwise, we shall at once inform you. From the above statistics it will be readily seen that the Home Supplies will be very sm,all, and, therefore, the prospects for ship- ments from U.S.A. and Canada are corres- pondingly good. We, however, again call your attention to the advisability of not shipping small or common fruit, as if any quantity of this class arrives, the result will certainly be unsatisfactory. The crop in Belgium and Germany is re- ported good, but light in France. We look for a good demand for fruit of good size and quality, but again advise our friends that they cannot be too careful in their packing. J. C. Houghton & Co., Liverpool, 28/// Aug., 1889. Sir, — Messrs. J. C. Houghton & Co., Liverpool, cable that about 500 bbls. Apples ex "Umbria" met w.th a fair demand to- day and the following prices were realized : Kings, 25s. to 26s.; Baldwins, 12s. 6d., to 14s. 6d.; Greenings, los. 6d , to 13s. 3d.; Hub- bardsons, 12s. gd., to 15s. Messrs. James Lindsay & Son, Glasgow and Edinburgh, cable that they ha\e re- alized the following prices in their markets : Maiden's Blush, 21s. to 24s.; Cranberry Pippins, i6s. to 20s.; Kings, 21s. to 28s.; Baldwins, 15s. to i6s. The shipments for the week ending Sep- tember 7th amounted to 6,366 bbls. from all ports to all ports, including 1,700 bbls. from Halifax to London. Otto G. Mayer & Co., Per Josiah Rich, New York, nth Sept., Sir, — The apple season of 1888-9, although resulting in the largest arrivals that have ever been received in this country, cannot be looked upon as a satisfactory one, as the low prices caused by the supply so much ex- ceeding the demand, must ha\'e been very disastrous to shippers. The first shipments were received in August ; the invariable re- sults of these early shipments is always disastrous, and this season proved no excep- tion to the rule. Fall fruits never arrive in a condition to command high prices and come into competition with arrivals here from Lisbon, Oporto, and France, and the bulk of our own growths, which are mostly of early varieties. By the time the Winter Fruit, arrive here these shipments cease, and the demand for American Apples fairly sets in ; but during the past season they came in such quantities that the prices never ruled high, and the great rush made by Canadian shippers to get their stock here before the close of navigation — combined with large shipments from New York and Boston, caused such a congestion of apples on the market that prices dropped steadily, until they got to a point when there was \ery little margin over freight and charges, and the stock was not cleared away until after the Christmas holidays. From that out arrivals still continued heavy, but we were able to use them all at prices ranging from los. to 15s. Tlic Cnuadian Horticulturist. 301 The total arrivals into the U.K. were 1,491,382 barrels, which was far in excess of any year since the large crop of 1880-1, when the quantity was 1,328,805. For the previous four years, say from 1884-5 ^o 1887-8, the average of seasons was 775,264 barrels. From reports we receive from all parts of Canada and the United States the crop for the coming season will be from 50 to 78'},', of an average one. This fact, in conjunction with an unusually light domestic crop, should enable us to get good prices for what are sent ()\er here. The crops of soft fruit in this country and the continent have been light, and, with the price of sugar abnormally high, the manu- facture of preserves has not been excessive, which will operate in favor of good prices for apples during the coming season. Green & WniNERAV, Livcrfg^'g>- THE WEALTHY APPLE. LTHOUGH a com- paratively new apple, the Wealthy, on account of its beauty, productive- ness and hardiness, has become quite famous. In 1874, according to the Report of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society of that year, it was a question in its native State whether this then new variety should be recommended for general cultiva- tion or not, and probably very little was known about the apple, save by a few fruit-growers living about Ex- celsior ; now it is widely distributed, and in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society it is double starred, as being commended for special excellence, by the Province of New Brunswick, and the States of Minnesota, Dakota, Iowa and Colorado. The honor of originating this apple belongs to Peter Gideon, of Excelsior, Minnesota, who grew it from seeds of the Siberian Crab carried there by him from the State of Maine. Our colored plate of this apple is claimed bv the artists to be an exact representation of a carefully selected specimen grown in Pennsylvania ; but fearing that it was an exaggera- tion, we had rejected the plate, until we had secured samples of the Wealthy from various parts of On- tario. Particularly fine specimens were sent us by Mr. A. M. Smith of St. Catharines, and by Mr. A. A. Wright, of Renfrew. Of these the former were the best in color, but only medium in size ; while the latter, though grown so far north, were much the largest ; one of them measuring about twelve inches in circumference, and so nearly the size of the one pourtrayed in this plate that we have concluded to use it. No doubt it is better, as a rule, to represent fruits according to their average size, instead of choosing out the very finest samples, and that course will be generally pursued by this journal, as our interests are wholly on the side of the fruit- growers ; and yet by seeing the possibilities in our line, we may be led to inquire the reason of our own failures to produce the same, and be stimulated into greater diligence in 304 The Canadian Horticulturist. the cultivation of our own orchards and gardens. In general, the Wealthy ma}' be described as follows: — Form, medium sized, oblate, or roundish-oblate ; color, whitish yellow ground, shaded with deep rich crimson in the sim, with obscure broken stripes and mot- lings in the shade, sometimes en- tirely covered with crimson ; flesh, white, fine grained, stained with red) tender, juicy, sub-acid, with a small core; quality, very good; season, earl}' winter, keeping, under favor- able circumstances, until the l&st of February. The tree is a fair grower, and the foliage handsome. On account of its great beauty, perfectly clear skin, and excellence as a dessert apple, the Wealthy is worthy of commendation for plant- ing in Southern Ontario in place of the Fameuse, which has become worthless through scab, a disease rapidly gaining ground among our very best varieties. How profitable an orchard would be, if planted with such varieties as Astracan, Duchess, Gravenstein, Cranberry Pippin, King and Wealthy, — all fancy apples, clear of this troublesome scab and commanding the very highest prices in both our home and foreign markets. One of the special points of excel- lence about the Wealthy is its hardi- ness. Its only lack in this respect is a certain amount of unsoundness, or blight, in the trunk. This fault is complained of by Dr. Hoskins, of Vermont, a gentleman of large ex- perience with the so called iron-clad apples, and also by Mr. Shepherd, of Montreal, a prominent member of the Quebec Fruit Growers' Associa- tion, who complains that out of sixty trees of this variety, planted ten years ago, he has lost twenty through this disease. To overcome this trouble it is recommended that the Wealthy be top grafted upon some iron-clad stock, such as the Tetofsky, which is not subject to it. Barring this, the Wealthy is classed among the hardiest and most desirable kinds to plant in our cold north. Mr. A. A. Wright, an ex-director of our As- sociation living at Renfrew, where the thermometer frequently sinks to 40° below zero in mid-winter, grows the Wealthy with great success. He writes " Plant any number of Wealth- ies." Mr. J. M. Fisk, of the Montreal Horticultural Society, classes it for hardiness with Haas, the Peach, and the Winter St. Lawrence. The Wealthy apple has one other fault, which we must not fail to note, and that is the early dropping of the fruit. This begins in the latitude of New York as early as the month of August, and for this reason it is sometimes classed as a fall apple, especially in New York State, where the Fameuse is also so classed, but, grown farther north, it may be rank- ed as an early winter apple. The Cntiadian Horticulturist. 305 SEASONABLE HINTS FOR FRUIT GROWERS. WINTER PROTECTION. IN our report tor 1888, page 15, some reference is made to the protection of raspberry bushes ; and the mode tiiat is practised in the Otta- wa valley is described. The canes are allowetl to grow as long as possible without cutting back, in order tliat they may be easily bent to the ground and held down with sods or a long pole or rail, laid over the tops in such a way that the snow will collect over tliem and afford a perfect pro- tection. The objection w'e would have to this mode of training lies in the difficulty of cultivation with such long sprawling arms, and the loss of bearing wood which must result from cutting them in the spring. In the Wisconsin State Horticultural So. ciet3"s Report we find another plan recommended which appears to be preferable for cold sections, and give the extract describing it, with an illustration which helps to make it plain. The Ripon people have been ver) successful in the practice of laying Raspberry and Blackberr}- bushes down for winter protection. Their way of laying them down is by the help of a plow, which is run close alongside the row, the dirt being thrown away from the row. Tiie surplus wood is removed from the bushes. A man follows the plow with a spade and after loosening up the earth about the roots on the side to- wards the furrow lie pushes the plants down and covers the top with earth. The roots are like ropes and will n. it Incak. Mr. Plumb thinks that this is the most economical way of protecting Blackberries. Mr, Stone's great success with Blackber- ries was accomplished on poor land. The manure and the cultivation were applied early in the season, and in that way strong canes were secured before winter. He thinks we should take the best protection for the bush- es that we can get. The plowing between the rows does not materially increase the number of suckers. The plowing may be done as near as pos- sible to the bush and no injury will result, Mr, Tuttle stated that his Black- berries had been killed above ground Fig, 75. — Protection ot Blackberries. last winter, owing to their not being protected. Mr, Hoxie was opposed to the State Society any longer giv- ing countenance to the assertion that the Snyder and Stone's Hardy black- berries will do without protection. Mr, Plumb stated that he advised a neighbor, who was planting a patch of Blackberries, to keep them cut back to one foot. The neighbor kept them cut below two feet, and they proved a success, Mr. Tuttle stated that he had tried the same plan but met with no success, Mr, JeflVies had pinched the Stone's Hardy back, 3o6 The Canadiaii Horticultnrisl. but had not protected, it, and it had been killed. The great importance of winter protection of strawberry plants is so well known to all growers and so of- ten preached up by Horticultural writers that it is hardly worth while to emphasise it here, except to say that it is unnecessary to, apply any covering before the ground has fro- zen, as the danger is in the constant succession of freezing and thawing, which often kills the fruit buds, and a good many of the plants themselves. Any loose covering will answer, such as straw, cornstalks or evergreen boughs ; and any small fruit grower who has these materials in store and can spare them for the purpose, is losing money if he neglect the appli- cation. VARIETIES OF FRUIT TRUE TO NAME. In buying trees or plants for plant- ing, it is wise to use every precau- tion to obtain them true to name. In nothing is it easier to be imposed upon than in this, and it is a very vexatious thing after waiting years for the fruit of an apple tree to find that it is some worthless kind, in- stead of the variety ordered. In the days when farmers knew little and cared less about the kinds which were best to plant, it was, perhaps, allowable to leave it to the judg- ment of the nurserymen, but now that through the reports of the Ontario F. G. Association, people know so well which varieties are most valuable, there is no excuse for those words which so often appear in the agent's order book, " If you have not the kinds ordered, please substitute some others equally good." The writer once planted eighty trees for Duchess of Oldenburg, and his disgust can be imagined, when, on their coming into bearing, they proved to be eighty Ca. bashea, a most unprofitable variety. Determined that he would secure the famous Duchess, he employed an experienced grafter, to top graft that variety, and lo ! when they came to bear, they proved to be King o Tompkins, a good enough apple, but not what was wanted. He finally resolved to top graft the trees him- self with Duchess, and lives in hopes of the correct thing some day. It is very important that fruits ex- hibited at our fairs should be correct- ly named, for these exhibitions are the ver}' best means of obtaining cor- rect nomenclature throughout our country. To secure this end, only the best qualified men should be em- ployed as judges, men able to correct misnomers for exhibitors. Better have one capable judge than three incapables. We are just in receipt of a Buffum pear for name, which the reader says has taken a prize for Beurre D'Anjou; and here is a clip from the Orillia Packet which ex- plains itself. Mr. Henry Overend, of Medonte, thinks he has got rather hard mea- sure from differingjudges at the East Simcoe Shows. Last year, he showed " Twenty Ounce Pippins," and was refused a prize because they were wrongly named, one of the judges stating that they were "Gra- venstein." This ^^ear he was again disqualified, because he called them " Graven stein " instead of " Twenty Ounce Pippins." The Canadian llorticnltitrist. ^07 LIGHT FROM THE EXPERIMENT STATIONS. SUCCESS IN rUEVENTIXG THE IN- JURIES OF THE PLUM CURCULIO. THE wisdom of organizin*,^ the various Experiment Stations in the States and Provinces is be coining daily more and more appa- rent. A subscriber, living in the Ottawa valley, writes that already the Experimental farm is giving a fresh impetus to fruit culture in that district, by showing wliat the pos- sibilities in that latitude are. The scientific and the practical have been too long separated, and now, through these institutions, a union is being effected that promises to be of the greatest benefit to the farmers and fruit growers of tlie land. In the Report of the Ohio Experi- ment Station, for 1S88, we find the re- sult of the most careful experiment with arsenites in preventing the in- juries of the plum curculio, by Mr. C. Weed, the Entomologist. A young orchard of seventj'-five cherry trees was divided' into two parts, and one part carefully sprayed with London purple just after the fall of the blossoms, and again after rains ; and a careful estimate of the result was made. It w^as fully demon- strated that, of the fruit on the sprayed portion that was liable to injury, 75 per cent, was saved by the treatment. When the fruit was ripe, it was subjected to the most careful chemical examination, and not the least trace of arsenic could be detected. It was, therefore, con- cluded that there could not be the east danger to health where the spravinj,^ was done at least three or f(jur weeks l)cfurc the time of ripen- ing. Experiments with plinn trees were also successful in giving, as a result, a heavy crop of fruit, while on trees not sprayed a large propor- tion were injured. Equal success seems to have attended spraying with lime ; trees, on which the fruit was coated with lime, matured an im- mense crop of fruit. Experiments with pear trees also resulted in a large crop of perfect fruit, free from injury by either the curculio or the codling moth. Even better results were brought about by adding, to the usual London purple mixture, fresh air-slacked lime, in the proportion of a half-peck to a barrel of the solution, and with less injury to the foliage. It should be observed that the good effects of the arsenites consists in killing the parent insect, while that of the lime simph- in driv- ing it awa}-. THE ROSE-BEETLE. In the eastern and middle states, immense amount of injury has been done to grapes, peaches and other fruits by this beetle, and no remedy except hand-picking has been so far known, until last summer, when in response to an inquirer. Prof. Weed, of the Ohio Experiment Station, re- commended a trial of a liberal spray- ing with lime, a regular white-wash- ing. The result was so successful that we quote from a letter of Mr. Dunbar, the experimenter. He said, — "A thorough application of the remedy devised by }ou was no doubt the means of saving me many dollars' worth of fruit, for wliich result I feel ?o8 The Canadian Horticulturist. profoundly grateful." Bugs appear- ed this year about June 12th. One application of a coal oil emulsion to a few grape-vines and rose-bushes killed most of the bugs which were there, but others soon came — remedy of no use. I then mounted my field force-pump on a forty gallon cask, set on a stone-boat. I slacked about a peck of lime for each barrel, and the motion of the stone-boat kept the lime in suspension. We soon had the vineyard thoroughly whitewashed, and well on to the fruit and under the leaves. I was dis- appointed at first in the apparent results, as the bugs continued to be quite numerous, but after a few days they cleared out, having hurt the grapes very little. Finding the bugs injuring his peaches, he says ; " I at once white- washed the peach orchard in the same manner as the vineyard, with the exception of the west row, and the bugs all emigrated to that row in the course of a day or two." So far the rose-beetle has done very little injury in Ontario, but it has appeared in some parts, and the knowledge of this remedy may prove useful before long. A VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT'S HOME AT GODERICH. By T. H. Race. GODERICH is a town of about four thousand inhabitants, situ- ated on a light sandy plateau, over- looking Lake Huron at an altitude of about 125 feet above the lake level. Though somewhat north of the latitude of Toronto, Goderich is situated in a section of country long noted for its fine and extensive fruit production. Not only in apples does the Goderich section excel, but as well in the choicer fruits, such as pears, plums, strawberries, etc. Approaching the town from the east, by the Grand Trunk Railway, one comes to the height of land, or what is known as a continuation of the Niagara escarpment, about four miles from Lake Huron. From this ridge the land gradually recedes to the westward till it terminates at the lake in a high bluff, averaging one hun- dred feet above the water. The section lying 'between this height of land and the lake is what is known as the fruit-belt, where the late spring and early fall frosts, so fatal to fruit to the east of the ridge, seems to have comparatively little effect. Why this narrow strip of land should enjoy comparative immunity from these blighting frosts, I will not presume here to explain, suffice it to say that the cause is well understood in natural physics. Having accepted an invitation from our President, Mr.A.McD Allan, to visit the Great North-\\'estern Exhibition, held at Goderich, on the 17th and i8th, and 19th inst., I was not only surprised at, but greatly pleased with the splendid fruit ex- hibit, embracing all the standard varieties of apples and the choicer The Cdiiadian llorticnllunst. 309 varieties of pears, plums, indoor and outdoor grapes. For variety and quality the pear and plum exhibit surpassed that at the Provincial in London, and I doubt if, even in a favorable year, there is another sec- tion in Ontario that could produce such splendid samples of the Pond's Seedling, Victoria, Goes Golden Drop and Washington plums, as were on Exhibition at Goderich ; the first mentioned seeming to me more es- pecially suited to the peculiar con- ditions of the section than to any other locality where I have seen it grown. But even this favoured sec- tion suffered to a greater or less de- gree from the terrible frosts of last May ; and not only did the grape ex- hibit bear evidence of it, but it was a common remark that all the apples shown were lacking in color, as if grown onlv in sheltered parts of the trees. The home of our President is situ- ated in the southern suburb of the town, his residence being of brick, spacious and inviting from its out- ward homelike attractions, surround- ed by premises two acres in extent. The grounds, immediately about the house, are neatly laid out in lawn and flower-beds and separated from the fruit garden and orchard by a well-kept evergreen hedge. The soil, at best, is not conducive to a rank growth of wood in either vine or bush and the terrible drought had told all the more severely on the well-cared for grape vines, and on the somewhat stunted raspberry, gooseberrj' and currant bushes. Pear trees were found on every hand well-loaded with ripening fruit ; and the apple trees, numbering about a hundred, showed great care and thriftiness, being washed and scraped as smooth as a white beech. Being first shown through the premises by the children, it was not only a pleasure but a de- light to find that every one of them was an enthusiast in fruit and flower culture, and the little chaps of five and seven years could name you every variety of pear or apple tree in the orchard as we came to them. But the pleasure of the visit was not all in the inspection of the outer pre- mises. The generous and inviting hospitality of the household, the warm and genial disposition of the Fruit King in his own home, together with the cordial greeting, tendered you with such a natural and easy grace by his amiable wife, all com- bined to make you feel that you were a welcome guest ; and you carry away with you only the most pleasing recollections of a most pleasant visit. Mitchell, Sept. z\it, 1SS9. GOOSEBERRY MILDEW REMEDV. SIR, — .\s Mr. Race has a rather positive opinion on the Gooseberry Mildew, and as it is a subject of some importance I write this that others may not be led astray by his very plausible theory. My opinion, backed by experience, is entirely at vari- ance with his. The factors in the mode ot cultivation are about the same ; our soil is similar, he allows plenty of air and sunshine along with a supply of hardwood ashes, and so do I. The only point in which we differ in the two items is, that I give the ashes JO The Canadian Horticulturist. every year, he once in two years He claims success in the highest degree, I can claim ditto in this respect. In fact no one in this part but will give me the palm in this line. From Mr. Race's remarks, three years seems to be the length of time he has been cultivating the varieties he writes about. Now Mr. Editor, I contend that three years is too short a date for Mr. Race to prove his theory to be correct Two years ago I might have written his article with as much confidence as he and still I would have been wrong. Before that time I did not know what mildew was. I have cultivated the Whit- smith for eight years, the Industry for three and I find the latter is very prone to mildew. The former runs a good chance of escaping fi\-e out of seven years. I will state what I believe to be the cause of mildew, and that is by heavy rains followed by hot sunshine. I will give a few facts in support of this. In the early part of this season, after the heavy rains, the bushes on the highest part of my plot were effected all of ten days before those of the lower part which were shaded by a high board fence. I enquired from six different persons, who got bushels of the Whitsmiths from me, if they had any mildew ; only one of them had any, and that was on the highest part of the land, the shaded part escaping. Another of the number, whose garden I visited often and which is very much shaded, was entirely free from it. I account for mine being affected with it so much by the extra quantity of ashes with the rain stimulating the roots to great activity, causing rapid growth in the young wood, while old Sol's rays started fermentation. Mr Race talks of Nature's method, but I am inclined to think if he were to visit the woods and see how much the goose'oerry was shaded in its native home he might come to think, after all, he was not following nature so very closely. With all respect to Mr. Race and his theory (which goes to show he is a thinking person), I humbly beg to differ from, him for the reasons given, and I think time and observa- tion will prove who is correct. After trying various methods to stay its ravages, I eventually succeeded. The process was simple and inexpensive, but as I expect to make something from it I withhold it for the present. Thanking you for absorbing so much of your needed space. — F. W. Porter, Mount Forest, Sept. 2yd, 18S9. Sir, — Having seen in Sept. No. of Can- adian Horticulturist a reference in August No. of a prevention of mildew on gooseberries. But as I did not receive August No., although enquired for several times at P. O. I did not see the article in question. But there is an article in Sept. No. from T. H, Race, Mitchell. Can you or Mr. Race kindly inform me how much ashes I could with safety use on sandy soil, as I ha\e some eighty bushels of Whit- smiths, and they have mildewed for three years. I am anxious to know what will preventit.— John Clements, ZJ/-(;«(/b;- except that by promoting a vigorous growth, more power of resistance is imparted to the plant. The disease known as mildew is really due to a faugus parasite, simi- lar to the powder)' mildew of the grape, the spores of which are carried in the air, and, lighting upon a suitable host -plant, proceed to grow under favorable conditions, as moisture for germination, and after, wards dry hot weather for rapid growth. These conditions prevail in our Canadian climate, and this explains why the mildew is so much more wide-spread here than in England, where the continuance of moist and cool weather is unfavorable for its growth. As the parasites are ex- ternal, they may be destroyed with- out much injury to the bushes, and the remedy that has been most com- mended in the past is the application of the flowers of sulphur. This should be applied as soon as the hrst leaves are fully formed, and re- peated every ten days during the growing season. Prof. J. C. Arthur, State Botanist of Indiana, has been experimenting with potassium sulphide (liver of sulphur) in solution, at the rate of The Caiuxiiiaii I lorticiillitrist. .?n one-half and one-fonrth onnce to the gallon, respectively, conuiiencing May 3r\1> THE CONDITIONS FOR LONG-KEEPIfJG OF FRUIT. IN wh.it condition can fruit bj placed to best preserve its good qualities and retard its decay ? There seems to be two distinct active processes in the growth and develop- ment of fruit. The first is the growth — the collecting and building up of a compound of comparatix-el}' solid structure which is unpalatable and indigestible as an article of food. The second is the ripening process; a kind of organic ferment ; a break- ing down, softening, dissolving, rend- ering palatable, easily digested and valuable as food. In this change the volatile oils are generated, giving flavor and character to fruit. The time required in building up fruit preparatory to ripening has not been delegated to man to control to any great extent, whether a variety is to ripen in May, July or September. Yet if man cannot control the time of completed growth, he can, during this period, by good care and culti x'ation, nicrease greatly its size and value. In the second stage of develop- ment ripening can be hastened or retarded, and when fully ripe, decay can be delayed. In the second stage fruit should not be left opened and exposed to atmospheric changes of temperature or moisture. Flavor is lost by evaporation. If the purpose is to hasten ripening, the fruit should be inclosed in a tight box or barrel, or wrapped in flannel, to prevent evaporation, and left in a warm room of uniform temperature. The greatest advantage to the fruitgrower will result from checking too early maturity, and from prevent- ing early decay after harvesting. His success demands a place for storage, with surroundings favorable for preservation. One condition is conceded by all — that the tem])era- ture, must be lower than that re- (piired for growth. That 32^' is too low, seems to be the conclusion of those best (pialilied to judge. Fruit kept long at that temperature, al- though apparentl}' unchanged, when removed soon sinks to decay, not apparently from over-ripeness, but from the permanent suspension of all active forces. The process of decay, not that of ripening, takes possession. California shippers of oranges have come to the conclusion that refriger- ator cars do not pay ; in fact that they have occasioned great loss. It seems that the conditions most favor- able for the preservation of fruit without loss in quality would be se- cured by a store-room, having the temperature so low as to check (not wholly destroy) the forces at work in fruit, whether these forces be chemi- cal or organic, — so low that spores would not be active ; the air so damp tluit moisture would not escape, while the temperature and moisture should remain uniform. Apples, as well as potatoes, buried in the ground and so covered as to be protected from heat and frost, come out in the spring as fresh and bright as when buried in the fall. Grapes, picked and wilted, then buried in stone jars three to four feet below the surface, will come out with stems green and fruit plump and bright. In these two cases the temperature remains more uniform than could result with atmospheric exposure. Cellars having springs in them or streams passing through them are noted for keeping apples and vegetables fresh, even until late the next season. The water acts as a regulator of both temperature and moisture. These methods of storage approach the conditions speci- fied above, and the nearer the ap- proach the better tlie result. If these conditions are favorable for the preservation of fruit in all its stages of ripeness, the question arises: How ma}- they be the best and most economicalh secured ? The cream- 314 The Canadian Horticnltutist. eries and niilkrooms, now in use in the Western States, present the most satisfactory sohition of the problem, as in them the above conditions are economically realized in their most perfect form. These rooms are in- closed on the top, bottom and sides with four dead air spaces, with double doors for entrance, and they are made as nearly air-tight as possible. Fresh air is supplied at the bottom through a subterranean passage about twelve rods long and eight to ten feet below the surface of the earth. This passage is two feet wide and one foot high, formed of stone- work. Through it a constant cur- rent of air is passing into the room. The temperature of this air is con- trolled and regulated by that of the earth at the depth of the passage. Moisture is deposited if the tempera- ture is increased, so as to give nearly a uniform amount in the room. Prof. Arnold is authority for say- ing that while the extremes of heat and cold in these States vary from no'' above to 40° below, these rooms will not vary in temperature over five degrees during the year, uni- formly remaining near 50°. The air is pure, and the room is perfect as a milk-room. Ventilation is perfect, with uniform temperature and mois- ture. Such a building need not be ex- pensive. It can be built of coarse lumber, the air spaces sheeted with building paper, while the stone pas- sage can be put down for from five to eight dollars per rod, depending upon the hardness of the soil and the proximity of stone. We have no knowledge that any such appliance has been used for keeping fruits and vegetables, but it seems to present just the conditions necessary for re- taining every valuable quality in fruits and in vegetables, and for checking decay. —/i»7. AgricHltun'sf. EVAPORATING FRUIT. Advantages of an Evapopatop. I HOLD that every fruit-grower, no matter how large or how small, should have an evaporator of sufficient capacity to work up all of his second- class fruit of every kind — apples, peaches or berries, and sell nothing in a fresh or green state except strictly choice fruit — evaporate every- thing else. By pursuing this course, vou will sometimes realize more from your culls than you will from your choicest fruit. For instance, two years ago, I received for my picked apples 33 cents per bushel and evaporated my culls, which, after counting out cost of evaporating, netted me 40 cents per bushel — 7 cents more than my best apples brought me. You may ask why I did not evaporate all. Well, for two reasons : — ist. I did not know that I would receive so much for them. 2nd. If I had known it, my evapcH"- ator was not large enouo^h. Last season I put up a new evaporator and prepared nearly 8,000 pounds of choice fruit and sold most of it at home for 10 cents per pound. One lot I shipped to Colorado brought me iih cents after paying freight. None of the fruit worked up would have been marketable in any other way, and would have been mostl}' wasted, but for the evaporator. Another advantage in having an evaporator, is that you will have a finer lot of shipping fruit, you c an afford to cull closer and will do it, when the culls will bring you very nearly, if not fully as much, thrown out, as they would thrown in, and you will, therefore, have a fruit pack- age of a fancy quality, which will bring you more money. So 3^ou not only sell your culls for a good price, but receive more for all your fruit. I he Canadian I lorticitlttirist. 3' 5 In seasons of full crops and (Jul) markets, when prices are denioral- ized and fruit will hrinj^ scarcely enough to pay freight and packing, evaporate all, and pack in new clean packages, either barrels or hft\- pounil boxes, and you can store them away until the market revives. If properly dried and put up, they will keep for any length of time. We are now using some we put up four years ago, and they are just as good as new. Great care should be taken in preparing the fruit for the evap- orator, to thoroughly trim off all specked or bruised spots before plac- ing in the evaporator, so that your fruit will have an even look. The price of evaporated fruit is now more per pound than any other farm pro- duct, and raspberries and pared peaches are worth more than any other food product from anywhere. Where there is a market for cider, a good cider mill can be used to good advantage in connection with the evaporator. There are a great manv apples that are too small to pare and prepare for the evaporator, and these, with the cores and peelings, can be made into cider and thereby save everything. It is not what we make that makes us rich, but what we save; so save all the apples and turn them into money. With the Eureka parer, a good active boy can pare and slice from fifty to seventy-five bushels per day ; so that preparing the fruit for the evaporator is not the task that it would be with the old style apple parer. In speaking of using the culls, I do not wish to be understood to mean green, wilty or tough fruit, but fruit that is fully matured and well ripened, and is first-class in quality ; bruises, rotten specks or wormy defects must all be cut off before dried. Nothing will injure the sale of your fruit so much as to use an inferior quality, such as green or wilty fruit that is tough and leathery. — J. B. Di'rand, in Report of 'Sl[$$our\ Sfati- Horticnl- turul Sociitv. Money In Evaporated Fruit Tiii:Kii are fcnu' ctjuditions on which depend success in the evaporating business :- -Stock, help, experience and markets. I would not paint a high-colored picture of financial cer- tainties attending the evaporating business, but the possibilities and the probabilities are such as to war- rant careful attention. I could figure out marvelous results, but shall merely give the lessons which I have learned in the business. The lirst year I used an evaporator, I paid an average of 35c. per bushel for apples. My fruit boxed and ready to ship cost me lo^c. per pound, and I received an average of iHc. This same fruit retailed at 25 to 30c, The net results of that season's work furnish a very pleasant paragraph in my financial history. What is true in all lines of business is true here. The more business is done the cheaper is the work accomplished. My average cost of evaporating and boxing has been 3c. per pound. The rule for fuel is about one pound of coal to ever)' pound of dried fruit. Even the cores, skins and trimmings are saved. Nearly one half of the apple goes into waste in this shape. I have nearly always dried this waste when not overrun with good fruit that was decaying, and it has paid my coal bill and sometimes a little more. It brings li to3ic.per pound. The principal market is Philadel- phia, where it is made the basis for all kintls of jellies. Hereafter, when enjoying kinds of pineapple jelly, you may know that it is made from the waste of some apple factory. These parings are usually dried at night and require but little care. Cider made from this waste, if pressed out inmiediatly, cannot be dis- tinguished frou) that made of whole apples. The paring may be done by hand or power, according to circumstances. There are machines adapted to both methods. The hand parer used in the factories has a capacity of 25 to 3i6 The Canadian Horticiiltnrist. 40 bushels per day of 10 hours, ac- cording to the size of the apples and the expertness of the operator. The most economical speed is 25 bushels. A higher speed throws the fruit and makes considerable waste. The best power, aside from steam, is a wide- awake boy about 15 years old. The price paid is usually i\ c. per bushel. I have not yet found a perfect parer, nor one that will stand through a season wnthout constant repairing. Most machines in use pare, core and slice at one operation. Some ma- chines pare and core only, the slicing being done by a second hand. This is more saving in fruit. Punched fruit, or apples punched to remove the core are not worth so much into I or 2c., as a great deal of the core is left in the apple. As soon as the apple is pared the trimmer (usually a woman, as she will handle the apple quicker and be more particular to remove all the skin left by the parer than a man would be) cuts out any specks or other imperfection and separates the slices. Two women are needed to each paring machine and do 25 bush- els or more per day. The average pay is 70c. per day. The bleacher is a tight box about five feet high, three feet deep and two wide, connected with the chim- ney by a pipe. In the bottom is a vessel in which sulphur or powdered brimstone is burned. The apple is placed on trays, fitted to this box, and allowed to remain in the fumes of the brimstone two to four minutes. There is an ungrounded opposition among some people to evaporated fruit because of this process. The term '-bleaching" is misleading. The apple is merely exposed to the fumes to prevent it from turning dark. This gives the apple its white, pleasing appearance by simply stop- ing the process of rusting, as when dried, fruit that is properly bleached \\\\\ not show the least taint of brim- tone. The main point in bleaching is to get the fresh fruit into the bleacher as soon as possible after it is pared. Some use salt water but the fruit always tastes of the salt. After bleaching, the apples retain their color and can be kept hours before drying. When removed from the bleacher the fruit is spread upon trays made of wire or cloth and placed in the dryer. In some evaporators it is necessary to lay each slice separately upon the tra}-, which is quite a task; in others the fruit may be put upon the trays two or three layers deep, the different internal arrangement of dryers necessitating these different modes of preparation. The evapor- ator is a tower four to six feet square, 15 to 30 feet high, placed over a furnace. In this tower are the ele- vating machinery, dampers, etc., etc. The fruit is placed directh' over the furnace, which should show^ 225 to 250'^, and allowed to remain for five or ten minutes. It is then raised and another tray inserted and so on continuously through the day and night. With proper heat and a favorable day the fruit should be ready to come out in 2^ or three hours. Great care and considerable experience are necessary to know just when the apple is ready to be taken out. In my first experience, and the first experience of nearly every one, the fruit gets too dry and consequently loses very much in w^eight, besides lessening the nutri- tive quality of the apple. It ought to feel like a buckskin, not dr}' nor moist, but soft and velvety. W^hen taken from the dryer the apple is spread upon the floor in a darkened room. It should remain here for two or three days and should be thoroughly mixed daily. This allows all the heat to escape and the fruit to become equally moist through- out. It is what we call "sweating."' Some of the slices w'ill come out of the dryer quite crisp, others perhaps quite moist and by mixing upon the The Cciiiadiaii Horticulturist. 1^7 floor for a day or two tlie moisture becomes evened up, and one cannot tell which was the crisp and which the moist apple. The favorite pack- age is a box holding two cubic feet. One side is faced with large white slices. The fruit should all be put into the case with the hands and great care taken to remove all seeds and everything you would not care to find in your pie or sauce. It does not require much capital to begin the business even on quite an extensive scale, as dryers can be purchased for part cash, and commission merchants stand ready to atlvance money on your fruit. — C. A. \Vikoiitb,in Farm (I lid Home. J\c\V or Xi^^' lCiH)\Vi^ 'Ki*7iits. The Pearl Gooseberry. On Saturday, the 3rd of August, the writer in company with Mr. Leavenworth, the editor of the St. Catharines News, and Mr. Parnell, a member of our Association, re- sponded to an invitation from Mr. A. M. Smith to visit his fruit grounds, and see a new gooseberry. A drive of three miles from St. Catharines brought us to Port Dalhousie, where, near the shores of Lake Ontario, Mr. Smith has some thirty acres devoted to peaches, pears and small fruits. The Pearl is a gooseberry grown from the seed of Houghton crossed with Whitesmith, by Prof. Wm. Saunders, and worthy of special notice because, (i) of its good quali- ty, (2) its size, (3) its produc- tiveness, (4) its freedom from mil- dew. So far we have only the Houghton, Smith's Improved and Downing, which are proved to be mildew proof, although the Conn (or Autocrat) has not been known to mildew as yet, and in most cases the Industry is free from the fungus. Now, with reference to these points, we wdl give the result of our observations. The quality is good, very like the Downing in this respect, as well as in color and marking ; but in size, it averages nearl)' double that berry, and that in spite of the prodigious crop under which the bushes were laden. There was a row of some fifty or sixty fine bushes, two years planted ; and most of them were literally bent to the ground with heaps of fruit. The average was about eight berries per inch of wood, and on one bush we estimated that there must have been at least 1,500 berries. We have had great loads upon the Smith, the Downing and the King Conn (or Autocrat) on our own grounds, but we have not seen quantity of fruit upon the bushes of any variety to equal that upon these bushes of the Pearl. Should this productiveness prove constant the berry will be of great value for the market garden. With regard to the mildew, all we can say is what we saw, viz., — an entire free- dom from it. One bush stood next a 3iH The Canadian Horticulturist. Whitesmith, and while the berries of that bush were covered with mildew and utterly worthless, no trace of this fungus could be found upon the Pearl. More About Simon s Plum. Editor Canadian Horticui-ti'kist. Sir, — I see that my statement in your journal regarding the Simon want them enlarged almost without exception. I can prove this by any- one whose business it is to make colored illustrations for the nursery- men. I wish to say, however, there are exceptions, and one that I just now know is the Wilder Pear as advertised by Charles A. Green, of Rochester, New York. In this case there is no exaggeration either in 76. — Thk Peakl GoosKBEKKY^Photo-graicd for the Canadian H orticulturist.) Plum is being criticised considerably, and this in no way surprises me. The head of one of the leading litho- graphic firms of this country, told me in person not long since, and by letter formerly, that if they made colored plates of fruits true to nature in size and appearance the nursery- men would not bu}' them. They 'size or description, so far as I know. I think the same is true of the Idaho Pear being sold by a firm in Idaho. The Parker Earle strawberry as advertised by T. V. Munson, of Den- ison, is also true to nature. In regard to the statements of some of your correspondents as to the ver\' large size and quality of the The Canadian Horticulturist. 319 Simon Plum I wish to say that I am always open to conviction. M\- present opinion is based upon the specimens I have seen, and I em- phatically state that I have never measured one with a greater diameter than one and one-fourth inches. If the gentleman, growing such large and delicious specimens of this fruit, will send me» samples next year I will take great pleasure in giving this variety the full benefit of all the good opinion it rarely earns. This much and nothing more. The illustration I criticised shows the fruit to be from two to two and one-fourth inches in diameter, and, according to the state- ment of A. B. Dennis, of Iowa, in your October number, the fruit grows in that State to twice the size of the illustration, which would make them from four to four and one-half inches in diameter. Perhaps the gentleman is talking about pumpkins. I offer $100 each for specimens of Simon Plum measuring four inches in diam- eter,— H. E. Van Dhman, Pomolo^^'ist, U. S. Dipt, of A<^riculture, Washing- ton, 1). C, Oct. loth., iSSg. Prunus Simoni. — Three vears ago we set out a row of Simon's plums, using one-year-old plants. Intending to train them laterally on wires, they were set at an angle of over forty- five degrees, putting nearly all the stem under ground. As they started upright shoots from the stem, they were permitted to grow with a view to test the bush plan. At this time they are bushes, rather than trees, with several stems, and with branches to the ground. In this form they have stood the recent test winters almost perfectly, and are now quite well loaded with fruit which is now (July 5) mucli larger in size than anv plum and wholly free from cur- culio or gouger marks. As it has been said that the fruit has no value, I will state that in \uv opinion the authors of such state- ments have only tried it for dessert use. for which its flesh is too firm and its flavor not the best. When used for canning or stewing, it has the peach flavor without the peach bitter. When better known, I think it will be prized for culinary use on the northern border of the peach belt.— J. L. Hi'DD. The Peach of South Africa. Sir, — I have relatives who live in " Trans- vaal," the Dutch republic of South Africa, who tell me they have peaches of a very excellent kind, which when full grown and ripe weigh from nine ounces to one pound each. They have sent a number of the peach stones from the above place to my son William, in Cape Town, to be forwarded to me, but as there is no express or parcel- post, my son has just sent me one in a letter and asks how he can send them, as there is nothing from Cape but letter or mail post, at letter rate it would cost much, so I suggested, as he was well acquainted with most of the captains and chief officers of the S.S. lines, he might pack them and send them to my son in England and so get them through him as best we could. I shall hear in due time if he has done so. I enclose you the one he sent. Should you feel at all interested in the stone or not, please let me know. My wife's sister wrote a good deal about this kind of peaches, telling of their weight and their beautiful color and flavor. — W. S. Rawbone, 5 Maitland Place. Toronto. This stone is being carefully planted, and should it prove in On- tario what it is in South Africa, our readers will soon know all about it. — Editor. New Peaches— Centennial and Smith's Extra. Sir, — Find herewith samples of Wealthy — extra si/e and medium, also sample of Centennial peach and also what I call Smith's Extra Late. It is about a week later than ordinary Late Crawford ; in other respects similar. There is also one sample of Steven's Rareripe which we are picking now. It is Old iVIixon in appearance, but ten days later A. M. Smith, ist Oct. 1889. The Centennial Peach is certainly of striking appearance, being very large ; this specimen measuring over nine inches in circumference, roundish in form, of yellow skin with crimson cheek, the flesh yellow of good quality, but, unfortunately a cling- stone. No doubt, however, that its 320 The Canadian Horticuctnrist. large size will make it popular in the market, coming in as it does about the first of October, when good peaches are scarce. The Steven s Rareripe is a white fleshed peach, resembling in almost every respect the Old Mixon tree, but later, coming in about the first week in October ; it is not quite free- stone, but would com.e under that class. The quality is excellent, and the tree productive. Smith's Extra Late seems to be all he claims for it. This sample measures about eight inches in circumference,is yellow flesh and skin, a perfect free stone. It is of the same season as the others, and in our judgment a valuable market peach and superior to Centennial, except in size. THE SPARROW NUISANCE. SIR, — I send you a clipping from the Star, on the sparrow. You will see by it that the " old farmer " deals as harshly with the sparrow's friends as with the wee birdies themselves. We agree with him, however, that they are a nuisance, far more destructive than useful. Our American cousins are wude-awake in the matter, and I am told by one of themselves that a bounty of two cents for every one shot is now paid or proposed to be, as also a" sparrow day "to be appointed, when every one able to handle a gun is ex- pected to go sparrow shooting. We would do well to follow suit. From the same source I learned that in the crop of one sparrow, he shot, he found sixty-four grains of oats. — John Croil, Aultsville. DOWN ON THE SPARROW. Sir, — Two parties write in favor of the sparrow introduced by some spooney into this country some years ago to please a lot of children and old women. These destructive birds are held up as being useful in Canada by two writers, one Chas. Hughes and the other " Aliquis." The latter speaks of a proverb that the strongest man has a weak place somewhere. To come to the point I would say that both these men are troubled in their top garret when they plead for the safety of the most destructive bird that ever was made. The extermination of the sparrow in England could never be accomplished, there being such facili- ties for breeding under the eaves of houses, also in the stacks of grain, which stand sometimes for several seasons before being sold, and the number of young ones in a nest is from ten to fifteen, with three and sometimes four nests in a year. Yet you find men who advocate the safe- keeping of these destructive pests, who know as much about the spar- row as the sparrow knows about them. I can inform these two if they want knowledge about the sparrow that they need not appeal to authors or bojjks, but go and get information from the practical English farmer who can tell with certainty that they destroy millions of bushels of wheat while soft in the ear, for they won't eat anything that is hard. That being the case they then fly to the gardens, making destruction on the various fruits when nearl}- ripe, par- ticularly white and red currants. They cut the bunches ofT with their bill and these, falling to the ground, are left to rot. Let these two enquire round the outskirts of our city and you will find the same com- plaint existing in Canada. Having been in Canada for thirty years I can say they have been the means of nearly exterminating all our pretty song birds. We also have in our woods the red squirrel. These little animals can't rest for them, for they pursue them in scores, driving them from tree to tree until they find refuge in some hole for safety. I hope and trust that the praiseworthy petition of Alderman Prefontaine will pass the board without a dissent. — Retired Yorkshire Farmer, Age 73- The Canadian /fortictiltiuisL 121 PLUM POCKETS-(TAPHRINA PRUNI.) THIS disease is due to the pres- ence of a parasitic furif^us whicli attacks the yoiin<( fruit, and by its f,ao\vth\vithin tlieir tissues causes the pecuHar development of the latter which finally results in the formation of the so-cailcd " pocket." The " pockets " (fig. 77) make their appearance soon after the flowers have fallen, attain their full size and drop from the tree towards the mid- dle or last of June. At first they are more or less globular in shape, but as they grow older they become oblong or oval and frequently more or less curved. They vary in size, but as a rule are from i to 2 inches in length and from one-half to one inch in diameter. When young they are nearly smooth and can be distinguished from the health}' fruit by their pale yellow or reddisli color. As they grow older the color changes to grey, the surface appearing as though it had been sprinkled with fine powder, and at the same time the " pockets" become wrinkled, l-'inally they turn black or dark- brown, and rattle like bladders wlien brought in contact with any hard substance. vio.77. Sections through the diseased fruit show that the walls are quite thick, and that in place of a stone there is a large cavity filled with fungous threads and air. The fungus attacks the joung branches and leaves, and when this occurs the injury is, of course, much greater than when the fruit alone is attacked. The disease never sweeps over the country attacking all varieties of the phun alike, but, on the contrary, it often happens that a particular tree will bear nothing but " pockets," while adjacent trees of the same variety, grown under precisely the same conditions, show no traces of the disease whatever. As a rule, a tree that has once borne a crop of "pockets" seldom recovers, but con- tinues with each succeeding year to produce a greater or less number of the malformations. All plums are more or less subject to the attacks of this parasite, but it is usually more abundant on the red and purple varieties. It occurs also " Plim PocKKTs." Fig. ,-b. on the wild red and the beach plums, and on the dwarf, the wild black and the choke cherries. A microscopic examination of one of the diseased plums will show that the fungus occurring within the tissues consists of three parts, name- ly, (i) mycelium ; (2)asci; (3)sporesor reproductive bodies. The mycelium consistsof colorless septate filaments. These are particularly abundant 322 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. between the epidermis and cuticle, where by repeated branching and interlacing they form a net-work which is not more than one cell deep. The threads forming this net-work are composed of very short cells which soon start an independent growth at right angles to the surface of the pocket, forming small cylinders standing close side by side but apparently unconnected. They at first carry the cuticle upon their ends, but finally rupture it and appear on the surface. These bodies are the immature asci. Each " pocket " develops countless num- bers of asci, and each ascus, as a rule, contains no less than eight spores. The mycelium of the fungus is found in the smaller branches in early spring before the diseased fruit appears, which seems to indicate that it may live from year to year in the tree itself ; moreover the annual recurrence of the " pockets " on the same tree furnishes additional proof of this fact. The treatment suggested is to re- move and destroy all the "pockets " before they reach maturity, and cut back the branches so as to destroy all the parts which are likely to con- tain the mycelium of the fungus. — B. T. Galloway, in Annual Report of the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture for 1888. -4^' USE OF FRUITS. Danger in Swallowing- Cheppy Pits and Gpape Seeds. It is reasonable enough to suppose that whatever, in the way of seeds, passes into the stomach unmasticat- ed, and on which the juices of the stomach cannot act, must be unwhole- some. A diet of cherry-stones, which some children indulge in, is pernici- ous in the extreme, and a, youngster in my neighborhood, who filled his stomach with a pint of cherries, swallowed whole, nearly lost his life in getting rid of that particular meal. Two people in my neighborhood have died within five or six years, from eating grapes, the seeds of the grapes getting into the appendix, which is the term commonly given to a small intestine, which leads from the large intestine. It is but a few inches long, and comes to an end like a pocket, or cul-de-sac. What its use is in the digestive economy has not been made out, but when a grape seed, or bit of oyster shell, or any similar unyielding substance slips into it in its passage through the body, the result, I believe, is uni- formly fatal, and death ensues in four or five days, after intense suffering — cramps, inflammation and swelling of the bowels. No remedy avails anything— the pain finally ceases and then the end is nigh. I have known of three young men of bril- liant promise, who have been slain by the grape seed — a post-mortem in each case revealing the cause of death. One child, whom I know, who is very fond of grapes, and still does not intend to be a victim to the seeds, chews the grapes and thorou- ghly masticates the seeds, while many adults eschew^ the seeds alto- gether, which method seems to the ordinary grape-eater as a very sorry one, indeed. But there is a great deal in habit, and the child who masticates the grape seed, and has never eaten grapes in any other way, enjoys them fully as much as any one Tlie Canadian Horticnltnrisl. l^l I know. Of course, we are never out of the reach of danger from some quarter, and " in the midst of Hfe we are in death." Still, it is but the part of good sense to avoid unneces- sary harm, if we wish to keep well. To be continuallv in mortal terror of some impentling calamity is very un- philosophic — one might better die and be done with it. The best we can do is to do the best we know, and leave the outcome "with Pro- vidence."— Mhs Fisher, in R. N . Y . The Rind of Fruit Indig'estible. That the rind or skin of all fruit is more or less indigestible, is a fact that should not be forgotten. We say all fruit, and the statement must be understood to include the pellicle of kernels and nuts of all kinds. The edible part of fruit is pecularily de- licate, and liable to rapid decomposi- tion if exposed to the at mosphere ; it is, therefore, a wise provision of nature to place a strong and im- previous coating over it, as a pro- tection against accident, and to pre- vent insect enemies from the seed within. The skin of plums is wonderfully strong, compared with its thickness, and resists the action of water and many solvents in a re- markable manner. If not thoroughly masticated before taken into the stomach, this skin is rarely, if ever, dissolved by the gastric juice. In some cases pieces of it adhere to the coats of the stomach as wet paper clings to bodies, causing tnore or less disturbance or inconvenience. Raisins and dried currants are parti- cularly troublesome in this way, and, if not chopped up before cooking, should be thoroughly chewed before swallowing. If a dried currant passes into the stomach whole, it is never digested at all. In the feeding of domestic animals this fact shoidd be kept in mind. If grain and legu- minous seeds are not crushed or ground, much of the food is often swallowed whole, and the husk or pellicle resists the solvents of the stomach, causing a considerable loss of nutriment. Birds, being tlestitute of teeth, are provided with a special apparatus for grinding their seed, namely, the gizzard. The indigesti- bility of certain nuts is partially due to the brown skins. Blanched almonds, on this account, are more digestible than those which have not been so treated. Popular Science News. Fruit a Perfect Food. SoMK people are afraid to eat fruit, thinking that fruit and diarrhcjea are always associated, when, if they un- derstood the true cause of the diar- rhcjea they would know that it was caused by eating meat. In hot weather meat putrifies very quickly, and during this process alkaloids are formed which are very poisonous, acting as emetics and purgatives. 'Tis true that fruit eaten green, or between meals, will interfere with digestion and cause bowel troubles, but use fruit that is perfectly ripe at meal time and only beneficial results will follow. Acids prevent calcare- ous degenerations, keeping the bones elastic, as well as preventing the ac- cumulation of earthy matters. This is because of the solvent power of the acids ; but manufactured acids are not as harmless as those which nature has prepared for us in the various kinds of fruit. Fruit is a perfect food when fully ripe, but if it were in daily use from youth to age there would be less gout, gall stones and stone in the bladder. Stewed apples, pears and plums are favorite articles of diet. For breakfast or luncheon, in the dining room or in the nursery, there are few table dishes more wholesome or more delicious than well stewed fruit served up with cream or custard. There are many persons, however, who cannot eat it on account either of the acidity of the fruit or the ex- cess of sugar necessary to make it 324 TJie Canadian Horticulturist. palatable. Sugar does not, of course, countera t acidity ; it only disguises it, and its use in large quantities is calculated to retard digestion. The house-wife may, therefore, be grateful for the reminder that a pinch, a very small pinch, of carbonate of soda, sprinkled over the fruit previously to cooking, will save sugar and will render the dish at once more palat- able , and more wholesome. — Ex- change burning, but where the boiling is con- tinuous. The long boiling causes the color to become a rich red. Apple Butter. To forty gallons of good sweet cider, made from sound, ripe apples, vise three bushels of select apples. The cider should be boiled down to one-third or a little less before put- ting in the apples, which should be pared clean, all specks, bruises, seeds and seed cavities removed. They may be quartered, or cut into eighths, if very large. Stirring should com- mence as soon as fruit gets soft, and be kept up carefully until done. At all times prevent the flames of fire striking the kettle above the line of contents. When boiled down to ten gallons it will be done, and will be an article fit for a king. Put in earthen vessels, and when cold, dip clean white paper into good whisky or brandy, and lay it over the tops. In four months from making, if kept in a garret (the best place), the jars can be inverted on a floor or shelf without running out. Will keep for 3'ears, and if made with the right kind of apples, such as Rambo, Smokehouse or Bellflower, will be- come as smooth as cheese. — S.Miller, ill Vick's Magazine. Quince Marmalade. Boil the Quinces until they are soft ; then peel and rub them through a sieve or on a grater. To each pint of pulp allow one pint of sugar, and boil for two hours, stirrmg frequently. It is well to place the preserving kettle where there is no danger of Quince Jelly from Parings. Put the parings and cores in a kettle and neatly cover with cold water ; boil until very tender, pour into a straining cloth tied over the top of a stone jar, let them drain untouched. To every pint of juice allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar, put juice in a kettle and let it boil, then stir in the sugar a hand- ful at a time, boil twenty minutes and pour into glasses. Cooking Fruits. Fresh fruits should be cooked with boiling water. As sugar is rendered no more soluble, palatable, digestible, or nutritious by cooking and is, in the presence of some acids, changed to glucose by heat, and con- sequently is much less sweet, it should be added only long enough to dissolve nicely, before removing the fruit from the fire. Dried fruit should be washed and then soaked in cold water until no longer wrinkled in appearance, but until it has imbibed sufficient water to give the original rounded form, then cooked slowl}' in the water in which it was soaked. If cooked rapidly in boiling water without first being soaked, the cells are hardened by the heat and lose the power of imbibing water and the fruit comes to the table unsightly, unpalatable and indigestible. — Clam S. Hays, before the Miii. State Hort. Society. Fine Flavor in Fruit. As the period for the ripening of large fruits is approaching, it may be well to remind inexperienced cultivators of the importance of high culture for the development of the finest qualit}'. Some years ago two St. Ghislain pear trees bore fruit so unlike that the}- would not be re- The Canadian I lorticnllnrist. 325 cognized as the same variety. There was ahnost no siiiiihirity in flavor. One tree bearing poor fruit stood in a thick grass sod ; the other, with excellent pears, was kept well culti- vated. Early pears as well as early peaches, on crowded trees, which ripen first on the tree, are much inferior in flavor to those which come later. The first are grown so thickly on the branches that they cannot sufiiciently mature. Tiiose which ripen later, after the early portion of the crop has been removed, have plenty of space to develop their fine quality. Hence the great advantage of early thinning. Take the Summer Doyenne pear, for instance. Those which are first ripe on densely crowded limbs are about half the size of those which ripen last, and strikingly inferior to them in (jualit}'. So with early peaches ; the last scattered ones on the tree are commonly observed to be greatly superior in flavor to the first which rip>in. These facts teach the im- portance of good cultivation, and of thinning the fruit on crowded trees, both of which operations will always repay the grower in large, beautiful and excellent fruit, instead of small, knotty and flavorless specimens. — Alhanx Cultivator. * FLORICULTURAL + Soot Water. Soot water is highl)' recommended for plants. It is claiuied that when made sufficiently strong and used in a clear state there is no other fertili- zer, either solid or liquid, that is so well suited for amateurs' use as soot water, as it is gentle in its action and sustaining in its nature. This is not the case with the majority of concen- trated manures, for if they are used slightly in excess, serious conse- quences are often the result. When a regular supply of soot water is required there should be two barrels, says the writer who so strongly recommends it, or other re- ceptacles, in which to make it. A cask holding about thirty gallons is suitable. In one of these place one peck of soot, and then fill up with water, and keep it stirred twice a day for a week. In ten days it should be ready for use, but it is necessary that it should be quite clear before using it or there will be a settlement of the solid matter on the soil. A better plan is to put the soot into a coarse hessian bag and place it in the water. Tie a strong piece of string to the mouth of the bag, and have one end of it fixed on to the edge of the barrel ; the bag can be moved about in the water, for the purpose of mixing it with the greatest ease. As soon as one lot is ready another should be in course of preparation, so that with a little forethought a regular supply may be obtained. Closing an article upon the subject a writer says : "As regards how and when to use soot water, as an old practitioner, I can only say that when given regularly when the plant is in active growth I don't know the plant that it would harm, but I have known it benefit a vast number. Even such delicate-rooted plants as Erica and Epacris I have kept in splendid health in the same pots for seven or eight years by the aid of soot water, and such plants as callas, camellias, azaleas and roses, may have regular supplies the whole year round. Such subjects as fuchsias, pelargoniums, cyclamens, primulas and ferns are gently benefited by it while they are in active growth. Plenty of soot water, whenever the soil about the roots is dry, will send green fly and other enemies to the roundabout ; therefore I say, use it, and keep your plants healthy and your mind at rest. — ]]'i stint Rural. S26 The Canadian Horticulturist. ^l . rjd SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the address label. The Idaho Pear. A BOX containing two specimens of the Idaho pear have just come to hand, from Mr. John Evans, Secre- tary of the Idaho Pear Co. These samples were unfortunately delayed in the customs until one was en- tirely gone, but the other was just in prime condition, showing the rich golden-yellow skin of our colored plate in January No., and in every respect fulfilling the characteristics there given. (See page 2). Its large size, its delicious buttery flesh, melt- ing and juicy, and its high flavor, equalling the Bartlett in this respect without its muskiness, must win for it a high place among our leading varieties of pears for market. This sample measures eleven inches in circumference. Fapmers' Institutes. The following is a list of gentlemen who have been recommended as speakers at Farmers' Institute, on subjects connected with fruit cul- ture : — A. McD. Allan, Goderich ; A. M. Smith, St. Catharines ; T. A. Race, Mitchell; P. E. Bucke, Ottawa ; John Croil, Aultsville ; Thos. Beall, Lind- say ; G. C. Caston, Craighurst ; A. N. Pettit, Grimsby ; M. Pettit, Win- ona ; Rev. Geo. Bell,* Kingston ; W. E. Wellington, =■' Toronto ; J. K. Mc- Michael,*W^aterford; J. A. Morton,* Wingham ; J. M, Denton,* London ; E. Morden, Niagara Falls. The BuflFum Pear. The American Garden, for October, gives a very good photogravure of the original Buffum pear tree, still standing on the estate of Mr. Henry, Bedlow, Newport, R.I., and now about one hun- dred years of age. The tree is still very strong and healthy and bears most abundantly. The tree was a chance seedling, and took its name from Mr. David Buffum, who was then a tenant of the farm, and a horticulturist. We have a good many trees of this kind at Maplehurst Fruit Farm, most of them over thirty years ot age ; they are vigorous growers, and very upright, almost suitable to be planted for ornament. They are good and regular bearers, and the fruit grown upon the standards is usually better than that grown upon the dwarfs. When well grown, the fruit is of medium size, *Tliose marked with an asterisk have not yet sia;nified their willincjiiess to act. The Canadian llortunltunst. IV well shaped and well colored. It wholesales for about 50 cents a basket when the liartlett is worth 75 cents and sometimes brintrs Si. 00 in Montreal. The Annual and Winter Meeting Of the Ontario l-'ruit Growers' Associa- tion will be held in the Music Hall, Sandwich street, in the town of Wind- sor, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the loth, i ith and 12th of December, 1889. Distinguished specialists in fruit cul- ture are expected to be present from all parts of the Doiuinion, from New York State and Michigan, to take part in the discussions. Papers will be read by prominent local fruit growers. The fol- lowing gentlemen have also expressed their intention to be present if possible, viz.: The Hon. Chas. Drury, Minister of Agriculture ; Mr Wm. Saunders, Director of the Experimental Farm, Ottawa ; J. H. Panton, M.A., Professor of Botany and Horticulture, in the On- tario Agricultural College, Guelph ; Mr. T. T. Lyon, President of the Michigan Horticultural Society ; Mr. C. W. Gar- field, ex-Secretary of the American Po- niological Society ; Mr. S. D. Willard, representative of the New York State Horticultural Society, and others. Local organizations, such as the North and South Essex Farmers' Institute, the Essex Vine Growers' Association, the Windsor Board of Trade, etc., will co- operate in contributing to the interest of the meetmgs. All meetings are open to the general public, both ladies and gentlemen, who are interested in the fruit orchard and the fruit garden, and all may take part in the discussions, either by giving their experience in the culture of the various fruits, or in asking questions through the Question Drawer. The Question Drawer will be in charge of the Secretary, and any one may con- tribute to it questions in writing ; it will be opened at various intervals and re- plies elicited by the President and from those most competent to answer. Special excursion rates will probably be granted from all parts of Essex county by the railway companies, and certificates enabling the holder to return home for one-third fare to any point of the Dominion will be sent by the Sec- retary to any one applying for them. These must be had in advance and signed by the station agent at the start- ing point, or they will be of no use. Samples of fruits grown in the various parts of Ontario will be shown, and any- thing worthy of notice will be reported u|)on for the Annual Report to the Government, by a committee appointed for that purpose. Yxmi growers in the county of Essex are particularly re- quested to bring in samples of their best varieties of winter apples, winter pears and grapes. The members' fee of $1.00 will be re- ceived by the Secretary at any time during the meetings. This will en- title one to receive the Canadian HoRTicuF.TURiST, a monthly journal for fruit growers, published by the Association ; the Annual Report, con- taining the papers and discussions at the meetings, taken down verbatim by an able stenographer, and some tree or plant for testing. Copies of back num- bers of these publications of the Society may be seen at the Secretary's table. Programme. — {Incomplete.) Tuesday Night. 8 o'clock. — Annual Meeting ; Presi- dent's address ; election of officers ; introductions and social conversation : appointment of committees. Wednesday. The morning will be taken up with meetings of directors and committees, and arrangement of fruit exhibit. VARIETIES OK FRUITS, AND THEIR .MERITS. I.JO o'clock p.m. — " The Ontario I'ruit List," presented by a committee. Discussion upon the same. " Best selection of apples to plant in the county of Essex ; three Fall, and six Winter varieties " ; Allanson Elliott, President of the South Essex Farmers" Institute. 328 Tlie Canadian Horticulturt.^t. FRUIT EXHIBITS AT FAIRS. Report of Committees on " Points for Judging Fruit." Discussion on the same. Questions, (i) Should fruits ex- hibited be the bona fide growth of the exhibitor? (2) Is it best to have one judge or three ? (3) How can fruits and flowers be labeled so as to be easily read by visitors ? (5) In ex- hibiting single varieties of apples, would a peck be any better than a plate of each ? Evening Session. 8 d dock p.m. — Welcome addresses by the Mayor of Windsor and others, Re- plies by the President of the Fruit Growers' Association and others. UTILIZING SECOND GRADE FRUIT. '•' Evaporation of Fruits," by Mr. L. B. Rice, Port Huron, Michigan. Questions and discussion. " Apples for Stock," L. Woolverton, Grimsby, Ont. Questions and dis- cussion. What other profitable uses can be made of such stock ? Question Drawer opened. The evening session will be enlivened by music and readings contributed by local talent. Thursday. THE PEAR. 10 a.m. — " My Experience in Pear Culture," by J. K. McMichael, Water- ford, Ont. " How to make the most of the Pear Orchards," N. J. Clinton, Secretary of North Essex Farmers' Institute. Discussion. Questions on pear culture. (i) What is pear blight, and what are the best means of checking it ? (2) Are dwarf or standard trees the most profit- table for the commercial orchard ? (3.) What ten varieties are found most porfitable to grow in the county of Essex ? (Three Summer, three Fall and four Winter.) THE PEACH, " Peach Growing for Profit," by Mr. James F, Taylor, Douglas, Michigan, Discussion on the subject. Questions of peach culture. (i) What list or six kinds pay best in the county of Essex ? (2) What are the best means of keeping out the borer ? (3) What are the best size packages to use for choice peaches ? (4) What is the best time and method of pruning the peach tree ? (5) Can the yellows be cured ? (6) Can it be carried from tree to tree by the saw and the pruning knife ? THE GRAPE. 2 ddock p.m. — "How best to Prune a Commercial Vineyard in Ontario," Vjy Mr. A. McNeil, Head Master of the High School, W^indsor, also an extensive Vineyardist. '' Two modes of Pruning and tying up Grapevines in France, with Practical Illustrations," by a French vineyardist, Mr. A. E. Tournier, Windsor. Discussion on the subject. Questions on grape culture. (i) What is the best mode of marketing the grape ? Answer by Mr. M. Pettit, Winona, Ont. (2) What is the simplest way to make a small quantity of pure grape wine for home use ? Answer by Mr. Ernest Girardot, Windsor. (3) What nine varieties of grapes succeed best in the county of Essex (Three black, three red and three white ?) TREE PLANTING. " Fall Purchasing and Fall Planting of Trees," by T. H. Race, Mitchell, Ont. Discussion. THE PLUM. What are the six most profitable varieties of plums for Southern Ontario, two of a color ? Answer by Mr. S. D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y. FRUIT SHIPPING. Would it be wise to interview the railway companies regarding a special fruit train service, on the ground that the express companies are no longer competent to carry the ever increasing shipments of fruit in a proper manner. The Canadian Horiiciilturist. 329 8 p.m. — What kind of hedges are best suited for hedge in Southern Ontario ? Answer by Mr. A. McNeil, Windsor, Ont. " Fruit Rooms and Storage of Fruit," by T. T. Lyon, of Grand Haven, Michigan. Ouestions and discussion. Question Drawer opened. Closing addresses. Music and readings by local talent will also be furnished to enliven this session. QUESTION DRA\S^ER Treatment of Rhododendrons. 81. What is the proper treatment and soil for Rhododendrons ? — E, W. Taylor. Reply by S. Robertson, Sitpcriittcndent Government Grounds, Ottawa. The main point is giving the root a light porous soil. Leaf mould in its lightest form is the best. The top does not seem to suffer from the heat of the sun, but the root does, and must be kept as cool as possible or no success can be met with. Some growers advise sawdust, that of the oak in preference to all others ; this I have never tried, but the evidence given proves that, with this, more success was attained than with any other substance used, even pine sawdust. They are not hardy out of doors, even with protection in our climate, but the dwarf species, known as greenhouse varieties, are very beautiful, but require consider- able space where they are grown, which is often an objection to growing them ; a rather cool temperature suits them best. Remedy for Rose Thpip. 82. Can you inform me in journal or other- wise the name and cure for a small whitish fly that flies in and out among roses and other plants, eating the under surface of leaves, specimen included ? The best cure I have found consists in holding a piece of sticky fly-paper under or near branches and giving them a slight tap when many of the flies are caught. They do not care for Paris green or tobacco— E. \V. Taylor. This insect is properly known as a Leaf Hopper, and belongs to the family Hemiptera, genus Cica- dellina, and is of late years very troublesome, indeed, both to rose leaves and grape-vine leaves. The remedy proposed by our corres- pondent would be very slow. We have used pyrethrum powder with complete success, puffing up the dry powder against the under side of the leaves when they are a little damp with dew. Perhaps a more econo- mical plan would be to spraj- the leaves with a solution in proportion of two ounces of pyrethrum powder to a gallon of water. Pear Trees for Sandy Soil. 83. I was thinking of getting some pear trees. Would you think it advisable to plant m sandy soil, and what kind is best. An answer will oblige.— John Clemens, Brant- ford. The pear is more liable to blight on sandy soil, and so far as we have observed has less color, but most kinds thrive very well in other re- spects. We have grown the follow- ing kinds on a sandy loam with good success, viz.: — Tyson, Bartlett, Howell, Beurre Brown, FJartlett, Belle Lucrative, Howell, Sheldon, Louise (dwf.). Duchess (dwf.), Beurre d'Aujou and Lawrence. What Is It? 84. I SEND you a natural curiosity by sample post, that grew on one of my crab- apple trees. Is it a pear, an apple, or a pair of apples.?— W. H. Wylie, Carlton Place. Ont. nth October 1SS9. jj^ The Canadian Horticnltnrist. Fig. 79. This is evidently but an abnormally shaped apple, as Mr. Wylie tells us there is no pear tree growing near it. It may interest our readers to see it, and therefore we have prepared the accompanying sketch of this curiosity. Mixing Manure and Ashes. 85. I have a quantity of hen manure which I intend to apply to my garden and orchard ; also some wood ashes. Do you advise applying them separate or mixed together. — J. C, Aultsville. Reply by Prof. Panton, O.A.C., Giielph. Do not mix hen manure and ashes, because a chemical change takes place and ammonia is freed. The lime and potash of the ashes seizes the acid holding the am. in the ^ hen manure, and the am. is thus let go into the air. OPEN LETTERS. he Catalpa Speeiosa. Dear Sir, — As my apparent success spoken of in the Horticiilfiirist and the Report of the Fruit Growers Association has, I believe, induced many to plant the Catalpa Speeiosa, 1 think it but right to inform you that unhappily I have found that, while every one of mine has successfully stood our northern winters, the tree has such a drawback that nothing would induce me to plant another. I have, in addition to smaller ones, two with trunks measuring six inches in diameter, both of which have had the whole top half snapped off, completely des- troying the trees, caused by heavy winds after rain, the immense leaves being satur- ated, making the trees top heavy. Every Catalpa I have has had more or less branches broken off in this way, and their shape spoilt, though they are mostly planted within high board fences, and protected with surrounding buildings. I am sure that many of your readers will be sorry to hear so poor an account of what promised to be one of the most desirable shade trees we have in this country. — L. H. KiRKEV, Colliiigzvood, Septciitbcr 17, 18S9. Nopthepn Light Gpape. Sir, — Another year's experience with this beautiful grape fully confirms the fact it will ripen with !Moore's Early when planted side by side on the same soil with the same exposure. The owners are very sorry that for several reasons the propagation of plants has not been so rapid as they could have wished. Owing to the hea\-y crops produced on the parent vine the wood of 1888 did not ripen sufficiently to ensure its growth so that the proprietors have only about three hun- dred plants on hand. It is intended to wait for another year or two before placing it on the market for sale. Amongst the few grapes that set well on the bunches this year at Ottawa was the Northern Light, Niagara and Moore's Early. As a rule other varie- ties gave imperfect bunches, though this did not occur in every locality. — P E. Bucke, Ottaiva. Mitchell's No. 1. Tomato. Sir, — Will you kindly allow me to report on Mr. Mitchell s No. i Tomato through the medium of your valuable journal. I am not only well pleased with the latter but am proud of it, proud to see that Canadians can support such a paper. No. i with me were as good as any I have ever tasted in quality, uniform in size and as large as samples at Barrie show. But in my experience the chief point of excellence is their being two w^eeks earlier than any others planted. This is also Mr, J. W. Lee's verdict, also that of a neighbor. — S. Spillett, Naiityc, Octo- ber 7, 1889. The Ontapio Apple in Nova Seotia. Sir, — My Ontario tree has succeeded ad- mirably here. The tree is hardy, a vigorous grower and an early bearer. In quality the fruit is only middling, but is enormously pro- ductive of large, sound, long-keeping apples, The Caiiii'iiaiL tlortii uUnrist. which keep until July. I have no other late variety half as useful. — Chakles E. Brown, YarniiHiih, i\.S. Golden Queen. SiK, — This rasjiberry, which 1 recei\ed from the Association last year has clone finely, and f,'a\e me a quart of as fine berries as ever I tasted, and that is the testimony of several others that taxied them It wintered well, showinj; no si^'ns of winter killing, although it is in an exposed place. It has made a vigorous growth, sending up many shoots which I intend to set in the Spring. This is the result from one bush, the others I received did not live. I think the Golden Queen has come to stay, and for a near market I think it will take the lead in a few years, as so(jn as its good qualities are known. — \V. C., South Livcrmurc. Maine. OUR FRUIT MARKETS. The scarcity of apples is being more and more realized in Ontario, and, though prices have not yet advanced above quotations of last month, yet apple shippers feel confident of very high prices before the spring. Farm- ers in the Niagara peninsula even, who live on the mountain, and away from the favoring influence of the lakes, have no apples at all in their orchards, and drive twenty and thirty miles to secure a supply for their families. Mr. J. F. Wilson writes that buyers are paying $2.00 per barrel at Chat- ham, for the bare fruit, and paying for barrels and packing extra ; and no doubt they can well afford this price. Kings and other fancy stock are in es- pecially good demand, and are worth from $3.50 to $4.00 per bbl. in our home markets. Pears are no longer in great de- mand, dealers having for the most part laid in a good stock of Duchess, and few are lieing asked for by consumers. Grapes are ruling higher than for many years, the lowest price received by growers being 4 cts. per pound for Concords in ten-pound baskets. They are now advancing again, and are worth about five cents for choice samples. .V few apples are going forward to the Ilritish markets, but not one quar- ter of the quantity that went over last year. The average net returns, so far, to -Montreal men, amount to about $3.00 per barrel for winters, an encour- aging result ; but wheip we have a prospect of getting $3.00 per barrel right at home, we doubt the wisdom of risking the chances of any foreign market. We subjoin a few market reports, which have come to hand : — Bournemouth, England. Sii{, — Hearing your journal mentioned as the leading pomological organ of Canada, we beg to imform your readers of the scarcicy of good English Apples this autumn, and would remind that by shipping pood sound fruit to England this year they are bound to carry all before them. We would also add a word of caution, viz.: to avoid crushing the London and Liverpool markets by fowarding all goods to these centres, whilst the smaller, but none the less wealthy, towns are starving for good fruit. The great markets are quite overwhelmed, although their demand is enormous, and it is certain that no one can make a mistake in scattering their consignments, (so equalising prices) whilst those who presist in sending to one market, often suffer heavy losses. We ourselves are prepared to receive con- signments and guarantee top prices, our trade being of the highest class, and no local fruit worth naming. — \. M.av & Co., 12 The Arcade, Bouriumouth, England iSth. October, 1S89. Liverpool. Sib, — .\rrivals of .\pplcs during the past week have been on a rather more liberal scale, although strictly moderate 332 The Canadian Horticnlhirist. The greater part of the stock now arising from all ports, is in poor condition, which class of goods can only be realized at a dis- count, but line, sound bright stock is in very great demand. We quote with a steady market : Canadian Kings, 20s. to 25s. ; Ribston, Pips, 2is. to 26s. ; Various, 14s. to 19s. 6d ; States Kings, 17s. gd.to 25s. 6d ; Baldwins, I2S. to iSd. ; Greenings, iis. 3d. to 17s.; Various 14s. gd. to 20s. ; large stock especially of red descriptions, finds eager buyers, of which quality we can strongly recommend shipping — Williams, Thomas & Co, loth Octohcv\%'S,(^. Glasgow. Messrs. James Lindsay & Son, Glasgow, cable their market as follows : Greenings, 14s. to i6s. or S3.40 to $3.89 ; Baldwins, 17s. to 20s. or S4.13 to S4.S5 ; Kings, 20s. to 24s. or §4-85 to *5.83 ; BenDavis, igs. to 20s. or $4.62 to ^4.85; with a very active demand for good fruit. The shipments to October 5th, 1889, aggregate about 43,000 barrels, against a total to same date last year of about 175,000 barrels, a difference in favor of last season of about 132,000 barrels. This week the shipments will probably be heavier than heretofore, the market abroad having im- proved and the late varieties of apples being in condition to ship. — Otto G. Mayer & Co., i>er jfosiali Rich, New York, October gth, London. Messrs. W. N. White & Co. , Fruit Brokers, Covent Garden Market, London England, send the following Apple Report : The Wanda, S.S., from Halifax, Nova Scotia, arrived on Tuesday last, with 1,804 barrels, the bulk of which have been sold here at public auction this day. The fruit being in fine condition has realized high prices ; Gravensteins, from 17s. to 28s. per bbl. Ribstones, a few barrels of very choice made the high price of 32s. to 40s. bbl ; Emperors. 21S. bbl; Maiden Blush, 15s. bbl; Northern Spies, i6s. to 24s. bbl,. These prices should convince all shippers that London can always pay a high price for choice fruit ; and that Covent Garden is the best market in London, fruit being sold jheir by public auction and not by private reatv.— W. T. Costigan & Co. Montreal. Sir, — The month has been a busy one in the fruit trade here. Apples — the receipts are unexpectedly large, but prices have been well maintained, as a great part of the stock has been bought for English account. Mon- treal has been exporting more apples than all the American ports put together this sea- son. Good winter apples have sold mainly from $2.75 to !^3 per bbl., and seconds §2 to Si2.25 per bbl. About 15,000 bbls. Maine apples sold for Liverpool at $3 per bbl. here. The receipts here during this month ag- gregate about 100,000 bbls. Other do-, mestic fruits are about done for the season. Grapes — A few late lots of Concords have sold at 6c., per lb.; Delawares 8c. to loc. Quinces very scarce, |6 to $7 per bbl. Pears — Beurre Anjou, $7 to I9 per bbl.; Sheldon's Duchess, etc., §5 to $7. Spanish Grapes are largely imported and now take the place of home grown. — Vipond, Mc- Bride & Co. Apples. — The receipts of winter fruit have been considerable, although not as large as ex- pected. Large quantities are being put aboard steamers for British ports, large en- gagements having been made at 3s. Liver- pool, London and Glasgow, The receipts of winter fruit from St. Catharines which were shipped as No. i, only grade No. 2, causing great dissatisfaction, some lots received from the Niagara district having turned out the veriest trash. Owing to these poor re- ceipts the market is dull and will remain so until they are worked off. Sales have been made of car lots of No. i winter fruit at §2.50 to |>3, and No. 2 at Sn.75 to ^2. A lot of 1,200 fancy winter stock was sold at $3.25. Cables from Liverpool quote a lot of American Ben Davis at i6s. average, and a small lot of fancy Kings at 27s. Some very high prices are reported from London, rang- ing from i6s. to 24s., for Nothern Spies, and other choice descriptions from 32s. to 40s. per bbl ; but it is thought that the shipment now going forward will soon reduce those aristocrate values. A cable from London says apples are booming. Grapes. — Blue grapes at 5c. to 6, and red Sic. Pears. — The few varieties offering range from S3. 50 to §6 per bbl. Onions. — Sales of 5,000 are reported at 65c. to 70c per crate. Canadian S2.50 to $2.75. Potatoes, — The market is easy with sales of car lots reported at 60c. to 70c. per 90 lbs. as to quality. — Trade Bulletin, iSth October 1889. ROSE-JOHN HOPPER. T 1 1 I{ Vol. XII. DECEMBER, 1889. No. 12, ^-X^^T>, ROSE JOHN HOPPER. y\ MOXG the numerous YvJ^Y flowers that may be used to adorn the garden there is none to compare with the rose ; or to e.vpress it in the language of the humorous Thomas Hood, — The tulip is a courtly queen Whom, therefore, I will shun ; The cowslip is a country wench. The violet is a nun. The lily is all in white, like a saint, And so is no mate for me ; And the daisy's cheek is tipped with a blush, She is of such low degree. But I will plight with the dainty rose, For fairest of all is she. The rose is a stud}' by itself, and has received so much attention from gardeners that there are now nearly one thousand named and catalogued varieties, which are in general culti- vation. Among the hybrid remon- tant roses, the subject of this sketch is one which deserves e.xtended cul- tivation. It was originated in the year 1862, by Mr, Ward of Ipswich, England, from Jules Margottin crossed with Madame \'idot, and has proved itself a hard}', vigorous and free blooming variety. In Mr. H. B. Ellwanger's work on "The Rose," the John Hopper is thus described : — " Bright rose with carmine centre, large and full, semi- globular, light red thorns, stout bushy growth." This point of light thorns is a point in its favor for cut- ting, and the only point urged against it by exhibitors is that the flowers will not stand a long journey. Mr. Girdlestone, an English gar- dener, speaks of this rose as fol- lows : — "The opening of the flowers is rarely affected b}- weather of any sort, except that in a very hot, dry season the blooms expand somewhat too rapidly ; but, on the other hand, autumn blooms are often developed in the cooler weather late in the year in very great beauty of color. Another good point about this rose, whicli, no doubt, has also materially contributed to its long-continued popularity and wide distribution, is the readiness with which cuttings of 334 The Canadian Horticulturist. it take root. It roots almost more easily than any other Hybrid Per- petual, and grows far better on its own roots than when budded on Manetti, a stock on which (like most of the smooth-wooded roses) it will not long succeed unless it is planted deep enough to be able to send out roots of its own from the collar. Since writing the above we have received the following lines from Mr. Fred. Mitchell, on the "John Hopper" rose: — " 'John Hopper,' the rose selected for distribution the coming spring, is not a new variety, but is a variety of such general all round merit that it is worthy of better acquaintance, and more general cultivation. In Britain and throughout Europe, wherever roses are grown, it has long been known as a reliable standard sort ; it was raised twenty-seven years ago by Ward, of Ipswich, England, from seed from ' Jules Margettin' another good standard variety. It is of good form, and of a bright deep rose color, generally deepest in the centre. The foliage is large and healthy -looking, and the growth strong and stubby. It is a very eas- ily managed rose, and in short has but one fault, and that is its very objectionable incongruous name so utterly unsuited to a daintily beauti- ful rose." SEASONABLE HINTS FOR FRUIT GROWERS. PROFITS OF FRUIT CULTURE. BEGINNERS in fruit culture need to be warned against being carried away by such state- ments as the following, which may be true in certain exceptional cases, and false in the majority. (i.) It is possible to raise $500 to $600 worth of cherries from a single acre in one season. (2 ) Strawberries are very profitable, paying at the rate of $700 per acre, using Crescent and James Vick two to one. Raspberries come next after strawberries. By planting such varieties as Tyler, Hopkins and Ohio, cutting back heavily and giving good cultivation, at least two thousand quarts per acre can be obtained, which sell for 15c. a quart. The cost of cultivating will not exceed $50 per acre, and the picking and marketing $50 more ; two thousand quarts is only an average crop, and this would give a profit of $200 per acre. {3.) Strawberries should yield 4,000 quarts per acre, raspberries 3,000, black- berries a little more than raspberries, and currants should yield 1,500 to 2,000 quarts per acre. (4.) An acre of strawberries will some- times pay better than live acres of grain. These may be possibilities, but not probabilities, except where all conditions are most favorable. To those of us who are in the business, it is no doubt an incentive to greater zeal and industry to read of the pos- sibilities that lie before us ; but we should give both sides of the picture, and sometimes show the losses that are just as frequent as such fine pro- fits. Twenty years ago the writer was led away by golden dreams, the outcome of such reading. Easily reckoning that if one acre in fruit culture should yield $500, ten acres would give ten times as much, and so on, he planted his whole farm to fruit, expecting, of course, some such proportion of profit ; and that if the hundred acres did not yield $50,000 The Canadian Horticulturist. 335 per annum, it would at least give a most enormous income. Grain farm- ing was therefore thrown overboard entirely, for how could one afford to devote to grain, land in which such grand possibilities lay. The cows were sold, for how could land be given up to pasture, which might yield $500 per acre ? Our fellow fruit growers of experience will smile at the recital, and imagine the result. Difficulties of every kind arose. Expenses without number proved that the annual outlay required to run a huntlred acre farm would bear no comparison to that required to run a fruit farm of the same extent, and that one acre of strawberries alone costs as much to cultivate properly as a ten acre field of wheat, and more. Instead of $600 off a single acre of cherries, he found after waiting many years, that rot often took the whole crop, that some kinds sold poorly, that some varieties bore scantily at the best, and that al- though he might now plant such varieties as would come up to the mark, ten chances to one that no beginner will realize any such re- turns. The fact is that no man can expect to be successful in fruit culture or in any other line, without experience and a thorough knowledge of his business. It is not acre for acre that should be compared, but rather cost of production ; and, when plants, labor, manure, picking, baskets, etc., are counted, the proceeds are often very small. THE VENTILATED APPLE BARREL. The profits of apple growing are very much reduced by the cost of the barrels. Thirty cents a barrel is about the least sum for which the ordinary barrel can be manufactured,, and some less expensive package is needed, especially when we consider Fig. 80.— Thh Ventilated Barrel. that there is no return of empties. We have low-priced baskets for our small fruits, grapes and peaches, and we want a low-priced one for our apples and pears. There has been one recently invented in Iowa, a sample of which has been shown us, and which we hope will be the very thing we want, for it can be manu- factured at half the expense of the ordinary barrel, and possesses some advantages over it. It is made of elm wood, peeled from the log by a veneering machine, and cut into narrow staves. These are woven together with fine copper wire, as shown in the engraving, in such a manner that no hoops are required, except the two at each end to hold the heads in place, and one wide, strong one around the middle, in the inside, which gives firmness to the bilge and keeps all pressure off the fruit, caused by rolling or piling the barrels. OJ^ TJie Canadian Hortiadtnrist. The company at Muscatine, Iowa, which has patented this barrel and are manufacturing it, claim that it has the following advantages over the ordinary barrel : It weighs from five to seven pounds less than the ordinary barrel, making a material saving in freight charges. It is the only thoroughly ventilated barrel made, a very important point. It is stronger and more durable than any other barrel. It costs less than one-half for trimming, and does not require an experienced hand to cooper it. Never varies in size, even to the extent of a quart. The heads are warranted not to come out in transit, and no liners are required, alto- gether making it the cheapest and best bar- rel in the market. crossing the ocean, too, it may prove the right package, because it would permit the fruit to receive all the benefits of the atmospheric blast of cool air which is made to pass through the compartments in which the apples are stored, on some of the steamship lines. BR.\CIXG OF POSTS POR FENCES .\ND FOR GRAPE VINE TRELLISES. One ot the chief objections to the wire fence is the difficulty in keeping the wire from sagging. The heaving and thawing of the posts with the winter frosts soon causes the whole fence to look untidy. A most thor. From an examination of the barrel, we have no doubt that these state- ments are correct, and we shall be glad to see it introduced into Canada, if only on the score of econ- omy. It can be made in any size, and for shipping fancy apples and pears it seems to be admirably adapted, showing so well the color all down the sides. Whether ventilated packages are best in all cases may perhaps be questioned, but, for the majority of cases, where a close barrel hastens the ripening process too much, venti- lation is just what is wanted. In ough mode of bracing is shown in the engraving, which explains itself, but it is rather clumsy looking, and perhaps no more lasting than a plan which we have adopted of late at Grimsby, in our vineyards. No wooden braces are used at all, but the last two posts at the end are made firm by wire stays, which pass diagonally from the top of each post to the ground, at an angle of about 45°, where each is fastened about a flat stone, buried nearly a foot below the surface. This is found to hold with great firmness, is out of the way, and looks quite tidy. The Canadian Horticulturist. 337 THE GRAPE CROP. In this County of Durliani grapes have been a failure this year. They, up to the blossoming time, gave great promise, but a heavy frost then did great damage. In my own garden, which is shelt- ered by a belt of evergreen trees, the Delaware, Early Victor and Lady were well loaded with fruit, but the two former did not fully ripen, and the latter only fairly so, although all were bagged and allowed to remain on the vines until tlie i8th October. On a Lady vine planted three years ago, I had sixty bunches of grapes, weighing from one-half to one pound. Last year this vine had ten, and the fruit resembled that of the Niagara in color and bunch, but not quite so good a flavor. It ripens earlier than either the Delaware or Early Victor. The vine is a strong grower, with a large thick leaf and compact bunch. It is very free from the thrip or mildew, which this sea- son has been very troublesome here on both the Clinton and Delaware. I am so pleased with the Lady that I wish to recommend it for trial wherever the Delaware will ripen. Three years ago I ordered six new varieties of vines from a nursery near Toronto, only two of which when fruited turned out true to name, and three of them a red variety which drops its berries before they are ripe. It is simply dishonest to substitute such without permission, for special sorts ordered for trial. I hear complaints from my neighbors of substitution also in their orders and threats of publishing the name of nurserymen doing so if again repeated. — J. Smart. CONCERNING SOME APPLES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT. A Paper bv the Late Robert Blrnet. THE WINTER ST. LAWRENCE. THIS is a good variety, and en- joys the reputation of several advantageous characteristics. The tree is perfectly hardy, even in se- vere winters, and in tolerably high latitudes. Indeed, for northern On- tario we scarcely know a more eli- gible apple for orchard cultivation. It bears well, is admirably adapted for transportation, will carry long distances without detriment. We would like to see this variety exten- sively tried, and, after suitable trial, largely cultivated. The worthy Editor of the Horticulturist might profitably give insertion to a para- graph that it is worthy of a thorough trial in all locations in Ontario. THE CANADA BALDWIN. We have made careful trial of the qualities of this superb apple. A number of years ago I gave an order for a number of barrels from a Mon- treal house, to be shipped to the Lower Provinces. They turned out 338 The Canadian Horticulturist. of first quality. As a dessert fruit they are first rate, and have the pecu- liarity of having red streaks running through the white flesh. The tree is prolific, and can be got from R. W. Shepherd, The Nurseries, Como, Quebec. Perhaps nearer at hand from our Western Nurseries, but this is beyond my knowledge. It carries well, and without injury can be transported long distances. It is a good keeper ; I kept some samples well into May. Then they were neither flabby nor wrinkled. When better known it will become a favorite market apple, as its color is altogether in its favor — showy and attractive. I have been calling the attention of some fruit growers in the neighborhood of Hamilton and Burlington to its excellence, but as yet have no report to give of its successful cultivation. I procured for an enthusiastic fruit grower, in the neighborhood of Lake Simcoe, some trees of this variety last sum- mer, and they have done well in that locality. The soil, on which they were carefully planted, was a fine clayey loam. We heartily commend this variety to western cultivators, and though I have no permission to say so, yet from his known ur- banity, we are satisfied that any one desirous of further information about this valuable apple, by applying to Charles Gibb, Esq., Abbotsford, Quebec, would receive a courteous reply, and much available experi- mental knowledge of the value of this variety. It is just a pity it bears a well known, but not half so valuable a surname ; and one of the rules of the American Pomological Society on nomenclature, might, with great propriety, be applied to the confusing name of the Canada Baldwin, and give it a distinctive alias to distinguish it from its popu- lar confrere in the west. FAMEUSE SUCREE. A number of years ago I had the privilege, in company with Mr. Gibb, of Abbotsford, to visit the orchards of the Hon. Mon. Prudhomme, situ- ated in one of the Coteaux of Mon- treal City. The main object was to inspect the " Famause Sucr^e," which originated on the hon. gen- tleman's grounds. On trial we found this apple in point of quality Ai. I give it as my individual belief that it is an apple superior to the Fam- euse or Snow Apple. I am aware that this IS a risky assertion, and some apple growers will be apt to shrug the shoulder, still we would like them to give a trial to the apple before coming to a too hasty conclu- sion. It is hardy, and well stands the winter at Montreal. W^e might expect that it would do well in our latitude at Hamilton. The beauty of the apple gives it a great advan- tage as a dessert fruit. Its color is of the deepest purple, and well sets off other fruit in the dessert dish. We found it so productive that the weight of fruit had prostrated more trees than one, and yet they bore, wrecked as they were, lying on the ground. THE DECARIE. On a neighboring estate to that of the Hon. Mon. Prudhomme, we found the Decarie, the property of a courteous gentleman of the same The Canadian Horticulturist. 339 name as the apple, and the originator and owner of it. It is a magnificent apple, the Decarie. In color perfect, with a bloom like that on Pond's Seedling plum. Quality all that could be desired, and a prolific bearer. This fall fruit would be a great acquisition in Ontario, we are deeply persuaded. We secured some scions two summers ago, but owing to their having dried by the way, only a few succeeded. We strongly commend this variety for orchard cultivation, assured that there is money in it. PEACH OF MONTREAL. Hardy apple of good quality, fine dessert fruit, saleable, though a yel- low color. A heavy bearer, but easily bruised ; valuable for a near market— a very profitable apple. Milton, 1889. KEEPING FRUIT. EXPERIMENT IN KEEPING WINTER APPLES. A question of interest to apple- growers was thoroughly ex- perimented upon at the Ohio Ex- periment Station during the last sea- son. The object of the experiment was to determine whether early or late picking of apples is best for their keeping, and which of the leading market varieties is really the best keeper. The experiment was super- vised by W. J. Green, and was be- gun September 26th, when all the kinds were deemed of proper ripe- ness for early picking ; the second picking was on October 6th ; 3rd, October 13th; and last, October 20th. At each picking, 100 perfect apples of the following varieties were gathered for the test : Ben Davis, Newton Pippin, Jonathan, Roxbury Russet, and Baldwin ; and the Ben Davis showed the best keeping quali- ties all through the experiment ; the tests also showed that with all of these kinds, early picking is better for keeping than late picking, though for the first two months the differ- ence was verv trifling. Thereafter it became more perceptible ; and 256 days after picking, the nmnber of specimens of each left, was : Ben Davis, ist picking.. 43 ; and, 33 ; 3rd, 12; 4th, 12 Newton Pippin, ist *' ..13; 2nd, 8 ; 3rd, 6; 4th, i Jonathan, ist " ...11; 2nd, 8; 3rd, 2; 4th, o Roxbury Russet, iSt" ..5; and, i ; 3rd, i; 4th, i Baldwin, ist " .. 3; and, o; 3rd, o; 4th, o We are glad to place the results of this timely, judicious and instruc- tive experiment before our readers, because we believe they may be of both present and future benefit to apple-growers. KEEPING GRAPES. There is an article going the rounds of the press which advises burying grapes, enclosed in a stone- pot, in a dry knoll until New Year's day, and then digging them up for use. There is no doubt that the cool even temperature of the ground, and the moisture of the same, afford just the right conditions for preserving fruit, but why ma}' not the same conditions be secured in a properly constructed fruit cellar, or even in an ordinary cellar, by admit- ting plenty of cool air, and keeping the temperature down to nearly the freezing point. We cannot see the fun in digging up grapes, or any other hid treasures in mid-winter, when they can be just as well pre- served in some more accessible place. 340 The Canadian Horticulturist Mr. Charles a. Green, in reply to the question, " How shall we keep grapes ? " very sensibl}- says : " How shall we keep grapes ? " Why, keep them cool, dry and in thin layers. If you heap them in baskets they weigh down those in the bottom so closely as to cause mould. Place a layer of paper in the basket when half filled, then place on more grapes. We keep ours in a cold room. When in dan- ger of freezing we stack the baskets four or five deep in a pile and cover with heavy blankets. If desired to be kept very long we sometimes pack in dry sawdust. We have tried bran, but it did not serve a good purpose. There is no trouble in keeping ripe grapes, even the Concord, though thick skinned varieties such as Agaw- am, Salem, Wilder, etc., keep better. RASPBERRIES-VARIETIES TESTED. IN the Report of the Ohio Agricul- tural Experiment Station, we find some results of experience that may interest our readers, and here present them : Ada. — This is the second season that Ada has fruited here, and it has thus far been satisfactory, with the exception of showing a tendency to blight. As the blight is not troublesome in most other sections, and so far as known does not appear at all in those localities where the raspberry is most at home, there need be no fear on that score, In vigor and producti\ eness the Ada equals the Gregg, and perhaps excels it in the latter particular, and is about the same in season, continuing in bearing a little longer, if there is an}' difference. In fruit, the two varieties are similar, the Ada being a trifle the smaller. We have not been able to test its hardiness, but there can hardly be a doubt but it will prove satisfactory in that respect. Commer- cial growers will do well to give it a trial. Hilborn.— This variety has thus far given entire satisfaction here, the plants being hardy, vigorous and productive, while the fruit is unsurpassed in appearance. It can hardly fail to take rank as one of the best second-early black caps. Another season's trial confirms what has been said of this variety in previous reports. Its uncommon vigor, productiveness and beauty of fruit commend it to the attention of fruit-growers generally. yohnston's Sweet. — This is another good second-early black cap, and is thought by some to excel all others in quality, It has shown no weakness here, except that the canes have been affected more than most other varieties by blight. It produced but little fruit the past season, owing to the blight. As stated concerning the Ada, this need cause no uneasiness to those living in more favored sections. It is a safe variety to try. Marlboro. — There is still much difference of opinion as to the value of this variety. It does not rank as a prolific bearer here, and yet is valuable, as it uniformly gives a fair crop of very fine berries. It surely has sufficient merit to warrant further trial. Nemaha. — Thus far this variety has not proven equal to the Giegg in productiveness and size of fruit. Not fully tested as to hardiness. Another season's trial shows that it is decidedly inferior to the Gregg in the above respects, the berries being about the size of the Ohio. Earhart. — Fruited here for the first time last season. The plants are vigorous and healthy, and apparently productive. It is probably one of the best of the ever-bearing sorts. The first crop this season was nearly equal to that of most other varieties, and there are still considerable numbers of un- ripe berries and blossoms. Golden Queen. — So far this variety has proven to be all that has been claimed for it. The plants are hardy, vigorous, healthy and productive, while the fruit is beautiful in appearance and excellent in quality. It is an excellent variety for home use, and might be profitably grown for some markets. Txler (Souhegan). — The most reliable and profitable of early black caps. The fruit is small, and not of high quality, but sells at good prices because of its earliness. It has been reported as having a tendency to rust in some localities, but it has not exhibited that weakness here, and it is a matter of doubt if those so reporting it have it true to name. Turner. — Among the red varieties the Tur- ner is still the standard for earliness and productiveness. It may not show the first ripe berries, but it will yield a good picking The Canadian Horticulturist. 341 at an earlier date than any red sort thus far tested, with the possible exception of High- land Hardy. If the bushes art closely pruned in the spring, the fruit is suHiciently firm for near market. It gives greater profit than any other red variety in the station grounds. Mr. Charles Mills, of the same State, says : — My main crop was Tyler and Gregg for black, Cuthbert and Marlboro for red. The Tyler gives a large picking on the start and keeps good size throughout. The Gregg lengthens out the season, following close after the Tyler, with its large berries which sell at sight. It is not a large yielder nor quite firm enough to ship well. Some of its seedlings will soon take its place. The Marlboro is doing better than at first. It produced a good crop early, and its good looks sell it, but quality or taste is not there, but it sells — that's the point. Cuthbert is our best red yet. Thompson may take the place of the Marlboro. I hope to test it ne.\t year. The disease which I have named black blight in black raspberries has done some damage. It, some seasons, kills many of the bushes. I have never seen a remedy or a cause for it yet. I find, if let stand, it completely kills the bush, but if cut out, leaving only the roots, they will sprout, grow up again with but one year lost. I prefer to set both red and black raspberries in the fall. I set red raspberries with good results in damp weather, any time from March to November. In setting green wood cut back well. Fall-set plants I give a forkful of manure on the plant in the fall, or soon as the ground freezes, then in the spring remove the manure and go over the piece often and see that every plant is aliva. By adopting this plan, I am satisfied I double my first crop, over spring setting. It is impossible in the spring to set black raspberry plants without breaking off many of the sprouts. Set your plants in the fall and then you know what plants you have to sell to the earliest spring planters, Mr. E. J. Brownell, recapitulating his year's experience in the Orniii^c County Fanner, says: — In black caps I have yet to find a better sort, all things considered, than the Ohio. As I have before said, I should not feel it a great deprivation if I were obliged to con- fine myself to this one sort alone. Ripening as it does within a few days of the earlier sorts, it will, if properly and thoroughly fer- tilized with all the manure needed to bring it to its best, continue to bear nearly as late as any of those kinds especially recommend- ed for lateness. In fact, under favorable conditions, it is a very marvel of productiveness, and I have never seen any other raspberry that for healthfulness or vigor or plant-bearing quali- ties and everything considered, would equal it. The Souhegan (or Tyler, which I believe to be identically the same, having both sorts from the first disseminators of each), which was so loudly vaunted as superior in hardi- ness and vigor of plants, and which would perhaps compare well in this respect with most of the older kinds, is certainly lacking in both vigor and productiveness as com- pared with the Ohio, while in size of fruit especially, unless the land is unusually rich, it is quite inferior. There is but one point, it seems to me, in which there is any possible advantage in the planting of these varieties, that is, they will begin to ripen a very few days earlier than the Ohio, and still even then I have found that our first full picking is composed very nearly as largely of the latter as of those so- called earlier sorts. The Gregg is later than the Ohio, but with us here it lacks in hardiness, and unless the season is unusually fa\orable as regards ex- tremes of cold, it is unreliable. Then, too, it ha? a way of a portion of the bushes which iii spring seem to start out with vigor and promise well for a fruit crop, drying up and dying off after the berries are formed and even half grown. Whether this is owing to impaired vitality on account of lack of hardi- ness in the plants, or some other cause, I am unable to say, but one thing I am sure, that it is a failing from which Ohio is largely ex- empt. The Nemeha, for which a claim of superior hardiness as a late sort is made, has not with me sustained that claim. If it is in any way superior to Gregg I have not been able to prove it on my grounds, and I would not affirm that it is not identical with that sort. I had my plants of Nemeha directly from the originator, so I suppose them to be true to name, but they certainly are not particu- larly more hardy here than the Gregg, nor better in any way, so far as I can judge. In red raspberries, Cuthbert. this year, for the first time since I planted it, now seven years, gave a fair yield on my grounds as compared with other sorts of its class. Whether it is due to some peculiarity of the soil, or from some other cause, it has always lacked here in productiveness. Prof. Weber, of the Ohio E.xperi- ment Station, has been subjecting to chemical analysis the following varieties, viz.: Shatter, Ohio, Hil- born, Ada and Gregg, and finds that certain varieties are much better 342 The Canadian Horticulturist. adapted to drying than others. He says : — The Ohio plainly tal