SAEGRAV_MW www As RMRUAW®\ RAAAAAAAN ALSTON AEA E RRMA Oy . SN ‘ LHS’ . NS SWOWY SSO ‘ RQ ARRAN SAAN MM . y . ~ SEW ANAS WANE SEAN aanene: Se e- VA ~~ AWN Re RAVAN WAN TUBA NODS Seas \ \ \ SSS we Sd SAA ONS) LM wy .s MAY SS nt te ANOS es TARA WN NEO aisAnnnnnnn men eR \s WAS AS SRSA USERRA SAAN “ PSP ranean nncueenn antennae RRS SRR RRRAAVAAAANOww»°wmwauqwoqgag eT SEN VN SSN RMKAAQAAAAMIHRANG : SY SS \S BS \ AS WMOQr*e QQ RMHAAHY RG WN AGS WS QQ WQsq@ QQ WAG \ WS WY \ SS LA MSV QV WS RRR Hy» RG MMAWy XV RAVE SS S S KX AW \N \ SY RIO \ XV MMA NS RV RV QQ on RQ Gv RQ DOCK SY I WY \ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/canadianhorticul22fruiuoftt THE (anadian Horticulturist. PUBLISHED BY THE Giruit Growers’ Sfssociation of Ontario. Volume XXII. Editor - - Linus Wootverton, M.A. if § afe _ PusiisHep at HAmInron., OFFICE at GRIMSBY, 1899, INDEX TO VOLUME XXII. OF The Capradian Horticulturist. INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS, PAGE, Brae Ae MOD. ice. eee ts ha eeee 198 ME ONRO gic eia'e pice ents pak ae Nace 191 Angel; = President Jas. 2.25 << ekeess cos 15 ANU ALON: VIEWS << swans ose clace bees 14, 16 Annie de Diesbach rose.......... vate aee MUR Es od aie c.w'v'd a oui o'os pes #48 Sack 195 NO TINNNORC Ls oa. curl acess es Kee kene 226 mpprs maggot fly... i. 05 oss aceee ees 225 Araucaria excelsa...........scceeees . 401 Arboretum at Central Exper. Faim..... 481 PePmenee GUAR. © Sia, oo ester as whe 0 106 Asparagus Sprengeri..............-02 351 Baldwin tree sprayed.......... 2.2... 90 Baldwin tree unsprayed............... 91 Beach, Prof. 8. A... ......se6 Wiaceets 100 Begonia Haageana...........,.0.2000% 402 Begonias, Tuberous rooted........ 149, 151 EMUROWGE sc Soles okveenewisstdy tas 458 Berry wagon, Cover for.. ............ 299 POUOTIMER MESS Dot Sine a Selree Seas eae 88 Heston Views <2. ec oe oss 427, 428, 429 RERMNDR Sitesi og «ss Pak gas ote a ahs 308, 309 Buds, Whitened and unwhitened....18, 19 RIRG, OU, A Mirae sc vv enhis cae saen 184 Burke, Rev. A. E., Home of .......... 185 BEE. Ve vic Scie ices ke eR g bigs 111, 349, "350 Caladinm Esculentum...,........- 445, 495 Callas with variegated grass... ........ 69 Cannas and Recini at the Industrial.... 399 Celery bed at Central Exper. Farm..... 479 Central Exper. Farm views 430, 431, 479, 481 Corens Grandiflorus........2..e.e0ee08 111 Clematis Jackmanni.................. 31 Climbing hydrangea............. 0.4. 300 ABPGO Stra weITy sfc. 0 Port Hope views... ..5 2.5.0 c sees 336, 338 | Trees, Notable 380, 381. 382, 383, 384, 385 PETUNIA HOTRES Wo Sep oes ba eee 494 Tropical plants in window bee ee a 272 Primula Stellata........ PIA Po ee 275} Vines, Climbing ....... do Kate the ee tas 352 Quince tree pruned ..........., -.-00s 23 | Walter apple... 5... .en-cs ws edeces 378 Quince tree unpruned...... ......... -. 24) Weigelia variegata, Spray ef......... 497 HeIriPera LOT ear OG be seek we) Baws cca 21%) Window: boxes 2+ icucoa ge eee 130 Ringing grapes, Tools for.............- 216) Wolf Rover apple........ 2.2.2 ..-2.- 121 Rustic lamp posts and trellises....,.... 503 | Woodstock floral exhibit.............. 32 San Jose scale delegation....... ae Kia 130)) Wrapping ‘fruit... 0). ose oes 87 Scilla (SibsriGa sy .cos 5 is Saienis setae 466 | Yarmouth views.. ......... 469, 470, 471 School grounds, Planting..... 324, 1255 127) Yaeea sss hen sot + 4s ee a eee 104 CONTRIBUTORS TO VOL,. XXII er PAGE. , : : PAGE. Aloxandor. 4A vs oo GS. 2 hepa 162) Hick, We mc 2 as tesleaaelen - no eee . 370 Alans 7ASS RCD as xiccy cctttores Oe prea ieee 05.) Tloover,, Dy Bests. a7 eek Bart. 2 164, 369 Anderson, D. N....-..... vo esa ver 512 Hosk? ns, M.A» -.oDiesae eee 92, ISAGOT 3: SWAN 0 vas beste > Gia «0 aeghte eet ags 39 183, 195, ech 374; 278, pe. 354. 447 OG, lx Bis W adate dtc ieee tale prea 795 Huggard, “Ry Dae sane . 143 SIU Sey tA Sasi: ORR eG Aisle new atte nee 369°) Hunt, Wm.) \...13 sep seeeniones “59, Brown, COS S54, 25 an cameo sees 207 | 149, 191, 202, 233, 279, 446, 454, 497 Brownleas WA's sic .av. shleteocre ee 369 | Antt, Prof, Baad: oeixaeee st s1es 200, 517 SERGE sp Ws EL rv cine avis og we om eee ETE 212° J ack Stated Veils aoc vb x Dc ae Bares 405, 501 EROY As IG cy rae onan es 184, 262, 483 | J. Lok ce eles code ee 315 CAMCLONS Te utcaa ce owe ee oe 24, 166; (370: | Jones, -Bicg sess. .4 pha ae eh eee 70, 136 Caston, G. Oo ak eats Coe re 230 | Junior .........+,. Lis woe ete ee 444 CAVOIS Alo Aa ccix Se shea kin Gtela sista TaRe Cees 103) Kuigat ic. .c Aces ean PS eS 132 Collier, SE oitoe ie besll: oo veeos SIO Tuateh ford at ae Pre 219 256, 271 Coryell, 1S oer Res re Aree F.: 43 Leonard & Sons E......... ers Pept. 208 BMORSOU Ss Mins co caes'ss ee ih Sew Hedy 298 McCinnghan, E. A ........es0e-eue> 495 wawrett, (Gy Hens... . seeds bees 511| McGlennon, Jas... .. 2... assem eee: 439 Fletcher, Dr. Jas. -.284, 285, 291, 325, 368) Macoun, W. T..... 163, 388, 396, 430, 479 Fowlin-a0, iG ee .< ., Sek sudden ater oe 40 ‘Mickle: ok: Wino stan Basins 331, 381 Gamumage, Wm.........,... 5 aoaters .. 189} Moore, 0. ¥. ois. ss05cae ee ete.» 196 Garwood, Boo 2... wae Mielec. s tars 511 Matray: Wint jis. tpseeeeeeeeeses.. 76 Goodhue, ‘George:O . ... AG yuee eset ws 289 | Newcombe, Prof......- ee eo 52 Crorshiae2 Wars s:.'5.:2°s SD eaagteieeee ee 201| Nicol, Geo. ..... Neaipte ate hss acoritci's 's © 445 Graham A. OW. ......c.cevpaeeeeneten 94) Origen. x -= dese cue noises oo ae Gro tty EL Fs... e «og ee ere 357 | Orr, W. M.. eae Gate biel, 18, 90, 98, 140 Gaibleton, W.- Re 2 ck eters 370 | Pettifa ego cee Coe eases «n> S 391 Harkness, *A 0.4% 24s cutee Sais e eke 117 | 'Parslow, | Pr ote 337 Pactley, +O. .P <5 0. we donate ees 131 | Rice, T. H.. 210, 317, "339, als 458, 464 Henman, Miss....> .cee eee: teers 31 | Robson, W. M. oe seee. 40 — . INDEX TO voL, XXII. 5 PAGE. PAGE Thoss;, . Wisgeibanay tp's'<: 0,273 eiieoia saree nats DTDs SCOWarbs. cdnas pes anetacs Besar eres pei Leonean RsSelly Seamless s/s 5 se we ees was Rate Ghee LOR | LLCS a; §: Bw este herein stece Is ae wlrerace a Reraaane 234 SE oo FR on ee 4.7 88x. Vinnicom bes -Atie going eis sink pia, Pasa aie fr Saunders, Pes d erin iene etnae ss xO, 109 1 TOUTE, / Chad. Aoctietees ec « svelai onattya/s 446 SUMMIT I 21 clus cca vietarsla'e sister c= Sieceud CF Wallace, BE Caracal atsniaieh 6 mero 206 ES a ae Te fon. .436, 474 Warnock, IW ah itera tc, Oa /p 1xiccatha'siatane marr 253 Shutt, BOVIS cin’. ise w'e wie 8 ans "39, 159, 345 Webster Bros. .2e. i. 9. ke wes sence Speedwell, S............ nes shee 417 ..84, 72, 106, 160, 204, 277, 315, 401 INNES Gi wha eid o Stutes alee ioe ine 210 acs aia tas 206; Woolverton, L.. .8, 14, 26, 35, 66, 68, 76 MESH NGNS Ls, Cs Sapte sais wel esas wets: 464 79, 80, 83, 96, 101, 113, 121, 122, 124 SILGD RONG Ws bal ai Oeks a sie csceew alia. « 8 9" 288 130, 156, 177, 197, 202, 204, ete., etc. INDEX TO VOL. XXII. * OF The Canadian Horticulturist. i 4 PAGE, A ’ pAppies tm P. Bete aie Sic. ceo so vee LOG PAGE.| Promising...+++.. . +++ aves 396 Abundance plum............. .-100, 489° -" Seedling Ai. Ae 248, 246, 288 Adaptation of varieties......... ... . 207: . Time for planting............. 36 African apples vs. Canadian. . . .... 263 Approach to tf residence... 1... seers es 281 Afiteas Notes: from, 1.2 vssae 66s dso 117 Archibald, W. C.... 6... - scenester eee 38 Agawam blackberry... foc, Seed iaa’. jg Arundo Donax..........-.+-+--..+++. 106 RPattOS «5S kedesice Ne >.. 455 Asparagus, Ornemental.....-......... 351 Agcicultural College in Nova Scotia. . 37 | Asparagus Sprengeri.............. 107, 351 Alexander DP IOS oceteiy ctatetatelsetssa-gisXe este 186 Asparagus, Transplanting. ............ 201 TCA RTAPE ata Pag tai ek Gees wes oak 411 | Asphodel, The...-....---seseeveee ees 278 ieairy lit, ict aden do %cais aye 191, 355. | Autumn and winter notes for the araneenn 454 American Pom, Soc’y, Meeting of ...... 38g | Azaleas ...... cnet teetenres 4-208, 279 Ammonia for house plants............ 210 ad “ose Amoug our Neighbors..-............. 427 --- B- Anemone and PAPUGEWULES sae! sale nd « 453 : : puegtr ss PAISTOMEA DORI. consi eait ates wnaieeeteieeem oe 80, 143 Baby primrose.....:..........+.0--6: 404 Aunapolis Vailey, Apple growing in the 474; ue IRPCNONEN ccc 6 uk Scag es Stel ae ee AES: ; DPSESOY ING 5. c5:oek ewes tiers dirs oe 370, Bank’s Gravenstein apple rae Pe Ants in the plum orchard...... ...... 204 | Bartlett pear for export. Bed oat as sae tae 36, 507 Annual Meeting, 1898................ Me paskeL PlANEN so. 5 tacts saeco wins «eis tie 354 Annual Meeting, 1899...............5 462) Begonias, Flowering ..-+........2....- 403 Annuals, List of. ......... ..147, 183, 195 | Begonias, Tnberous-rooted ........... , Aphids . .. Ds wele “280, DOE EODO Ne eeg © sy crkcs 5 Fie's es Rat 161, 162, 199, 236 Apple barrel, Bite Pfikass os .s oe $07, 463 | Beliflower...cccccccccceeessscccseeee 458 nPAIED Sontuxta Ak 2 134, 163, 243] Ben Davis apple.............. 79, 322, 483 “ grown in Manitoba............. GORY HALty? ADOT coo oye ae enn elects tens 299 Vamps the 2 ea Rs SR Et es ata ae 225 | Beurre Hardy pear for export? 6 ails o/c 507 » Market...... SFr FOR ete 43) Bingchetry eo W e ooo ee eee ee 412 et OPCnATGS ACD o:<-9 0k edna sss» 462 | Bismarck - SAPD IG oy aete slraove poeta ieee: se" 240 n Praise of There a .-++ 435] Blackberry, Sieuiiccs and care of.... 127 » trees in our Province, No. and Blackberry; Mathyiscs sas 2.% cscced eee 416 ACE. Sareea) sacks 6 Sl Ree 129)|/Black currant... fin. ot eatn co seo ata « 304 « twig blight... céivvedaeeke. +0: Bee) black: Victoria cittanty 207). 820203. 508 yield in Nova Scotia .......... 157| Blair's seedling pegone cle e632 bint. wots « 415 Apples, Adaptation of...............: 207 | Bones-used as a fertilizer.............. 137 Fie Uh re NP is pe ro Dents Sie vos 49| Bordeaux: mixture: .:..0.¢.2...22). 99, 197 " for breakfasts.) Sasaca scaly ste pet 374 | Bose pear........ PHeiyrlacta te elo ss, 5, Os 363 " {HG OXPOVb..2-\ssieie in ase 93, 116, 255, Boston fern.........6..... terete ser 508 » for home and market...... 202," 34h: Bititant. grape. cecheasss cscss'ceon' 440 " TOONOUE 5.06 ns Scns tere 79 | Brockville Horticultural Society....... 74 " from P. E. I., yp ecdling = . 505 | Brugmansia Arborea..-........+-+..-- 164 « Hardy .. -..39, 117 | Budding .......... Dee ir, ne 308, 31] 6 INDEX TO VOL, XXII. : PAGE, PAGE, Pulbs and their culture........ ~+..286, 318 ' Development and origin of some common Set, MLN stccrais yinito.s © a'e.e 3s }uleyas ore Oren 446 | PLUGS Ceol alanis s10's:0.00 « clclte ge ne w- for the garden..........ccscsser 109 Dishonest fruit packing ic «(pa eitne 177, 412 pt ERO this sce. cs ad cpew ane ntey 403 Drainage for house plants............. 420 . «u Some desirable.............2..-+ SOU VEIEV INE AEORG 6 6.5 oisis)s ss'snie boone vs CORE 367 » ge Winter whaiing és. oscars st thves ap 456 ) Duchess apple ip Manitoba............ 301 Burbank plot ccsis< 0s: abscess cat oe TOC TANCHOONY FORE. ooo. es nso - 5 ooo 5 2 see 80 res * | Durham Horticultural Society......... 75 nt ST ERE ee co 111, 201, 349 E Caladium Esculentum............. 445, 495 Early Crawford peach for export....... 36 CANTY: 50j- 2 o:dis aie sos 69, 112, 161, 162 Early Richmond cherry............... 295 Canadian apples barrel.............-.-. 463 Easter lily, Hints of the.............. 290 Canadian Horticultural Association.... 409 Elaeagnus Longipes................ 26, 110 Camiiaa sc, Sx. ass wcsie sos ia nee 37S £62 emerald: plitn, is cio. ces cawe varies « 340 Cape Breton, Fruit in....@........... 324 England, Orchards in................ 510 Cardinal Horticultural Society......... SOS Tata; .2, Ses ws ws nee a eiea anes 461, 506 Carnation plants, cause of leaves falling i Evaporator for fruit.................. 379 HPOMR icin Mesh uit ae Gees ea ok alee ae 159 Experiment Station exhibit at the Indus- Catawba, Origin of the................ 258 | MAD PME 6 oos 5. Poss. Jaen tee eee 77 Weleiy its cone aacicos set ss ase areiss 230, 480 | Export of fruit, The.................. Celery, Fertilizers for................. 159 12, 35, 36, 83, 93, 109, 116, 138, 156 Central Exper. Farm Notes. ..398, 430, 479 206, 254, 255, 365, 425, 464, 507, 509 Charcoal as drainage...............-- 162 F Chariton’ grape! <. 52S sincsee ie ee 461 462 Chatham Horticultural Society..... .. 158 | Fameuse apple. .............-05-00-0- 226 Cherries and -wilk 2s; nos s &.60.0 esis aos AID VOrns 5 too. aic's ln Calbatowele 202, 274, 447, 448 CHestnnts 5.10526. snwae was seer SS, 161} Fertilization ....».c2c0\0hie08 on daw ee s¥ 163 Chinese sacred -lily....... 2.0.2. -.2024. 148! Fertilizing orchards................. 136 Chrysanthemums ei Pores & eed 78, 245, 290] Fertilizers ...... 39, 51, 157, 159, 206, 506 Church in its relation to Horticulture, - | Ficus Elastica. . ..-402, 406 GS chee eee. ——... 2. 417, 404) Field peas .oi.o3. Fiance, es Casale eee 506 CUNETATIB Sve eee thas eee eee 161 | Floral decoration, Amateur..... pe 276 CIMT peat Pear ec 22). os. swine eineogee 80.) Floral hints. ice ss Sree ss Sineeeate ee 236 Clark’s ventilated car................. 198} Fraads in: Frait: 3. 7-222. vse s tee 10 IGIBRGIS cris sseseiea es © Hass 5 ae 203, 463} Fraudulent packing. ............. 177, 243 Clematis Jackmanni....:: 2.2.2.6. Sid Rreesia. The: a... de-siaek ceieleae ere 223, 357 CHIT Serco alco oa 50 5 or se Serpe 352 | Freight classifie tion of fruit..... .157, 240 Clyde strawberry............. 68, 198, 347 | Frozen plants, Reviving... ...... 102 Cobourg Horticultural Society......... 74| Fruit crop......... 286, 287, 328, 372, 465 Coe’s Golden Drop plum.............. 507| » Evaporating tender ....... ..... 12 Cold. storage...%..). 3.665 23.0. 174, 309, 477 | Frnit growing business................ 213 Columbia and Shaffer raspberries....25, 368 0 Profitable.......... 66 Comets currant. 25 ¢ suis sce ktatis we aes 510 n Success and failure in... 132 Conservatory, Heating a small......... 284) Fruit: notes. 5 100, 20D iar ee vee unui eaevee rege Japan plums in’SimcoeCo.....6...417, 464/00 nn aaa of oe ae a veietd asrars oe Oo Ohnson’s Harly...ecscoseeessessecees 5 Jonquil, Ther a ey Sa .. . 359 Obituary...... sei veo Hicwksavderwes FOU 8 INDEX TO PAGE. Onions, Wood ashes for.... .......... 159 CRUTAPIS MINES oes. stn twins owl hemaiee 133 Ontario exhibit at Paris............... 322 Orchard Sager... <5. sien ee ton ate 268 Orchard, November in the......... 432 Orchard, The unprofitable. .......... 390 Orchards, Cultivating vs. cropping..... 188 " Cultivation and care of ...70, 199 " Wortitiging sslarete-e ae. y o's MEI ‘239 VOL, XXII. PAGE, ity) tg WOO) ashes: for..: so Syne ane 159 Pots and potting............... ree 420 Preservation and decay of fruits........ 98 Preservative for bottled fruit .... ... 3826 Brices for sfrntl Ais ts soos ex os 444, 506 Pride of Cumberland............... . B47 Primula stellata........... Rae ri” 275 Primrose of the house.. .. ........, 200 Prince Edward Island Fruit Growers’ A BSOGIAPION 4 aisiei stele av ots dienes 34, 184 Prince Edward Islend, Fruit interests in Siig maates Rie ake bisie ete eel 261, 483 Propagating plants i PR -INGSS. 2. svieteaa eters 92 Propagating, The artof. .. ......... 308 Protecting fruit trees ......0.. 4.206. 95 Pruning... 20, 77, 129, 161, 235, 337, 433 Prints Pissatdi.-:.: . O24 sss eee ee 235 Patt. ball, Che: - 4 3:... 3255.4 Ss ooneeeieteee 232 Pyramidalis cis. o.°.sa-<:0 5 Sale oteltaent ee 493 Pyramid pear trees...:....... Sat eee 254 Prineess Louise apple............. 506, 510 Q Queen of the Prairie rose...... ...... 161 Quince cultnte: os cee cawlerine eae tes 22 Quinces, Varieties of. ........ ...... 23 R Rambler roses, H-dge of.......... Pt 12 Rape as a cover crop.............. 339 Raspberries, An experiment vith 86 Raspoerries boon ng ..... ‘Soha yest 190 Raspberries, Rose scale on............ 284 Raspberries, Trimming. ... ame Raspberry pulp..... 190, 244, 320 Red clover, Experiments WHS yc oes 379 Red June plum ajptste e.¢ wens etea ean ot ae 100 BLO MOPIGEN 6 «a Serticte cols ote oe ye oat ee ee 148 Refrigerator car..... SIT pe a oe 218 Ribston Pippin apple...... St 5 ccs EO Ringing the grape........ 11, 97, 208, 216 Rivers; ‘Thos; Bss.%,.ce-0 epee Wa Sie fe 412 Rochelle. apples (sx). sees seeae ee ale 6 e's 377 Rock, gardens s./5 Aiea sms ees «is 276 Rogers; Mdw. Ay. Abacaey taveateecarelce 263 Rose leaves, Diseased..............0.- 291 Rose scale on raspberries.............. 284 Roses, A choice-of se = alos. ee 285 ay ek few: POINES-OR: «cals worst eae 317 if LOG So. seep teemry slew tee 307 Budding 4. tdccastsc as see 203 yy. forcsamatenteasaa.cescaa sce 204, 459 > Blartiness! Of: 6. 2 452 " PIGVOGin ta sivin's eer s 397, 431, 482| Turnip as green manure, The.......... 511 " Jig) cy eee Mp AP ares 161, 337 Smith’s seedling peach...............- 367 U Snowdrops......--eseee-eeee 316, 453, 503 | Underdraining orchards...........+--- 215 Sowing, Early...... sete tee eee eee . 234| Unprofitable plantations.............- 344 Spaulding plum ...........----.20+0- 416 | United States apple crop..........++-- 512 Spraying, A new wrinkle in........... 443 " TOP SOT WORD irois os vale wae 18 Vv “ for fungi........ sisleaae scents 77 | Vegetables, Early.,............-+++ . 18t " LORCA UBTERGS © .G. cio! ole sis hres POD T Viner, CADE 5 o55 5 <5 5 6-5 sain eho 352 " for protection of peach buds.. 18 Violets for winter blooming.........-- 278 " Good results from..... 84, 484 | Vladimir and Koslov cherries.........- 439 " Reasons of failure in....... . 391 n with pure kerosene.......... 37 WwW Spy on Talman Sweet................ 202) Wattne annlocous cosas -oovas Pe cy 431 Squash, How to grow the............. 253 Washing aes Se eee eee 200 Stewart, H. H......-.--..0++++- +200: 343 | Waterloo Horticultural Society... .. 33, 74 Stirling Horticultural Society......... 88 | Western N. Y. Horticultural Society .98, 140 Storage for apples........-.++-+-+++++- 862) Whala-oll apbish opesds sos -+ oa Te aeee o: 217 storage Or fruit. 235i ences sess 26 | White Banana apple.............+++++ 377 St. Joseph’s Island, Notes from........ 464 | White Imperial currant............--- 348 Strawberry culture notes.........-229, 347 Wickson plum......-...2++++e+0e: 100, 320 as " Profitable........ 223) Wild mustard...........5.-00-++ee5: 323 Strawberry plants, Winter protection of 1440 ws dow shoe oie uid eee cs ccs eters. 30 Strawberries for new plantations....... 77 | Windsor Horticultural Society.......-- 459 Strawberries, Propagation of.......... 217 | Winter blooming, Plants for.......... 236 Sugar beet........... MHA Es HA wet ts 157 | Winter killing, Condition of..... os dst BOO WOGINBONE , Ogta a s.c3 bawsians so neeg es 359 | Winter protection of strawberry plants.. 441 Swamp muck... 2.2... ssccesesceeees 136 | Winter Red apple ........-++++-++++> 378 Sweet peas....... peteeeeeeee 163, 200, 373 | Wolf Rover apple.........-+++++: 121, 437 Syringas .. 22. 1s eee eeeeeeeeeees LET Wopd ealiehes veka ago << adsben' s+ 51, 159 Woodstock Horticultural Society...... 33 Da CN Pehe oh les << RGR asa geet , 115, 361 Woolly aphis........---+seeeeeees -- 368 Mable Mecoreaon .... 2... 5 Disc ew iene 108 | Worden Seckel pear......-.---+ «+++: 78 Temperature for fruits................ 25 | Worms in garden soil, Destroying....-. 284 Tent caterpillar....220, 265, 288, 321, 325| Wrapping fruit.......... ety eee 27, 387 Thinning fruit..15, 21, 141, 223, 229, 260 Y Thornbury Horticultural Society....34, 504 Sori, DEBUG. «6. «06 0dsc sa ets 163, 455 | Yarmouth Gardens....... Wiese: 0% 469 Toadstools, Poisonous...............- Baw | VNGCE. . vce v pec tele’ ou Rares Dae ele ee sess BOS . ie ae ar ‘zh Ne YP Peat er eat ey torts gi ale Ba a ian A i et iy Pe He ip: pan rit Nine wD vias Hil ih. Nee, ee a 4 - ruliteg ta tos Sane cay i ee Nea Et RL 8 1, Bp lc ° dateaks ee ee! a) A i rae By ea a bh (aoa reve a a (: ae ; Ded > be impty ee oa ee 2a aa i: Rey. abn Sh BCP Oe ko rt. fe . cy ‘ 1) J - eS Fi / Wid i lig , . i me ai. \ Je ‘ epg ; i eign’ —" AS Te crt se ett | mA Phe he ; ah Ear af a ate oes af “te .-! A. ; , 1 Piya CNN Tad ar, Oe w¥yF tigre - = Wor eh ‘eME}IO ‘We [eyuoUIedxy jesjUED 94} 1 SONOS, JO pog THE CANADIAN HortTICULTURIST. Vou. XXII. TORONTO, 1899. JANUARY. PAEONIES AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM OTTAWA, ONT. §— By Dr. Wm. SAUNDERS, DiRECTOR. H E paeony which is | said to derive its name from Pzeon a Greek Physician who first employ- ed the plant medi- cinally, may be conveniently divi- ded into two groups, the her- baceous paeony and the tree pae- ony. The herba ceous paeonies have tuberous roots something like those of the dahlia which send up stout flower stems every year, which at the close of the season die down. The new growth the follow- ing spring is made from strong buds or crowns which form on the tubers. These herbaceous species have been derived mainly from two wild forms, one a native of Switzerland Paeonia officinalis which is said to have been in cultivation for more than three centuries, the other a Siberian species Paconia albiflora, which was first introduced in 1734. The shrubby forms of the paeony known also as the tree paeony have been de- rived from an Asiatic species known to botanists as Paconia moutan. ‘The tree paeony is much grown in Japan, China, and in the milder climates in Europe. In Eastern Canada it is more or less tender and unless well protected is liable to be killed to the ground during the winter, and even where protection is afforded during the severe weather, the tender shoots sometimes suffer injury from spring frosts. Where the tree paeony can be _ successfully grown it is a very desirable shrub ; it blooms ‘earlier than the herbaceous species and. the individual flowers are wonderfully large and fine. About 20 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fic. 1485.—Mapam_e d’Hovur. ate 1887-—DEcaIsNE. Fic. 1486.—BERLI10z. Fig. 1488, —PAPAVERIFLORA. PAEONIES AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM. varieties of the tree paeony have been tes- ted at the Central Experimental Farm, but none of them have been found en- tirely hardy. When the snow comes early andcovers the ground well during the winter they pass through this trying period without much injury, but in seasons where the snow covering is in- sufficient they are us- ually killed back near- ly to the ground and not unfrequently kill- ed outright. The herbaceous paeony, with which in this communication we are chiefly con- cerned is one of the hardiest and best known of all _per- ennials, and owing largely to the re- cent introduction of many new and beautiful varieties its popularity is steadily increasing. It is hardy not only in the eastern provinces of Canada but also in the north-west portions where the winter climate is much more severe. At the branch ex- perimental farms at Brandon, in Mani- toba, and at Indian Head, in Eastern Assiniboia, a number of varieties have been tested during the past five or six years and most of them have proven quite hardy and have borne flowers very freely for the past two years. The paeony succeeds well under almost every condition, and will thrive even in the gardens of the negligent and care- Fic. 1489.—SoLFATERRE. less, but when well cared for it responds to good treatment by producing a wealth of magnificent flowers of a most attractive character. The tubers as supplied by the dealers especially of the newer sorts, are com- paratively small, and do not usually flower the first year, but they grow rapidly and if left undisturbed for three or four years they form extensive clumps which produce flowers in great number and of large size. The plant is propa- gated by division of the roots, but where fine flowers are desired the parent plants should be disturbed as little as possible. The flowers are very varied in color as- THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. the first row. A part of one of these beds is shown in the frontispiece in bloom. The mass of flowers produced under these circum- stances, when the plants are well es- tablished is very effective, and the beds ‘are much admired when at their best in the latter part of June and early in July. With so many beautiful varieties to choose from selection be comes somewhat difficult. I shall, however, venture to name a few which appear to be among the most desirable of Fic. 1490.—SomME-GANOKO. suming every hue and shade from the deepest crimson, through all tints of red and pink to pure white. Of the herbaceous paeonies, there are now in the collection at Ottawa 141 named varieties, consisting mainly of those sorts which have been produced within the past thirty or forty years by florists in Europe. Most of these were planted in 1895, with a more recent ad- dition of about thirty varieties from Japan. They are arranged in three large beds each containing three rows of plants put out three feet apart each way, and are planted so as to have the plants in the second row alternate, and those in the third row opposite those in 6 those which have yet been tested at the Experimental Farm. In Figure 1485 we have a single flower of a variety known as Madame d Hour. This was planted in 1895, bloomed well in 1897, and magnificently in 1898 and is certainly one of the best in the col- lection. The flowers are very large and double, the petals nearly white with a delicate rosy tint becoming deeper in color towards the base. The specimen from which the illustration was taken measured seven inches across and the blooms were produced in great profu- sion. Berlioz, shown in Figure 1486 is an- other good sort. The flowers are large PAEONIES AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM. to very large, very double, of a deeprose- color with paler shad- ings on the margins ofthe petals. This also was planted in 1895, made strong growth, bloomed freely in 1897, and very freely in 1898. Ambrosieverschaffelt is a charming flower of medium size, a deep crimson-color and is very full and double andwell form- ed, it also bloomed well. Decaisne (Fig. 1487) —This is a strong grower and free- bloomer. The flowers are large, full and double, of a_blush- pink color, paler in the centre. In ad- dition to its other attractions this variety exhales a_ pleasant rosy odor. Purpurea superba produces flowers which deserve to rank with the best. This variety is a strong grower and very free bloomer. The flowers are of a deep rose-color finely formed and very attractive. Papaverifiora (Fig. 1488) is anelegant flower of good form and very double. Its color is white with a faint yellowish tint. The outer petals are wide while those forming the inner part of the flow- er are much narrower, making a very handsome combination. Solfaterre (Fig. 1489) is not very double, but is very loose and graceful in form, the outer petals are wide and Fie. 1491.—TATSU-GASHIRA. of a pale rose-color, while the centre is made up of much narrower petals which are almost pure white. This is a very free bloomer and is one of the sweet- scented sorts. The Japanese varieties were planted in 1897 and 1808, and all those which have bloomed have shown much grace and delicacy of form with striking com- binations of color. Most of them have only one or two rows of outside petals which are wide and the centre is filled with a cluster or rosette of very narrow petals, delicate in form and hue, usually tinted with shades of yellow margined with pink. The Japanese appear to prefer these chaste and loose semi- THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. double forms to the larger, stiffer and ‘more fully double sorts; some of their flowers are of great beauty of form with wonderful delicacy in their tints. Some-ganoko (Fig. 1490) is a good representative variety of this class. The flower is of medium size, the outer petals of a deep blush rose with paler mark-” ings, the centre being filled with a lovely rosette of very narrow yellow petals neatly arranged, each with a thread-like base and tinted above with pink. Kame-no-Kegoromo is a large hand- some, loosely double flower of a deep carmine-red color with a number of narrow petals distributed about the base of the wider petals, the former being crimped and twisted, yellow in color, margined with red. Tatsu-gashira (Fig. 1491) is also a very beautiful flower. In this variety there is a single row of wide petals nearly white, with the centre partly filled with a loose cluster of very narrow yel- lowish petals tinted with rose. Paeonia tenuifolia which is shown in the front of the bed seen in frontis- piece, is very striking on account of its finely cut foliage. It is a distinct species from the other sorts referred to of which there are two varieties in Common cul- tivation, one of which is single, the other double and both of a deep crimson-red color. This is a native of Siberia, is very hardy and is the earliest variety to bloom. THE ST. CATHARINES MEETING. Fie. 1492.—Mayor GILLELAND. ELDOM has the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association received a warmer welcome than that extended to it by the Garden City, on the 1st and 2nd of- Hecember last, and put in the form of a welcome address by Mayor Gilleland at the even- ing session. It is some satisfaction, after a year of hard work on the part of the officers of our Association to tind that their labors have been appreciated, and that the literature on fruit gowing they have been able to send out has been helpful to their patrons. St. Catharines is beautifully situated on that highly favored belt of land lying below ‘The Mountain,’ a glimpse of which is seen in our engraving looking down from the cut near DeCew Falls ; whence the pipe line of the Cataract Power Company descends to the power house below. This gigantic enterprise undertaken by a Hamilton Syndicate is about completed, and will be of great value to the manufacturing interests of that city. The Welland Canal is another important feature of. this vicinity, not only giving beauty to the landscape, but what is more important, low freight fe Of. CATITARINES MEETING. Fic. 1493:—Cur rates for fruit and grain to the great markets. Geneva Street is one of the principal suburban streets, well shaded with beau- tiful ago by Dr. elm trees, planted nearly Dy. W. a centu ry Beadle, father of our NEAR DECEW Fats. former secretary, “The viewin Fig. 1495 shows the portion of the street between AA: M. pretty the Beadle estate and Mr. Smith's residence. Among the houses in the outskirts we may mention that of Mr. W. W. Wanless, of Niagara St., : PL ji Fra. 1494.—W. W W ANLESY’ CAM.PHOTO.ENG Bu RESIDENCE. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. with about 16 acres in fruit, the lawns and gardens about the house are taste- fully laid out, and well deserve the name given it of “ Fruitfield.” Our Association met in this old town on Thursday morning, Dec. Ist, at 10 o’clock, and under the management of Mr. W. E Wellington as President, proceeded at once with the business of the day. FRAUDS IN FRUITS money under false especially regrettable feature of this species of dishonesty was that it was occasionally winked at by the judges, who were aware of the fraud. The speaker thought that some means should be taken to stamp it out. In the dis- cussion which followed, the practice which Mr. Smith had so strongly in- veighed against was roundly denounced. Strong measures were advocated to put pretenses. An Fic. 1495.— GENEVA STREET, St. CATHARINES. was the subject of a paper by Mr. A. M. Smith, who contended that there were exhibitors at many of the fairs who were guilty of collecting good samples of fruit from their neighbors or else- where and displaying them as their own production. Those in the habit of practising this deceit were ap- parently unaware that they were guilty of fraud, and who were of obtaining the prize down the custom, altogether too pre- valent of exhibiting purchased or bor- rowed fruit. Mr. Pettit said he believed in having a special class made of such exhibits and putting them in as educa- tional, not competitive showings. If such exhibits were correctly named it would be an education to the people of the country along the lines of our re- sources. Io THE ST. CATHARINES MEETING. Fig 1496.—Mr. A. M. SmitH The President said that at the In- dustrial there were open classes for Societies, and the restrictions were for individual exhibits only Mr. McNeill wished it were possible to return to those classic days when exhibits were made for honor, and not for mere money gain. Mr. Caston said he had seen at the Industrial some of those professional exhibitors who buy up fruit for exhibi- tion at smaller fairs for the purpose of sweeping off the prize money. The opinion seemed to prevail that it was best to remove all restrictions at pro- vincial, or international fairs, but to strictly enforce them at local fairs. THE RINGING OF GRAPES for exhibitions was also discussed, be- cause some judges were said to throw out a plate of grapes from competition that showed evidence of having been produced by ringing. Mr. Whyte claim- ed that such grapes were inferior in quality, though of enlarged size, and the Judge would simply need to consider a i all these points in giving his award. Mr. Huggard claimed that exhibitors should be allowed to fertilize, thin, ring, or treat their fruit in any way they may choose, in order to produce fine samples for exhibitions. Mr. A. H. Pettit thought that if ringed grapes were to be thrown out, the Judges should be compelled to ticket them with the reason, else the public would be puzzled over the awards. Prof. Macoun, of Ottawa, read a paper on ‘Russian Fruits.” This gentleman is a son of Prof. Macoun, the Dominion Botanist, and has been for some time Assistant to Dr. Saunders at the Central Experimental Farm. On the resignation of. Prof. Craig, he was appointed Horticulturist. He in- vited suggestions from the Ontario fruit men as to the various lines of work by which he could assist their industry. He had found the Russian Morello cherries to have especial value for the Northern districts, and at Ottawa they were much sought after in the local market. He especially commended the Koslov Morello, which was imported by the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association in 1889, and of which a couple of dozen trees had been forwarded to the Cen- tral Experimental Farm by the Secre- tary for test. Mr. Woolverton said he had a few trees of this lot of cherries now in bearing in his orchard. They had been sent him by Mr. Jaroslav Niemetz, of Winnitza Podolie, Russia, who commended them very highly, be- cause they bear early, and are quite productive. They are rather to be called bushes than trees, for at fifteen years of age Mr. Niemetz stated they only reached three feet in height. Those at Maplehurst now eight years planted, are still bushes, but the fruit is good, much like English Morello, but later; and being bushes, they may be planted in rows like raspberry bushes. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. EXPORTING TENDER FRUIT. Prof. Robertson delivered a capital address on ‘“ Prospects for export of tender fruits.” He spoke of the ex- periments in sending various fruits to the British market by cold storage under the best conditions which could be obtained. The result of these experi- ments had been in some cases favorable, mand. A profitable trade in exporting Early Crawford peaches to the British market could not be expected. This fruit was so tender and had to be picked so exactly right that the prospect was any- thing but good. Some other varieties might succeed The case of tomatoes was still doubtful. The Canary Islands were at present sending such an abun- dant supply that they would stand in the nA theory Fig. 1497.—RESIDENCE OF CHAS. RIORDAN, GENEVA ST. and in others not so favorable. The prospect of a profitable business in ex- port of Canadian pears, was he said, extremely good. We had here the con- ditions for producing abundantly this class of fruit, which the British public wanted and were willing to pay for. As far as plums were concerned, he said that while in some seasons they would bring high prices the home crop would generally be sufficient to meet the de- way. No large export of grapes could be looked for especially of such varie- ties as Concord or Niagara. In the case of the more tender sorts of apples, such as Astrachan, Duchess or Alexander, a large trade could be developed only by shipping in cold storage. As far as currants and raspberries were concern- ed, he thought they should only be sent in pulp and, if there large crop in England, even this would Was a THE ST. CATHARINES MEETING. Fig. 1498,—Lock.2, Op WELLAND CANAL. be useless. In speaking on the sub- ject of trans-atlantic transportation of fruit, Professor Robertson said that the early ripening apples should be cooled to below 50 degrees as soon as they were taken off the trees, and then before being packed they should be cooled below 40. This would ensure their arrival in England in good con- dition if the carriage was right. There was no possibility of carrying the tender ‘apple except by cold storage. He urged very strongly the necessity of grading and packing apples intended for export. Fruit growers should be aroused to the importance of not allow- ing the commission men to buy their apples unless they graded them, as on this their market largely depended. A GOOD YEAR’S WORK. The evening session was enlivened by several pleasant features. Mayor Gille- land gave a cordial address of welcome, which was responded to by President Wellington, and during the evening Miss Daisy Torrey, B.E., of Gravenhurst, a graduate of Philadelphia College of Oratory, gave several recitations. Miss Torrey is an elocutionist of rare ability, and her renditions were received with great applause. In his annual address, President W. E. Wellington congratulated the members on a successful year’s work and on the excellence to which the monthly journal had attained. Last year, he said the members’ feés had netted $3,375, and this year they had risen to $4,147. Last year they had 3,315 members, and this year 4,151, who had paid their fees, and 375 who had not. The total receipts this year had been $6,585, which left a balance on hand of $784. He suggest- ed that the size of the journal should be increased by one-third. After dwelling on the practical work of the Association, the President spoke of the reception by Hon. Sidney Fisher of the deputation which had gone to Ottawa to interview him regarding the San Jose scale. By his courteous and prompt action in re- sponding to the wishes of the deputa- 13 THE CANADIAN tion, he showed himself to have at heart the true interests of the farmers. The Provincial Government, too, had ably seconded his efforts in this matter. He referred in a congratulatory manner to the fruit experimental work and to the HORTICULTURIST. establishment of an experimental station on St. Joseph Island. The encourage- ment received in the matter of exporta- tion to Great Britain was also mention- ed with gratification. MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS. i wee ey Fic. 1499.—Lower Town, (AnN ARBOR) BOULEVARD AND Huron RIVER. S a delegate from Ontario to the ‘Michigan State Society meeting at Ann Arbor, we reached that town on Tues- dayafternoon, Dec. 6th. Itwas a pleasure to meet such men as President R. Morrill, of Benton Harbor; C. W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids; Thos. Gunson, of the Michigan Agricultural College; C. J. Monroe, of South Haven; L. B. Rice, of Port Huron and others, who are in the front ranks of Michigan Horti- culture. The meetings were held in the Uni- versity buildings, some of them in the Museum, because it was provided with apparatus for showing views and thus illustrating the lectures. (See Fig. 1501.) One of these illustrated lectures was given by Prof. F. G. Newcombe, of the University, on ‘‘ What are Fruits,” who kindly agreed to write it out in an abridged form for use in this Journal, and to send us photographs for engrav- ing. He is an enthusiast in botany, and knows how to make his subject interesting. Mr. R. J. Coryell, Supt. of Parks, 14 MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS. Fic. 1500.—PREsIDENT JAMES B. ANGELL. Detroit, also promised a copy of his address on “Object Lessons in City Parks,” so we omit our notes on these valuable papers. ARE WINTER PEARS PROFITABLE was a question which was answered doubtfully. Mr. Kellogg included Kieffer in his list for profit. In December last year he was offered 5oc. a bushel for them, but he held till January, when they yellowed up beautifully and brought $2 a bushel. Even its quality seems to improve, if properly ripened, while for canning it is as good as Bartlett. Mr. James B. Angell, President of Michigan University, gave an interesting address on Turkey, having himself resided there three years, as U. S. minister. That country is fossilized—it has not changed for 500 years, and is a long way behind us in horticulture, as well as every other interest. Their apples, peaches, plums and pears are far in- t5 ferior, their cherries and apricots are good, and the only fruit in which they excel, and which they export in any quantity are figs. But their methods of cultivation are of the most primitive character. Their plow merely scratches the surtace of the ground. There is no local mail in Constantinople, and no public roads in the country, so that all products have to be transported on the backs of animals. Is it then any won- der that there is no encouragement to commercial horticulture. THINNING FRUITS was treated by Prof. S. A. Beach, of. Geneva. We must use every method he said to secure high grade fruit. Thinning was long practiced by the gardeners of the nobility in England, but only recently is being adopted in American commer- cial orchards as a profitable investment. He had experimented with three varieties of apples, and found in each case an improvement in size and color. The Greening had actually given him a greater quantity of fruit than where it had not been thinned, the Baldwin and the Hubbardston gave ro or 16 per cent. more of rst class fruit, but the unthinned gave the greatest quantity, all grades being counted. He had thinned the apples to four inches apart. More decided results were obtained in the case of peaches, which he had thinned from four to six inches apart. The thinned fruit weighed nine to the pound, and the unthinned, twelve ; and the trees themselves were less subject to disease, hence the benefit was not merely annual. In years of abundance, thinning peaches would certainly pay, even at a cost of from 5 to 10 cents per tree. President Morrill had practised thin- ning peaches on a large scale. He had about 100 acres in peaches at Benton THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fie. 1501.—THE Museum. Haroor, and spent hundreds of dollars on thinning. It cost him from 2% cents to 10 cents per tree, but he could not afford to neglect it in seasons of abundance. His rule was to thin to 6 or even 8 inches apart. Hon. C. J. Monroe, of South Huron, advocated legislation to prevent the shipment or sale of SCABBY OR INSECT INFESTED FRUIT. He reviewed the condition of fruit grow- ing the last few years, and pointed out the condition of our markets glutted not with good, but with second class fruit. A resolution was the only hope, by which the scabby and infested fruit should never be allowed in our markets. California growers are alive to this, and are asking legislation providing for fruit quarantine, and the confiscation of all wormy fruit, or scabby fruit found on the markets, or at the shipping points. We cannot compel every man to 16 spray his orchard for scab; nor to bandage his trees for codling moth, but we can make it a misdemeanor to offer such wretched stock for sale, and this will most effectually check its produc- tion. The California Horticultural Act pro- vides even for the disinfecting of all fruit boxes that have been once used, before using them a second time. It also provides that all wormy, fallen fruits in the orchards be gathered and destroyed at least once a week. The result of such a law would be either that a large proportion of the fruit now produced would remain unmar- keted, except to the canner or the evaporator, or else the production of a higher grade of fruit that would do credit to the producer and to his country. It is the interest of the ruit grower himself we are consulting. As it now is a careful grower who grades high, sprays thoroughly, and packs conscien THE MIGHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS. tiously must compete against the care- less man who gluts the market with poor stock. United action is needed to destroy the market for all such stuff, and then the lazy and indifferent grower will be compelled to cease shipping it. Mr. Monroe quoted largely from re- ports of other countries in support of his position. The Jamaica Agricultural Journal says that her exports are chiefly to the United States, and they are ask- ing for steamers specially fitted up to carry their fruits, and for inspection of their fruit at point of shipment. In Tasmania orchardists are fined if they fail to bandage their trees for codling moth, or if they neglect to destroy the fallen infested fruit. New South Wales has adopted a rigid inspection of all imported fruit packages. Thousands of packages are unloaded from the steamers, but cannot be offered for sale until inspected. The inspectors often begin work at 6 o’clock a.m., each accompanied by a man to open and close packages, and which is done with astonishing rapidity. Condemned cases receive a certain mark, and cannot be offered for sale. At first great numbers of cases were condemned, but after a time, the ship- pers learned wisdom, and now only an occasional lot has to be condemned. Mr. Munroe proposes that a law be passed in Michigan embracing among other points the explicit prohibition of the sale of wormy, scabby or infested fruit, the destruction of fallen wormy fruit, that shippers guilty of breaking the law be liable not only to confiscation of the fruit, but to a fine equal to double the value of the fruit, and that every package offered for sale bear the ship- per’s name. THE PEACH OUTLOOK was treated by Hon. R. D. Graham, a wholesale peach grower. He says he is encouraged. He finds that by growing a good fruit in sufficient quantity, he can attract the buyers to his own local- ity. The peach is as sure a crop as any other, and in our late peaches we have practically no competitor. Engleman, Gold Drop, Kalamazoo were recommended as good shippers, but Mr. Morrill, of Benton Harbor, said the Elberta was the best of all. He had shipped that variety to New York City in bushel baskets, in a refrigerator car, and it had arrived in perfect con- dition, although it was held four days be- fore being sold. He had kept Elbertas in cold storage for twenty-four days, and taken them out in prime condition. Elbertas shipped up from the South had been put on our Northern markets in better condition than our own peaches of other varieties. THE FUTURE OF APPLE GROWING was introduced by Mr. Morrill, who pointed out that we had reached a new era when apple growing under the old methods was a failure, but the up-to- date grower who could produce perfect samples of the finest varieties would make money out of them. We live in the best apple region of North America, and near to the best markets. Chicago is one of the best apple markets in the world. STARS 17 SPRAYING OF PEACH TREES FOR THE PROTEC- TION OF THE BUDS AND FOR CURLED LEAF. Fig. 1502.—Showing difference in time of blossoming of whitened and unwhitened buds, (After Whitten). ROBABLY no other fruit grown in Ontario so often disappoints the well grounded expectations of the orchardist, as does the peach. The location may be favorable and the soil well adapted and perfectly drained ; the wood may be well ripened and go into winter with abundant prom- ise of a bountiful crop for the next sea- son ; but when the enterprising grower, endeavoring to ascertain the prospects for a crop, goes to the trees in January, February or March he often finds, on cutting open the buds, that the heart is black and dead. Not infrequently all the buds are affected in this way and the crop is a total failure. Sometimes there is vitality enough in the buds to blossom but not to set the fruit, thus cruelly disappointing the hopeful grow- er. This is due to the freezing of the buds after they have been stimulated into growth by a few bright warm days. Every peach grower knows that when in good condition peach buds will stand a temperature considerably below zero ; while buds which have been exposed to warm weather will be killed by a much higher temperature. Many experiments have been made to overcome this diffi- culty but have been abandoned as in- effectual or too expensive for commer- cial orchards. Mulching the ground under the trees, after it was frozen, so as to keep the roots dormant was tried and abandoned, when it was known that the buds would swell and even grow under certain conditions, while the roots were frozen and dormant. The building of sheds, baling and laying down of the trees were all suc- cessful but of no use to the grower from a commercial point of view. The temperature seldom rises high enough in the shade, during the winter, to stimulate the growth of the buds. The problem thus was, how effectively and cheaply could the buds be protect- ed from the direct rays of the sun. With this problem yet unsolved, we heard that a series of experiments were being conducted at the Agricultural Ex- perimental Station at Columbia, Mis- souri, in which the trees were whitened with a lime wash. The theory was that whitening the trees would prevent them absorbing heat on bright sunny days and that they would remain dormant during the win- ter and bldssom later, thus also being less exposed to frosts~in the early spring. ’ : A test was made to ascertain the amount of heat absorbed by different colored objects of the same texture. It was found that on dull days, or when shaded, no difference existed, but when exposed to the sunlight a marked difference appeared. Frequently a dif- ference of ro deg. or 15 deg. was indi- cated, and when the sun was very bright 18 SPRAYING PEACH TREES FOR PROTECTION OF THE BUDS. there was 21 deg. difference between the white and purple thermometers. The theory looked all right, and we decided to put it to the test. We se- lected 100 young and vigorous trees of the following varieties: Stephens Rare- ripe, Wheatland, Smock, Centennial, Early Rivers and two seedlings, and gave them a good whitening, going over them twice, late in December, again in February and a third time in March. The material used was fresh stone lime slacked with hot water and used as thick as it would work through a Bordeaux Fic. 1503.—Sections of unwhitened (a) and nozzle. One fifth milk was added to each barrel to make it adhere to the tree. The trees were completely coated and some of the wash remained on them all’summer. The trees thus treated were later in blooming than those untreated ; but it was impossible to judge of the benefit as all the trees came through in splen- did condition and we had a fair crop considering the very heavy crop of the previous year. However, we shall try again this winter, and our programme is as follows :—In the latter part of De- cember we will spray with the following solution : 40 gallons of water and skim milk or butter-milk, about one-fifth be- ing milk if possible, copper sulphate 4 lbs., salt 5 Ibs., and enough lime to bring the whole to as thick a mixture as will work readily in the pump. As soon as this is dry we will follow with the same mixture only omitting the copper sul- phate. We will spray also, early in Feb- ruary and early in March, using the solution without the copper sulphate. We expect this will be all that is re- quired, but should the coat of whitewash at any time be- come thin we would make an application at once. There was a considerable amount of curl leaf on the trees in 1897 and for fear of a recurrence of the dis- “ease in 1898 we decided to treat them with Bordeaux mixture. In April we sprayed the whole orchard excepting one side of each of three” rows, and gave a_ second application in May. The mixture used in both cases was of standard strength and each barrel was tested with the ferrocyanide of potash test. The application made in April while the trees were dormant caused no injury, but in May, after growth had srarted, it injured the twigs badly on the narrow leaved varieties, the Longhursts drop- ping almost all their foliage and fruit. The fallen foliage appeared perfect, the trouble being apparently with the twigs, - which afterward shrivelled and died. No damage was done to broad leaved varieties. Otherwise than the damage referred 19 whitened (b) buds of Heath Cling Peach, taken March 20th, 1896, showing that the unwhitened bud had swollen and grown considerably and had an imperfect pistil, while the whiten- ed bud was nearly dormant, and had a perfect pistil— Whiten, Mo. Exp.-Station, Bull. 38. ’ from careless methods. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. to the work was satisfactory, as the or- chard was only very slightly affected, while the sides of the three rows which were not sprayed were badly diseased. On the trees which were whitened throughout the winter in addition to the Bordeaux sprayings, scarcely a curled leaf could be found. The orchard was visited by a number of prominent fruit growers from Grimsby, Winona and other points who expressed themselves. as pleased with the results. To avoid a repetition of the damage to the foliage this year we will use only 2 lbs. of copper sulphate to 40 gallons. of water when we spray in April and May. W. M. Orr. Fruitland. PEACH GROWING. OME nine thousand acres of land in western New York are devoted to the peach indus- try, and, in accordance with the new law of that state, Professor Bailey has been making reports to the Commissioner of Agriculture on the condition of that industry. The facts in the case, and the counsel based upon them, seem so important that we give our readers a digest of parts of this re- port. Professor Bailey thinks that the _ peach industry, more than any other pomological interest, suffers peculiarly The first error is lack of cultivation ; the second, inat- tention to borers and yellows; the third is neglect to thin the fruit, and the fourth is carelessness in marketing. Location and Soils.—Many orchards are planted on land which is unsuited to them, such as heavy clay soils, or low lands with imperfect drainage of water and of air. The ideal peach soil is deep sand, upon which trees make a hard growth. The wood ma- tures early, the trees bear well and the fruit has high color and flavor. It is such soils and exposures which have made the Peach region in Delaware, New Jersey, the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and some parts of the south famous. Peaches may be made to grow on heavy land, but the trees must be severely headed in. The gravelly soils about the New York lakes are well adapted to the peach, but in the in- terior part of that state, away from the lakes, peaches only thrive on elevated lands which are naturally drained and escape the late spring frosts, so often disastrous to the peaches on lower places. Cultivating and Fertilizing.—Peach orchards should never be cropped after the third year, and on sandy lands especially, if the trees stand less than twenty feet apart, they should never be cropped from the time they are set. Frequent stirring of the surface-soil from May until August is desirable, and thereafter, perhaps, a green crop should be raised to be plowed under next spring. The orchard should, under no circumstances, be sowed to grain or seeded down, but it is easy on strong land to produce an overgrowth. Trees grow quickly to a great size, they bear poorly, and in some cases are never productive of much fruit; they run to wood, and the wind tears them to pieces. In addition to land which is too strong, too free a use of barnyard manure or other nitrogenous fertilizers is often made, and cultivation is con- tinued too late in autumn. Potash and 20 PEACH GROWING. phosphoric acid, and not nitrogen, are the true fertilizers for peaches. Ashes, muriate of potash and bone fertilizers make productive trees. Tillage with green crops, to turn under at the end of the season, will furnish sufficient nitro- gen generally, and even then it is possi- ble to plow under too much crimson clover. Nitrogen, it is true, lies at the foundation of suc s$ful agriculture, but its greatest ben ite z are to be had from. annual crops in’ “the ‘farm: and_ garden... It can also¢ to newly set® fruit: plants, but it can be easily used to excess. Pruning. —The difference of opinion as to the proper methods of pruning turn on three practices: (t) short trunks with rapidly ascending branches ; {z) high trunks with more horizontal branches; and (3) shortening: in or heading back the annual growth. Each of these methods has distinct advan- tages for different cases. The nature of the soil is the controlling factor in de- ciding which is preferable. The natural method of pruning trees on a sandy soil is to allow the tree to spread at will into a vase form, with no heading in— that is, to let the trees have short trunks and. forking branches. The low trunk allows an open top, where the peaches color better. High-topped trees are more easily tilled, and it is quite as easy to pick their fruit. It is the better method on rich land, for it keeps the tree within bounds. Heading in is usually done in winter, and one-third to a half of the annual, growth is removed. x . applied : advantageously . This heading in always makes a thick- topped tree. Thinning Fruit.—No two peaches should be allowed to develop nearer than five inches apart. No work of the orchard pays better than thinning the fruit either in the price which the re- maining produce brings or in the energy which is saved to the tree. When regularly thinned the tree bears every year unless injured by frost. The fruit ‘must be picked sooner or later, and the work is more easily done in June than September, so that no labor is lost. The thinning should be delayed until the fruit is the sizeof the end of a man’s thumb, and by this , time -the “Jane drop ” has occurred, ‘and the fruit ean readily be seen. ; Marketing.—But if growers are négli- gent in thinning, they are positively careless in marketing, and everybody knows that nicely packed fruit brings good prices wholly independent of its quality. Hand boxes containing sixty wrapped California peaches have sold from $2 to $4, although of inferior quality when they reached our market, and alongside of them: our own peaches, of better flavor, have sold 4 for twenty-five cents to seventy- five ‘cents when care- lessly dumped into a half-bushel basket. The main fault in handling peaches are too large packages, lack of grading and selection, lack of covers to the basket, which allows the fruit to be crushed, when it will have a disagreeable and for- bidding look, and cannot command a fair price.—Garden and Forest. EXPERT QUINCE CULTURE. Fig. 1504.—THE FULLER QUINCE. HE bulk of the crop of quinces that have been sent to market this win- ter shows that there is something radically wrong with the system of culture pursued by the majority of fruit growers. The occasional receipt of some fine quinces that are free from blemishes is the only thing to keep consumers from 22 despairing of ever getting perfect fruits. But the quince responds to culture as well as any fruit, and they may be grown to perfection if the right rules are pro- perly observed. To begin with, then, it is necessary to dispel a few notions that some growers have acquired through er- roneous conception of an old trite say- EXPERT QUINCE CULTURE. ing. Nearly all text books upon quince culture have said that they require moist soil, and many have inter- preted this as meaning wet, boggy soil. More quince orchards have been set out in low, wet, cold ground, than upon good rich up- land, properly irrigated. The quince invariably does ’ better upon high, rich up- : land soil, where perfect irrigation can be given, and trees planted in such local- ities will bid fair to produce fine fruits. The next point is to give the quince tree as much attention and cultivation as any other fruit. It should be remembered that natur- ally the quince shrub is a large, straggling growth, and never assumes the shape of a tree unless so trained. It will do better, however, if its natural rambling habit is somewhat checked, and a better shape given to it by judicious pruning. But too much pruning is injurious to it. Onlythin out the suckers every season inside of the shrub, and trim the head to a sym- metrical shape Beyond this do nothing with the pruning knife. Once a year at least, and twice is bet- ter, examine the stocks for borers, and cut them out and kill them, removing at the same time all suckers starting up around the roots. If the codlin moth or quince curculio are on the shrubs, spray freely with Paris green, and do not give them a good foothold. Spray as other fruit trees, soon after the fruits have set, in the spring of the year. The leaf and twig blight and scab which ap- iva) Vs sd Af ‘ PH Nv Pe / Sh eo WS NS Awae- \\ 4. NS Kt YR NN Ye DD A - Fic. 1505.—UnprRuNED TREE. pear upon the fruit, must be conquered by spraying freely with the Bordeaux mixture. The scab in particular must be kept under control, as it ruins more fruit than a little. As to varieties, select only the best. One of the best is ‘“‘ Rea’s Mammoth,” and it succeeds well in the climate of New York state. It produces a large, handsome orange-shaped quince, that sells readily in the market. The Old Champion is another large variety that should be cultivated, and Meech’s Pro- lific is very fine as,an abundant producer. The Fuller quince is a pear-shaped fruit, but of excellent quality. The Borgeat is a very fine early quince, and is very satisfactory. Do not select the Angers and Fontenay for producing fruits. They 23 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. are the best adapted for stock on which the dwarf pears are to be grafted. The Portugal quince is a smaller variety, and is of inferior quality, and the Chinese quince is not to be desired. The varie- ties named are old stan- dard fruits,. and can be depended upon. Other newer varieties have since been put upon the market, and many undoubtedly possess excellent qualities but the writer has never tried them, and cannot vouch for their goodness. | __ In the present uncertain and unsatisfactory condi- tion of general quince -. culture, it is better to select only the varieties - that have shown them- selves to be worthy of attention.— Germantown Telegraph. Fic. 1506.—A Prenep TREE. FRUETS AT N the last issue of your splendid journal I noticed an article by Mr. Alex. McD. Allan, in refer- ence to the twenty collections of pears at the Industrial Exhibition, To- ronto. Now Sir, I may say that I am one also who was struck by the first prize collection there exhibited, for I presume the education of the public, particularly the beginners in fruit culture. But we need not be surprised at anything of the kind any more, since the Keiffer Pear is the b¢st for the British market in preference to our delicious Bartletts, or Beurre Boscs, Sheldons, etc. Now sir, Iam not going into the merits or the OUR FAIRS. 24 demerits of the collections above men- tioned as I might get myself into a hornet’s nest, the collections spoke for themselves to those who know the varieties, but I would pity the beginner who might copy the names of this col- lection with the intention of planting thesame. Just think of a beginner plant- ing one hundred trees of Easter Beurre, or winter Nelis, where could he sell the fruit ; this I consider would be a great loss not only to the party that might plant, but also to the province at large. May I also ask what authority has the fruit grower or the exhibitor, and I may add the judges, to go by, as to the merits, value or the quality of our. fruits as a FRUITS AT OUR FAIRS. guide. The Exhibitions are a poor guide, as in my opinion the prize list should read differently, and this work should rest on the shoulders of the Fruit Growers’ Association. For instance, the prize list reads: ‘“ Twenty best varieties of pears.” Now sir, I might have in reality. the best twenty, but my friend with the largest specimens, two or three worthless varieties, which I think should not count points enough to change the prize. I think this trouble to the judges could be settled for all time to come by stating the names of the varieties to be shown in the collections, so many winter, fall and summer ; care to be taken not to name any summer varieties that might not keep to September. This method would keep out of collections any worthless varieties, such as the Easter Beurre, Winter Nelis, Josephine de Malines and so on. I want to be understood when I say worthless, that I mean worthless to grow for profit; this plan would work admirably with the collections of plums, since there is such a mixed up lot every year and they were particularly so last fall. There would have to be a few extra varieties named in the list in case of a certain variety failing to fruit, or otherwise one might count the number on hand, if they are sbprt it will make easier work to judge, if one lot has the full number and the other is one or two short of the given number of varieties. RODERICK CAMERON. SHAFFER AND COLUMBIAN COMPARED. —During a very dry season, like the preceding one, many raspberries are liable to crumble more or less. Strange as it may seem, berries groWing in a very wet place with poor drainage are affected in much the same way. Poor soil is sometimes a cause for the same trouble. In this case, the raspberry itself is at fault. Shaffer’s Colossal is a vigorous grower and very productive, but while the berries are very large and finely flavored, they are extremely soft, of a dull ugly color, and notall firm, making it a poor variety for shipping. It is, how- ever, a delicious berry, and is excellent for table use and for canning. The Columbian, which closely resembles the Shaffer, isa better berry, being much firmer, remaining longer on the bush, and retaining its shape after being picked ; though even the Columbian is 25 not an ideal market variety.—American Gardening. PRopER TEMPERATURE.—* The fol- lowing table will give the best tempera- ture for the storage of some of our most common produce, AMMORT EIS coo es si nina ee ts from 39° to 45° SGETAOR cies teiei ac aieisiecd dois wece u 36 to 40 GOLOPY itis ut witteaiais da.arcs ers u 35 Granperries’s ."5occceces oasis u 34 to 38 ROBLES sda oa stumee nese ates “36 ONIONS oye le cod hearse eae eee u 34 to 40 PORALOOR oo h5 occsiavavee 2.7 @ eeyene u 36 to 40 IASPBPAGUB), osc: 200 a eieteae ie u 34 Cabbage? 140.55. stv Saree ee u 34 Maple sugar and syrup...-. u 40 to 45 Flour and meal...........+- u 40 to 45 Brined meats! oii v.21 es u 36 to 40 Dried beef.................. " 36 to 45 Fresh beef 2....cssteto5.8 os u 37 to 39 Ham, ribs andshoulder.... “ 30 to 35 SPER cont s-s ee peret anna u 33 to 35 ard 23. Ss Aked sass oenecs u 84 to 45 Mutton scx a. come en reece u 32 to 46 Veil 2c tee eee ten u 33 to 36 Grapes: 5... 4 Ge ees « 36 to 38 Butter should be given a separate room with temperature at 22°.”—Am. Gardening. ELAZXAGNUS LONGIPES (GOUMI.) Fig 1507.—E.L2aGnus LONGIPES. NTIL lately, not much attention seems to have been shown to this handsome shrub. In- dividual specimens flourished in many large gardens, but until the horticultural press had noticed it, and nurserymen had given it prominence in their catalogues, it remained somewhat obscure. Now that it is in popular demand the accompanying illustration, and a few words concerning it,"may be of interest to our readers. Eleagnus longipes is a_ native! of Japan and belongs to the same class which gives us the well-known Buffalo Berry (Shepherdia argentea), Itjis a beautiful shrub of from five to six feet high, well branched, and with an abund- ance of foliage that is oblong-oval in shape, and in color pale green above 26 WRAPPED FRUIT. and silvery white beneath. In May it is covered with small, pale yellow blos- soms, which appear in great profusion. The berries are oval, resembling an olive in shape, of about the size shown in the illustration, of a bright scarlet color flecked with golden yellow, and ripen in July. When fully ripe these berries possess a rather pleasant, aro- matic flavor but before maturity they are acid and astringent. It is said that in Japan the fruit is eaten raw, and also pickled and preserved. In this coun- try it has been found, when cooked like cranberries, to make very good sauce and pies and also to be valuable for jelly-making. As to the hardiness of Elzeagnus long- ipes we are not prepared to say just how far north it may be safely exposed with- out winter protection, but here, in New Jersey, the plants stand out, entirely uninjured all winter. We have seen no indications of any tendency to fungous disease, and it is perfectly free from insect attacks, It would thus seem that this shrub is desirable for ornamental purposes and also, to some extent, valuable for its fruit for culinary use. Its symmetrical habit and pretty, pale, silvery foliage render it useful for grouping with shrubs of darker color, and when loaded down with ripe fruit in summer it is an object of much beauty. 2 We find in this, as with many other plants from Japan, some confusion of names. Thus there are £. Longipes, E. edulis, E, pungens, E. Simoni, E. um- bellatus, and probably others that we know not of. Longipes, edulus, and pungens appear to be all the same plant, and longipes is probably the best name. Umbellatus is a different species from longipes and is known also as Simoni. It is a very strong, vigorous grower, often reaching a height of ten feet or more before bearing any fruit, and its season of ripening isin October. Long- ipes is by far the better species and comes into bearing at about two years old and when only a few feet high. There are also varieties with variegated foliage of green and white, all of which are very beautiful. E. longipes com- mands much attention when well-grown and is likely to become a popular shrub, WRAPPED FRUIT. At the Experimental Farms, Ottawa, some very interesting experiments have been carried out in connection with storing apples in winter. Some of the points involved were (1) wrapped versus unwrapped fruit ; (2) cellar versus ground- floor storage ; (3) close versus ventilated packages. These experiments began in the autumn and were carried through the winter. Twenty-four varieties of apples were included in the trials. The following results are the averages : WRAPPED v. UNWRAPPED APPLES. Per Comparative cent. weight. sound. Scale of 100. Wrapped and stored in cellar 42 ey! ss storeroom . Om face Unwrapped in cellar....... 32°8 ... 29 «¢ gtoreroom........ de Pays 27 Specimens wrapped in paper kept best, there were fewer rotten apples, and they lost least by evaporation. The ground-floor store- room did not preserve them as well as the cel- lar. * CLosE v. VENTILATED PACKAGES. This was tested by packing equal quanti- ties of six varieties of apples in boxes of the same make, with and without ventilation. Half of the cases were placed in the cellar, the other half in the upper storeroom. Re- sults : Per cent. of Package. Stored. fruit sound. Not ventilated... Cellar..........00¢ 42 phy .. Storeroom ........ 64°6 Ventilated ..... Cellar. . 49 o 8 es icets Storeroom........ 45.8 The tight package preserved the fruit best in storeroom, but not in cellar ; per contra. the ventilated did better in cellar than in storeroom. ALEXANDER W. LIVINGSTONE. Fie. 1508.—A. W. Livineston, Coio., OHI0. HE death of Alexander W. Liv- ingstone, which occurred at his house in Columbus, Ohio, on the tenth November, closes a useful and successful career and one of special in- terest to members of the ‘gentle art.” His work on the improvement of the tomato has been of almost world-wide benefit. Wherever tomatoes are grown Livingstone’s “ Beauty” and Living- stone’s ‘‘ Favorite” are known. While not a wealthy man, as business men in these days are acknowledged wealthy, the two seed-businesses established by him, and now owned by his sons, one in his home city and one at Des Moines, Iowa, both with reputations for integrity and fair dealing, give evidence of his success in a business sense. The story of his life work is especially interesting to men who practise intensive culture of the soil, showing as it does, how a man self-trained in nature’s methods, wgth quick perception and faculties for close observation ; with patience and hopeful- 28 ness that long years of disappointing experiment did not dampen; and with the experience and skill induced by these years of unproductive work, did at length succeed in giving to the world a tomato fruit like the ‘‘ Paragon,” — to be fol- lowed by varieties of even finer quality, —developed from the rough, sour, seedy, and watery fruits that were found grow- ing wild in the fence corners when he was a young lad. The question of hy- bridization vs. selection for the improve- ment of fruits and vegetables is also given renewed interest by this event. Mr. Livingstone followed the lines of selection in his work ; and while some learned and skilled teachers and writers on Horticulture may hesitate to give full credit to him and his methods, there is no room for doubt about the honesty of his statements regarding his mode of work, and the results of his patient labor speak volumes on the success of these methods. The principle of “ selection” is, in these days, taking a prominent place in the methods of fruit and vege- table growers. Working on this line Kellogg, of Michigan, raises and sells “thorough-bred ” small fruit plants ; Rogers, and other nurserymen, apply the same principle to the growing of the large fruit trees for sale ; and Prof. Bai- ley and S. D. Willard of New York act on it in setting out their private orch- ards. Mr. Livingstone’s work on the to- mato on the lines of se/ec¢tion in the ear- lier years was disappointing, because the selection was confined to taking the best specimens of fruits for seed, regardless of the character of the plant. Cultiva- tion of the plant and selection of the best fruits for seed had made some im- provement in the fruit over that of the wild plant; but while this inferior fruit ALEXANDER W. LIVINGSTONE. was sold on a limited scale on the mar- ket, and was canned and sold as a com- mercial commodity as early as 1848, its character was so poor that it is believed that as late as 1865 not an acre of to- matoes had been grown in thé United States that would yield one bushel of uniformly smooth fruit. In this year (1865) his attention was attracted toa plant in a field of tomatoes which had distinct characteristics, being stronger than the average of the plants in the field, having heavy foliage, and bearing smooth fruit. His active mind now readily seized the idea of selecting spe- cial plants from which to take the best fruit for seed for future crops. Experi- menta! work for a year or two confirmed the correctness of this line of selection, for the improvement of the tofhato and further work on the same line was so successful that in 1870 he was able to place on the market the “ Paragon,” the first uniformly smooth tomato. This placed tomato growing on a permanent and profitable basis. Fifteen new and distinct varieties were originated and in- troduced by him between the years 1870 and 1897. In the latter year “ Honor Bright,” a variety quite characteristic in habit of growth and of maturity of fruit was placed on the market, the original plant of which had been found three years previously in a field of the ‘‘ New Stone” variety. Who placed the original plant of the “Paragon” in the field of common tomatoes? How did the original of “ Honor Bright ” come to be growing in a field planted exclusively with ‘‘ New Stone”? Mr. Livingstone did not pre- tend to be able to answer these ques- tions, Perhaps we shall know the answers,some day. Mr. Livingstone was born in 1822, of Scotch-Irish extraction. His earlier years were spent on a pioneer farm in cen- tral Ohio ; and it was only in 1877 that he removed to Columbus to obtain bet- ter business facilities. (He had begun the seed business in a small way in 1856.) Leaving his sons in charge of the Col- umbus business he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1880, where he estab- lished a similar business, but he returned to Columbus in 1890, having transferred the Iowa business to one of his younger sons. His business motto was—“ Give every man the worth of his money : and his many business friends bear testimony to his integrity, fair dealing, and courte- ous attention to their wants in his line. When a young man he became a member, and shortly afterwards an office- holder in the United Presbyterianchurch and to the end of his life he continued to take an active interest in its work. He took a lively interest in general affairs, and whether in the educational or muni- cipal matters of his home city, or in state or national politics, he was always ready to defend the right and to give battle to the wrong. He was exemplary in his domestic life ; and his kindly dis- position and broad sympathy enlisted the confidence of the children and young people of his circle of intimate friends, as well as the warm friendship of the elders. He is dead but his works live after him. ORIGEN. Ohio. so 29 drip—dripping so trying to a careful Martha’s soul. The illustration given here does away with all these diffi- culties. It is fitted to the window sill and supported by strong iron brack- ON St AEP es ? oS ow BS A OCT i a 9 EB pepo h Es tibttitfats ly te ee? 0s, ene Feo eee ee eae DUNN ESS U ee Fic. 1509.--A Winpow Box. on a broad shelf or a bench have manifest disadvantages, inasmuch as they are liable to be tipped over and to warp with the constant wettings necessary for the growth of the plants in them. Then, too, if more water is used than the earth will ab- sorb kindly, there will be the drip— T: usual boxes set in the window a ets, and is virtually immovable. A zinc tank is fitted into the box and pre- vents any leakage at all. It can be made easily at any tinsmith’s and with small expense. It is well to have the sides of the box widened out into shelves for the ac- commodation of any small pots desired, and there may be two little round brackets at each side of the window just above the shelves. The whole thing may be made ornamental to the room by using wood that has a pretty grain, with more or less modest orna- mentation in the making.—Webb Don- nel, in American Gardening. 30 CLEMATIS JACKMANNI. Fie. 1510.—CLEematis JACKMANNI, from photo sent by Miss Henman. HE Jackman’s Clematis shown in the accompanying engraving is about eight years old. It was spring planted in the spot it now occupies, and was only six inches high ; just one shoot and some healthy looking roots. I took great care of it, you may be sure, encouraging it to grow by tying ‘the shoots to supports as soon as they needed it, and every winter cov- ering up the earth surrounding the roots with leaves or straw, and laying boards on top to keep them there. In the spring I took this away and carefully laid on top of the soil, or mixed in with it some well rotted manure and watered all summer the same as I did my flower beds. It has amply repaid me for the care, and this year the leaves were scarcely visible for flowers, some years the flowers remain for six weeks and there are a few old ones right into October. At first I took it off the trellis work and laid it down along the veranda covering it up same as roots, this I have learnt by experience is quite unneces- sary. All that needs doing is to cut away with a sharp knife the part that is dead in the spring, but do’ not be in too great a hurry to do this, wait till you see what sunshine and warmth will do, the runners look dead when they are not. HELEN HENMAN, Sec. Thornbury Hort. Socy. Fic. 1511.—FiLorat Exursit at Woopstock. To our Affiliated Societies. We wish you all a Happy and a Prosperous New Year. We wish to be mutually helpful and to this end we are annually improving our Journal. We invite your frequent Com- munications for its pages, together with pho- tographs of new or valuable fruits or flowers. We are preparing a Constitution and By-laws for Affiliated Horticultural Societies, which we believe will greatly aid in the conduct of your work. We would suggest to our*Societies the wis- dom of holding monthly meetings, say, on the first Monday evening in each month, at which a single paper be read by some member, and fully discussed. A table of flowers would contribute to the interest of each such meeting. We hope before long to be able to send you a lecturer on some horticultural topic, and we hope you will get as many of your members out to hear him as you possibly can. We would suggest the giving of a liberal collection of plants for summer blooming, to be given away at a public meeting in April or May. We also advise floral exhibitions in connec- tion with your public meetings, at which award cards may be given, but no money prizes. In case of a special exhibition you will find it best to have a floral committee to get a list of the promised exhibits from members, and to send a drayman to collect and return all plants according to labels, and to arrange them at the hall. An orchestra would greatly enliven ‘the evening. Members contributing flowers 32 to the exhibit should be admitted free, all others should be charged 10 cents. OUR AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. Woopstock.—The Exhibition which was held by the Woodstock Horticultural Society was a great success except in one respect, viz, there was not that support given in by the public which might fairly be expected ; stillin spite of this a fair amount was real- ized for the benefit of the funds of the Soci- ety. The exhibits, as may be seen by the accompanying photograph, were very taste- fully arranged and reflected great credit on the committee in charge, but, as usual, the work devolved upon a few of the more en- thusiastic members and a number of their lady friends to whose good taste must be at- tributed the more than usual beauty of the decorations. Only a comparatively small number of the plants were shown in the gen- erally adopted formal manner on benches or tables, etc., the greater number being placed on the floor in the style of raised beds, all spaces between being filled in with ferns of ' larger growth and the edges made of the smaller growing varieties. For two of these beds the whole of the plants were contributed by Mr. Frank Harris, (professional) and our secretary, Mr. James.S. Scarff (amateur), and it is not saying too much in stating that the latter gentleman made the exhibit of the Show. The largest bed was composed princi- pally of the tropical style of plants, mostly owned by Messrs. D.W. Karn, T. H. Parker, W. H. Van Ingen, F. Mitchell and Mrs. Jas. Hay. Among the other most noticeable exhibifs were those of Mrs. McPherson, Mr. Frank Newton and Mrs. W. G. McKay, the latter lady making a most creditable exhibit of begonias. In the cut flower department the best contributions were the very beauti- ful collection of sweet peas of Mr. Sproat, and the gladioli from that hybridizer, Mr. H. H. Groff of Simcoe, and in the fruit department nice exhibits were made by Messrs. Croman and Grey. Taking it alto-. gether the Society is to be congratulated on the success of their Show, which, without doubt, will do much to encourage that most delightful of all recreations, the practice of the art of floriculture.—W. GrimsBy, Ont., Horticultural Society’s Floral Exhibit was held in the Town Hall on the Iith. The exhibit of chrysanthemums by Mr. A. E. Cole was excellent, containing a large number of varieties. Messrs. Webster, Bros., of Harailton, showed ferns, bogonias, orchids and a large collection of palms, be- sides asparagus sprengeri, ficus elastica, Araucaria, Selaginella and Japan Ivy. The members of the society showed many fine specimens of chrysanthemums, cacti, and other house plants. One great mistake was making it a free exhibition. The hall was overcrowded. It would be far better to have admission tickets, even if they were all com- plimentary, to be had from the members of the society. Otherwise there should be a small admission fee for all who were not members. > 2 ae) 33 Fie. 1511.—JAmes LockiE, WATERLOO. WaTteERLoo HorticuttrRAL Socrrty,—Oa the eleventh of November occurred the deat h of Mr. Jas. Lockie, late active president.o+ the Waterloo Horticultural Society. He was a man who rose by his merit until he was ap- pointed president of the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Co., and having a natural taste for gardening he built for himself a small enhouse, which contained about one hun- red varieties of cacti and many other flow- ers. Our members will remember how heart- ily he welcomed our society and Waterloo in December, 1897, and will deeply regret his loss. Picton.—Mr. Walter IT. Ross, the secre- tary, writes : ; ‘‘T have much pleasure in stating to you that our Horticultural Society, which is affiliated with your Association, has so far been very successful. I understand that several similar societies were started here some years ago, and only lasted a short time, so I think we should be well pleased. The HortTICULTURIST seems very welcome to our members, and the premiums sent out by your Association are also very much appreciated, as they certainly deserve to be.” Hamiuton.-—Mr. Hirschmiller. of Hamil- ton, writes to correct name of W. Holt, which appeared as W. Hull in December number, p. 483. He says that his exhibit was so creditable that it was unfortunate to have his name wrongly entered. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fie. 1512.—HomE or Mrs. W. J. Marsa. 7] ; _ TuHornpury.—The Secretary of the Thorn- © bury Society, Miss Henman, sends us some little views in that section, and among others a pretty little gem, a winter scene, showing the home of the late Mr. W. J. Marsh, who . was the first settler at Clarksburg, and at . one time owned the village. His son-in-law, | Mr. C. W. Hartman, a banker in the town, ‘ il has been an enthusiastic friend of our Asgo- © ciation and was instrumental in securing the © pluin experiment station at this place, in the ° favored eaver Valley, The grounds shown . in our picture are planted with black wal-— nuts, butter nuts, “Norway spruces, maples, - with a wide stream of clear water running through, over which spans a rustic bridge. On the beautiful lawn the snowdrop and the crocus bloom profusely in the spring. THE Prince Epwarp IsLanp Fruit Grow- ers’ Association have become affiliated with us, and receive our literature. This Associa- tion is ready to co-operate with us in every good object, for the advancement of the Do- minion fruit interests. Already it has accom- plished much for the development of the fruit industry in the island, some experimental export lots of fruit having been forwarded by it, and netted the growers excellent results, their Ribston Pippins bringing 20 shillings a barrel in Covent Garden. This was the first time apples had been exported from the island. CaRLETON Puace. — Mr. Thos. Beall, of Lindsay, a gentleman who takes a deep in- terest in matters of horticulture for the love of the cause, and who is well versed in the subject, was in Carleton Place, on Friday, Nov. 18th, endeavoring to interest some of © our citizens in the advisability of organizing a horticultural society here under the Agricul- ture and Arts Act, and was so far encour- aged that a meeting of those showing an- interest was held in the council chamber in - the Town Hall on that evening, when Mr. Beall explained very fully the aims and objects of such societies and the benefits which they were designed to bestow upon the: locality. The result was a resclution to- organize such a society here, moved by Mr. R. Patterson, seconded by Mr. R. Morgan, put by Mr. A. H. Edwards and carried. unanimously. Messrs. J. A. Goth and W. H. Allen were appointed canvassers to obtain members, and the proposition so far is meet-. ing with the best of encouragement, and success is almost insured, A membership fee of only $1.00 has been decided upon, and as. the society will affiliate with the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, every member: will receive a double return for his invest- ment «direct in the way of plants, bulbs and literature, aside altogether from the broader: ; features of the society, which are the im-- provement of grounds, circulation of periodi-- cals treating on horticulture, the holding of meetings to discuss matters of importance on. this subject, exhibitions, experiments with bulbs, plants, ete. At the exhibitions prizes . are not awarded, and the general public have the privilege of examining all exhibits and obtaining from the expert in charge of the department all needed information as to the. manner of cultivating and caring for his. particular class. The exhibition thus becomes a school of instruction for the benefit of the general public. We hope to see the new . society grow to a successful issue. Parties. desirious of identifying themselves with the. movement are requested to give their names : to either of the canvassers. Ladies have the ° some rights and privileges as the sterner sex in this movement, and are invited to give it their hearty recognition. ~ ROSE HE best soil to choose for roses, for garden culture is a clay or clay-loam. You can_ scarcely choose too stiff a clay for your rose garden, providing it is well drained. Clay-loam is generally preferred how- ever; a close, very heavy quality of clay is difficult to keep open and friable, to such a soil the addition of sand, gravel, or humus of any kind, is of great benefit. Sandy soil is generally avoided on account of its failure to retain enough moisture, just at the time of flowering ; the free use of cow manure 34 Sorts is a great help to such soils. Good rose flowers may be grown on just about any soil, if proper care be given ° to the feeding, and it is hardly possible to feed too liberally. A rose enthusiast of our acquaintance, took all the tainted meat from a butcher store, for two summers ; burying the whole pieces near the roots of his rose plants, as yet none seemed to have. been overfed. Cow manure and bone-meal as fertilizers are still in the greatest favor with. rosarians. WEBSTER Bros., Hamilton. ———= = = = The Canadian Horticulturist See 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 or Post-Office Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the Address Label. ADVERTISING RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. NEWS.—Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of secon ieieicos or doings of Horticultural Societies likel to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc. ; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. DISCONTINUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their revised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. +{ Notes and fomments. & New Year’s Greetings. Horticultural Society is being formed there. This is the best way of keeping THe CanapiAN HORTICULTURIST jn touch with each other and being of greets its five thousand subscribers with mutual benefit. a sincere Happy New Year! Having Lies now reached the mature age of twenty- THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING of the one, she makes her debut this 1899 ina _ Association will be held in the town of fine new dress, hoping to win the Whitby, in response to oft repeated in- admiration and esteem ofall her friends. _vitations from local fruit men, backed by Her desire is to serve the best interests . thé Mayor and Corporation of the town. of the amateur flower grower, the professional as well as the amateur fruit TOMATOES were not a success in the grower, and the amateur landscape export of shipments of 1898 ; indeed artist. She, therefore, invites liberal they carried better in 1 897,and then gave contributions of experience in horticul- great encouragement; but this season ture, with photographs in illustration, they were reported arriving over-ripe and that there may be mutual helpfulness. too soft to sell. We believe the explan- — ation is in the variety, and we have yet THE ANNUAL MEETING at St. Cath- to learn which variety is best to grow for arines was of special interest both to this purpose. In 1897 our shippers fruit and flower growers. A letter from grew Ignotum for export, and in 1808 Mr. Thos. Beall states that an affiliated the Dwarf Champion, Dwarf Aristocrat 35 “y THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. and some other kinds. This would seem to indicate that the Ignotum is a better shipping variety than the others which were tried. Its fault is that it is rather large for the English market, where we want to offer dessert tomatoes only. One thing was notable about tomatoes, that they are little if any retarded in ripening, by cold storage. THE EARLY CRAWFORD peach also has been condemned as an export va- riety. long distance, so that notwithstanding its great value for our home markets, it must be discarded by the peach grower who is planting an orchard for export. What is the variety that will carry? is the first important question, and what is the quality ? is the second. No doubt the Smock would answer the first ques- tion; but other varieties superior in quality, and earlier in ripening, may be more desirable. Concorp, NIAGARA, AND WORDEN grapes are also useless for export. They do not carry well, mildewing wherever there is the slightest crack, and so ten- der that they are easily broken. Then their flavor is so obnoxious to the palate of the Englishman, who has always at hand the Black Hamburg, and other varieties of high quality, that it seems foolish to undertake to force them upon the British markets. The only markets for these grapes appears to be in the North-West Territories, providing rea- sonable express rates can be secured. Our Association has appointed a Com- mittee to make an effort in this direc- tion. IN grapes for export we must choose : (1) our best shipping varieties, and (2) our best flavored kinds. Mr. Robson, of Lindsay, elsewhere commends the A/z//s It it too soft and juicy to carry a _ 36 for this purpose. The quality is certainly good, and the bunch of fine size, and probably it would carry ; but we notice one fault, that the berries do not hold very firmly to the bunch. Lindley is a capital grape, of beautiful color, a good shipper, but the bunch is often rather loose. Wilder should fill the bill, also Agawam, Salem and Vergennes. The latter however lacks flavor. We hope that in 1899 the export ship- ments of grapes will be confined to these varieties, or others like them, and that it may be proved to some certainty, whe- ther or not we may export any kind of grapes, as a private enterprise, with any hope of success. Perhaps some of our readers will suggest other varieties worth trying. Or Pears we have learned little new in 1898 over our experience of 1897, because of the short crop and the blem- ished character of much of the fruit. The Bartlett (Williams) has again been carried in good condition, and has been favorably received. The same may be said of Duchess, Anjou, Clairgeau, Bous- sock and even Kieffer. We notice how- ever that buyers hesitate to buy the last named a second time, its quality is so poor. It is easily grown, easily carried, and fair to behold ; but, alas! very dis- appointing to the eater. AppLEs keep better picked September 26 than October 13, according to Ohio B., II, 4. No doubt a fruit should be handled just a point off maturity, with- out waiting for the process of ripening- to show itself, which is really a step to ward decay. At Maplehurst we usually begin gathering winter apples about Sep- tember 2oth, finishing up, if possible, by the 2oth of October. NOTES AND POLLINATION will not take place and apples will not set, if blossoms are kept continually wet duriag the pollination season, as has been proved by experi- ments at the New Jersey Station. THE AMERICAN PoMOLOGICAL SocIE- Ty is now working in connection with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The Society furnishes matter for the report and for fruit catalogue, etc., all of which is printed and published by the Department, as a serial portion of the Department’s publications. Notwith- Standing its wide sounding title, this ‘Society has small meetings, and lacks ‘the esprit de corps that is manifest in the meetings of the Fruit Growers’ Associa- tion of Ontario, which latter, by the way, is now the largest and probably the most influential Society of its kind in the world During the last ten years our actual paid membership has grown from 1,500 to 4,150. nT THE WESTERN HortIcULTURAL So- cieTY has published their first Annual Report. They have about fifty mem- bers, and a legislative grant of $roo. The Secretary is Mr. A. P. Angus, Win- nipeg. THE ANNUAL Report of the Fruit Growers’ Association of Nova Scotia for 1898, contains the papers read at the Annual Meeting, Wolfville, last January. The Secretary is Mr. S. C. Parker, Ber- wick, N. S. ; SPRAYING WITH PuRE KEROSENE.— Last summer we tried spraying our rose bushes with a very fine spray of pure kerosene to destroy the green aphis. We used Mitchell’s Hand Sprayer, which makes the finest perceptible mist, and had excellent results—the ce were de- 37 COMMENTS. stroyed and the bushes uninjured. We tried the same spray on our Akebia vine with injurious results on the tender young wood, and therefore cannot yet speak as confidently regarding the use of kerosene as we would like. Mr. H. P. Gould, of Cornell, has made some experiments and writes in Bulletin 155 that pure kerosene is likely to seriously injure peach trees, even when dormant ; a twenty per cent. solution, however, is safe at any time. Apple trees are less susceptible, often enduring pure kero- sene without injury, while 50 per cent. of kerosene is quite safe. The safest time to apply it is on a bright sunny day. A solution of 20 per cent., i.e., 1 part oil to 4 parts water, is harmless to plants and destructive to insects, even to the San Jose scale. AN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE IN Nova Scotia.—We have just received a clip- ping from the Halifax Herald, containing an address at Wolfville, by W. C. Archi- bald, in which he eloquently pleads for the establishment of a first class agricul- tural college at Wolfville ; a college in which, as he says, “any person can find instruction in any study, beginning with agriculture as the chief corner stone.” There is no doubt that this is the true means of correcting the unequal condi- tion of the farmer in the social scale ; as well as of securing to him better re- turns for his work. . OuR PREMIUM PLANTS are giving splendid satisfaction. For example, Mr. D. W. McFarlane, Picton, writes :—- The Crimson Rambler you sent me last spring, has exceeded my expectations. It sent out two shoots of between three and four feet in length, with one cluster of roses, fourteen in number. I prize it very much. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. CHESNUTS.—Bull. 42, Delaware, .is devoted to the European and Japanese chesnuts. On the whole it would ap- pear that more is to be expected in the near future from the Japanese varieties than from the European. The Killen, one of the former, has already been re- ferred to in these columns. —_ A PROMINENT Nova ScoTian.—Mr. W. C. Archibald, above mentioned, called at this office on 31st ult., on his way to visit the Agricultural College at Guelph. This gentleman is the chairman of the Board of Control of the School of Horticulture at Wolf- ville, and now hopes to be instrumental in having an Agricultural College estab- lished in his province. PRINCE EDWARD IsLAND.—The President writes that the subject of better . storage and ventilation for apples in ocean transport is to be discussed at their next meeting, and they will unite with us in asking legislation on this im- portant condition of success. He says the island has been so much encouraged by her recent export of apples that con- siderable planting will be done in the coming spring. THE NIAGARA PENINSULAR FRUIT GrRowErs have elected Wm. Armstrong, St. Catharines, President, and C. E. Fisher, Queenston, Secretary. The next meeting will be held in St. Catharines about the middle of January to listen to Professors Fletcher and Macoun of Ottawa. THE BURLINGTON FRUIT GROWERS have elected A. W. Peart, Freeman, President, and W. F. Fisher, Burling- ton, Secretary. Fruit Puxp would surely be a profit- able article of export in seasons when green fruit is high priced; and since it will keep indefinitely, when once pro- perly sealed up, we cannot see why it need be sold during those seasons when it would not bring a margin of profit. Here is a clipping from the Greengrocer, London, England :— There is a good chance for our Colonial fruit- growers in supplying the London market with fruit pulps. This year French and Italian apricot pulp is extremely scarce. Last year it could be bought at from £15 to £20 per ton; itis now fetching very much higher prices, and we are informed that until June next prices are likely to rule high. It is put up in tins containing about 28lb., but the principal requirement is that the pulp shall be quite clean and free from specks. Dried apricots also will be wanted, and will fetch good prices. The pulp must, of course, be boiled with just sufficient sugar to make it keep in good condition. What is to hinder our exporting raspberry and peach pulp, with profit ? GREEN GRAPE Rot.—When holding institutes in the famous grape belt of Western New York, the subject of black rot of the grape was thoroughly discussed by the growers and also by the scientists. The almost unanimous verdict was, that spraying with Bordeaux mixture pays. In some seasons there is no apparent good result, but there nearly always is a decided benefit. It pays to 38 clean up all trash, and especially all old, rotten grape clusters, and burn them. Even the tendrils on the vines were known to bea place of refuge for the spores of the black rot, and they were taken off by some careful vineyardists. Cases were related where the disease had spread from a dried berry or two left from former years. 4{ Question Orawer. & Fertilizers for] Specific Purposes. £038. Srr,—What kind of manure, either natural or artificial is best for bringing out in perfection, the distinctively blue colour of the Colorado Blue Spruce. Joun M. MocAtnsh, Belton, Ont. Reply by Frank T. Shutt, Chemist, Dom. Expl. Farms. In answer to the above question, I would say that in all probability the striking and beautiful colour of certain Colorado Blue Spruce trees is not caused byany peculiarities in the composition of the soil. Since in the same plantation and upon the same soil, only a few of these trees may develop this re- markable sheen, it cannot be considered as due to the predominance of any one element of plant food. We, however, know very well that an abundance of nitrogen in the soil, as furnished by barnyard manure, nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, in- tensifies and darkens the green colour- ing matter in the foliage of many flower- ing plants and farm crops. There is also good evidence to show that the pre- sence in the soil of soluble iron, as, for instance, supplied by sulphate of iron {green vitriol), has a marked effect of a similar character. Whether any change in the colour of the Colorado Blue Spruce can be in- duced by any such means is extremely doubtful to the writer, but it would be an interesting experiment for your cor- respondent to apply to the soil about a tree, say, 1 pound of nitrate of soda, and in another case half a pound of sulphate of iron, and note if any change in ‘the colour of the foliage results. Evenness of distribution would be effected if the materials were powdered and mixed with five times their weight of dry loam and sand. 2 It may be well to point out that these intensely blue spruce trees cannot with certainty be reproduced from seed, but may be propagated by cuttings. Cyclamen. 1039. Srr,—I noticed in the November number a reference to a new style of Cycla- mens, and I should be glad to know from your contributor where the seed for this strain is to be obtained, and under what name it is known. J. A. ROBERTSON, Chateauquay Basin, Que. Reply by Wm. Bacon, Orillia. The Cyclamen giganteum grandi- florum can at present be obtained of almost all first-class seedsmen, but if the subscriber should write to Wm. Ewing & Co., of Montreal, Que., and mention my name he would be likely to get the very best that the European, Canadian or American growers have produced. I sold him seeds of my choicest blooming plants at 14 cts. perseed. Usually they get 27 to 35 seeds in a 25 cent packet. Hardy Fruits. 1040. Str,—What are the names of some of the hardiest varieties of apples, pears and plums, that might stand 40° below freezing. Lewis WEIGAND, Upper Thorne Centre. We have not yet completed our list of the best hardy varieties of fruits for the north ; and therefore can only make our correspondent a ‘partial reply. Of apples he should try Transparent, Du- chess, Alexander, Wolf River, Wealthy, Gideon and Scott’s Winter. Of pears, Flemish Beauty and Sapieganka. Of plums, Moore’s Arctic, Miner and Kingston. Ornithogalum Arabicum. 1041. Sir.—Some of the members of the Hamilton Horticultural Society would like to know if any of your readers have forced the above named plant with success. J. M. Dickson, Hamilton. 39 x Open Letters. ¥ Grapes for England. Sir,—By to-day’s mail I send you a ripe bunch of the Mills grape grown in my garden at Lindsay and gathered on the 2lst of Sep-' tember for exhibition purposes. All .my late kinds also ripened their fruit this season, namely, Jefferson, Agawam, Vergennes and others, showing the possibility of gratifying the most fastidious taste as to color, flavor and size by a range from Moore’s Early, Jef- ferson, Lady Washington, Mills, even in this latitude, whenever we are fortunate enough to have a favorable season. May I make a few suggestions regarding the Mills grape and other hybrids. The Mills was produced by a cross |}etween the Euro- pean species Vinifera and our standard Am- erican varieties, resulting in the production of a grape that has the essential characteris- tics for export. In the hands of a skilled hy- bridist there might be produced from it a pro- geny earlier in ripening which might meet the requirements of the middle, mechanical and laboring classes of England. The vine is healthy, hardy and productive; the fruit is attractive, of fair size both in berry and bunch, and in flavor it is of near approach to the European varieties; the flesh is firm, meaty and adheres well to the cluster. It is a good shipper and a gocd keeper, an excel- lent combination, and if to this could only be added the property of early ripening, we might reasonably expect to find a demand for it at popular prices in the old country. This last summer I had the pleasure of spending about six weeks in England during July and August, and, being interested in fruit, particularly grapes, I noticed the dif- ference in quality. color and size, as account- ed for by the district in which the fruit was grown. England receives large importations in season from Spain, Portugal, France, and the Channel Islands, the prices varying ac- cording to the size and quality from 12c. to 60c. per lb. I have a strong impression that a consignment of a few tons of such showy grapes as Niagara, Agawam, Vergennes and other good keepers could be profitably dis- posed of in the latter part of September in some of the large manufacturing towns in the north of England, as, for instance, Leeds, Stockton, Middleboro. Newcastle, Sunder- land, each with an average population of about 100,000. In the hands of a person with some knowledge of fruit and an ac- quaintance with a few leading wholesale fruit men, I believe our grapes could be success- fully introduced in this way I would have no fear of making a success cf such an enter- prise if the grapes were in good condition. W. M. Rosson. Lindsay, Ont. A New Strawberry. Srr,—A new strawberry, a chance seedling, was found in Ulster Co., just north of Orange, and in the heart of the Hudson river fruit re- gion, and was fruited in a large plantaticn fer the first time last season. 1 gave ita visit and I grew very enthusiastic over it. If you did not see our paper containing an account of it, with a cut, write me and I will send it to you. It will be on the niarket next spring—per haps it is now. I have ashort row in my home gar- den which the originator’s representative gave me, but I am in honor bound not to give or sell any plants until after he has disseminated it, which I believe will be in the coming spring. ; I think it would please you if you could see it, and I hope you buy a few plants; two or three dozen next spring and try it. I can say this for it in its home :—Superb foliage, rank grower, perfect flower, berry large and round, regular in shape, very solid, crimson in color, and solid enough for a first-class shipper. As an indication of its vigor, let me say, that last summer I set out a row of Wm. Belt in my garden, grown there, and they made a better than average growth. Two weeks later I set out the Gibson and they soon passed the Wn. Belt, larger plants, more runners and an altogether ruggeder plant. Of course, I have no interest in it; but I thought you might like to try it. The propagator’s address is Marlboro’, N. Y., ©. H. Baildon, and he isa very honorable man. E. G. Fowxer, Port Jervis, N.Y. A Sham Pear. Sir,—I am taking the liberty of sending you a little piece of news that I think might have escaped you while in the city on Tues- day. There is a gentleman here, who grows some very fine pears that have long been noted prize winners at the country fairs. This gen- tleman very kindly sent a few specimens to the Horticultural exhibit ; these were seen and admired by quite a number of people ; one of the admirers is a gentleman who has a hobby for mock-orange gourds ; he at once declared he could beat the pexrs all hollow. The joker hustled home and picked the largest and best specimen of gourd he could find, rubbed a little vinegar on the side and brought out a beautiful color ; he then packed it very carefully in a neat little box of cotton batten, so as to give the impression that it was a dead ripe pear (in reality to hide the bottom of the gourd, which is very unlike a pear). The ‘‘ pear ” was then brought to the show, where there was much discussicn as to its variety and mode of culture. The prize win- ner declared that it was wax, avother that it was wood and tinted. But the owner would not allow his precious (pear) to be taken from the box, and so the joke went on, until some one that knew, ‘let the cat out of the bag.’ And now the horticulturists are wondering who it was that did not know a gourd from a pear. - R. B. C., Hamilton. 40° DRINKING FOUNTAINS, BELLE ISLE PARK. TELE CANADIAN HorTicuLTurIst. VoL. XXII TORONTO, 1s9o9; FEBRUARY. No. 2 OBLECT LESSONS PNcGiryY PARKS, Fie. 1513.— O make the public object les- sons worthy of imitation, their author must have a master mind to conceive and its keep- er must bea past master to execute. To plan out the various parts of a park so they will fit the uses for which those parts are designed, is almost an impos- sibility ; but if the designer can so plan that future additions may be made 43 without the various uses over-lapping each other or blending inharmoniously together, then his legacy to the park is a rich one. In general, parks are supposed to be small isolated territories not open to expansion of our Uncle Samuel, and consequently are supposed to be free from the many evidences of his com- mercial activity. They should be re- treats into which one may lose himself from his daily work, and everything that goes to make it complete should sym- bolize the words: vest, recreation and recuperation. My idea is that their beauty is en- hanced by a consistent arrangement, or is destroyed by associating things of divergent nature. Suppose the scene is that of wildness, as a native woods, ravine or small open glade, it should be removed and hidden from the more cultivated portions. The only improve- ment necessary is to make it accessible. A foot-path made after the plan of an Indian trail, a fallen tree as seats anda ‘AIST ATI 101) A [ ATIIG 40 AALIVAY ISVA-HLAOG NI MATA--‘FICT ‘OTT . 44 - OBJECT LESSONS IN CITY PARKS. Hig? 1515,—— drinking fountain made as a natural spring are in the line of improvements that are permissable. to improve it shows as little as possible the effect of man’s handiwork. In grounds where the scenery is artificial, that made by man, another condition exists. Flower beds may abound ; banks of flowering shrubs may fringe groups of ornamental trees, drinking fountains of artistic designs may be introduced, as may also a small lake or pond, fringed with ornamental grasses and filled with subtropical water plants. The lawn should be well ‘clipped ; the edges of the walks and drives properly edged, and everything here should show the careful attention of man. This picture is the opposite of the previous one. The careful per- formance of the work in the latter is as necessary as the rigid exclusion of it in the former. It is the proper under- standing and carrying out of the details of these pictures that gives the park its character. The picnic-grounds and play-grounds are localities that occupy a medium place between the two previously pic- Everything done _ tured. There must be abundant shade and a fairly good lawn, also tables, seats and drinking fountains sufficient for the needs. . A year ago, our Park Board placed in the picnic-ground a number of wire baskets for refuse paper. They: are about three feet high and twenty inches in diameter. On one side, they are concave, so they will fit against a tree to which they are locked by a chain. These baskets may not have been in _ proper keeping with good landscape effect, but they are far better than hav- ing the discharged lunch parcels scat- tered over the lawn. When I state that from six to eight cords of picnic refuse is gathered after a big picnic day, it can be seen that these baskets are very valu- able in keeping the lawns free from un- sightly litter. Parks that attract large crowds must be well supplied with drinking fuun- tains. These should be of such design as will harmonize with their surround- We are discarding the cast iron affairs and are using field stone. The horse drinking fountains should bz high enough so that the horsé can drink without unchecking. It is unac- countable why this is not more often done. i In no one thing can parks_be better object lessons in good taste than in the location and construction of its walks and drives. ‘The principal ones must be of a nature that they are in good condition at all times to be in keeping with park surroundings ; they should be of gravel or crushed stone. The latter, more commonly known as macadam roadways, is the kind that best fills the requirements, as it is comparatively free “from mud in wet weather and the dust is kept to the ‘minimum with-a small amount of sprinkling during droughts. In this day of good road agitation, 45 ings. €8VQ NI ANTOQ—'‘9TC ‘Oly ae Zi xinSth : ye: are 46 OBJECT LESSONS IN CITY PARKS. the public can rely with safety upon the experience of the park systems of our larger cities in the making of macadam roadways. In localities in Michigan where field stone is found, there is rea- son to hope that in the near future, means will be provided by which per- manent and lasting macadam roadways will be built. The main drives around the park must be of this permanent nature. No matter what the landscape is, the public demands it and no violence is done to landscape effects, if the drive skirts wild and romantic scenes. In such places no improvement outside of the roadway should be made, thus giving opportu- nities to all to come in direct contact with nature. Turf roads or mere trails may lead off the main driveway to more thorough contact with the wildness or to reach a desirable picturesque spot. In laying out the drives and walks caution must be exercised in making the curves. Do not let it appear that a curve is made because the curve itself is desired. If the ground is open, let the curve be a long sweep following the lay of land to make easy ascent or descent to the hills, but through the woods the curves may be shorter ; even abrupt. The bend should be sufficient to hide the road ahead of the curve. It is human nature to wish to see be- yond the next turn and by proper land- scaping one can be led on and on, each turn opening up new pictures, adding zest for more ; but let the traveller see the drive beyond the bend, the road looks too far and he gives up and re- turns. - I have in mind a walk that follows along the bank of a stream, as it runs through an open lawn. The walk is constantly changing its course and it is possible to see every curve in its sixty rods of length and its termination from 47 the starting point. In fact, it fairly seems a wriggle as the eye follows it along. I never saw anyone walking on this path, but were it more or less hid- den Ly shrubbery, I think it would be extensively used, as the scenery is beautiful ; but, as it is now, it all can be seen at a glance, so a closer inspection is not invited. . Paths should be arranged sufficiently direct so that cutting across the lawn is unnecessary, and the surface should be such that there is no tendency to walk on the lawn, A plantation of shrubs is more effective than the sign ‘‘ No path here,” and a thorough sweeping up of the loose stones on the walk is better than the sign on the adjacent lawn “ Keep off the Grass.” Last spring the Detroit Park Board tried an experiment of removing the “ Keep off the Grass” signs from every lawn on the park system. No serious damage followed and the benefit was in- estimable. When you consider that there are twenty-two small parks scat- tered throughout the heart of the city and are the lungs of thousands of peo- ple, it can be realized that the experi- ment was a momentous one. The plantations of flowers and shrubs that go to make up the beauty of a park should have a character. They should be so arranged that their effect is combined in one grand whole. There may be planted in one locality plants that blossom at the same time, and when they are at their best their beauty will attract the sight-seer to that place. A fortnight later it will be another collection and so on throughout the season. It may be a pansy bed, a collection of peonies, a mass of spiraea Van Houtti and viburnums, lilacs, roses, phlox, petunias, hybiscus, hydran- geas, golden rods, rudbeckias and sun- flowers, and ending up the season with ‘MIST ATTA NI Sy TALLY AHL 40 ANQ—'LIGT ‘Ot 48 OBJECT LESSONS IN CITY PARKS. a mass of bright colored autumn fol- iaged trees and shrubs as Thunberg’s berbery, sumach, sassafras or pepper- idge, etc. It is the aim of the Detroit Park Board to have the character of the dif- ferent parks dissimilar. Next in size to Belle Isle Park is Palmer Park, on which is situated Ex- Sen. Palmer’s log cabin, filled with relics of olden times. It is desired to carry out in this park the primitive conditions of early settlers, instead of gaudy geraniums and assertive canna, will be the old fashioned flowers. In this park will be Gollected all the plants obtain- able that are native of our State, that are worthy of cultivation. It will be a botanic garden of Michigan. It will be such a distinct and unique feature and object lesson that a person wishing to see our various parks can form no idea of this one by seeing any of the others. That the parks may not be defaced, the rules governing the privilege of stringing telegraph ‘and telephone lines should bea ‘prohibitory one, and those for park purposes should be placed in: conduits. Ag*# ‘to: the » _pdvertisements that may: from“tinie*tb time find their way within the park boundaries, there is but one way to settle that—-a complaint in the police court: In the Detroit parks everything in the way of an ad- vertisement is Jes even to hand- bills. A few regulations giving the main rules of a park that are most apt to be violated may be placed at the entrances. Outside: of that, the fewer rules.and signs posted about the park the better it is for all concerned. | The park should be conducted on broad lines, and the freedom of the peo- ple should be restricted as little as pos- sible. By this, I do not mean that law- lessness is allowable, but that there will be perfect freedom.-for the enjoyment of its advantages. There should be proper facilities for the enjoyment of the various amusements, a place to bathe, a place for children to wade and sail boats ; there may be baseball grounds, foot- ball grounds, bicycle tract, lawn-tennis or any sport that may be in popular favor. One more point. Let the parks be an object lesson in education. New or little known plants should be labeled. As the landscape features are built up, set aside a place where plants can be planted, each family more or less by it- self, with a label to every species. There are many very desirable plants growing in every park that people would like to obtain for their homes, but that do not know its name, and consequent- ly cannot order it from the nurserymen. A label giving its common name, scien- tific name and its family, places that plant where it can do its full duty to all. R. Jf CORVELE, -.. Supt. Detroit Parks: * Detroit, Mich. ‘ ‘. DRIED APPLES IN FRANCE. writes: The Fruit Trade Journal, “The decided increase in the im- portation of dried apples and pears should call the attention of the shippers of these commodities to the necessity of keeping this market well supplied with information in regard to the trade. (wis TOURGEE, of Bordeaux, 49 This consulate was overrun during last autumn and early winter with applica- tions for addresses of shippers of dried fruits in the United States... I found it very difficult from the resources at my command to answer these inquiries. In a general way this difficulty exists in regard to all lines of trade.” “SIST 5° FERTILIZERS IN COLD CLIMATES. T is well known that quick growing crops, Or crops grown in countries which from their high latitude or other causes, have a compara- tively short season of growth, require plant food in a form very readily assimi- lated. by the plant. An important mat- ter in relation to this point is that with a shortened growing season, maturity closely follows actual growth. If a crop of potatoes, for example, are grown in a northern latitude to be used as seed for more southern sections, it is very important that ample supplies of the mineral manures, potash and phos- phate, should be assimilated early in the growing season. Only a fully matured potato gives satisfactory results as seed, and a dwindling supply of mineral fer- tilizers, during the latter stages of growth, is pretty sure to result in a crop of im- mature potatoes; of lessened value as food, and of little value as seed. Canada-grown seed potatoes have for a long time been used in the United States for early potatoes, but of late years have only too frequently failed to give satisfactory results. It is very com- mon for the “ eyes” to fail to germinate, though the tuber is fair and plump so far as outward appearance goes. This is very probably due to the exhaustion of potash in many of the Canadian soils, from constant cropping without adequate restitution. Where wood-ashes are used freely, the same result happens very commonly ; woodashes are a good source of fertilizer potash, but they also carry large quantities of lime which acts to liberate the supplies of potash exist- ing naturally in the soil; as a conse- quence, the soil readily becomes defi- cient in potash. In the United States farmers have a common “ saying ” to the effect that lime enriches the father at the expense of the son, meaning that the 51 use of lime tends to exhaust potash quickly. Jf sufficient supplies of wood ashes were used to keep up the supply of potash, there could be no damage from the free use of lime, but to properly supply the potash needed yearly would require more wood ashes than the Do- minion can supply in ten years. Potatoes are an exhaustive crop. They are largely water and starch it is true but a good crop of potatoes remove more potash than nitrogen. Wheat removes only a little more potash than phosphoric acid, but oats much more closely resemble potatoes. An acre of oats will require more than twice the potash than an acre of wheat. What has been said of the influence of an ample supply of fertilizer minerals for the pro- per maturity of potatoes, applies with equal force to wheat and oats, or other crops. As seed, their condition for use in the Dominion is just as important as it is in the United States. To insure a supply of fertilizers at the proper time, use them early as well as in ample quantities. The mineral fertil- izers, that is phosphoric acid and potash, will lose little or nothing by being ap- plied weeks or months before plant growth begins, so long as surface wash- ing can be prevented. With nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, the appli- cation must be made only shortly before seeding. With minerals, apply enough and apply it early, is a safe maxim. R. GARWOOD. Note.—While we agree with our cor- respondent in most of what he says, and appreciate his remarks about the value of fertilizers, we can hardly accept his statement regarding the exhaustive ac- tion of wood ashes, which we do not think has been proven by fact, nor as to the decrease in the germinating power of Canadian potatoes, as the result of lack of potash, which is a new statement to us. EDITOR. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOME COMMON FRUITS. FREDERICK C. NEwcomBg, Ph.D., Jr. Prof. of Botany, University of Michigan. AN is not content to see the outside of things. It is not enough for some of us that we car recognize apples and grapes as such, but we wish to know how these things come to be, how they. originate and how they develop. We are to consider for a few moments the origin and development of a few of our common edible fruits. We all know that the flower precedes the fruit, and before we can talk of the origin of the fruit we must look to the structure of the flower. In Fig. 1519 is FIG. 1519.—Diagram of a flower in longitudinal] section. shown a diagrammatic view of a longi tudinal section of a complete flower. The parts uf the flower are seen to arise in circles from the flower stem, the lowest circle being the calyx, the nex above the corolla, then the stamens, and sitting on the apex of the stem is the pistil. The calyx is usually green, and surrounds the stem as a cup or as severa small leaves; in the bud it is folded closely over the other parts within, often protecting them by a waxy covering from the intrusion of rain, and from bird or insect enemies by distaste 52 secretions. The showy corolla which to man’s eye paints nature in beautiful colors, is a sign unfurled by the plant to tell insects of good things to eat, of banquets of pollen and nectar. The stamens with slender stalks supporting pollen-sacs are the male organs whose pollen-grains effect the fertilization of the ovule and thus start the growth of the fruit. The pistil is the female organ containing in its flask-shaped base, or ovary, the ovules which are the germs of seeds. This is the structure of a simple and complete flower. But every part just named is capable of modification, and there is no part among those named that may not be absent from some species of flowers. In the pea and the bean flower, for instance, the corolla is so modified that its separate leaves are no longer all alike, but together present a peculiar butterfly appearance. In the pumpkin the corolla is all in one piece forming a beautiful yellow funnel. The corolla may, instead of one, be com- posed of several rows of colored leaves, as in the cultivated rose or the white water lily. On the other hand, the corolla may be wholly absent, as in the flowers of the sugar maple; the calyx and corolla may both be absent as in our American sycamore and in the female flowers of the birch ; the stamens may be absent as in one kind of flowers in the melons, or the pistils may be absent as in the other kind of flower of the melons. When all parts are present in a single flower, the pistils and stamens may become mature at different times, thus insuring cross-fertilization, as in the pear. The successful fruit-raiser takes ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF all these variations into account ; for he. has learned that in order to raise cer_ tain kinds of strawberries, grapes, pears, etc., he must so arrange his plants that there shall be a plentiful supply of ripe pollen when the pistils are ready for fertilization. What is a flower taken asa whole? It is a modified branch; for it has an axis or stem from which grow the parts. of the calyx and corolla, these parts being leaves. The stamens and the pistils we belive to be also modified leaves; for we have many plants like the tulips and white water lily in which the parts of the corolla pass gradually into stamens. This is shown well in Fig. 1520. Moreover, there are many plants in which the pistils de- velop into leaves instead of taking their usual form ; our common tril- lium or wake Fic. rage f Lity (Nymphza odorata), rODIN 1S One O showing graduation from h sepal on the left, through these. petals to stamens on the right. 1520.—WHITE WATER If we wish to see the origin of a fruit, it is not enough that we find in the flower the part from which the fruit comes. We can go still farther back and find the origin of the parts of the flower. If we were to dis- sect a peach bud, or almost any other flower bud in December, we should find all the parts of the flower present in small size. If however, we were to make an examination in August or Sep- tember, we should find the buds then forming. Suppose we dissect carefully the tip of a branch in the late summer ; we should find the appearance shown in Fig. 1521. The first view shows the apex of the stem directed toward the observer, while growing from it is a circle SOME COMMON FRUITS. cP & vb re > 34) a. FIG 1521.—DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORANGE BLOS- som. (Citrusaurantium). 1, tip ofstem show- ing the origin of thes sepals; 2, the 5 petals beginning to show alternating with the sepals ; 3, appearance of the first 5 stamens; 4, other stamens arising on the flanks of the first 5; s, same stage as the preceding, but in different position, with calyx and corolla cut away; 6, origin of the circle of bee? as little hoods on the stem; 7, origin of pistils showing alone; 8, older stage of stamens and pistils ; 9, ro, rr, interior views of pistils; 12, young flower with pistils united into one in the middle, and other parts cut away on the near side ; 13, 14, show- ing the origin of seeds in the pistil; 15, 16, older pistils ; 17, 18, mature flower ; 19, mature pistil; 20, mature stamen; 2r, ovulesin pistil; 22, ovule enlarged. of little tongue-like structures. These five tongues are the germs of the five sepals. In No. 2, we see the sepals grown longer, while just above, and al- ternating with them are five little eleva- tions, the beginning of the five petals. In No. 3, sepals and petals have en- larged, and now appears a third circlet of elevations, the germs of the first stamens. Soon other stamen germs grow out beside these first five, so that in No. 4g, 5 and 6, where calyx and corolla have been partially cut away, one sees a circle composed of many little knobs. In No. 8, still another circle of elevations has risen from the stem, these being hood-shaped, and representing the beginning of the circle of pistils. In Nos. 72, z5 and 79, these pistil-germs have enlarged and finally 9 J THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. united to make one compound pistil. Nos. 73, 76 and 2z show how the ovules arise within the base of the pistil. Many of our edible fruits are formed, as we shall see, by the extraordinary development of the pistil, and it will be well to re- member that the first indication of the origin of such fruits is one or more lit- tle tongues of tissue rising from the sur- face of the stem at the tip of the branch. FIG. 1522.—A TO F NORTH AMERICAN FOX GRAPE. (Vitis labrusca) A, branch with leaves and tendrils ; B, unopened flower; C, male flower, D, female flower, with sterile stamens and lands alternating with the stamens; E, F, sross and Longitudinal sections of the pistil ; G to M, European Grape (Vitis vinifera). G, flowering branch; H, J, Longitudinal and Cross sections of the berry ; K, L, M, the seed. One of the simplest of our market fruits is the grape, illustrated in Fig. 1522. The figure 4 is a branch from our American Fox grape, the ancestor of many of our cultivated varieties. 2B shows a flower of this species, the calyx being a mere ring around the stem, while the corolla never opens, but early falls off, revealing the stamens as in C, or the pistil with abortive stamens as in D. Thus wesee that the flowers of this grape are of two kinds, male and female. The only part of the flower that devel- ops into the fruit is the flask-shaped pistil, which after fertilization begins to swell, becomes fleshy, loses its flask form to become spherical, finally becoming pulpy, a delicious fruit of the simplest origin—a modified pistil. FIG. 1523—SOUR CHERRY. (Prunus cerasus)’ A, flower cluster; B, flower in longitudinal sections, showing pistil sunken in cup-shaped stem ; C, fruit in section. From the grape we pass to cherries, peaches and plums, the cultivated species all derived by America from the old world. In Fig. 1523, the illustra- tion B shows a cherry flower longitudinal section. There are depicted flower stem, calyx, corolla, stamens anda single pistil. The same parts are present here as shown in our diagram Fig. 1519, but in the cherry the parts are differently dispos- ed.* The stem or axis instead of pre- serving its conical form becomes cup- shaped, bearing the pistil in the bottom of the cup, and all other parts on the rim of the cup. No one could tell by looking at this flower alone what parts would develop into fruit. It looks very much as though not only the pistil but also the cup-shaped stem would become fleshy. But in the immediate develop- ment after fertilization, the cup ceases to grow, while the single pistil begins to swell, the inner part of its wall becoming stony, the outer part fleshy and edible. The relation of stony and fleshy part is shown in C' (1523). Thus the fruit of the cherry, the peach and the plum are made solely from the enlarged base of the pistil. These fruits are therefore in origin the same as that of the grape. *In the following account the author has chosen to regard the cup-shaped base of the flower of Rosacez as an extension of the stem rather than as a calyx tube. 54 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOME COMMON; FRUITS. x |, The fruit of the lemon and orange are also derived from the pistil alone ; but whereas in the grape, cherry, peach and plum itis the wall of the pistil or ovary which becomes the succulent part, in the lemon and orange the ovary wall forms only the yellow skin, while the juicy flesh is formed by a mass of hairs which fill up the cavity of the ovary. The apple blossom is illustrated in FIG. 1524.—THE APPLE(Pirus malus). A, flower ; B, flower in section; C, flower in section with corolla removed; r, the axis or stem which develops into the fruit; D, fruit in longi- tudinal section, showing persistent calyx k, wall of ovary f,and vascular bundles y. E, fruit in cross section. Fig. 1524. If we look closely at the sections of flowers as shown at & and C, we shall note two principal variations from the structure of the cherry flower. The apple instead of one pistil as in the cherry has usually five; and the pistils instead of sitting freely in the bottom of the cup of the stem as in the cherry, are fused with the cup of the stem in theap- ple. As the fruit begins to develop after fertilization, the stem-cup, as well as the pistils, enlarges, carrying the rest of the flower on the rim of the cup for a short time ; soon the corolla, the stamens and the upper part of the pistils fall off, but the calyx remains even upon the ripe fruit. Of a quite similar origin to the apple are the pear and quince. The fruit of the apple, pear and quince is therefore a swollen stem or axis enclosing the base oo QC Oh of the pistil, thus differing widely from the fruits previously considered. Currants, “ huckleberries, gooseberries cranberries, pumpkins, squashes, melons and bananas have a similar origin to the apple ; for in the flower, their pistil-base is fused with the cup of the stem, and as the fruit develops both stem-cup and pistil-base enlarge together. There is, however, this difference between the fruits last named and those of the apple, pear and quince ; in the latter group the edible part is all or nearly all stem; while in the former group, the stem part is but a thin covering over the out- side, the edible part being mostly pistil. The flowers of the blackberry and raspberry have, as shown in Fig. 1525, a single circle of calyx leaves, a single circle of corolla leaves, but several cir- cles of stamens and pistils. By looking at B, Fig. 1525, it will be seen that the calyx, corolla and stamens, just as in the cherry and apple, arise from the rim of a stem-cup, a deep cup in the cherry and a shallow cup in the black- FIG. 1525.—EUROPEAN WILD BLACKBERRY. bus fruticosus). (Ru- A, a flowering branch’ B, flowerin longitudinal sections ; C, branch with fruit ; p corolla and ¢ calyx. berry. This cup in the raspberry and blackberry has rising from its bottom a solid dome, on whose sides the pistils are arranged. This dome is a part of the stem. The flower of the strawberry is in every way quite similar to that of the THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. are fused with the cup; while at A and BS, types of the strawberry and blackberry, the pistils grow from a dome rising from the bottom of the cup. Returning to a consideration- of the fruit of the blackberry and the strawberry, we find that although the flowers are so nearly alike, the edible parts of the fruit are much unlike. The pistils in the blackberry become thick-wall- ed, just as the single one does in the cherry, and these fleshy pistils give us the appearance shown in FIG. 1526.—STRAWBERRY. plant; B, flower; (Fragaria vesca). corolla and e¢ calyx. blackberry, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1526, B and C. The last four groups of figures exam- ined, those of the cherry, apple, black- berry and strawberry, illustrate members of one plant family—the rose family or Rosacez. Since this family furnishes ‘us in this region with the most of our tree and bush fruits, it may be worth while just here to take a comparative view of the flowers of its members, as illustrated in Fig.1527. It will be noted that in all these six flowers the calyx, corolla and stamens are borne on the rim ofa cup. The manner of arrange- ment of the pistils is what chiefly distinguishes the flowers from one another. At C we have the type of the cherry flower, with a single pistil in the bottom of the cup ; at D is the same relation, except that there are several pistils in- stead of one ; at Z, which is the A, complete C, flower in longitudinal section; D, pistil; E, pistil in longitudinal section: F, fruit; p Fig. 1525,,C, and Fig. 1528, B, the calyx of the flower still show- ing beneath the fruit. In the strawberry on the other hand, the pistils do not become fleshy; they remain small and become dry and hard, while the domed axis from which they grow swells enormously, furnishing thus the edible part. Therefore the blackberry is composed mostly of succulent pistils attached to a small central stem or core, while the strawberry is composed mostly of the enlarged central stem, in whose surface are borne the dry pistils. Fig. 1528 shows a series of three ber- type of the rose flower, the pistils are borne on the sides as well as on bottom of the cup; at /; the apple flower, the base of the pistils 56 corolla. FIG. 1527.—Comparative view of flowers of the Rose Family A, Marsh Five Finger (Potentilla palustris!; B, Avens (Geum urbanum) ;'C, Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla alpina) ; D, Meadow-Sweet (Spirz2a decumbens); E, Dog Rose (Rosa canina); F, Apple (Pirus malus)* e calyx and p ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOME COMMON FRUIT. Fic, pre Comepasative few of fruits. A, Strawberry; B, Raspberry ; C, Mulberry. ries—strawberry,raspberry and mulberry. The mulberry, to a superficial observer, may look not unlike the raspberry or the blackberry. We see, however, that each little fruit in a raspberry or blackberry is tipped with a single thread—the re- mains of the upper part of the pistil ; but each little fruit in the mulberry is tipped with more than one thread, and there are lines crossing the fruitlet. If we cut longitudinal sections of these berries, we shall have before us such | appearances as are shown in Fig. 1529. From these figures and from a study of the development of the fruits, it can be seen that the fruit of the strawberry is a fleshy stem or axis with the small dry pistils in its surface ; the fruit of the blackberry is composed of many fleshy pistils attached to a slightly fleshy axis ; the fruit of the raspberry, as ready for market, is like that of the blackberry except that the pistils of which it is composed are separated FIG. 1529.—View of fruitsin section. A, Straw- berry; B, Blackberry ; C, Raspberry; D, Mul- berry. Dotted line in A and B show where the fruit separates from the axis. 2 57 FIG 1530. flowers ; B, head of fruit; C, single flower, showing calyx and corolla; D, flower in longitudinal section ; E, petal and stamen ; F, pistil and calyx. from the central axis ; while the fruit of the mulberry consists of a whole branch, all parts of the flow- ers of which have developed over into fruit. Each little fruit in a mulberry has a central part which is the pistil containing seeds, and. enveloping this pistil are four fleshy calyx-lobes. Each little fruit is attached by a short stem to the central larger stem; so that the mul- berry is made from a whole group of female flowers including the stems of these flowers. The mulberry is therefore the same kind of fruit as a naked ear of corn. In the ear of corn, however, the pistils are not united with the calyx as in the mulberry. PINE APPLE. (Ananas sativus). A, headof In the pine apple, Fig. 1530, the flowers are grouped in a head as in the flowers of the red clover. There is a central stem from which the flowers branch off as in the mulberry, but in the pine apple, in addition to the various parts of the flower, there are leaves in- terspersed, a leaf just below each flower. When the pine apple ripens, all parts become fleshy and fuse together, pistils, stamens, corollas, calyxes, leaves and plant stem, all uniting to make this deli- cious fruit. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. - FIG, 1531.- -(Fi us carica). A, flowering branch ; BR, female flower; C, male flower ; D, maturein longitudinal section. In the last fruit to be dealt with here, the fig, we have the same parts present as in the pine apple, only their arrange- ment is different. In the fig, the plant stem instead of being solid, giving off flowers outwardly as in the pine apple and the mulberry, is urnshaped, giving off flowersinwardly, asseen in Fig.1531 D The urn of the fig is outwardly nearly like that of the rose, Fig. 1527 Z; but the urn of the rose gives off only pistils, while that of the fig gives off flowers and rudimentary leaves. Thus it is seen that fruits arise from the development of various parts present in the flower ; that the parts of the flower all arise as little tongue-like out-growths from a plant stem ; that in the ripe fruits, we have in the grape, cherry, plum and peach only the pistil of the flower; in the apple, pear, quince and others, the pistil with a thick stem part outside ; in the raspberry, a hollow dome composed of many pistils; in the blackberry, a central stem bearing many succulent pis- tils ; in the strawberry, a succulent stem bearing dry.pistils ; in the mulberry, a thin central stem bearing many lateral flowers, all of whose parts become suc- culent and remain in the fruit ; in the pine apple and fig, a complex of pistils, stamens, corollas, calyxes, leaves, and stems. NEATER PACKAGES FOR FRUIT. There is a needed tendency toward smaller and neater packages for fruits. In addition to getting nearer the wants of the consumer, the fruits are not sub- ject to the injury they are exposed to in large packages, where the ripe are crush- ed by the greener ones. A light attrac- tive package helps to no small extent in the sale of the contents. The cost of the packages is no longer a big expense. The decline has kept pace with the de- cline in values of fruit, and new and im- proved machinery insures still lower prices for many of the packages necessary. Conceding that the grower has done 58 his duty so far in raising, picking and packing the fruit, the next step is the best market, and last, but not least, the firm selected to ship to. The alluring and neatly worded circulars have led many shippers astray. Big figures, too, often prove a bait that many cannot re- sist. Every big market has plenty of firms who are entirely satisfied with their legitimate commissions, to whom the grower can ship without assuming any risk. Beware of the big, windy circulars that promise everything, and the firms that send them out.—Proceedings of American Pomological Society. PALM CULTURE IN OUR HOMES. Read by Mr. J. O. McCulloch, at the December Meeting of the Hamilton Horticultural Society. N this paper “ Palm Culture in Our Homes,” I can only give an ac- count of the method pursued by myself. It may not be the best method, but it has resulted in some fairly good plants, and there is no doubt that any one, with the exercise of a little care and patience, can produce This is a mistake, as there are few plants that will give as much satisfaction, with ordinary care as some varieties of the palm. (They will grow and thrive where any blooming plant would prove a disappointment, because they do not require the sunlight which most other plants must have. a Fic. 1532.—PuHa@n1x RECLINATA. fine specimens of this most graceful and beautiful class in our ordinary living rooms; and I hope, that those who have succeeded, perhaps by some differ- ent method, will give us the benefit of their experience. It is unfortunate that many have been deterred from attempting to grow palms, by the somewhat widespread notion, that they will not do well in the house. 59 Palm culture, - like everything else, must start by procuring the palm. Any florist can supply you, but it is not so easy to say with what variety to begin. If I were advising anyone to make a start, it would be with Phenix Reclinata or Phenix Rupicola. These two will stand almost anything, high temperature, low temperature, fluctuating temperature, coal gas (the less of it however the THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. better), and even drying out until the leaves droop, and still maintain an ap- pearance of which no one need be ashamed. Next in order would come the Kentias, Balmoreana, Forsteriana, and Canterburyana, then Latania Bor- bonica and Seaforthia Elegans, followed after a little experience, by Aveca Lut- escens and Cocos Weddeliana ; these last two are very graceful, the Cocos per- haps being the finest of all for table symmetry so necessary in a_ palm. However, having possessed yourself of a plant grown in a high temperature, is no reason for discouragement, as each succeeding leaf, after the first one grown outside the greenhouse, will come on a little longer stem, and the plant in time resume its graceful shape. When buy- ing, be sure your plants are well rooted, have them turned out of the pots and see that the tips of the roots are white Fic. 1533.—PHanix Rupico.a. decoration. And now a word about buying the plant, content yourself with something of rather a small size to start with and try and get a plant that has been grown in a cool temperature. If you get a plant that has been grown in a high temperature, the next few leaves it puts out, after having been removed from the greenhouse, will come with shorter stems than those al- ready on the plant, thus destroying the 60 or pink, and that there is a goodly num- ber of them. A well rooted, cool grown palm may be safely removed from the greenhouse to our living rooms at any season of the year. “The first requisite of house culture is regular attention. Other plants may be ,injured by neglect and quickly re- cover, not so with the palm. The damage done by one weeks neglect may require a couple of years to repair. By PALM CULTURE IN OUR HOMES. regular attention, I do not mean water- ing. or for that matter doing anything else at stated intervals, except looking your plants over at least once a day, to see what attention they need. There can be no stated time for watering plants. The temperature of the rooms may be higher one day than another, and easy as it is, it has proved a greater stumbling block than anything else. Constant soaking with water has ruined many palms, and drying out has pro- bably ruined as many more. When you water do it thoroughly, using tepid water if it is handy, and then watch your plant until it shows signs of becoming dry, Fic. 1534.—Kentia FoRSTERIANA, there may be more sunlight, the air may be drier ; in fact, there area variety of causes, not easily traced, which make it possible for a plant to require water twice in two days at the beginning of a week, and once in two days at the end of it. To be able to determine whether a palm needs water or not, is perhaps the most essential thing in palm culture, 61 before watering again. You can tell this by the appearance of the earth in the pot, by the feel of it, or perhaps best of all, by the sound produced by rapping the pot with the knuckles. To become familiar -with this last method, take a pot filled with earth and let it become dry; rap it sharply with the knuckles and note the sound, then water THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. it, and rap again noting the difference. Have a pot that was watered the day before, rap it and- you will have still another note. With a little practice you will be able to tell by this simple method whether a plant needs water or not. The only rule to be laid down is, never allow the earth to become dry enough to powder between the thumb and finger, and never keep it soaking wet. One of the best methods of water- ing is to place the plant in a pail or tub of water, where the water is deeper than the pot, and allow it to stand until the air bubbles cease to come to the sur- face ; then, in taking the pot out, drain the water from the top of the pot so that as little water‘as possible will pass through the soil. The reason that this method is better than the one usually employed is, that the. earth in drying _ shrinks away from the pot; and when. the water is poured in at the top, it is very apt to find its way down the sides of the pot and out at the bottom, with- - out having thoroughly penetrated the centre. watered by this method do not dry so You will also find that plants : once a week and ata time when the plant needs water. Perhaps the easiest way is to stand the plant in a bath or tub and give the leaves a shower bath with the watering can, or fill up the bath and put the plant in so as to cover the leaves, if necessary, placing it on its side. Should you prefer to have the leaves cleaner than these methods will make them, rub them over with a damp sponge, rinsing it occasionally. There is no necessity to use castor oil or any- thing else of that nature to make the leavés glossy, if they are kept perfectly clean. Handle your palms carefully. The tip of the coming leaf in some varieties is very brittle, the slightest “touch will break it as I have found out to my sorrow more times than one. If you should be so unfortunate as to break one, don't feel too bad about it as the injury is generally temporary, seldom . effecting the leaf after opening. ae With regard to temperature, a palm with proper watering will stand a higher or a lower temperature, than we would find comfortable in our living rooms. quickly, thus showing that the watering "Itisa mistake to suppose that they re- was more thoroughly done. And now I must sound a note of warning in re- | gard to jardinieres, they are all very well in their place, and certainly im- prove the appearance of a handsome palm, but they were never intended to water palms in. When you water your plant, take it out of the jardiniere and allow it to drain before putting it back ; and it is perhaps as well, as a matter of precaution, to have an inch of beach gravel, or something of that nature, in the bottom of the jardiniere, and when you lift your plant out, drain out any water that may have actumulated. The next matter of importance is washing the leaves. ‘To keep a palm in good order, this must be done at least 62 quite an extra amount of heat. They will grow and thrive just as well in a lower temperature, say from 55 to 65°, and in the end make a better plant. which many valuable suggestions were’made, ‘all of which were en- dorsed by the meeting,---He also-sent.a draft copy of By-Laws which were adopted with slight changes. The election of officers for the current year was then proceeded with, resulting as follows: Ven. Archdeacon Mal. holland, President ; R. McKnight, ‘Ast Vice- President. An animated discussion then took place as to the best method of extending the useful- ness of the Society, amongst other conclusions arrived at, it was decided to hold four public meetings during the course of the year, at which addresses are to be delivered by’ some member of the Society. Two of these meet- ings were provided for, Dr. Cameron and Mr. McKnight being secured to address them At a meeting of the Board of Directors subsequently held, Treasurer Peckham was re-elected, and the services of D. R. Dobie were secured as Secretary. The Society ‘begins the year with a list of 53 paid up members. Mem One By iW fake om | BrockviLLe —This Society was or; on the 11th ult., with about 100 mem eh in affiliation with the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, The President is Mr. Samuel * Reynolds, and Mr. Geo. A. McMullen, Sec. - Treasurer. The by-laws submitted by our Committee was adopted with a few small amendments. As the President remarked in his closing address, ‘‘ It is to be hoped that all lovers of flowers and plants will join the Society and reap the benefits accruing there- from. By the payment of one dollar per siege a member is entitled to full member- rivileges, which includes free admission ‘meetings, exhibitions, etc., the selec- ties frouka choice list of rare and hardy fruit ‘=trees, shrubs, creepers and flower plants.” 2 The membership will include the whole of “the county of Leeds, and the officers trust they will be loyally supported by all parties interested in gardening and orchards, or window gardening. In addition to the bene- fits referred to, every member will receive a free copy~ of ‘the Canadian Horticulturist pegsene for one year. Nracara Fairs. = at the Annnal Meeting . Balyon was elected President ; Thos. ertson, Secretary. The plants to be distributed this year are Rudbeckia, Golden ~ Glow,-Hardy phlox, Eulalia Zebrina, Deutzia gee “Weigela rosea;and one packet each -of hardy Larkspur and ‘Canterbury bells. nt i ee Lanpsay. —Our Annual Meeting was small, ocr other meetings the same evening. lected Mr Alex. Carters, President ; “Mr. F. J. Frampton, Secretary. We and ; adopted, she se laws with-some amendments. Rie =z aes ise £ Cosoure. SAmong the“ officers elected at ‘our annual meeting were Mro-J. D. Hayden, president, and. Major H.° J. Snelgrove, Secre- “tary Duiitig 1898 the members of the society was increased from 86 to 91. There is a balance of $25 in the Treasurer's hands, = Last a the directors distributed among the resident members a lige quantity of rare plants, shrubs, trees, bulbs, etc., including cannas, roses, honey-suckles, hollyhocks, anemones, deutzias, forsythias, lilacs, spirzas, rudbeckias, irises, ivies, clematis, bigonias, ponies, astérs, carnations, narcissi, hy- acinths, tulips, currants, plums, raspberries, etc., comprising a valuable acquisition to Co- bourg’s beantifal gardens. Under the prac- tical direction of Mr. Baker, a number of choice new vegetable seeds were also intro- duced. Besides receiving THe HortTIccLTurist, a monthly magazine devoted to fruit, flowers and forestry, and the useful report of the On- tario Fruit Grower’s Association, the mem- bers of the society will have the privilege of hearing lectures by noted florists from time to time. Mr. Webster of Hamilton, has been invited to address the society on ‘‘ roses” at an early date, which will be a rich treat for all lover of the queen of flowers. 74 OUR AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. Tue Grimspy Socrety elected Messrs. E. J. Palmer, president, and W. H. Read, sec- retary-treasurer. A resolution was passed to hold three monthly meetings, the 2nd Mon- day in February, March and April. At the first, a paper will be read on the Carnation by Mr. A. Cole, 2nd vice-president. The by-laws, as suggested by the Fruit Growers’ Association was adopted. At a meeting of the directors held later, it was decided to send out the following fine list of plants to each meniber, viz: Hyperi- cum, Carnation, Lilium auratum, Draccena, Datura, Dahlia, Salvia, English violet, speci- fic kinds to be selected later. WATERLOO,—The directors congratulated the society on the continued prosperity, the members having increased to 167 during the past year, each of whom received the CAN- ADIAN HorRTICULTURIST, and a bound copy of the Annual Report. In addition there has been distributed 72 plum trees, 114 cherry trees, 102 spruce trees, 352 house plants, 15 peonies, 87 Crimson Ramblers, 16 Gault raspberries, 3 black currant bushes, 54 Wick- son _ trees, and 2,004 Hyacinth bulbs. The financial report was as follows : RECEIPTS. ‘Balance on hand......... eseee $ 42 89 Legislative Grant............. 140 00 Membership Subscriptions..... 167 00 Miscellaneous Minor Receipts.. 20 55 $370 14 EXPENDITURES. Horticultural Periodicals ...... $133 60 Trees and Plants.............. 164 88 Miscellaneous .... ........... 24 22 : $322 70 Balance on hand............. $47 74 At the election Mr. A. Weidenhammer was made president, and Mr. J. H. Winkler, secretary. A resolution was passed, author- izing the directors to purchase $15 worth of flower bulbs in the fall, and distribute them between the Central and the separate school children, with the object of cultivating a taste for flowers among the children. . BRAmpToN.—At the Annual Meeting, Mr. A. Barber was elected President, and Mr. Henry Roberts, Secretary-Treasurer. Doruam.—The Annual Meeting of Durham Horticulturist Society was held in the Public Reading-Room, on the evening of the 11th inst. Reports were read, the Directors’ An- nual by the Secretary ; the Auditors’ by the Treasurer. These on motions were adopted. A communication from the Secretary of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, contain- ing By-Laws for adoption by Affiliated Socie- ties was, as requested, read and relegated toa future meeting of Directors for consideration. The election of officers for the current year then was proceeded with :—C. Firth, Presi- dent ; G. McKechnie, Vice-President. Busi- ness being completed an adjournment took place. The Directors met then and John Kelly was elected Treasurer, and Wm. Gors- line, Secretary. After routine business, pass- ing accounts, etc., Directors’ meeting ad- journed at the call of the President. The Directors’ Annual Report for 1898 was as follows :— Ladies and Gentlemen,—-We wish you the compliments of the season, and are pleased to report that our efforts during the past year for the attainment of the objects of our organ- ization, the diffusion of horticultural know- ledge and the distribution of nursery stock, plants, bulbs, etc., has been appreciated.and attended with a fair measure of success. Many of our members purchased and had delivered to them, free of charge, those things at cost prices, which were so low as to be to them a revelation—a complete surprise. An exhibition of house plants and cut flowers was held in the beginning of Septem- ber. The great heat and long continued drought of summer gave these such a forlorn aspect generally, ‘that a selection for show purposes were somewhat of a difficult and critical task. Members and others kindly per- mitted us t» select such as we chose, and these, when collected carefully and judicious- ly and artistically massed on a raised plat- form in the centre of the Town Hall, most pleasantly surprised the many visitors. From the province and county liberal grants were received during the year, which enabled us to deal generously with our mem- bers, to each of whom we gave premiums costing 83c, The Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association supplemented this by a free dis- tribution for experimental purposes of trees, plants, etc., giving one or more to each person. Through the Society during the year, mem- bers obtained flowering shrubs—rose bushes and peonies; small fruit bushes—black cur- rant, gooseberry and raspberry, 780; fruit trees—apple, pear, cherry, plum and peach, 108; strawberry plants, 50; house plants— palms and chrysanthemums, 39; bulbs and tubers—gladioli, calla, hyacinth, tulip, lily, narcissus, daffodil, tuberous rooted begonia, and canna, 4600) ; papers of seeds—flower and vegetable, 475. Of these 6186 articles, the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association supplied 113, the Society gave 3213 as premiums, and members purchased, through the Secretary, 2860. Curis. Fiera, President. Wa. GORSLINE, Secretary. 75 ——— . “Mee The Canadian Horticulturist We 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 or Post-Office Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the Address Label. ys! ‘ ADV ERTIS NG RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. LOCAL NEWS.—Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of local events or doings of Horticultural Societies likely to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. : ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc. ; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. : ISCONTINUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their revised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. = « IN RETURN. To THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST in reply to its New Year’s greeting inits new dress, to its 5000 subscribers Your subscribers (thousands five) In return wish you Joy and gladness o’er your live, Lustrous, garments new ; Which are in perfect keeping with Your intellectual power and pith. “ Athol Bank,” Hamilton, Jan. 1899 The same five thousand also wish Your Editor in-chief, Long life and every luscious dish That can convey relief To one who in our time of need Has been a patriot indeed. Wm. Murray. +j Notes and NEw CREATIONS IN FRUITS IN FLow- ERS, supplement for 1899 from Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, California, con- tains notices of several new fruits of inter- est. Among them we notice the Climax plum, the best selection from a number of hybrids of Simoni and Botan. The originator claims that it is “as produc- tive as Burbank, about four or five times as large, two or three weeks earlier, and very much more richly colored.” Another new plum is Comments. & The Sultan, a cross between Wick- son and Satsuma, over two inches in diameter and round, excellent sub-acid. Ripens a week before Burbank ; a great keeper. The Bartlett is another, unfortunately named we think—but so called because in quality, flavor and fragrance, it so re- sembles that pear. A cross between Simoni and Delaware. A new quince, the Pineapple, is also offered, similar in appearance to the 76 NOTES AND orange, but much lighter yellow, and higher flavor. Said to cook tender in five minutes. Mr. HaRo_p Jones of Maitland, sends us for this number the first of a series of articles adapted for fruit growers north of the St. Lawrence river. The first is on the Cultivation and Care of Or chards, to be followed by articles on Fertilizing, Trimming, Harvesting, Grad- ing, etc. STRAWBERRY P ants for new planta- tions should be well chosen. Only those formed by runners should be used, and of these the first formed are the best. It is injurious to a bearing plan- tation to allow the plants to run freely, because the last formed will produce little fruit, and cause the variety to “run out.” The very best plants are those first formed on a young plantation in its first year. THe Harvequin Buc.—Prof. John- son, of Maryland, says that this insect which is so destructive to turnips, radishes, cabbage or mustard, is very difficult to kill, as it does not eat the foliage but simply sucks the juices. The insect has a particular fondness for mustard, which is planted as a trap crop, and the insects are afterwards destroyed by strong kerosene wash. He suggests the use of kale as a still better trap, be- cause it can be planted in the fall, and being already in leaf in early spring will catch the early appearing insect. “A FasHIONABLE FLOWER.—A fine, new carnation has been raised by George Nicholson, Framington, Mass. It is a beautiful pink color, and is named Mrs. E. N. Lawson, after a Boston woman. The papers state that there was consid- erable competition among florists for the purchase of this variety, one of chem COMMENTS. a Bostonian having offered $5,000, and a Chicago man $6,000. We should not advise the owner to hesitate long over such offers. SPRAYING FOR Funct is seldom as it should be, and, when failure results, the first grower declares it a useless waste of time and money. Usually the lazy method is followed, of riding about the orchard and squirting a light spray on the outside leaves in passing ; this is a most ‘superficial method to be sure. The thorough method, and the only paying method, is to have the nozzles carried under the trees, or elevated on poles among the branches, by a man walking, who sees to it that every leaf and every branch is covered with the mixture, and this at least three or four times in the season. Ir THE GRAPE PRUNING was left un- finished in the fall, we would advise that the work. proceed in mild weather. With Concords and such vigorous growers, almost all the young growth needs removing, to about two buds from the main arm. With slower growers like Wilder we would advise the cutting back every other shoot at two years of age. CrupE PETROLEUM is recommended as an insecticide by Prof. J. B. Smith, in Entomological News.- Kerosene was too strong to be safely applied, but all experiments with the Crude Petroleum had been successful, without doing any injury. He had first tried on pear tree affected with San José Scale, painting every part ; then a dozen similar trees, then entire orchard of Ben Davis apple trees was sprayed with Crude oil, and all these experiments were successful in killing the insects without injuring the tree. The Ben Davis apple trees were 77 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. sprayed April 14 to 22, and in the following September were fully loaded with fruit. Pompon CHRYSANTHEMUMS. — We notice American Gardening speaks favorable of this class for amateur culti- vation. For some time this old group has been somewhat neglected, owing to the more showy and popular green- house monstrosities. But it appears that many are paying attention to Pom- pons, because of their ease of cultiva- tion, and of their abundant bloom even under considerable neglect. The varie- ties mentioned in Gardening as worthy of a place in the amateur’s garden are (1) Rose Trevenna; (2) La Sceur Me- lanie ; (3) Emily Roeboltom, and (4) Jules Lagravere. THE WORDEN SECKEL pear is figured in the January number of the American Nurseryman, as being considerably larger than the well-known Seckel. This new variety was originated by Sylvester Worden, of Oswego Co., N. Y., origina- tor of the Worden grape. It is claimed for it that it is a first class dessert pear, of very beautiful appearance. The tree is said to be hardy and productive. We expect fruit of this pear at Maplehurst this coming season, and will then report farther. New AFFILIATED SOCIETIES.—Seven new Societies have been formed this year in affiliation with us, viz. :—St. Catharines, Kemptville, Carleton Place, Arnprior, Millbrook, Cardinal, Brock- ville. This makes forty-two in all that have thus been formed during the past three years in connection with our Association, and so popular and success- ful are they, that they gain in numbers and interest year by year. The old fashioned societies are dying out, be- 78 coming every year involved in financial difficulties, and in time we doubt not nearly all the provincial horticultural Societies will become associated with us. THE RussELL STAPLE PULLER, of which a sample has been sent us by Russell Hardware Company, Kansas City, Mo., is a fine handy tool combin- ing staple puller, wire cutter, hammer, wire splicer, pincers, monkey wrench, etc. The firm would like some firm to take charge of it in Canada. It cer- tainly would be a very convenient tool in keeping the wire trellesis in order in a vineyard. WoopaLtt & Co., apple receivers, Liverpool, send us a review of the apple market to 31st Dec. They note the almost entire absence of Newtown Pip- pins, of which in the past there have always been a few fine samples, enough to satisfy the fancy trade, but this year they have been conspicuous by their absence. A few inferior to: medium did come forward, but were a sorry repre- sentative of the well-known and much appreciated fruit, and not being what was wanted were ignored, although some few sold up to 35/ per barrel, which was | very much beyond their value, and which buyers discovered too late and to their cost. Californian Pippins, in boxes, have to some extent taken the place of New- towns, and although of fine appearance, are not considered equal in flavor, so that when there is a good crop of the old favourite, it will not find that its position has been usurped. NoveELTIEs.—The Baldwin cherry is a new claimant for patronage, named after the introducer, Mr. S. J. Baldwin, Seneca, Kansas. A sweet and rich cherry of the Morello type. 4 Question Orawer. Kk Orinthogalum. Reply to Question r0g1, by W. E. Saunders, London, Ont. Ornithogalum Arabicum may be forced in the house for winter bloom by the same treatment as that given to the hyacinth. It requires a longer season of active growth, and the flower is fully six weeks later than that of the hyacinth, but ordinarily good treatment should suffice. I have not always been suc- cessful with it, and think that possibly it may be injured by delay in planting. Good bulbs, planted early, have usually succeeded. It is a striking plant in bloom, the black centre of the flower giving it an unusual appearance; but the pot needs to stand on the floor, as the flower stem is about two feet long beneath the umbel. Reply by Mr. E. A. Bog, Secretary Cambellford Horticultural Society. _.Srr,—In answer to Mr. Dickson’s enquiry No. 1041, I may say that I have forced the Ornithogalum Arabicum with great success. My treatment is as follows : “ Pot the bulbin a 4 or 5 inch pot, first week in October. Bury the pot in the garden with about a foot of soil over it, leave it there until end of November ; then bring it into the house and put it in a hot, sunny window, give plenty of water, plant food twice a week ; will bloom in February or March. I had three magnificent specimens last winter, which were the admiration of everyone who saw them. The bulbs I had were imported dvec¢ from Holland. My object in burying the pot in the garden is that the top grows very quick- ly, before the roots start; burying it prevents injury to the top and does not grow so quickly. Apples for Profit. ° 4042. Srer,—As I am thinking of plant- ing from eight to ten acres of winter apples, I would like your advice as to Ontario, Cran- berry, Ben Davis and York Imperial, and a. few others. A. B., Picton, Ont. Questions concerning the best varie- ties to plant in a certain section can. only be answered in a general way, be- cause those most desirable this year may be quite displaced by new varie- ties in a few years. There can be little said, however, against the varieties above mentioned. Ontario is a great favorite with those who grow it, as a commercial apple, because it is so clean, so uniform in size, so regular in bear- ing, and so well colored. Its chief fault seems to be over-bearing, which is inclined to weaken the vitality of the tree, and shorten its life. ~The Cranberry Pippin is a favorite export apple with the writer, for on rich © sandy and clay loam, the fruit is re- markably fine. It is larger and better: colored than Ben Davis, carries well to a distant market, and yellows up about Christmas so as to set off its red stripes to the best advantage. But it is a very fastidious variety, if we may so speak of an apple, for unless soil and climatic conditions suit, it is apt to bear a good many blemished or wasty samples. Ben Davis is reliable,.and pays ; and, until an apple of the same season, pro- ductiveness, and good appearance, but of better quality, appears, we are obliged © to accept it in spite of its poor quality. — York Imperial has a high reputation, but has not been tested in Canada, so far as we know. We would be inclined to add Blen- heim and Wealthy to the list ; for both 79 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. are superb apples; and we wish we could add Sfy and zug, but our expe- rience in apple growing for thirty years past would condemn them both for planting, the former because .it does not produce well until fifteen or twenty years planted, and the latter because it never bears paying quantities. Both are prime apples—the best in quality for general uses, but what is the use of quality if you cannot get enough of it to be worth handling? We have an orchard of Northern Spys, covering about six acres of ground. They have been planted twenty-five years, and have only given us two good crops! We have an orchard of Kings about thirty-five years planted, which have never given more than three good crops and several small crops. Pears for Export. 1043. Sir,—I intend planting, next spring, a large number of pear trees, and have decided that for export varieties the Duchess d’Angouleme, Beurre Clairgeau, and Beurre d’Anjou, are as good as any. The ovly question that undecides me is, whether they are sufficiently prolific, to pay as well as others. If planted, they will be in good strong clay soil, well drained, and will carefully cultivated. Now will some kind friend, who can speak from sweet or bitter experience, please let me know, through these columns, as soon as pos- sible, if these varieties yield a good paying crop, under the treatment spoken of above ? Also, I would like to know, from an expe- rienced man, whether Mountain Ash is a de- sirable stock on which to graft pears ? W. B. SrEpPHENs, Owen Sound, Ont. The experience thus far gained in exporting pears to the British market is so small and limited, covering only two years, and that chiefly from one section, and a limited number of varie- ties—that it is quite too soon to give a settled opinion regarding the best for the purpose. We have had excel- lent success exporting the Bartlett in cold storage, for when it arrives in good condition, it sells well. This last sea- son we received from 5oc. to $1.25 net for %3 bushel cases, or about $3.50 per bushel for the very finest—but they 80 need great care in storage, or they will arrive rotten and be a bill of expense. We cannot therefore recommend this pear for general planting for export. Fine DucueEss pears always do well, if well grown.’ They usually do better as dwarfs than as standards, growing to a finer size. In the Grimsby section the Duchess orchards have not been bearing well for several years, we do not know why, for the tree has the character of being productive. If this variety does well in Simcoe county, it may be planted with confidence that a fine quality will bring a good price in the British market. : CLAIRGEAU is a fine-sized pear of beautiful appearance, and a good ship- ping kind. Well grown and well col- ored it is a variety of great excellence, and should do well for a distant mar-_ ket. It may be grown either as a dwarf or standard. Anjou is one of the finest, and no pear, that we sent over, brought prices equalling it. Some bushel cases sent over in 1897 sold for $3.75 each. In our experience at Grimsby, however, this variety is a poor bearer as a stand- ard, and the fruit is not quite as large as on the dwarf. We have always grown it on sandy loam, and no doubt the standard would do better on clay, still in any case we would expect the best fruit on the dwarf. The Kierrer should also be planted to a limited extent, because it is sure to succeed. It will grow anywhere, and produce tremendous crops. With good cultivation and manure, and thin- ning, it will yield fine-sized fruit. This pear ripens for use in December and January, and will carry any distance in perfect condition. The only question is its quality, which is very poor for dessert. For canning it is unexcelled. However, should the time come when it is not in demand, no stock would be finer for top-grafting than the Kieffer. Regarding the Mountain Ash for stock there is no doubt that it will answer, for it has been frequently used ; but we would give the preference to a good seedling pear. Se» Eh Sarai Lepeweien gt fete Pa Yale rr Y ee - mee) yr Ye. i aN cre iit he *LNO ‘SHNINVHLVS “LS ‘AVd “YW SO GUVHDAO AHL NI ‘LYOdXH YOd SH IddV DNIMDVd BS TARE CANADIAN HorTiCuLTURIST. Vou. XXII. TORONTO, L892: MARCH. No. 3 PACKING APPLES FOR EXPORT. FAVERY year it becomes more F=\ evident that for the best suc- L—~7 cess in fruit growing for profit, the aim must be to adapt. our work to the foreign demands, rather than to our own markets ; ‘at least in the case of such fruits as can be exported. Canada can no longer find use for the apples, pears or grapes she produces ; and some seasons is even overstocked with plums and peaches., And now that it has been proved that the first two can be exported, we hope for success with the others also. In apples, the Baldwin and the North- ern Spy have always been the leading varieties for export from Ontario and truly it is difficult to choose two others among all the hundreds of new apples, which can displace them. Uniformity of packing is the great want of the present day, and were it possible to secure this end by means of legislation, we would urge such legisla- tion. What is there for example, to prevent the present inspection Act to be so changed as to require that Grade r for apples, should mean apples about 2% inches in diameter, in addition ’to the present requirements of that grade, suchas freedom from worm holes, bruises, and other blemishes ; and that Grade A 1 should” mean apples about 3 inches in diameter, of good color and form, in addition to above points. Here then would be the grades exactly defined, and they would form the basis of agree- ment:in selling to a distant buyer. As it now is we have no uniforinity in-size, and one man’s No. 1 may be no larger than another man’s No. 2, and the grad- ing marks are meaningless. We would go further than simply to establish grades and sizes: we would have it made a misdemeanor to put the stamp Grade A 1 upon a grade 1 or a grade 2 package of fruit, and make the shipper or seller of such false pack- age liable to a fine, or confiscation of goods. We would go further still, and have an inspector appointed,“whose duty it 83 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. would be to examine such packages as seemed proper, and impose fines upon any one offering for sale or shipping to market falsely packed goods. The frontispiece to this article repre- sents the packing of apples for export in the orchard of Mr. Albert Pay, an enthusiastic apple grower, at St. Cathar- ines. Ina letter recently received from him, he gives some interesting details which we here insert in full : *. sults. Six applications were used on the one row and none on the row next and the difference was very marked ; in fact you could not find last year a per- fect apple on the unsprayed, while on the sprayed row ninety per cent. were good clean fruit and not a wormy apple. I picked eleven barrels off two Baidwin trees and only one barrel off the two unsprayed Baldwins, next to them. There are Russets, Greenings, Baldwins Fic. 1541.—Harvestina AppuLes In Mr. Pay’s ORCHARD “The photos sent you-are from the orchard which was picked out by the Fruit Growers of this section, at a meeting called by Mr. A. H. Petitt, three years ago, to select an orchard for experimenting on with spraying. These experiments have now been carried on for three years, the last two years under the superintendence of Mr. Wm. Orr. The same row of trees have been sprayed each year, and with very beneficial re- 84 and Spys in the sprayed row, and I have had three good crops in succession off them all, except the Baldwins which have had two crops in the three years. There are 400 trees in the orchard nearly all Baldwins, Greenings and Spys ; I have sprayed all the orchard three times each year, but I find it did not stop all the scab, and now believe it would have paid me well to have put on three more applications. I had as fine a lot of fruit PACKING APPLES FOR EXPORT. last year as there was any where in this section. It took 55 barrels of mixture to go over it all. In sorting and pack- ing I make three grades, No. 1, No. 2, and peelers which I sold to the factory. I brand them with a circle brand, hav- ing a Maple leaf in the centre and the words Canadian apples, packed by Albert Pay, St. Catharines, Ontarid. This is used on the No. 1. The No. 2 are all marked seconds. ‘ Last year I used on rels. I usually get my barrels early in summer and store them till wanted and then they are thoroughly dry and I endeavour to keep them that way until shipped as I think a good dry barrel will help to absorb the sweat from the fruit. For packing I use a screw press, and the baskets are round, with a board bottom, with a hinge on one side and _ a string or cord on the other, which is hooked to the top rim? the basket cord Fie. 1542.—‘‘ Tue Gases,” Home of Mr. Jno. Stewart Carstairs, Iroquois. the face of each barrel a heavy white pulp paper, with an edge turned up about 114 inches, which just fitted the head of the barrel, and on opening the barrel the apples were covered, on re- moving the paper the face of the barrel showed a bright clean appearance on the No. 1. I cut all stems off the face row and face with a double row. I have never used any other package than bar- loosened and the basket gently lifted up, when the fruit goes out of the bot- tom. ‘This, I think, saves a great deal of bruising. I believe thorough ‘shak- ing on a good solid floor or plank, after each basket or two is put in, is better than pressing so much on the top. I have shipped every year, for a number of years, to some private customers in England and Scotland and all the re- 85 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. ports were, that they arrived in perfect condition. I have also shipped to some commission houses in Glasgow, London and Liverpool, but these shipments, after slacks, wet, very wet, samples, and other various charges, have been paid, I am sorry to say have not done so well. T pick my apples and put them in bar- rels and they are all brought in under cover every night and the packing is all done inside. This leaves all cull stock in one place not scattered all over the orchard.” Mr. Pay certainly follows an excellent system in gathering and, packing his apples. But in cases of very heavy crops it is a great undertaking to carry all the apples to a packing house; and we have taken out our packing table into the orchard where the trees are heaviest laden, and had the pickers empty their baskets upon it. One man with one or two assistants will in this way pack forty or fifty baskets a day, keeping four or five pickers busy. We give a cut of our packing table, which holds about two barrels of apples, and is so inclined toward the opening that the fruit rolls toward the packer, and this much facilitates his work, : . . Fic. 1543.—Packine TABLE. AN EXPERIMENT WITH RASPBERRIES. YEAR ago last spring I turned under a heavy sod and planted corn, keeping it thoroughly culti- vated and not allowing a weed or any grass to grow. Last spring I cross-plowed the field, taking pains to turn every furrow over, not cutting and covering, as is so common among some people. Then I pulverized the ground with pulverizing harrow until it became suitable for gardening. Then with a marker made of hardwood, 4 x 4, suffi- ciently long to make two rows at a time, by bolting standards two"feet long and four feet apart, I marked the field out 86 one way. Then I began taking up my plants and setting them out in rows the other way, seven feet apart, using a line® and taking pains to have the rows straight both ways. In setting out I used a spade, dig- ging a hole sufficiently large so as to spread the roots out in their natural position, then filling in around the plant with fresh, mellow earth, packing it around the plant with the foot. In. taking up the plants, I selected good thrifty ones of the previous year’s growth, and only took up a small quan- tity at a time, cutting them back to WRAPPING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. within 4 to 6 inches from the ground, keeping the roots covered so that the sun and wind could not dry them out. I began stirring the ground with a fine tooth cultivator, cultivating them out both ways, and by so doing was able to keep them in such a condition, that it was only necessary to hoe them twice during the season, while the plants made a growth of four feet in height, and although the season was unusually dry, there were only, about five plants out of each thousand that died, and these I shall reset this spring. In trimming raspberries, as well as blackberries, I always remove the old canes as soon as the crop is harvested, _ burning them as soon as they are re- moved, thereby leaving no brooding places for insects, and have always had the best success in cutting off the tops of the canes that are left to bear, during the month of March or the latter part of February, if the weather permits. I have also found it far more profitable to set a new patch each spring, thereby | having a fine new patch coming into bearing each year. I plow up the ground and seed to clover, then turn the clover under as soon as it becomes suitable. By so doing I have always been able to keep the land in good condition, and have had the pleasure of harvesting all first-class fruit, which has _ generally found ready sale at the highest market prices.—D. W. Piercell, in North Am. Horticulturist. WRAPPING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. Cal ornia Peac - 25 aBd&. a Peaches. + AER rapyes Fie. 1544. fruit growers, H. E VanDeman said —‘There js nothing very myste rious about the success of the California fruitg rowers. In the first place, they take pains to produce high-grade fruit ; then they fix it up in the nicest pack- ages they can devise, and wrap every pear, every peach, every fruit, except cherries, in tissue-paper, some even hav- ing their brand printed on the tissue- paper. And this fruit they send here, and with it capture the fancy market. A the recent meeting of the Michigan 87 oo The way to beat California is to beat her at her own game. If it pays them to buy tissue-paper and wrap their fruits it will pay you. Fruit which is wrapped is of better quality. The wrapping re- tains the flavor. Why do the Florida people wrap their oranges? They wrap oranges with skins as thick as sole leather because it retains the aroma. Witha pear the longer that fragrance escapes the poorer it is. The peach, pear or plum that is wrapped is better than if not wrapped. THE STIRLING HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Fic. 1545.—Mrs. Jas. Botprick, President. HE Secretary, Mr. David Sager, sends us a very good review of the work of this Society during the year 1898, which was read before the Society by the Vice- President, Mr. J. S. Carstairs. He also encloses us a photograph of the Presi- dent, Mrs. Jas. Boldrick, of her home ‘‘ The Cedars,” and of the home of Mr. Carstairs, ‘*‘ The Gables.” 1. The financial condition of the Society furnishes excellent ground for congratulating the Board of Manage- ment. Of the total receipts amounting to $128, more than one-third has been returned to the members in premiums and prizes ; another third was expended onourperiodical, THE CANADIAN Horrl- CULTURIST, and the remaining small third includes our running expenses of less than $15, and our handsome little sur- plus of $26.41, which is reposing snugly n the bank. As a fact, we have col- lected one dollar a piece from our fifty- three members; we have given them each what has been received, and we have still on hand one-half of what we collected, still at your command ! 2. Practically there have been three distributions of premiums. First, the premium of the Horticu.turist ; the shrubs and trees received have been- generally successful, in some cases shrubs have flowered in the first year. In the Spring distribution of the Society itself, $28.89 was expended, each member thus receiving seeds and vines costing about 45 cents, which owing to our discoynts were worth from 75 cents to go cents. Altho’ in some cases the seeds, or the man with the seeds, or the weather failed; still we are led, both from our own experience and from the testimony of others to re- gard this distribution as a success, con- sidering the spring and summer ; a suc- cess, it is true, that we may make greater in the year 1899. Our third distribu- tion, $13.80 worth of bulbs, that is about 15 bulbs for each member is still to be heard from, and still to be seen in the brightening glory of tulips, hyacinths and narcissi, that will gleam in a half a hundred homes of Stirling. 3. The monthly meetings of the Society have all been regularly held with the exception of the December meeting. Whether it is owing to the moon or the members, the attendance has been only fair. However, there are many of the members, chiefly ladies, it must be said, whom neither darkness, nor storm kept away. Perhaps in the new year, both the attractions of the programme and a little self-correction in the members may give us larger meetings, a wider enthusiasm, and thus wider usefulness as a Society. 88 THE STERLING HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The public meeting at which Mr. McNeill, Director of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, delivered a lecture, was extremely _ profitable, attended. 4. The horticultural exhibit of flowers the North Agricultural Society attracted much notice both by its beauty and its variety. and well at Hastings This was enthusiasm of our President, Mrs. Jas. Boldrick. Not darkness, nor rain, nor storm, nor even illness has prevented her attendance at our meetings or her performance of, the duties of the chief office of the Society. Notwithstanding the depressing effects of badly attended meetings, and of criticism sometimes unfriendly, Mrs Boldrick has given the Fie. 1546,—-‘¢ Tirk Cepars,” Home of Mrs. Jas. Boldrick. our initial attempt, and perhaps we do not overstep the duties assigned to us if we look forward and suggest that should be offered for flowers in classes; and it may be limited to flowers grown from our Society seeds, bulbs, ete. 5. In conclusion, this report would next year premium cards be incomplete, 1f it did not place on re- cord the untiring energy and boundless business of the Society her unwavering care and constant supervision. In fact, it is to the ladies that the Society owes It that founded it, and if we now can pre- its heaviest debt. was three ladies sent the report of a very successful year’s work, it is owing to the efforts of Mrs Boldrick, and of the other ladies that had an active faith and an active interest in the organization. have Fic. 1547.—BALDWIN SPRAYED: GOOD RESULTS FROM SPRAYING IN EASTERN ONTARIO. O varied have been the results attained by fruit growers, from their work in spraying, that as ‘varied opinions obtain regard- ing its benefit. The real explanation no doubt is to be found in the various” methods of application, for it is only now, and then that the work is done as it should be done. A good example of the success attain- ed by Mr. Wm. Orr in 1898, is seen in the orchard of Mr. Claude McLachlin, Arnprior, a gentleman who previously had little or no faith in the work. We publish a letter written by him to Mr. Orr, on the 29th Dec., 1898. “In reply to your written reference to the spraying of my apple trees, I would say that in the fall of 1897, I was completely discouraged with the result of my apple crop, so I made up my mind to cut out all my trees (I have about 500) in fact I had cut some of them down when I was advised by a friend to give them one more trial, and to try spraying. The following spring I was making inquiries about a spraying machine when I. received a notice from Mr. Orr, calling a meeting of those in- terested in fruit raising in this section, and stating that it was the intention of the Government to conduct spraying experiments in different parts in the Ottawa Valley. I attended the meeting and was so much pleased with Mr. Orr’s explanation that I immediately offered my orchard for the experiment, part of the trees were sprayed and part left go GOOD RESULTS FROM SPRAYING IN .EASTERN ONTARIO. unsprayed. With the result of the spraying I am more than delighted, the apples of the sprayed trees were round and large, the foliage a good rich color, and the trees ‘made more growth than ever before in one season. In the fall of 1897 I had no apples fit for use, all were small and scabby. In the fall of 1898, on all trees sprayed I had perfect large and round fruit, and although the past season was an off year, I had some of my trees propped, they were so loaded. On the unsprayed trees the fruit was poorer, even than in 1897, and perfectly useless. I have bought the machine with which the spraying experiment was conducted, and I intend using it next season, when I expect even better re- sults, as my trees were in very bad shape from the many insects that affect- ed them. This fall they look clean and healthy. I am fully convinced that with good systematical spraying and ordinary care of the trees, we can raise _as good apples in this section of Canada, and better than in most sections. “The spraying experiment of the Gov- ernment was of very great value to this section, and was much appreciated by the people.” Our protogravures show (Fig. 1548) Baldwins unsprayed, almost bare of fruit and with sickly foliage, and (Fig. 1547) Baldwins sprayed, with healthy foliage and a heavy crop of apples. Let us have thorough work all along the line in this work during the summer of 1899, and let no country excel Can- ada in apple production. Fig. 1548.—-BALDWIN NoT SPRAYED. s gI A NOVA SCOTI HAT our sister province by the - sea is not behind in fruit culture is well evidenced by her magnificent Gravenstein apples, which command so ready a sale in the best markets. Gooseberries, we would suppose, should do well so near the sea; and this is farther evidenced by the accompanying engraving from a photograph, sent us by Mr. D. H. Mc- Farlane, of Pictou, N.S., accompanied by the following nofe :— “T am sending you a photo of a seedling gooseberry grown in Pictou County. I have been growing it for the last twenty years, and I find it a very good one with good cultivation, it grows very large, colour when ripe red; with me comparatively free from mildew, name Webster’s Seedling.” STARTING PLANTS IN MOSS. A very neat way to hurry our cuttings and bulbs is to use moss instead of earth. Take a large tomato can with holes punctured in the bottom, or an old leaky pail half filled with clean moss, well pressed down, and place a geranium on it with well spread roots, and then fill the tin up with moss, and you will be surprised at the result. The geranium has blossomed more satis- factorily with me*in this way than in earth, the blossoms being richer, larger and more vigorous. It needs only pure water, rain water preferred. For ver- andah basket culture, give plenty of A GOOSEBERRY. Fre. 1549.—Nova Scotia SEEDLING GoossE- BERRY. water. Will the ladies please try and report ? M. A. HOSKINS. Newport, Vt, APPLES..FOR EXPORT. Fie. 1550.—Mr. ALtex. Mob. N this district, consisting of the Counties of Huron, Bruce and Grey, almost all the varieties in the apple have been tested, and we still cling to the older tried kinds, as containing those qualities not only adapted to the climate and soils, but also most valuable in the home and foreign markets. It is hard to get beyond the Baldwin, Greening, Spy, Ribston, Blenheim, King and American Golden Russet (properly the Golden Russet of Western New York). The Ontario is the only newer variety that seems to have staying qualities generally. Ben Davis succeeds well but flavor is against its permanence for market, and the same may be said of Canada Red, 93 ALLAN, GODERICH. Phoenix and a host of others. Of course the cry is often heard that many of even the old sorts are dying out, or rather deteriorating in size, form and flavor. Why? A great many causes can be fairly given. First of all the fault lies at the grower’s door, for neglecting the well known rules for production of crop of any kind, namely, cultivation and man- uring. Upon a majority of farms the orchard is the neglected spot. But look at many newer kinds and what do we find? Some flourish for a while after introduction and then rapidly run back in outward marketing and flavor. When the stock fresh from the _ pro- pagator’s hands we naturally look for 1S THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. best results, because the trees have all the vigor of a newly found seedling or the benefit of a successful cross. I be- lieve something beyond growers’ neglects after planting can be discovered, if we look into the early history of varieties closely. Nurserymen have something to answer for in not selecting wood from perfect trees to use for budding. To me it seems reasonable that wood taken from a tree that is not strongly and well cared for is not fit for use in producing young stock as it does not’contain the elements of permanency any more than we find in similar cases among animals. In selecting seed we know it pays to select only from trees that are perfect in form and free from disease of any kind. Why not apply the same rule in selecting budding and grafting wood ? But, as I said already, the greatest fault is with the growers, and only per- sistent educative influences, such as the Fruit Growers’ Association and Farmers’ Institutes exercise, can ever accomplish the end so much to be desired. Re- turning to varieties, there is one I would like to see more largely introduced, the Stotts Russet, and improvement can still be made in this very desirable sort if some enthusiastic would take the trouble to get a cross of the Golden Russet into it for the purpose of toning down Stotts acidity slightly. I wish the Ontario had more firmness also. Péwaukee was very promising but does not stand abuse as well as the old kinds named. Years of neglect have served to give us the Greening in many forms, but seldom do we find one with the well-known markings of this fine apple of years gone by. If we, in Ontario, paid as close atten- tion to the production of perfect apples ~ as growers in Florida do in respect of oranges, the demand in all markets for our apples would increase enormously and we would not hear so many cry- ing out about overproduction. The over-production is only in poorly grown fruit, and by persisting in this course we are destroying markets and cutting off consumers instead of increasing. There is money in Fameuse if we give markets what they want in quality. If everyone concerned from the propagator _to the grower could only be educated to a full sense of responsibility in attend- ing closely to rules that common sense dictates and science teaches, we would have larger orchards, with proper room for trees to flourish and produce perfect fruits,and markets that woutd ‘consume all we could grow and look for more. But we have all departed from the orders delivered to our first parents when placed in Eden, and hence, our Edens are becoming worse and worse, just because we do not repent of folly and obey the rules laid down. Of the the varieties mentioned the Stotts brought the highest prices in Britain and Germany the past season, Kings came next, then Blenheim and Ribs. ton, followed closely by Baldwin and Ontario and Greening and Spy very little lower. In all these there was demand constantly, while many other sorts brought occasionally good prices. Fameuse and Wealthy did well, where selected and delivered in small packages, Pewaukee is not a good packer being so uneven in form and varied in size. ‘ ALEx. McD. ALLAN. Goderich, Ont. 94 RAMBLING NOTES. at From St. THomas, ONT, HE past season, taken all in all, was a fairly good one for fruit growers in this section of the country. The quality of the strawberries grown here was poor after the first picking. More than half the crop being what I call nubbins, caused I think by the extremely dry weather just when the fruit was setting. I like the Williams, the Woolverton and Bubach. Crescent and Wilson are too small for this market. Early raspberries were scarce and high in price. Late berries were a good crop and prices dropped to $1.00 per crate of 24 boxes. I fruited Conrath and Loudon this year for the first time and I like them both, they have come to stay. The first is a black cap, hardier, larger, as good a cropper and a better table berry than Gregg. The latter, a hardy stocky red berry, larger than Cuthbert and of fine color and flavor. Pears were a good crop, choice Bart- letts and Clapps brought $1.00 per . bushel on the local market, but late pears appeared to be a drug at 50 cents and 75 cents. Apples were only a fair crop, but prices were good, and many farmers received as much from an acre of orchard as from the rent of fifty acres. Plums were a good crop and brought good+ prices. This section produces now nearly all the plums that the city requires, where only a few years ago there were scarcely any grown ; the plum belt and peach belt is becoming broader every year. Every Abundance plum tree in this section was loaded all they would carry, and every one is delighted with the fruit, both as to appearance and quality. It is a great acquisition to the list of plums. I sprayed thoroughly this year for the first time, and had fifty bushels of clear fruit from young plum trees. I am pleased with my experi- ence, and shall spray again. In my experience Japan plum trees will not stand the same strength of Bor- deaux mixture as other plums. Neither will peach trees. Why don’t those Government sprayers tell us these things so we would not have to learn by dear experience? I wish some one would tell me the best way to get borers out of plum trees and keep them out. A. W. GRAHAM. ° St. Thomas PROTECTING STREET TREES. Shade trees along a village or city street are liable to damage bes from the gnawing of ~3 horses that are stop- ma ped near them, and "Re TPE bi sometimes even hitch- os eA? 408 ed to them. A high 4 Vea protection of stakes and wooden slats is not attractive. The Fig. —1551. illustration shows how shade trees can be wound with the narrowlengths of wirenet- ting, and thus protected at little expense of money or labor, while the result is not distressing to the eye. Very narrow wire netting is now to be had, and this is capable of such stretching as to make it lie very flat and close to the bark of a tree. The upper end of the strip should be beveled when in place, so as to leave the top of the wire even all the way around. 95 THE -NEW-FRUITE CULTURE, T has been so fashionable of late years to talk about “The New Onion Culture,” “The New Strawberry Culture,” etc., that it seems quite in place to make a few re- marks about the “New Fruit Cul- ture.” Certainly, if we may judge by the experience of the past three years, the old fruit culture is no longer profitable, and some new methods must be adopted or else the business will be declared a failure. One-half the varieties of apples are worthless for scab, one-third the whole crop of tree fruits for worms and curculios ; grapes, raspberries and cur- rants have glutted our markets, and what are we to do? Right here comes in the value of im proved methods such as the O. A. C. can point out, the faithful observance of which will make fruit culture as good _a line of agricultural life as it ever was. Let us very briefly refer to some of the apparent difficulties and see if we can find a solution. (1): The Glutted Markets.—This is only an imaginary difficulty, a mote that obscures the visions of larger things. Our little Ontario has filled its own ‘markets with home-grown fruits, and fancies it has filled the whole world, and individual growers are giving up in discouragement. How foolish, when the big markets have hungry mouths wide open for our luscious fruit products ; when Covent Garden, England, will take all the apples we can send, and when Antwerp in Belgium and Hamburg in Germany are both clamoring for a share of our dessert apples. I have just received returns from Hamburg for some prime apples sent to that market in cases; they were fancy apples of course. What do you think were the net returns? Fifty cents for 96 a one third bushel, or $1.50 per bushel. Similar prices prevailed in other Euro- pean markets. Is that a failure or a success ? Does that look as if there was no market for Ontario apples ? Then our magnificent Canadian pears. We have shipped several car loads to Bristol this year, and the net returns have varied at from 50 cents to $1.25 per 3rd bushel case. Is there then no encouragement for growing pears in Ontario? I might go on and enumerate other fruits in the same manner, but time forbids. I have shown, I think, that there is plenty of market for tip-top stock that is worth conveying to a distant market. The next difficulty is “ How fo sell the fruit which won't pay to export?” Why, you must stop growing such ~ stock entirely. It will pay to export Duchess, Alexander, Gravenstein’ and ~ Wealthy apples ; it won’t pay to export Fall Pippins, Rambos, or any soft, poor looking*apple that is given to spot. It’ will pay to export Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Clairgeau, Boussock, and such pears, but not Buffum, Tyson, Rostiezer, Vicar, or other such inferior varieties. It will pay to export a firm peach like Elberta and Smock, but not a tender variety like Early Crawford. What must be done? Why you must plant, with a purpose,.the varieties that will export and then you can capture the best markets in the world. But the worms, the scab, etc., what about them? Why, kill- them. You must, or they will kill yourtrade. Fight them with the spray pump. Not witha little shower from nozzles held by men riding Jazily about in the wagon, but by wide-awake chaps who will get under and into the tree and cover every inch RINGING of wood and foliage with the deadly mixture. You must fertilize, cultivate, spray, prune, and thin in a new and improved fashion, until you learn how to produce the largest and finest fruit in the world, GRAPES. ? and then you will find fruit culture not only inviting, but quite as remunerative as any other line of agriculture. L. WOOLVERTON, in O. A. C. Review. RINGING grapes to be entered in competition for prizes has long been debated, and in many cases judges have ruled adversely. We believe the advisability of the practise is not yet sufficiently set- tled to justify such action. Indeed it has been claimed by some growers that ringing is a benefit even in the commer- cial vineyard, not only ripening the fruit from ten. days to two weeks earlier than when not ringed, but also considerably improving its sweetness. ‘Experiments have been in progress at the Massachusetts Agricultural College since 1877, and have gone to show that the practise is advisable and does not injure the vine. An analysis by Dr. Goesmann showed the increase of sugar in juice as follows : Te question of allowing ringed In 1877. Ringed. Not Ringed. Concord... .. 19 per cent... .13 percent. Rhattlord::si areca f Lews Ba & In 1889. ; Comeatas «sot ite. x0 '« Gin Dr. Jabez Fisher also made some pri- vate experiments. In July, 1888, he ringed some Concords when the berries were about a quarter of an inch in diam- eter and the ringed fruit showed color August 24th and the unringed Sept. 2. On July 2, 1889, he ringed two bearing arms on sixty vines, taking out a ring of bark from one half three-quarters of an inch wide, near the trunk. The result -was increase of size about 30 or 4o per cent., and about ten days’ gain in ripen- ing. 2 97 GRAPES. In 1890 he ringed nearly an acre of Concords, which showed color Aug. 17 and those not ringed August 25. The former were marketed Sept. 22, the lat- ter Oct. 3. Twenty-two specimens of each sent to Dr. Goesmann showed 9 per cent. of sugar in ringed and 7 per cent in those not ringed. Mr. Fisher observed, however, a weakening of the vines so treated, which made him question the ultimate benefit of the procedure. Perhaps if he had confined his work to branches which would need removing at the next pruning, instead of operating on the two main arms, he would not have weak- ened his vines so much. Prof. Bailey quotes a writer in the valley of the Hudson, where a good many growers have been practising this custom, who says: “That girdling destroys the flavor of some varieties has been well shown; that others, when girdled, never seem to ripen, or in other words remain sour, is also true. A girdled Catawba rivals a cucumber pickle for acidity, and a Delaware so treated never gets sweet. Empire State loses all its character when girdled, while Martha and Wyoming Red suffer no lessin quality. Concord and Champion are girdled freely with- out bad effects. Worden and Lady sometimes crack badly when girdled ; both are very thin skinned varieties. As a general rule the more delicate flavored grapes, especially if they contain for- eign blood, deteriorate most by girdling. NOTES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE O. F.G. ASSOCIATION TO "THEW: N.Y. H: SOCIETY: $°1 74, HE 44th annual meeting of ; the Western New York Hor- ticultural Society was held in the City Hall, Roches- ter, on the 25th and 26th of January. Morning, afternoon and evening sessions were held. The hall, which holds about seven hundred, was filled at most of the sessions, so that standing room was not available. The president, W. C. Barry, was not able to attend, being sick. Mr. S. D. Willard, Vice-President, who is_ well known to Ontario fruit growers, ably presided. This Society is particularly favored by having such a large number of professors from Geneva and Cornell Experiment Stations, to attend their meetings, They appear to be able, wil- ling and anxious to solve all the pro- 98 blems that arise, and to give the fruit growers all possible information. This Society has done good work, not only for the fruit growers of New York State ; its influence has overleaped state and international boundaries. Dr. G. C. Caldwell gave an address on DECAY AND PRESERVATION OF FRUITS, Several species of fungi are the causes of the rotting of fruit. It attacks both ripening and ripe fruit, and is some- times found in the blossom. The fun- gus germs are carried by flies and wasps. Spraying is the only remedy, and to secure the best results must be con- tinued much later than we have been doing in the past. Thorough tests have been made of late sprayed fruit, but no poison was found, so it is not consid- ered dangerous. The fruit exhibit was very fine. Messrs. Elwanger & Barry showed fifty varieties of pears, all in excellent con- dition, some specimens of Anjou being remarkably fine. Geneva Experiment Station showed fifty-six varieties of ap- ples. There were many other fine ex- hibits of apples, and about sixty plates of grapes shown. A new pear shown by E. Moody & Sons, of Lockport, is a handsome russet winter pear, but said to be rather poor in quality. Peach orchards in South-Western Michigan are being attacked by a new disease, said to be more serious than the yellows. It was first noticed three or four years ago, and is particularly bad in Sangatuck Township, where thou- sands of trees have been ruined by it. The effect is that the fruit is stunted when it is about the size of a plum, and NOTES FROM THE W. WN. Y. ceases to grow, and the tree loses vital- ity. This disease was also reported at Cayuka Lake, and in peach orchards on the Niagara river opposite Queenston. Mr. R. Morrill, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, President of Michigan State Horticultural Society and a large peach grower, says that this disease is quite as contagious as the yellows, that there is no known remedy but to dig out and burn roots as found. Mr. S. S. Crissey, of Fredonia, N.Y., read a paper on the CHAUTAUQUA AND ERIE GRAPE Com- PANY. The Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt in- cludes eleven townships ; nine of them border on Lake Erie and join each other. There are twenty-seven thou- sand acres planted with grapes. Ninety- five per cent. of all the vines planted are Concord. Two thousand five hun- dred growers, representing twenty-five thousand acres, are members of the Company. The objects of the Com- pany are to supply a uniform grade of fruit, prevent the overloading of the markets, secure a wider and more equal distribution, of the fruit at the least pos- sible cost to the producer. There was shipped from this district in 1897, 6,000 car loads of grapes. The crop was light- er in 1898, being estimated at 4,000 cars. The Company handled in‘a single day, Oct. 16, 218 cars of 2,800 baskets each, or 600,000 baskets. They handled in a single week over 1,000 cars. Each day’s shipment was pooled separately and every basket accounted and paid for. The Company paid all expenses, all losses, and every grower in full, at a cost of Jess than three mills per basket. The business of one year amounted to nearly one million dollars. Seven and three-quarter cents each was the average HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. price received by growers for nine- pound baskets of grapes. Mr. J. J. Borden, Inspector for San Jose Scale, reported a very bad infesta- tion on Long Island, he found seventeen Nurseries infested. Flushing Cemetery is also badly infested, both trees and bushes, including two rows of elms from forty to fifty feet high. Beach, maple, linden, in fact almost all kinds of trees are infested. Central Park, New York, he says, is badly infested. He reports thousands of trees killed by the scale,.and hun- dreds’ of thousands dying, including many full grown apple trees. Professor Beach says that stock solu- tions for Bordeaux Mixture is all right, but they must not be mixed until wanted for use, and then they should not be put in the spraying barrel until the bar- rel is partly filled with water, as when put together at stock-strength a chemical action takes place which injures the mixture. He says that he would not use Bordeaux Mixture that had been prepared for over two days. D. K. Bell, of Brighton, gave an in- structive address on ‘ Pear Culture.” Clay loam the best soil for pears. Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, Seckel, Shel- don and Duchess, were among. the varieties recommended; headvises plant- ing about two feet deep, and making a - large hole to give ample room for the roots. Training should be done while trees are dormant, say from Nov. 1st to March rst; he prefers thepyramid system of pruning. Pear trees should be pruned ennually, and well cultivated and ferti- lized, using manure every other year Let the trees have plenty of sunshine and air, don’t grow any other crops on the ground after the trees are eight years old. Thin the fruit early in the season. 99 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fra. 1553.—Pror. S. A. BEAcH. A discussion as to whether it is better to give an orchard clean cultivation, or keep stock of any kind in it, brought out the fact that clean cultivation is growing in favor. Numbers who op- posed it a few years ago acknowledged that they had changed their minds. Sutton’s Beauty was spoken of as a first class apple. A discussion on Japan plums brought out the following : Red June said to be fairly good, and profitable on account of being two or three weeks earlier than any other variety. Abundance and Burbank said to be abundant bearers of fruit, of quality from poor to medium. Wickson a large beautiful plum of good quality, and quite hardy, but doubts were expressed as to its productiveness. Thinning of all kinds of fruit was re- commended to secure better specimens, and preserve the vitality of the tree. _ An interesting paper, on “ Apple Canker,” was read by W. Paddock, of Geneva, which will appear in another issue. Your representative was kindly re- ceived and courteously entertained by the Society. ' W. M. Orr. Fruitland. MAKE YOUR OWN to be used in the flower garden should be rooted during the months of February or March. Gera- niums made during these months should be covered with blooms during the sum- mer months if they are given proper care. Other plants that add greatly to the beauty of the garden, and which may be propagated by cuttings, are the Coleus, Iresine, Althermanthera, and Centaura- These plants all root readily from cut- tings ; they can be started in a cutting (5 toe of many of the plants box in the window, which should be as 100 PLANT CUTTINGS. long and;wide as desired for the limited space, and about four or five inches deep. It should be filled with clean river sand. When the cuttings are first made they should be shaded during the heat of the day and sprinkled several times a day until the- cuttings become thoroughly established. The sand should always be kept moist but never wet. Cuttings are often rooted in a deep plate filled with moist sand. There are various contrivances used for rooting cuttings, but in each case the rooting medium is clean moist sand. Soil is apt to become soggy.—Kansas Bulletin. NIAGARA DISTRICT FRUIT MEN. N important meeting of fruit growers was held at St. Catha- rines on Friday the 17th Feb- ruary, at which commission merchants and railway men from To- ronto, Ottawa and Montreal were present, and also Messrs. Bain and Gib- son, members for Wentworth and Lin- coln. The commission men were blamed for selling fruit by auction, for selling all grades of fruit at the same price, for wholesaling to themselves, and then retailing at a much higher price for which the grower got no account ; for using the fruit, which is the property of the growers, for competing with other commission merchants, etc. To these points the commission men replied, pointing out that in some cases the auction system was a good means of getting the fairest price for each man’s goods, for thereby all packages were sold wholly on their merits ; that the best com- mission men were these who confined themselves to the wholesale work, which some did not do; that usually packages of fruit were classified according to grades, at once on arrival, and sold ac- cordingly, but that on a slumpy market all fruit would be sold in bulk without distinction of grades. The subject of transportation of fruit was taken up in the afternoon, and it was shown that we need (1) better ven- tilation for cars which carry fruit, by means of a rapid circulation of air ; (2) lower rates to Manitoba, which would result in a largely increased vol- ume of trade; (3) greater speed or dispatch, especially for small lots. Mr. Clemes of Toronto said he could find little fault with the ventilation of cars coming into Toronto, from any points in Ontario; but the methods of packing a car were bad. The Flor- ida shippers take pride in loading a car, and it is done with such system that it is worth anyone’s time to see; Cana- dians too often ship in a higglede-piggle- dy manner. Mr. Callahan of Montreal thought the service very good to Montreal, the new refrigerator cars, fitted with Clark’s pa- tent, and numbering from 50,000 and upwards, are well ventilated. The rates could not be better than last year, 33¢. a hundred from Toronto to Montreal. Mr. Hunt of Ottawa thought that with well ventilated cars it was not neces- sary to use ice on short distances. Mr. Albert Pay said the kind of cars fur- nished by the Grand Trunk in 1898 were a disgrace—dirty with coal dust, patched up floors, and generally shabby. Mr. Robinson, representing the G. T. R; said that in 1898 fifty of the Clark’s patent ventilated cars ran between St. Catharines and Montreal, and in 1899 there would be about 500 of them in use for fruit growers, but he would not advise their use without ice. Mr. E. D. Smith said even these cars were not sufficiently ventilated. The opening is only about four inches in diameter, entirely too small; it should be three feet wide, a foot high, and placed in front of the car, with a wire screen to protect from dust. Mr. Grant of the C. P. R. said their ventilated cars had an opening at the ends three feet high and two feet wide, with a sheet of wire cloth to protect from dust. Regarding rates to Manitoba, he said these had now been lowered 33 per cent., and were now as low as anywhere else on the continent. The rate for apples from Ontario to Winnipeg was Io! THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. now only 50 cents a hundredweight, and for grapes 8134 cents a hundred (as third-class freight). The re-icing of cars en route to Win- nipeg had, in some instances, not been done frequently enough, but arrange- ments have now been made to have this carefully remedied, and such cars will be re-iced as often as is necessary. The agent of the Niagara Central said that if shippers had any farther griev- ances they should appeal to the Freight Agents’ Association, which meets at Toronto every month, representing all the railways of Canada, and the secre- tary is Mr. John Earls, Union Station, Toronto. The Packers’ Association had recent- ly met with this body and received some important concessions, and the Fruit Growers might do the same. The agent of the Intercolonial said that his road was now in a position to forward fruit in the best condition to the maritime provinces. Excellent addresses were delivered by the Hon. Wm. Gibson, and the Hon. Thos. Bain, in which they congratulated the growers on the grand progress which had been made in their business during the past few years, and referred to the need of better service for distribution of fruit from such centres as Montreal and Toronto. Public opinion was turning rapidly in the direction of the appoint- ment of an independent Railway Com- mission, to which could be referred all matters of dispute between the Railway Companies and the shippers—-a com- mittee which would be entirely outside of political influences, and the sooner this is appointed the better in the in- terests of the public. The Secretary of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association said a committee had been appointed by that body which would take up the matter of Railway Transportation in earnest, as soon as it was possible to put down in black and white exactly what the growers want. For this purpose he was present at this meeting, and was prepared to receive complaints from all parts of Ontario. These would be looked into by the committee and put in shape to be laid before the Railway Commission should such a body be appointed. The following resolution was moved by Mr. D. J. McKinnon, seconded by E. J. Woolverton, and _ urfanimously carried :— ‘*That in the opinion of this Association the service rendered the public of this coun- try by the railway and express companies in the matter of transportation of fruit, is not wholly satisfactory in respect to ventilation of cars, to despatch, and to rates; that the fruit growers have long striven to secure bet- ter service, but. with little result; that to tremedy the evils complained of this Associa- tion deems it absolutely necessary that a Gov- ernment commissioner be appointed with the fullest discretionary pewers to investigate the whole question of service rendered by public carriers both as to its efficiency and reason- ableness of charge, and to remedy all evils that may have arisen under the monopolistic system heretofore in force.” FROZEN Many people are at loss what to do when plants have been frozen. While on a visit to Lansing, Mich., Prof. Craig visited the greenhouse of Prof. Taft. It so happened that the previous day had been Thanksgiving, and the man in charge had remained away all night, the result being that every plant was found to be badly frozen. | Prof. Taft at once procured a quantity of tobacco and filled PAIN eS; the whole place full of smoke in order to lessen the strength of the sun’s rays. He then turned on the water in different parts of the greenhouse in the form of fine sprays. He heard later from the professor that the plan had succeeded admirably, very few plants being killed. It is rapid thawing that hurts the plants. PROF. CRAIG. 102 THE TOMATO “Sir, —I have read in ‘“ American Gardening” a condensed report of the proceedings of the late meeting of your Fruit Growers’ Association. I observe that the export of tomatoes to Great Britain by your people in 1898 was not yet quite satisfactory, chiefly owing to the size of the fruit. Allow me to make a suggestion that may be helpful to you, and through you to your friends at Grimsby, Winona and Burlington, who are taking the lead in the export of fruits. It is, that at least two or three of your friends at each of these points make a small trial planting of Living- ston’s “ Honor Bright” tomato. It is one of Livingston’s latest introductions in the tomato line, and is a quite dis- tinct variety. The description of it, to be found in Livingston’s catalogue, is a fair and accurate one as it grows here. The habit of growth of the plant is almost precisely what Mitchell, of St. Mary’s, recommends as the best for Northern latitudes, a flat, spreading growth. It is mediumearly. The fruit is of good quality, not superior to Ignotum, perhaps scarcely up to it, but good, better than many others. The features of the fruit that lead me to think that it will give satisfaction in FOK EXPORT. the export business are, medium size, smoothness, freedom from crack or rot, toughness of skin (skin is of a thin, silky texture), and an apparent capacity for ripening after being gathered from the vine at the proper stage, and with- out deteriorating in quality, while it is ripening in the dark, or wrapped in paper. ‘The fruit changes in color as it grows and approaches maturity just as the description narrates. Last season I gathered some fruits at the ‘“ waxy- white” stage, wrapped them in paper, and placed them on a shelf in a rather warm, probably 60°, compartment of my cellar. In ten days the fruits were a deep red and in fine condition. My gardening operations are for the present confined to the back yard of a city lot, and my experience with ‘“ Honor Bright” is confined to that, with three plants. My very little experience was so satisfactory, and my enquiries about the variety gave me such good reports, that I have confidence. in recommend- ing your friends to make small ¢rial plantings of it, with a view to adopting it in the near future as a standard variety for export. J. CAVERS. 95 West Second Ave., Columbus, O. HOW TO KILL THE LEAF HOPPER. Leaf Hopper, Thrip and Erythroneura Vitis are all different names for one small insect, which is often very num- erous On grape vines during the summer. It is about an eighth of an inch long, of a light color, and marked by three dark red bands. They fly from their position on the under side of the leaves when the vines are shaken and soon light again. To combat them in the summer; when their destructive work is noticeable is difficult. Now is the time. They may be found under the leaves near the vines. If the vineyard is cleaned of all litter and this promptly burned, many will be destroyed. The insects remain- ing on the ground can be killed by a spray of coal oil emulsion.—Kansas Bulletin. 103 1554— Yucca. Fie. FILAMENTOSA. UR northern gardens contain no other hardy plant which in ap- pearance is so distinctly tropi- cal as the Yucca. It makes a fine specimen plant standing singly on the lawn, and when in bloom is a grand and beautiful object with its hundreds of drooping white lily-like flowers. Planted in good soil, and with a little space about it kept free from grass and weeds, it will take care of itself. The stem is killed down by the frost, but an annual growth is made, becoming stronger with age. It is well to place a layer of litter about the plant late in autumn, and in spring to dig in some good old manure. Besides the position mentioned for it, it is also suitable for the shrubbery border, or it may form one of a small group of shrubs, or occupy the centre of a large flower bed.— Vick’s Magazine. THE NARCISSUS NOT BLOOMING. When Narcissi fail to bloom it is usually because the bulbs have become too deep and too much crowded in the soil by long remaining in one place, or because the bed is composed of tenacious clay soil to which the sun does not have free access. In such a position the 104 bulbs do not ripen well because the ground is constantly moist, and in con- sequence they split up into numerous smaller bulbs, none of which are of sufficient size or vitality to bloom. Knowing the cause the remedy will suggest itself. A CHEAP GREENHOUSE FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT. HAVE seen from time to time in | your columns, instructions on building various styles of green- houses. Now I think I have one that some others would like. It is one which I made myself during my leisure moments, both night and morning. I present the drawings that others may do as I did. The plan (Fig. 1555) is ¥-inch to the foot. The rafters and uprights I had made, but the rest of » the work I did myself. There are 600 panes of glass in the Fic. 1555.—A Low Cost GREENHOUSE AND BoILER Room. roof and end; the size is 8% x 6% inches. These were plates of pictures or photographic negatives—larger glass would be better. The glass in the belt or the upright is 9x12 inches. The rafters are 34-inch between the glass and the uprights are %-inch be- tween the glass. This makes every- thing come all right. There are two skylights on the east, and one on the west side, two slide windows in the belt on each side of the house. From the bottom of the belt to the ground is 3% feet. This can be made from old boxes, with a cleat or strip over the crack of the edges. TOS The boiler room is 2 feet deep. The bottom or sides are cemented or stones laid in cement. The top and sides are lined with sheet iron and painted to keep from rusting. The chimney is of brick about 7 feet high, and four lengths or 6 feet of 6-inch Acron pipe on top of brick. The ventilator over the boiler is of galvanized iron, 8 inches in di- ameter, 6 feet high, with a damper in it. This takes away gas that may escape, and is regulated at night to keep the house ventilated. The boiler is a No. 12, made by Howes, of Boston, for hot water, and is the best thing of its kind I have ever seen for a portable boiler. This is the second winter I have used it, and I do not have any trouble to keep the house at 60 degrees, when it is zero outside. It takes two tons of egg coal, and one- half ton of screenings for the year round, by putting on a little coal four times a day. The coal bin will hold one-half ton of coal and one-half ton of screen- ings. There is about 112 feet of 2-inch pip- ing in the form of the letter L running under the west side and end of bench. The east side is portable, so I can take THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. ES eos > FORO BS oy eS Benen. Passage wax ly. Return Ppe - foes SF -- Supply Tipe. topes sstis ft : Fipes Hig Fie. 1556.—PiLan ror Low Cost GREENHOUSE. the bench down when I want to stand ’ Chrysanthemums on the ground. After they are gone I put the bench up again, and everything is all right. The water tank is supplied with water from the roof of the shed. The house and shed are double boarded on 2x4 joist, making it 4 inches thick, and filled with sawdust. There are two doors at the entrance. The outside door is a good thing, as it keeps the other door from freezing or sweating.—American Gardening. - ARUNDO Fie. 1557.—ARunDo Donax. derivation, but supposed to be from the Latin word Arundo, a reed. The species, Donax, is a very strong growing bamboo-like reed, hav- ing long stout leaves, that remind some people rather too much of Indian Corn. Farther south, it is much used in beds of ornamental grasses and for centres of sub-tropical beds. The roots are of T° name Arundo is of doubtful DONAX doubtful hardiness here if unprotected ; we lift the roots every fall and store them in a cool cellar over winter. Plants so treated do not attain nearly their full height however. Those shown in the engraving, were planted in May and photographed in October. A sin- gle specimen at our nurseries was kept in good condition through the winter of 1897, by turning an old apple barrel over the root after shortening back the stems and banking the barrel up part way with earth ; this plant made growth last summer of 12 feet. Should we succeed in keeping the root through another winter, it is expected that a greater growth can be obtained by fur- ther enriching the soil. Arundo Varie- gata is a smaller growing species, varie- gated after the same style as the com- mon Ribbon Grass ; it is not quite as hardy as the green variety. Hamilton. WEBSTER Bros. 106 ASPARAGUS SPRENGERI. Fie. 1558. AsPpARAGUS SPRENGERI. ERHAPS no other new plant introduced within the last twenty years has been so satisfactory and so welcome as Asparagus Sprengeri — now called “Emerald Feather” by some and “ Abyssinian Parlor Fern” by others, It has not only proved the most profit- able plant for florists, who now grow it by the thousands, for its long feathery sprays which are used to the exclusion of almost all other decorative greens, but it is also grown extensively in baskets and in jardinieres from which the long green sprays droop for the length of 3 to 8 feet, according to the age of the plant. The engraving shows a plant in a hanging basket. It is almost unbelievable to most persons, that grand specimens measuring 12 to 15 feet in circumference, and with sprays 8 feet long, can be produced in the short space of two years from quite small plants, and yet such specimens are fre- quently shown, and one of them was awarded a special premium by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, as a reward for its remarkable beauty. Not only is the plant extremely valu- able, but it is admirable at all times, and naturally, especially so when smothered with its delicate, pure white and delici- i ously fragrant flowers, which perfume a whole conservatory. These delightful flowers are followed later on by bright red seed berries which remain perfect for a long while, and from which the plant can be easily and quickly prop- agated. I do not know of another ornamental plant that I would prefer to this gem— and this for many reasons: First, it can be grown with less trouble than any other, whether indoors or out—sun or shade ; next, it keeps green the whole year round, and its graceful foliage can be used for many decorative purposes, and also with any cut flowers. Again, it is a plant that increases in value from year to year, and does not have to be replaced like so many others. Again, it can be put to many uses, such as sus- pended from a porch or balcony, ele- vated on a pedestal, or grown in flower boxes outside of a window. It likes sun, but also grows elegantly in shade. It prefers a rich soi! and lots of water at all times, but at the same time stands neglect, owing to its large fleshy roots. Owing to its rapid growth it should be repotted frequently. — Park’s Floral Guide. 107 PLANTS FOR- THE DINING TABLE. O one having the attention called to the matter for the first time it is surprising to note how surely fashion rules even among flowers. The use of palms and decorative plants of that order upon every occasion of social importance has opened a new field for the florist. If he be what Mr. Peter Barr refers to as a ‘“ bread and cheese” grower, rather than one cultivating plants for love of their rareness and charm, he fills his house with such specimens as my lady loves to see adorning her dwelling. She usually forgets to water, or neglects to give proper sun or shade, and in a sea- son or two is back at the florist’s door seeking fresh subjects for her jardin- ieres ; all to the advantage of the grower and the attractiveness of the parlors, if not to that deep and abiding love of flowers that holds sway in some hearts. A floral fad making for trade in the same direction is the growing custom of employing a jardiniere of low plants as a centre piece for the dining table. Whereas madame used to purchase cut flowers and feel her table not fitly adorned for the social function or ex- pected guest unless some sort of floral piece, however simple, held the centre of attraction amid her silver and china, she now realizes the aggregating ex- travagance of such outlay, and feels her- self sagacious and economical when she buys something more durable than the perishable blossoms. Best of all, just now, she likes a low jardiniere having an outside holder of silver and stocked with dainty ferns. Such a centre piece can be kept, with a minimum of care, in fair condition for three or four months. At the end of its presentableness it comes back to the florist for fresh filling. Madame wants something equally pretty with the first, but would like it as differ- ent as may be. It is in meeting this demand for suitable table plants that the florist’s best wits will be likely to bring him promptest compensation. The plants would preferably not be tall, unless of delicate texture; anything being an annoyance, particularly to men, and always a menace to conversation, that obtrudes itself to intercept the eye glances of those about the table. Par- ticularly the head of the house and Madame, being seated opposite each other, dislike a barrier to those eye messages frequently so useful to the administration of domestic affairs. Who knows what nice decisions of matters of church, state or kitchen, even a Cocos- Weddeliana might be guilty of turning away. Of ferns, Adiantum and Pteris at once suggest themselves as well adapted to table use, either in collections or as single specimens. The woman who has a flourishing Adiantum, and a stand of Lycopodium and low ferns, may give each its days of retirement in the win- dow, and with occasional substitution of flowers or some blossoming plant, keep up a continual variety. For no matter how lovely a thing is,.an American is wearied by sameness. This is the great- est fault to be urged against the palms, draczenas and various stiff leaved tropi- cal plants. For grace and beauty of effect nothing can surpass a simple basket as a recep- tacle for plants. There must be pro- vision for removal, for watering, and for complete protection of the table cover. The covers of the plant holder should always be subdued in tone. Soft olives and yellows can never offend the eye, but reds and blues are usually an abomination. Ferns and small decora- 108 BULBS FOR THE GARDEN. tive plants, set to keep on growing in an attractive receptacle, no matter how simple and inexpensive it be (in fact the more so the better), would sell on sight in any shop window.—American Gar- dening. BULBS FOR THE GARDEN. NE of the most eminent au- thorities on floriculture, Mr. Peter Barr, has recently been visiting Canada and the Unit- ed States. He is an enthusiast in bulb culture, especially Narcissi, and he has travelled far and wide, in search of novelties. Interviewed by American Gardening, he said :— All spring flowering and bulbous plants should be placed facing the north and inacool bottom; Daffodils, Tu- lips, Hyacinths, Chionodoxae, and the whole tribe will be both lasting and beautiful and go on from year to year if these conditions are attended to, name- _ly, a cool bottom and facing the north. Bulbous plants should be left where they are and not removed annually and not be manured under any circum- stances. Every bulb that grows in Eu- rope may be grown in the United States, and in many cases bulbs that cannot be grown in Eurape can be grown in the United States. I believe myself that all the Cape bulbs could be grown well out of doors. Lilium candidum and Lilium chalcedonicum and many other Lilies do better when they are grown in tightly over-grown masses. According to experiments made by Dewar at Kew, it was found that Lilium candidum did best when the bulb was partially ex- posed. In a country where the frost penetrates so deeply and so suddenly, I do not see the advantage of deeply cov- ering the bulbs. The rule for planting bulbs is three times their own depth, that is to say, if a bulb is one inch from top to base, it should have its base three inches below the surface. Crinum has a bulb of about one foot and more in length and may safely be planted at a depth of eighteen inches. A Dutch- man will usually plant his bulbs, mea- suring by the depth of his hand placed side-ways on the ground. The Japan Irises should be placed on a bank with underflow of water as from a spring. In such situations they do simply mag- nificently, but they want plenty of drink and should not be in stagnant water. And the same conditions will prove satisfactory for almost all alpine plants. All the Primulas will take the same con- ditions. Given that condition the Eng- lish Primrose would flourish as well here as in its native place. It suffers in this country from being dried up in the sum- mer. It does not matter how much sun plays upon it so long as it has water feeding it below. AN OUTLET FOR GRAPES. When at Cornell, I was asked what the chances were of sending grapes to England. I replied, ‘If you can de- liver them in condition, the sale will be immense for the street trade. The only question is how to send them over.” Since I left Cornell, the subject has occupied my thoughts considerably and I have come to the conclusion that grapes put up in wooden boxes that can be retailed at 12c., 18c, and 36c. would have a large sale if handled by agents who understand the mode of distribu- tion for that class of trade. The mar- kets would be London, Liverpool and 109 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Glasgow. It is not a produce for Cov- ent Garden. American grapes will not take the place of the Guernsey or Eng- lish grown grapes, but they will com- pete in the market with the Spanish and Portuguese grapes at any season that the grapes can be delivered in these markets. The class that would eat these grapes would be the mechanic class. The classes that eat the grapes of Guernsey and of English growth are the upper middle class and aristocracy. The low- er middle and the mechanics are a large public, ready to buyin small lots. Before the ‘‘ Lazy Club” at Cornell he spoke quite positively, asserting that he believed there is a profitable market for American grapes in the old world. If we could place our grapes in English markets for six, cents a pound, tons and tons could be sold in a week. Mr. Spencer here called attention to the fact that a carload has been sent over from Chautauqua County for a number of years, but with discouraging returns. The difficulty seems to be not so much in the cost of transportation, for that hardly reaches two cents a pound, as in the market. It needs a man to push matters at the other end. For a num- ber of years English and continental gardeners have been shipping their high priced hothouse grapes to America. At first it did not pay ; the market was too cautious and prices too uncertain. Last year a hustling Englishman came over to represent English grape growers and push their interests. The result was an immediate advance in returns, so that shipments became profitable. Our Am- erican grape growers might apply this business stroke to their profit. ELEAGNUS F<\LEAGNUS LONGIPES, or -=\ Japanese Oleaster, is a hardy, L—~7 deciduous ornamental shrub of recent introduction, and upon trial it is found to be as valuable an addition to our list of fruits as to our ornamental shrubbery. In cultivation it forms a shrub of bushy habit, growing from four to six feet in height by as much in breadth, with oval foliage, dark green above and silvery underneath. The bark is also quite attractive in win- ter, being a reddish brown color. It blooms during the month of June, the bright yellow flowers being borne in the greatest profusion on long stems around the branches, and are succeeded by LONGIPES. small oval-shaped fruit about half an inch long, and of a deep orange red color, studded with small golden scales or spots, giving it a very attractive or ornamental appearance. Not only is the fruit edible, but to most persons it is very palatable, possessing a sharp but pleasant flavor, while by many it is pre- ferred to currants or gooseberries. And it bids fair in time to have a market. A shrub so interesting, and promising, well deserves special attention and a place on the lawn as well as in the fruit garden ; but wherever grown it should be given an open situation and sufficient space in which to properly develop.— Vick’s Magazine. Ito THE NIGHT BLOOMING CACTI. especially so-called, is the Cereus Grandiflorus. This long specific name implies its beauty and gran- deur. It is one of the most delightfully scented of all the cactus family, bloom- ing, as noted, at night. A large plant covered with blooms, is a sight of beauty once seen that is never to be forgotten. The round stems have numerous small angles on them and are covered with delicate spines. These stems are usually about as thick as one’s finger. Of late years, another member of the cactus family has usurped the name of night- blooming. This is Phy/locactus latifrons. It is one of the broad, flat-leaved kinds, and is so readily propagated that it has now become common. It has a long tube to the flower, which curves down- ward like a siphon. It doves bloom at night,’and in one sense is night-bloom- ing ; but it bears no comparison in any respect with the original Night-bloom-. ing Cactus.—Meehans’ Monthly. i only true night-blooming cactus, —— ——, by yh \; / Li — i Sate Fig. 1560. —PHYLLOCACTUS LATIFRONS. PRUNE roses in spring after the buds have begun to swell. Then you will be able to see where the strongest branches are going to be and can prune intelli- gently. Transplant in , May.—Ladies’ Home Journal. Fig. 1559 —CEREUS GRANDIFLORUS. \ II! A HEDGE OF RAMBLER ROSES. HE Rambler roses, beautiful in any situation, are especially so when grown in hedge form. In place of the stiff looking hedges of evergreen so common a few years ago, those of airy, graceful appear- ing plants seem more in favor, and no plant yields itself more readily to train- ing than the Rambler rose. © The frame for the hedge is the first consider- ation, and it can be almost any material and made in any form. Perhaps as good a screen as any for the purpose is one like-an ordinary grape trellis, made of fence posts and wire. Set the posts eight feet apart. The end posts can be squared and made more ornamental if desired, but after the first year they do not show, so it matters little. The wires should be put on so that they can be stretched when necessary; often they seem quite slack after a season or two, and then we make them taut in this way:: Fasten the wires securely to one end post and pass them through all the others ; after they are through the last end post wind each wire around a piece of stick which can then be turned around until the wires are perfectly firm and straight. No other fastening is re- quired. The sticks are made from stuff two inches square and are eight inches long. About three inches near the middle of the stick is rounded so that the wires will wind round it easily, and each spring the sticks can be turned once or twice to keep the wires in good order. Ordinary chicken netting can be used with less trouble at the start, but it is inclined to stretch badly after a few years, and is not durable. The plants can be set eight feet apart, or midway between each two posts. Fasten the new shoots in place as fast as they get of sufficient length ; little pruning will be required, as it is long growth one wants until the hedge is established, but all old rough wood should be removed in the spring, and occasionally the ends of rank growing branches be pinched to cause branching. The plants are so perfectly hardy that it makes them more valuable for hedges, as often not even the extreme tips of the branches will be killed by freezing. All the varieties are also re- markably free from mildew, which is an added advantage. The flowers have no fragrance, yet bees gather on them in great numbers, probably on account of the bountiful supply of pollen found on the roses. Rose bugs do not molest them, though other roses in the same garden are badly infested. The plants blossom: later than the June roses, be ginning just as they are almost gone, thus prolonging the rose season three or four weeks.—Vicks Magazine. THE CALLA LILY. When the Calla Lily begins to bloom, if the pots are placed into shallow pans of water and left there, the bloom will be found to last much longer, and re- main more plump and fresh, than where water is simply applied to the surface of the soil. ‘ 112 ~ | si nd shape : ee RS eee The Canadian Horticulturist Se ~ 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 wis ets Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. REMITTANCES by Registered Letter or Post-Office Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the Address Label. pray ADV ERTIS NG RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. LOCAL NEWS.—Correspondents will geeeuy oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of local events or doings of Horticultural Societies likely to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. ks ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc. ; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. ’ ; NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. , DISCONTINUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their revised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. + Notes and Comments. & KIEFFER FOR Top GRAFTING.—Quite contrary to our expectation, Kieffer is reported by an American writer as poor stock for top grafting. Every graft in- serted, he says, died after one or two years’ growth. THE TERRIBLE STORM AND Low TEMPERATURES which prevailed over the whole Continent in the early part of February has resulted most seriously in the Southern States ; playing the mis- chief with orange and peach orchards, and all kinds of vegetables. Even at New Orleans the temperature fell to 6° above zero. FEBRUARY NUMBER.—We beg the kind indulgence of our readers over the lateness of February number, which was due to several reasons beyond our con- trol. (1) The lamented death of Mr. 3 Burns, of the firm of Dudley & Burns, Toronto, who are our printers ; a gentle- man who has always given a great deal of personal attention to our work. (2) The change of postal regulations which required posting the Journal at Grimsby instead of Toronto, as previously. KIeFFER FOR Export.—Contrary again to anticipation, this pear has not exported as well as we expected. One lot sent to Bristol in the fall of 1898, only made a net return of about 25 cents per half bushel case. DEVICE FoR HANGING FLower Pots. —Mr. A. H. Myles, of Hamilton, sends us a sample of an excellent suspensor for flower pots, which is at the same time cheap, convenient and tasty. It is made of small sized, polished brass wire, and is ingeniously clawed in such a way 113 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. that it firmly grips the pot, which may thus be safely suspended in any part of the room. Mr. Myles writes :—I send you a neat little device to attach to standard pots for the purpose of hanging them up. I find it most convenient in my little Conservatory, where I am short of room. NoOVELTIES.—We have an_ inquiry where in Canada to buy trees of Apples of Commerce, Champion, Delicious, Senator, etc. No, and we hope no Can- adian nursery will attempt to sell such untested novelties in Canada, until they have been fruited in our country. These ' varieties are boomed in the catalogue of Stark Bros. of Louisiana, and of course there are: always persons waiting to be caught with humbugs. A STATE BoaRD oF ENTOMOLOGY has been established in Georgia, con- sisting of the Commission, the President of the State Horticultural Society, and the President of the State Agricultural Society. A State Entomologist has been engaged and all Nursery goods are al- lowed to be delivered by any trans- portation company, without a certificate of inspection. THE Best Spray Pump. —We are con- stantly asked “which is the best Spray Pump.” Each of the firms advertising with us are first class, and each is so continually improving his pump, that now one, now another, might score the highest number of points. THE Gipson STRAWBERRY.—A new berry originated on the farm of J. H. Gibson, Marlborough, N.Y. Claimed to be very uniform in size, firm, mild in flavor, bright crimson in color; vines very productive. San JQsE ScALE.—We have received several inquiries from subscribers to know whether any orchards or nurseries in Ontario are affected with this insect. In reply, we may state that about three years ago a committee from our As- sociation found an orchard near the border badly infested. Entomologists were called in and great pressure was brought to bear upon the Government to prohibit the importation of nursery stock from the United States, and to have the infested trees destroyed. In response, the Dominion passed an Act preventing the importation of Nursery Stock altogether, and the Province an Act providing for the destruction of all infested trees. On investigation it was found that a few lots of the Nursery stock imported during the last five years were infested with scale, and some of it had been handled by Canadian Nursery- men. Careful searching enabled the inspector, Mr. Geo. E. Fisher, of Bur- lington, to trace this stock to the orchards in which it was planted, and his work is being continued on into the year 1899, for the purpose of utterly destroying such trees. Our Nursery men are all wide awake to the danger, and have had their Nurseries carefully inspected ; and so far as we know every Canadian Nursery at the present time is free from this scale. ADK 114 +1 Our Affiliated Societies. & Woopsrock, Feb. Ist, 1899. —The following circular has been issued to our members: The President and Directors of the Woodstock Horticultural Society have much pleasure in submitting to the members for their selection one of the three lists of Plants, Trees, etc., as below. These lists have been carefully pre- pared to meet the varied requirements of our membership, but it is distinctly understood that no change can be made from the lists, each member selecting one or other in its present form. You will mark the one chosen and return this circular, together with one dollar membership fee for 1899, from those who have not already paid, not later than the 15th inst. . D. W. Karn, President. J. 8S. Scarrr, Secretary. List No. 1. 1 Improved Montmorency Cherry. 1 Burbank Plum, 1 Yellow Transparent Apple. 4 Hersee’s new Strawberry. List No. 2. 1 Extra fine Canna. 1 Spirea ‘‘ Afthony Waterer.” 1 French Canna. 2 Burbank’s select Gladioli. 1 Packet each Sweet Peas, Asters and Nasturtiums. List No. 3. Kentia Palm. Fern. New Geranium. Tea Rose. Hydrangea. Fuchsia. Canna. Tuberous Begonia. Tuberose Bulb. Packet each Sweet Peas, Asters, Phlox Drum., Verbenas and Pansies. ss KincaRDINE. — The draft of by-laws pro- vided by the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Associa- tion was adopted, with one or two slight amendments. We should have at least one hundred members here. The Horticuttur- Ist has certainly improved in appearance, and may be truly be said to be the best of its kind published in Canada, and must I am sure be well received by the members of the Horti- cultural Societies of Ontario. Our president is Mr. S. W. Perry. JOSEPH BARKER, Secre/ary. PEAR’ PICKLES. t HILE most of the common varie- ties of pears lack the decided flavor that makes them a choice preserve when used alone, they will be found delicious used in combination with lemon peel and juice or green gin- ger root. Even hard pears or ‘ wind- falls,” pared, cored, filled with sugar and grated lemon rind and baked, closely covered, until juicy and tender, may be canned and kept indefinitely. Gingered pears make a rich sweetmeat. Peel, core, and cut rather hard pears into thin slices. Allow to eight pounds of sliced fruit eight pounds sugar, a pint of water, the juice and rind of four lem- ons, and half a pound of ginger root sliced thin. Cut the lemon rind into long, thin stripes and put all together in the preserving kettle. Simmer gently for an hour, then pack in jars or cans. If the pears used for pickling are Seckels, they do not need paring, but the larger varieties usually do.. The stem should be left on, but the blossom end removed. As fast as pared drop into a pan of cold water to prevent their turning black. Make a rich syrup, allowing to eight pounds of fruit ‘our pounds of sugar, one quart of vinegar and one cup mixed spices, cassia buds, stick cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Tie the spices in a bag and boil with the sugar and vinegar. Skim thoroughly, then add the fruit—a portion at a time—and cook slowly until scalded and tender enough to be readily pierced with a straw. Skim out the fruit, put in a stone jar or glass cans, boil the syrup a little longer and pour over.—New England Farmer. 115 + Question Apples for Export. 1044. Sirx,—From present understand- ing of the varieties, can you say which would be a good paying variety of undoubted ability to hold its position to meet the market— shipping requirements, etc., etc. You named ‘* Wealthy ” once to me. Do you know I think it soft, easily mashed and so on. I can grow them to a fine size, shape and color. I would top graft Tallman Sweet for these, as they are weak in trunk and too low grow- ing. How are Gideon, Longfield, Canada Baldwin ? any others. Can you recommend me to plant 25 pear trees or more with the same view. Beurre Bosc seems to give us hope in that direction. I wish to recommend to my neighbors graft- ing and planting such varieties and numbers, so that we may be able to ship directly to England or sell orchard to exporters, etc. Wma. Bacon Manorfleld, Orillia. Can I grow the latter? Name The varieties suggested by our friend, Mr. Bacon, are scarcely to be recom- mended for export. Gideon is a pretty apple, which originated with Peter Gideon, of Minnesota. It is of the same parentage as the Wealthy, but softer apple and not so good a shipper. It is a fall apple, ripening September and October, of poor quality for dessert purposes, and only fair for dessert. It is of great value in the Algoma section on account of its hardiness and produc- tiveness. Canada Baldwin is a nice apple, but too unproductive and too small to be a profitable variety for ex- port|; though very desirable for one’s own table. Longfield may or may not prove desirable. We have not yet fruited it ; but in Algoma it yields heavy crops, and the apple is quite attractive in appear- ance and of excellent quality. Peaches for Norfolk County. 1045. Sir,—Will you kindly give mea list of varieties of peaches you think profit- able for an orchard, those adapted especially for canning and shipping. The locality is the extreme end of Turkey Point, Norfolk Co., Lake Erie ; latitude 42° 38” north ; land Oralwer. & 15 feet above high water line and adjacent to bay shore, which surrounds it on east and south, and on west is open marsh | to 14 _ miles, to high bank of main land ; on north, thick growth of cedar, pine and red cedar, with maple, elm and walnuts and butternuts. In this the question of tender fruit buds not important, for obvious reasons. W. J. McInngs, Vittoria. There has a considerable change come over the views of our peach growers regarding varieties, during late years. For a long time the rage was for early varieties, which were for a time very profitable; but now that Southern and California peaches come into our Province in such abundance in the early part of the season, our own early clingstones—such as Alex- ander, Hale’s Early and others, have been less and less in demand. Fine late varieties, which come in when the imported varieties are about over, are therefore much more desirable for us to grow in Canada. Certainly we have little use for Alexander, Amsden’s June, Louise, Hale, and such varieties which hardly ripen before they rot ; and when they ripen, have so little quality. For home markets, the following are good: — Rivers, Barnard, Early Michigan, Elberta, Gold Drop, Kalamazoo, Old Mixon Smock Free, Stump the World, Stevens’ Rareripe. Spraying. 1046. Srtk,—Are there any new develop- ments in the spraying world that I may take advantage of on your advice? Which is the best spraying machine? I would like to spray potatoes as well. Wa. Bacon, Orillia. The excellent article by Mr. W. M. Orr, in our January number, will in part reply to our correspondent’s in- 116 OPEN LETTERS. quiry. It seems conclusively proved that spraying and thinning pay. We must use every means to produce high grade fruit and to cease growing poor stock. The best Spray Pump makers adver- tise with us and we cannot undertake to say which is the best. Each maker is constantly making improvements, and each have special advantages to offer. * Open Letters. ¥ Appreciated in Africa. Sr1r,—I am very well pleased with your publication and quite look forward to its arrival and enjoy the reading, which is at times very instructive, for although our cli- mate is very different from yours, we have the same pests to contend with. I bad a very good fruit garden where I lived last, but am now quite a statist regarding fruit, etc. Am grafting most of my apples on to pear stocks instead of quince, or apple, as I am of opinion they will be less liable to blight. I find dressing for destruction of apple bug, with Calvert’s Carbolic Soft Soap, about as efficacious as any other wash. Wishing you the compliments of the season, I am, yours faithfully, A. VINNICOMBE, Kokstad, Cape Colony, Africa. Apples for Glengarry. Sir, — In the last Horticotturist you give, in reply to L. Wiegand, a partial list of hardy fruits. We have a cold climate here, but seldom down to 40°, but still it sometimes is, and we have it below 30° every winter, on some occasions ; so we need hardy fruits. I do not know anything about plums or pears, but do about apples, as I have taken quite an interest in them and small fruits for thirty years. You can add the Peach apple to your list of early ones, as it is nearly if not quite as hardy as the Duchess and ripens about the same time, and for home use is a better apple. Then, for a fall apple, the St. Lawrence has no peer and is really a native seedling; for early winter, the Fameuse, McIntosh Red—also a seedling and a little better keeper than the Fameuse. These two are about the best apples you can get and are perfectly hardy. I have known the Pewaukee for about fifteen years and so far it seems perfectly hardy, is a good bearer of good ap- ee that keep till June; and the Golden usset does very well here, and so does the Winter St. Lawrence. I am not writing this for publication, but you can do as you please about adding any of the names to your list. A. Harkness, Lancaster. PLANNING HERBACEOUS GARDENS.— While most herbaceous plants can be safely transplanted at any season, the best immediate results are obtained from early spring planting. It is therefore quite appropriate to lay plans at once, that orders may be sent in good time, and the stock received for early plant- ing. There are constantly improvements in garden flowers, as instance the double rudbeckia, Allegheny Hollyhock, Napoleon III pink, Japanese, Irish, eic., and these properly claim every one’s attention ; yet there are also many old-fashion, well-known flowers that must not be forgotten. What garden is complete without the fox-glove, ane- mone, columbine, aster, chrysanthemum larkspur, bleeding-heart, day-lily, flag, lavender, lily, forget-me-not, pzony, poppy, phlox, pyrethrum, golden-rod, spider-wort, veronica, periwinkle, and scores of others >—Meehans’ Monthly. 117 Che Crocus’s Soliloquy. = 2S 2S ee in my solitude under the snow, Where nothing cheering can reach me ; Here, without light to see how to grow, I'll trust to nature to teach me. I will not despair, nor be idle, nor frown, Locked in so gloomy a dwelling ; : My leaves shall run up, and my roots shall run down, While the bud in my bosom is swelling. ; Soon as the frost will get out of my bed, From this cold dungeon to free me, I will peer up with my little bright head, All will be joyful to see me. Then from my heart young buds diverge, As rays of the sun from their focus ; I from the darkness of earth will emerge, A happy and beautiful Crocus ! Gaily array’d in my yellow and green, When to their view I have risen, Will they not wonder how one so serene, Came from so dismal a prison ? Many perhaps, from so simple a flower, This little lesson may borrow ; Patient to-day, through its gloomiest hour, We come out the brighter to-morrow. “The Saturday Magazine,” February, 1836. ; * I came across these lines in an old volume of The Saturday Magazine of 1836. I was only three years old then, but since I have always had a few Crocuses growing in my lawn. C. J. FOX, DErtaware. 118 . RIVER APPLE. THE WOLF THE CANADIAN Horticulturist. Vou. XXII. L89O9 No. 4 THE WOLF RIVER .APPLE-. ”E agree with the President of the Michigan Horticul- tural Society, who stated Yr~a* at the recent meeting that ° apple culture had reached a new era, in which better methods and a_ choicer selection of varieties are essential to success. or manure, or cultivate his apple orchard; who will not trap codling moth, top graft best varieties, grade and market his fruit in the most up-to-date fashion, must go to the wall; but the intelligent, enterprising apple grower can make as great a success of the industry as any previous time, barring, of course, years of over production like 1896. No doubt special trade will soon arise in special fancy dessert apples, and the man who can cater to the demands of the public will make money out of the business. At Ann Arbor the writer gave the following as three profitable varieties to grow for export, viz. :— The man who will not spray, - Blenheim, Cranberry and Ontario. These are varieties intended to cover the winter season from December to March, but for earlier shipments one might name Astracan, Duchess and Alexander. It has been the custom to condemn these varieties, because our home markets were overstocked, and they would not carry farther, but now that our steamship lines are being fitted up with cold storage plants, we can _ export them in good condition, as was proved by our experiments last August, when these very varieties commanded top prices in Great Britain. Of course they had to be graded for size, as well as quality ; all wrapped in tissue paper and packed in bushel or half bushel cases, and then stand inspection by a government official before shipment. Our frontispiece represents another apple that might be included in a list for export, viz. The Wolf River. A little later in season than Alexander, if anything larger and more showy in appearance, and better in quality, it 121 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. promises well for one of our fancy varie- ties for export. It is said not to be an early bearer, and to be productive each alternate year. The apple is a seedling of the Alex- ander, and originated in Wisconsin on the bank of Wolf River. The tree is very hardy, vigorous and fairly productive. The fruit is very large, 3 inches by 4% inches, oblate, or roundish oblate, usually regular in size ; skin light yellow, shaded with dark red or crimson in sun, with a few yellowish dots; stalk three quarters of an inch long, set in a narrow deep basin, of a green or russeted color; calyx open in a narrow, deep, , green wrinkled basin. The flesh is yellowish white, moderately firm in tex- ture, not fine grained, juicy, with a pleasant, sub-acid, spicy flavor. Season October and November. THE TRANSPORTATION Fic. HERE is no question that it is more vital to the interests of the fruit growers of Canada than the carrying of their fruits. Numerous have been the complaints in the past, both with regard to the carriage and the rates. Ocean trans- portation of fruit has been extremely unsatisfactory ; for even winter apples, which had been packed firm. and hard in our orchards and graded with the utmost care; fruit which would keep in our own cellars for six months in good condition, after two weeks on shipboard, closed in hot, unventilated holds, have arrived in Great Britain as “slacks and wet and wasty.” As a result, OF OUR FRUIT. 1561.—Loap1nc Fruit at E. D. Smitn’s, Winona. . Canadian fruit growers were being given a bad name for packing, which they do not deserve ; and the English com- mission merchants are blamed for false reports, because shippers cannot under- stand why fruit, which leaves them in first-class condition, should be tuined in so short a time. As a remedy for this evil, cold stor- age has been provided on many steam- ers, which of course will carry apples in perfect condition. To quote from Prof. Robertson’s address at’ our St. Catharines meeting : “* By means of cold storage even the very earliest ripening sorts can be landed in Great Britain in first-rate condition. If these are put in barrels at even 60° Fahr. and headed I22 THE TRANSPORTATION OF OUR FRUIT. up close, they will get up to 70° in the centre of the barrel in a short time. If put in the hold of the ship. the whole place soon goes above 70°, and the apples will all arrive in ** slacks ” and ‘‘ wets.” In 1897 a lot of over 500 barrels was sent over, and the half that went in cold storage sold for 18/ a brl., and the half that went not in cold storage sold for 8/ a brl. at the same time. I think [ am safe in saying that 60% of the apples that go to Great Britain fetch less than two-thirds they would fetch if they were properly graded, properly packed and safely carried, across the sea. 1 think if the Fruit Growers’ Associa- tion of Ontario does not take hold of this transportation problem and bring about bet- ter methods and facilities, they may as well go out of the business. The growing of fruit has been very well attended to, but there has been so much loss and dissatisfaction from the spoiling of fruit on the way to the markets, both home and foreign, that the matter must be taken hold of and corrected.” Considerable discussion followed both on the subject of ocean and railway transportation, resulting in the appoint- ment of two committees to take up these ‘matters in earnest, appealing to the other provincial societies for co- operation ; and if necessary, to appeal to the Dominion Minister of Agricul- ture. The Committees on Transporta- tion were as follows: Ocean, L. Wool- ‘ verton, W. M. Orr, and A. H. Pettit. Railway, W. E. Wellington, W. M. Orr, Alex. McNeill, M. Pettit, E. D. Smith, T. Carpenter, R. W. Gregory and W. H. Bunting. These committees met jointly at the Walker House, Toronto on the 3rd of March, and after a full discussion, pre- pared the following resolution on Ocean Transportation of Fruit : Whereas, the. accommodation on Atlantic steamships has hitherto been unsuitable to the carriage of our fruits, even such hard fruits as apples being ruined in transit and. arriving in the British market in an unsalable condition, although in perfectly sound condi- tion when packed and shipped ; and Whereas, the lack of ventilation, and the great heat in the holds of the vessels, added to the heat arising from the fruit itself, con- tributes to this evil, which has resulted in immense losses to the fruit growers in every province of our Dominion ; Therefore, Resolved,—That we memorialize the Department of Agriculture at Ottawa to take steps to remedy this serious condition of affairs, and thus give encouragement to one of the most important of our exports ; that ventilation of the holds in which apples are carried be strictly required of steamship com- panies in order that the temperature be kept similar to that of the outside air; and that a government agent be employed at each of the important ports, as Montreal, St. Johns and Halifax, whose duty it shall be to see that such ventilation is attended to, and, fur- * ther, to insist upon proper care in handling, loading and storage of our fruits on shipboard ; Further, that, when cold storage for fruit is provided on shipboard, the steamship com- panies shall be required to guarantee that the temperature will be kept within certain limits, and that the same be verified by a self-regis- tering thermometer placed under government seal. and the Secretary was ordered to send copies to local fruit growers associations and to the provincial societies most interested in export, as for example: Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Prince Ed- ward Island, suggesting that they pass similar resolutions, which could all be forwarded’ by our Secretary to the Do- minion Minister of Agriculture. The next question dealt with was the better classification of freight rates on fruit ; better ventilation of box cars for long hauls ; and greater speed in tran- sit. The following gentlemen were made a sub committee to carefully re- vise the freight classification, and to interview the Freight Classification Com- mittee at Toronto, place fairly before them our grievdnces and seek for the requisite concessions, viz.: Messrs. E. D. Smith, T. H. P. Carpenter, Alex. McNeill and W. H. Bunting. We anxiously await the result. OUR RURAL SCHOOL GROUNDS. ANY of our affiliated horti- cultural societies are en- deavoring to interest the children of the public schools in floriculture. They give bulbs or flower seeds to them and offer prizes for the best results. One teacher we knew who encouraged his pupils to bring pot plants to the school, and taught them how to care for them and above all to love them for their beauty and their fra- grance. ° But as a rule our rural schools are an object lesson teaching neglect and dis- taste for ornamental horticulture. The school building itself is unsightly, and often shabby for want of paint. The school yard is enclosed by an ugly snake or stump fence, or by a board fence, half down, and gates and posts that stand awry. The extent of the grounds may be large enough to meet legal requirements but they are bare of tree, shrub, and sometimes even grass. Arbor Day is a move in the right direc- tion, and we are pleased to credit our authorities with this enactment, which however is too often taken as an ordinary holiday, and the school grounds are no better after than before it. Prof. Bailey, of Cornell University, Ithaca, U. S., has devoted Bulletin 160 Fic. 1562.—Where Children are taught. An actual example. to Hints on Rural School Grounds, and is thereby aiming to cultivate the taste of the public for better things, so that they will demand a different, state of things and make the grants to schools conditional on such improvements. ~ Quoting a report he says: “If chil- dren are daily surrounded by those in- fluences that elevate them, that make them clean and well-ordered, that make Fic, 1663.—A suggestion in planting. them love flowers, and pictures, and proper decorations, they at last reach that degree of culture where nothing else will please them. When they grow up and have homes of their own, they must have them clean, neat, bright with pictures, and fringed with shade trees and flowers, for they have been brought up to be happy In no other environ- ment.” Regarding the school building Prof. Bailey says : “The school building is generally little more than a large box. It has not even the charm of proper proportions. A different shape, with the same cost, might have made an attractive building. Even a little attention to design might make a great difference in the looks of a schoolhonse ; and the mere looks of a schoolhouse has a wonderful influence 124 OUR RURAL SCHOOL GROUNDS. Fic. 1564.—A suggestion for a simple school house. on the child. The railroad corporation out walks or drives by gentle curves be- likes to build good-looking station- tween fixed points, etc.” houses, although they have no greater We close this article with a few further capacity than homely ones. I askedan _ extracts. architect for a simple plan of a cheap Making the sod.—The only outlay of schoolhouse. He gave me Fig. 1564. money required for the entire improve- The first thing to do after the school ment is for grass seed. The best lawn building itself is completed, is to pre- grass for New York is June-grass or pare a plan of the grounds. For this it blue-grass. Seedsmen know it as Poa might be well to consult a landscape —— architect, who would give an outline —- ground plan, showing where trees, shrubs and plants may be planted after the correct principles of landscape art. Or if any one in the neighborhood has enough taste to do so, let him draw a rough plan first, before the first planting is attempted. A-« good model for a small school yard (Fig. 1565) situated at four corners, is given by Prof. Bailey, in which these principles are observed, as for example (1) an open lawn through the centre ; (2) the grouping of trees and shrubs about the borders, and to hide objectionable features ; (3) Laying 125 See Fic. 1565.—Suggestions for the planting of a school yard on four corners. THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. It weighs but 14 pounds to the bushel. Not less than three bush- * els should be sown to the acre. We want many very small items of grass, not a few large ones ; for we are making a lawn, not a meadow. Do not sow grain with the grass seed. The June-grass grows slowly at first, however, and therefore it is a good plan to sow timothy with it, at the rate of two or three quarts to the acre. The timothy comes up quickly and makes a green ; and the June-grass will crowd it out in a year or two. If the land is hard and inclined to be too dry, some of the clover will greatly assist the June- grass. Red clover is too large and coarse for the lawn. Crimson clover is excellent, for it is an annual, and it does not become unsightly in the lawn. White clover is perhaps the best, since it not only helps the grass but looks well in the sod. One or two pounds of seed is generally sufficient for an acre. How to make the border planting.— The borders should be planted thick. Plow up the strip. Never plant these trees and bushes in holes cut in the sod. Scatter the bushes and trees promiscu- ously in the narrow border. In home grounds, it is easy to run through thesé borders occasionally with a cultivator, for the first year or two. Make the edges of this border irre- gular. Plant the lowest bushes on the inner edge. pratensis. For all such things as lilacs, mock oranges, Japan quinces, and bushes that are found along the road sides, two or three feet apart is about right. Some will dieanyway. Cut them back onehalfwhen they are planted. They will look thin and stiff for two or three years; but after that they will crowd the spaces full, lots over on the sod, and make a billow of green. - to grow. Kind of Plants.—The main planting should be for foliage effects. That is, think first of giving the place a heavy border mass. Flowers are mere de- corations | Select those trees and shrubs which are the commonest, because they are the cheapest, hardiest and most likely There is no district so poor and bare that enough plants cannot be secured, without money, for the school yard. You will find them in the woods, in old yards, along the fences. It is little matter if no one knows ‘their names. What is handsomer than a tangled fence row? Scatter in a few trees along the fence and about the buildings. Maples, bass- wood, elms, ashes, buttonwood; pepper- ridge, oaks, beeches, birches, hickories, poplars, a few trees of pine or spruce, or hemlock,—any of these are excellent. If the country is bleak, a rather heavy planting of evergreens about the border, in the place of so much shrubbery, is excellent. For shrubs, use the common things to be found in the wood and swales, together with roots which can be had in every old yard. Willows, osiers, witch hazel, dogwood, wild roses, thorn apples, haws, elders, sumac, wild hogneysuckles, —these and others can be found in every school district. From the farm yards can be secured snowballs, spireas, lilacs, forsythias, mock oranges, roses, snowberries, barberries, flowering cur- rants, honeysuckles and the like. Vines can be used to excellent pur- pose on the outbuildings or on the school-house itself. The common wild Virginia creeper (shown on the right in Fig. 1566) is the most serviceable. On brick or stone school houses the Boston ivy or Japanese ampelopsis may be used, unless the location is very bleak. Honeysuckles, clematis and bitter-sweet 126 al es CULTIVATION AND CARE OF THE BLACKBERRY. Fig. 1566.—A clump of weeds in the corner by the house—motherwort and Virginia creeper. How pretty they are! are also attractive. Bowers are always interesting to children; and actinidia (to be had at nurseries) is best for this purpose. . Plants for decoration.—Against these heavy borders and in the angles about the building, many kinds of flowering plants can be grown. ‘The flowers are much more easily cared for in such positions than they are in the middle of the lawn, and they also show off better. They havea back ground. Even a clump of weeds looks well when it is in the right place. : : . ; While the main planting should be made up of common trees and shrubs, a rare or strange plant may be intro- duced now and then from the nurseries, if there is any money with which to buy such things. Plant it in a conspicu- ous point just in front of the border, © where it will show off well, be out of the way, and have some relation to the rest of the planting. Two or three purple- leaved or variegated-leaved bushes will add much spirit and nerve to the place ; but many of them make the place look fussy and overdone. CULTIVATION AND CARE OF THE BLACKBERRY. N starting to grow this favorite berry ‘we must first consider its loca- tion, as most varieties are too tender to stand much exposure to either severe frost or keen cold winds; and consequently a windbreak of some kind is desirable toward the success of the bushes, carrying them through the winter without freezing down. This windbreak should be on the west side. As it will not only shield them from the cold frosty air in winter, but will also protect the bushes from the high winds when they are heavily laden with fruit. Another important point towards its success is the soil, as some soils would not be suitable, such as hard clay, or wet ground. The Blackberry likes a warm sandy soil. They grow splendidly on a deep rich sandy loam, and will stand the dry weather better than on a light sandy soil, and perhaps grow rather larger berries. But if itwas possible to irrigate, I would *choose the light sand as it is warmer, and getting plenty of moisture they would grow to perfection. Now as to fertilizers for the soil. There is nothing better in my opinion than plenty of good unleached hard- wood ashes, stable manure well rotted, and nitrate of soda. In first setting the roots, and management of them after, I differ from most growers, setting 127 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. them much closer in the rows for the purpose of making a thick shade over their roots during¥the dry spells when the berries are growing and ripening, and helping to retain the moisture as long as possible. The rows should not be less than eight feet apart, and set two feet apart in the row, and afterwards allow them to thicken in the row as tion of the fruit spurs or stems that grow out in the spring for the fruit to form on. Some cut out the old wood as soon as the crop is off, but I do not do so until the next spring, as I thinks it assists to protects the young canes and to hold the snow and leaves to cover the roots and keep the frost from doing them in- jury. There is a great difference in the Fic. 1567-—EarLty HARVEST BLACKBERRIES. * close as convenient to hoe. After the young canes get toa height of two or three feet, they should be pinched back so as to give them a stocky growth, form a fine bushy top and harden the the wood, so that it will stand our severe winters without injury. When spring comes do not cut them back a second time as it will seriously injure the forma- hardiness of the different varieties ; I have tried several kinds, but the Aga- wam is only one that would stand our cold winters without injury ; it has more good qualities than any other variety of which I have any knowledge. There is one point in their ripening which is very important, as it has to do with their size and sweetness. Some think they are 128 PRUNING THE ripe as soon as they turn black ; but that is a mistake, as it takes them two or three days to get ripe and sweet after turning black, and if they are left on the bushes until they are sweet, they are» seedy and are more luscious to the taste. Never allow any grass or weeds to grow, but keep perfectly clean. If you cannot do that do not try to grow them as you will surely fail, for they will not grow in sod. When the bushes get their load of green and ripening berries, the weight is too great for the canes to sustain and GOOSEBERR Y. hold them up, and they must be assisted. It is a very easy matter to place a few posts through the centre of each row, bore a hole two inches from the top, split out the piece from the auger hole to the top, then draw a wire through on each side of the bushes, fasten both ands to the end posts, raise the w‘re and drop it in the slot at the top of the posts. In this way one row of posts carries both wires and the cost is light. I think this is all the information necessary to grow and care for the Blackberry.— (Name of writer not given.) PRUNING THE points about the gooseberry which deserve consideration. It is fairly hardy, but thrives best when shel- tered. Then, though good supplies of moisture are essential to its welfare, the soil in which it is planted must be well drained, if the best results are to be re- lied upon. Further, though it must be kept in check by pruning, to clip it all over, making it form a dense spurred-in hedge is an error that cannot be too strongly condemned, and this brings us to the all-important question of pruning. Whilst some advise one system and and some another, the best and safest plan will be found to be as follows :— Instead of shortening the shoots, except where they are too rampant, or work downwards into or towards the soil} re- move the weak shoots wherever they are seen, and take care they are not chopped off, but removed as close to the old wood as possible. Generally speak- T wm are one or two important 129 GOOSEBERRY. ing, the usual method of ensuring a well-shaped and evenly-developed head will produce good results, but if better fruit is desired then cut out and train the bush in the shape of a cup; by this plan you reduce the quantity, but the fruits will be much finer from having free supplies of air and sunlight let into the head of the bush. It will be found much better to thin out rather than to clip all round the head. Let the branches grow outwards, and remove all branches which cross; rub against, or entangle such as should be encouraged to grow out freely. In planting, do not set the bushes too closely together. If set in rows, let them be five or six feet apart, and the bushes should be five feet from one to the other in the rows. Nothing is gained by over-crowding, either with bush or hardy fruits, as plenty of air and sunlight are essential to successful cultivation and develop- ment.—Bush Fruit Culture. THE SAN JOSE. SCALE Fic. 1568.—THe DELEGATION WHO DISCUSSED SAN JOSE SCALE. S has already been stated, this country has narrowly escaped the general introduction of this terrible insect from Am- erican nurseries. Before we were aware of the danger several large lots of “trees were imported. and distributed, that were affected by this tinyinsect. In 1896 an orchard near the border, belonging to a member of our Association, Mr. Chas. Thonger, was found to be infested, and immediately our executive called upon both the Provincial and the Do- minion Ministers of Agriculture to send competent men to examine and report. A large number of fruit growers, ac- companied by Dr. Fletcher, of Ottawa, and Prof. Panton, of Guelph, proceeded to Mr Thonger’s farm, and found the report only tootrue, and that a large num- ber of his pear and peach trees were infested. Our illustration shows the delegation, met under a grand old oak, to discuss the situation. Mr. Thonger is the prominent figure, while on his right are Prof. Panton and Dr. Fletcher; at his feet, Mr. D. J. McKinnon, “of Grimsby, and at his left, Mr. W. M On, E. D. Smith, Mr. Armstrong, the writer and others. Strong resolutions were made, and sent to the Ministers of Agri- culture, and as a result, every tree im- ported from the United States during the last five years is being carefully located and examined and if there be any trace of scale, utterly destroyed. The superintendent of this work is Mr. George E. Fisher, of Burlington, a man who never allows difficulties to hinger him, and who is sparing no labor or expense, to make it sure that Ontario is clean of the ugly insect. The San 130 * out. EARLY VEGETABLES. Jose Scale Act, of 1898 is well-known, and this is still being amended by the addition of the following sub section : (a) If, in the case of an orchard or col- lection of plants, the inspector finds scale on plants located in several different parts of the orchard or collection, and decides that it is advisable in the public interest to destroy all the plants in such orchard or in any part or parts thereof and so reports to the Minister, the Minister may direct that an examination or inspection shall be made by an additional inspector, and upon their advice in writing he may direct that all the plants in such orchard or such collection of plants or in such part or parts thereof shall be destroyed without requiring that every plant in the said orchard or collection shall be first examined. 3. The owner or proprietor of any nursery shall not send out or permit any plaut to be removed from his nursery- without the same being first fumigated by hydrocyanic acid gas in accordance with regulations prescribed by order of the Lieutenant-Governor-in Council. 4. No person shall sell or dispose of or offer fpr sale any plant obtained, taken, or sent out from a nursery unless the said plant has previously been fumigated in accordance with these regulations. 5. In case the inspector finds scale in any nursery and so reports to the Minister, the Minister may thereupon inform, by writing, the owner or proprietor or manager of said nursery of the existence of scale in his nursery, and the owner or proprietor or manager of said nursery shall not thereafter permit any plant or tree to be removed from the said nursery until the inspector reports to the Minister that it is safe in the public in- terest to permit the said nursery stock to be removed after fumigation. . This measure is extreme, but coupled with the Dominion Act, totally exclud- ing all American nursery stock, is calcu- lated to save our country from an inva- sion of this insect and make it perfectly safe for our readers to purchase freely Canadian stock from our Canadian nurseries. It costs a large sum of money to trace out all these impor- tations and examine each tree micro- scopically, but it is well-worth the expen- diture, if we are thereby saved from the threatened évil. EARLY VEGETABLES: AULIFLOWER should be in as general use as is cabbage. Its good qualities merit its general use. Would you be without cabbage from year to year? Then why be without cauliflower ? Do you grow and use salsify, the oyster plant? Try it. If you have good success, and are as fond of it as some are, you will not let a spring pass without planting it. If you like celery, try to grow it, Splendid celery can be grown but it re- quires thoughtful work. For raising early vegetables, now is the time to begin to work. Make a hot bed, and have good sized hardy plants ready for the open ground as soon as the weather will admit of their being put Place several loads of horse manure in a flat-topped pile, and give it a good wetting. After several days it will be steaming vigorously, and should be forked over into a similar pile and wet again. After this process has been repeated two or three times, make the manure into a solid bed two feet deep, place a frame on the bed, and fill in with four inches of good soil well pul- verized. Sow your seeds, cover lightly, and keep the soil moist. Covér the frames during nights and cold days with _glass sashes if you have them, but, if not use the best covering you have, such as old carpet or wagon sheet. With this little care, you may have early vegetables, They grow better during early summer: before it gets hot and dry, and tomatoes will continue to bear till frost, if irriga. ed, or if the drouth is not severe. C. P. Hartiey, Kansas. 131 SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN FRUIT GROWING. Fic, 1569.—Mr. McKniceut’s ReEsIpENCE. OME time ago we gave our readers a sketch of Mr. R. McKnight, of Owen Sound, and recently we received the accompanying photographs of his grounds, that of the house showing a short cut to the town, the hedge on the right being privet and that on the left, cedar (the native arbor vitae). Behind the hedge to the right is the small fruit plantation, and behind the house the orchard. The carriage drive, which is not shown, enters on the west side of the lawn, and is flanked on one side by a row of Austrian pines, and on the other by one of spruce, now nineteen years planted. The other picture, Fig. 1570 ,shows a sauntering place along the east of the orchard, and on the brow of the hill ; any part of which commands a fine view of the town, harbor and lake. Fhe row of evergreens on the left is a spruce wind break and joins the eastern boundary of the orchard, along which you will notice a privet hedge, which has outlived both its usefulness and its beauty. The trees now partly over- shadowing it, the maples on the right, are second growth volunteers, and stretch along the immediate brow of the hill. The trees in the distance are a part of about 1% an acre of the original bush ; they make a good background to the place, and shelter the orchard from the north wind. This is the only piece of original bush within the limits of the residential part of the town. Mr. McKnight writes as follows :— “T have cultivated about all the kinds of 132 SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN FRUIT GROWING. — fruit grown in this neighborhood, large and small, with the average degree of success. My apple orchard contains about 40 trees 25 years old, half dwarfs, all of them branching within 4 to 5 feet off the ground. I was once told bya prominent fruit grower of the Niagara peninsula, that the Gravenstein was too tender a tree to succeed as far north as Owen Sound. My experience of* them leads me to differ with him in this view. I regard it as amongst the hardiest. I have 4 of them in my collection, the rest being make up of Spys, Baldwins, Spitzenbergs, Greenings, Canada Red, Maiden’s Blush, Talman Sweets, Snows and Astracans. My Gravensteins are the largest, finest and most symmetrically formed of any trees in the orchard. Perfectly hardy, not a twig of them has ever shown the effect of frost, while I have had Greenings killed outright by it. I went out this morning and meas- ured the relative sizes of the trunks of several kinds of trees, the measurement was made in all cases 2 feet from the ground : here is the average result : Gravensteins, 52 in. in circumference Spys, Ape z Talmans, 5 a sf Spitzenbergs, 41 “ 2 Greenings, ake % vs Maiden’s B., 42 “. - Astracan, ag. “ a Canada Reds, 44 “ ARS Baldwins, rs ee yc cape The Gravensteins more than hold their own in the size and symmetry of branches and head, the fruit is unsur- passed in size, form and flavor, by any fall apple grown. By the way, the Ontario I got from the Fruit Growers’ Association some-12 or 14 years ago has not proved thrifty with me. It fruits * well and the apples are clean skinned and uniform in size. But the tree itself Fie. 1570. View oN THE ({ROUNDS OF Mr. McKnieut. 133 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. is not vigorous. It does not make sufficient growth in a year to enable one to get a decent scion from it. It is not favorably situated, however. My neigh- bor got one at the same time, and it is ‘ a much better and larger tree than mine.” Mr. McKnight is Registrar for the County of North Gray, and First Vice- President Owen Sound Horticultural Society. THE APPLE CANKER. From a paper read at the last meeting of the W. N. Y. Horticultural Society. HE DISEASE FOUND.—At last year’s meeting of the Lt Western New York Horticul- tural Society, the committee on botany and plant diseases reported the prevalence of apple canker in the orchards in Western New York, and a note on the subject from M. B. Waite, Washington, D. C., was read. Last Spring a request was received at the Geneva Experiment Station from Chap- in Brothers, East Bloomfield, N.Y., that the dying of trees in their orchards be investigated The visit revealed the fact that of 80 acres of once fine orchard belonging to one of the broth- ers, 30 has been taken out, and one- half the remainder were not worth a shilling. Of the 45 acres originally in the other orchard, only about 20 are left that are of any value. It is evident that this wholesale destruction is largely due to the canker. The disease has heen noticed for the past six or eight years, but it has increased rapidly in the past three or four years. Twenty-Ounce is most susceptible, Baldwin, Wagener, Greening .and King next. Talman Sweet seems practically freé ; trees on lowland and on ground at all wet, suffer worst. ‘Trees in outside rows are freer from canker than those in less exposed situations. The orchard is 40 years old, but the trees that are free from disease are thrifty and in their prime. The orchard has been cultivated far more in- . 134 telligently than the average orchard. No crops have been taken, trees have been pruned regularly, and the orchard was thinned 15 years ago.- It has been sprayed from the first with insecticides but not with fungicides. What It Is.— Inquiries concerning the disease have been received from various sections: of the State and its prevalence is reported in widely separ- ated localities. It seems to be common in most parts of the State, and in a number of instances, is doing serious damage. It is also prevalent in the Southern States, on the Pacific coast, in Michigan and Indiana. The swollen appearance of the limbs, the rough, blackened bark, and in many instances bare wood, black and decaying, are characteristics of this disease. The cankers are much more prevalent on mature than on young trees, the latter being evidently exempt from the attack. Old age and neglect seems to favor the disease, though thrifty trees may be ruined by its attacks. its Life History.—Investigations of the nature and life history of the disease were at once begun. A series of cul- tures were made from the diseased bark, and various forms of fungi were obtained. Two forms constantly appeared in the cultures, and led to their being separated and being grown in a pure state in test tubes. One form proved to be a toad- stool that is very common on dead bark THE APPLE CANKER. and wood in the orchard, and the other was unknown = Inoculations were made with both forms, and in a few days there was an area of discolored bark around the place of inoculation in each case where the unknown fungus had been inserted. Further inoculations were fol- lowed by the same results. By the close of the season, several of the seedlings were nearly girdled with wounds three or four inches in length, while on the trees, a portion of the wood was laid bare and the dead areas of bark, charac- teristic of the disease, were produced. Further experiments seemed to prove that the apple canker is caused by the fungus that produces the black rot of the apple, pear and quince. Some blighted apple twigs were examined, and it was afterward found that mature spores of the black-rot-fungus were abundant on them. Some pear trees, also, which were found to be in a dying condition, were attacked by the same fungus. The spread of the disease was from the top downward. Fruit of the same fungus has also been found on twigs of some quince trees that grew by the side the of pear trees, although the injury was slight. The canker has also been found on a quince tree in the Experiment Sta- tion orchards, the appearance and effect being much the same as on the apple trees. The disease was also found to be abundant and doing serious damage in the large orchard of Maxwell Broth- ers, near Geneva. A series of experi- ments was undertaken to prove that this fungus occuring on these different species of trees is the same and identi- cal with the common black rot of the fruit. What Can be Done ?— Strong evi- dence seems to be produced that a well- known fruit disease will also attack and do serious damage to the trees them- selves. Black rot of the fruit of apple, pear and quince can be held in check with Bordeaux mixture, and there is no reason to think that this standard fungi- cide will fail in this case. Orchards that have been well sprayed with Bor- deaux mixture for several years past, are much freer from the disease than those not sprayed with fungicides. The dis- ease seems to prefer mature trees, and it lives best in the rough bark, till it gains an entrance to the cambium. By removing or preventing the formation of this bark by spraying the limbs with Bordeaux mixture, one favorite breeding place of this and possibly other plant diseases is removed. By keeping the limbs protected with Bordeaux mix- ture, all spores that chance to fall on them will be destroyed. Canker spots once formed cannot be cured, but such limbs should be removed wherever prac- ticable. The rational way to combat apple canker is to spray the limbs with Bordeaux mixture as a preventive. This may be done when the trees are sprayed for apple scab, and an earlier spraying when the growth first starts, would do no harm.—-W. Pappock, of Geneva, before W. N. Y. H. Society. — 2 135 FERTILIZING ORCHARDS. Sir,— It is becoming a matter of the greatest importance to our fruit growers to understand not only what substances may be useful as manures but also how to apply them in the best manner so far as they can be made pro- fitable. There are numerous commercial fer- tilizers now on the market advertised for special erops with guaranteed anal- ysis, etc., but in many cases with a little care. and judgment and some knowledge of what the land and trees require, many dollars may be saved in collecting and preparing the crude matter always found about our homes or near bye. It may be necessary for market gar- deners, near our towns and cities to pur- chase these fertilizers to force a quick and succulent growth in early vegetables, but the orchardist has not to consider the forcing of an early growth so much as he has the placing of his land ina good state of cultivation with sufficient quantities of humus to keep up an active state of nitrification in his soil and also a liberal supply of potash and phos- phoric acid combined with nitrogen, forming the three elements so necessary to producing the full grown perfect fruit that our best markets now demand ; for our soil becomes more rapidly exhaust- ed of these three elements than any other of the ash and volatile parts of plants and trees. To those who have sufficient stable manure, I might say, that excellent re- sults can be obtained from the annual application of 5 or 6 tons per acre spread during the winter or early spring, over the entire surface of the ground, and after the first ploughing, which should be done in the spring, just so soon as the ground ean be worked, a dressing of 20 or 25 bushels of wood ashes followed by frequent cultivating, up to August Ist to 15th at which time the working of the soil should cease so as to check succulent growth and give the new wood time to ripen up before winter. Where swamp muck can be obtained a good manure can be made by the fol- lowing method: Draw your muck toa convenient place and to every load mix one bushel of fresh, unslacked lime ; spread out your muck ina thin layer and spread on the lime, then a layer of of muck and lime alternately, just damp- ening the whole with animal urine or barnyard drainage if it can be obtained, or water will do, putting it as the layers are built up. After it has stood a few days it should be turned and intimately mixed by com- mencing at one side of the pile and cutting down from top to bottom with a spade and throwing up into a conical heap. Now, just before you apply this to the land take one barrel of dissolved bone and ashes (how to dissolve the bone will be described presently) to every five loads of muck and lime mixing it by putting up in alternate layers of muck and bone and then cut down to the full depth of the side of the pile when shoveling into the wagon, by which means its becomes well mixed. Spread over the entire ground of the orchard in April or May, at the rate of eight or ten loads to the acre, and thoroughly incorporate it. with the soil by cultiva- tion. This will be found an excellent ma- nure for bearing orchards, besides the the humus added to the soil the lime acts upon and corrects the acid pre- sent in the muck and allows the ferments of nitrification to proceed, liberating the nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid 136 FERTILIZING ORCHARDS. which is found in muck in varying quantities ; and by the addition of the dissolved bone and ashes you add an ingredient very rich in phosphoric acid and potash beside some nitrogen, all of which is mostly available as plant food as soon as applied to the soil. . Every farmer and fruit grower should have a bone barrel or box where all bones should be put, and one will be surprised at the quantity they will col- lect in a short time. When a bushel or two have heen collected and you have a spare hour or two for one of the boys, have him break them up in small pieces, which is very easily done by holding them over an old anvil or heavy piece of iron, and breaking them with a two pound hammer. Now take a sugar or flour barrel and put in a layer of fresh dry ashes (those made from elm wood are preferable), put a thin layer of broken bone on top of the ashes, filling the spaces between the bone with ashes shaken in, then bone and ashes, finish- ing off with a thick layer of ashes. When your barrel is full pour on water enough to dampen the whole, being careful not to leach any off, and in a short time the mixture will begin to heat and in a few weeks you can put a spade through the mixture, the bone having all become as soft as cheese. Now by packing the bones as fast as collected, one is able to keep a stock of dissolved bone on hand for use when required. Now to those who have not got the necessary material at hand to prepare their own compost heap, and have to depend upon commercial fertilizers, it is not necessary to go to the expense of buying so-called complete fertilizers, but rather buy your phosphoric acid and potash, and grow clover to supply nitrogen. Three or four hundred pounds of Thomas’ Phosphate powder, 1oo hun- dred pounds muriate of potash, and 20 pounds crimson clover per acre, or 200 pounds pure ground bone, too pounds muriate potash, and 20 pounds clover sown about the 1st of August, the ground being kept in a perfect state of cultiva- up to that date, and cultivation com- mencing again early in the spring, and repeating annually gives the necessary potash and phosphoric acid and the clover the nitrogen and humus. Now that we have supplied the ele- ments to the soil necessary for the growth of our trees, we must not con- sider our work complete, for we have still the carbon to consider. About one half dry weight of vegetable matter con- sists of carbon, and it is almost wholly obtained from the carbonic acid that in the air, only a small portion possibly in the form of carbon dioxide present in the condition of humus, being at the disposition of the tree as plant food from the soil ; thus the principal source of carbon comes from the atmosphere and is obtained by the tree through the leaf pores, breathing pores, or stomata with which the mature leaf is provided in vast numbers. By means of these the inter-cellular spaces in the interior of the leaf are brought into direct communica- tion with the outer atmosphere where the mineral matters, nitrates, etc., brought from the soil by the action of the sap, combine with the carbon from the air, and, after the chemical combina- tion of the elements has taken place in the leaf, it passes back through the tree, building up the cell tissue and forming new wood, buds, bark and leaves. In the air there is somewhat less than one part by volume of carbonic acid gas to 3,000 parts of air (oxygen and nitrogen) so it is very necessary to the healthy development of a tree that it has an abundance of foliage, and that the same is kept in a healthy condition with 137 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. its numberless stomata or breathing pores in active work. When the foliage is spotted with fungi or bitten by insects, the leaf loses its functions either wholly or in part, and, when a leaf becomes covered with fungi, cell tissue is disorganized and it is as useless as though it were off the tree. Thus we see that no amount of fertilizing through the soil will give satisfactory results unless the foliage be kept clean and healthy and in the best possible condition to absorb the carbon from the atmosphere, and to do this we must spray and spray thoroughly, both with fungicides and insecticides. Practical illustrations in spraying and the materials used have been made in almost every corner of the province, thanks to the energy and interest taken in our fruit growers by the Minister of Agriculture for Ontario, Mr. John Dry- den and his energetic helpers, and there is very little, if any excuse now for not knowing when and how, and what to use in spraying your orchards. SUMMARY. Cultivate the soil thoroughly and frequently to retain the moisture neces- sary for the sap flow that holds the ele- ments of plant growth in solution. Supply humus to keep up active nitrifica- tion. Supply those elements of plant food of which the soil is most rapidly exhausted. Spray your trees thoroughly and at the proper time to check fungi and insect depredations, and the result will be rapid and healthy growth, abundance of dark green foliage, fruit buds fully deve- loped, and a crop of full grown perfect fruit with pleasure and profit to the grower. HAROLD JONES. Maitland, Mar. 8th, 1899. EXPORTING TENDER FRUITS. N our Report for 1898 our readers will find a very interesting address by Prof. Robertson on this subject, which is of the greatest moment to the more enterprising of Canadian fruit growers. From the experience of the cold storage shipments of 1898 it would appear that the possibility of success is within reach. As Mr. Robertson says: ‘*T have learned by two years’ experience, that the British consumer and importer does not care a snap of his fingers for the fancy names of highly esteemed kinds of fruit. Soundness is his first consideration, second, their keeping qualities, then nice appearance in regard to color, size and shape, and lastly, he looks for as nice flavor as you can give him. ‘*The California pears that go to England are sold particularly wel] because the re- ceivers there say they can keep them for two weeks after they get them. Anybody in Canada knows that a Bartlett is a joy to eat compared with a tough old tasteless pear from California, still the pears from California would fetch nine shillings a case whereas our best would fetch only six shillings, because the California ones wculd keep.” Tomatoes, peaches and grapes made unsatisfactory returns, but one case of Centennial peaches, sent by the writer, which variety is a clingstone and worth- less so far as quality is concerned but is firm of flesh, and of fine appearance, actually sold for 13/- or nearly $3 25. The case contained about 60 peaches. We believe there is hope of splendid success in all these fruits, providing we can once decide upon the variety which will carry. Even in grapes we do not despair, for some cases of Lindsay and Wilder sold well, and would, no doubt, soon create a fine demand. We believe it is the intention to have these experimental shipments continued one more season, after which, no doubt, they may be safely left to the ordinary course of trade for development. 138 NUMBER AND YIEI.D OF APPLE .TREES IN OUR PROVINCE. N the last Report of the Bureau of Industries we have a step in ad- vance for the benefit of the fruit grower, ina table showing the num- ber and yield of apple trees in Ontario in 1896 and 1897. We are often asked by outside correspondents for this infor- mation in previous years, and need these statistics, not only of apples, but of other fruits also. a decrease in the number of apple trees under fifteen years old, and the number reported is now only 3,435,018, or 113,- 040 less than in 1896. The average yield per tree was small, being but 2.19 bushels per bearing tree (fifteen years old) compared with 9.45 bushels in the previous year, and the total yield amount- ed to only 13,343,720 bushels, as against 55,995,755 bushels in 1896. Apple Trees. ‘ : Yield of apples} Yield of apples 15 years and over.| Under 15 years. in 1897. in 1896. Districts. a) ; ge Bush. 1897. 1896. 1897. 1896. Bushels. |5 | Bushels. | per ZL | a, tree, PN 2s Ce a 1,161,558} 1,068,063! 493,210) 515,176) 2,154,517)1.86) 13,087,056|12.25 Lake Huron........ “i 772,270| 729,325) 392,187! 395,319) 1,452,401)1.88) 7,236,435) 9.92 Georgian Bay ........ .| 448,519). 442,216) 393,146) 417,074 924,2942.06| 3,303,025) 7.47 West Midland ......... 1,095,234) 1,075,992; 445,147) 448,223) 2,174,640 1.99) 11,804,969)10.97 Lake Ontario........... 1,766,184} 1,739,191} 826,253) 875,356} 4,064,148 2.30) 14,273,665) 8.21 St. Lawrence and Ottawa! 582,853) 576,921) 554,619, 557,010) 1,723,251'2.96) 4,360,144) 7.56 East Midland........... 263.756} 273.649) 261,742) 271,514 823,243.12) 1,798,647) 6.57 Northern Districts...... 12,025 8,549 68,714 68,386 27,235 22.6 31,814] 3.72 The Province........| 6,102,399) 5,913,906] 3,435,018 3,548,058 13,343,720 2 19) 55,895,755) 9.45 si | An increase occurred in the number The following table presents the acre- of apple trees over fifteen years old in ages in orchard and garden, and in vine- every group except the East Midland yard, in 1897, by county groups and for district, there now being 6,102,399 trees the Province, together with the total of that age in the Province, or 188,493 acreage of these in the years 1895, 1896 more than was reported in the preced- and 1897: ing year. Every group, however, shows ; g od S 4 ; ; = E a q P 8 : E a8 & fo a) = 4 S oO a _ () s i Year. © © D0 Dy Peles! © & 3 g £ cv oa aA ° 4 sf | 37 | x 25-| $3 | 64 | 2a 4 4 <) S 4 D = A acres, acres. acres. acres, acres, ‘acres. acres acres. acres Orchard & garden.| 62,534! 35,817) 25,217 57.317| 91,516 34,207; 16,792 2,941| 326.341 Vineyard ........ ! 3,700 636 553 513 4,212 368 72 46; 11,100 | 1897...) 66,234) 36,453) 25,770 57,830 96,728, 34,575| 16,864 2,987) 337,441 Totals.+ 1896 ..| 61,496) 34,514) 24,224. 56,382) 94,036 31,066) 15,744 2,660 320,122 1895 3] 60,141 wed ae Sal 55,442 si 30,454; 16,813 2,135 312,787 | 139 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. The Lake Ontario and Lake Erie groups lead in the acreage in fruits. Over eleven thousand acres are now given to growing of grapes in Ontario. The total rural area in fruit is 337,441 acres, Or 17,319 acres more than in the preceding year, every district sharing in the increase. NEW YORK FRUIT GROWERS—II. EAR Culture for Profit was 2 treated on by Mr. D. K. Bell, from whose paper the follow- ing notes are taken. Soil and Varieties—I1 have found that the best soil for pears is a clay loam, that is, where the loam overlies a clay subsoil. Pears will also grow and produce well on what is known asa gravel loam, with a clay subsoil. The trees will not do well on peaty or black muck soil. These tend to unhealthy growth, and the fruit is of inferior qual- ity. Ifthe soil is not naturally dry, it must be made so by tile drains. Trees will not thrive in ground which is soaked with water. Do not locate an orchard on low land, but select a situation where there is plenty of sunshine and free cir- culation of air. Where the orchard is exposed to west and northwest winds, I favor windbreaks. In selecting trees, accept only those that have good, sound roots, clean bark, and have made a strong growth during the past season. The following varie- ties are to be preferred for a commercial orchard: Standards, Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, Seckel, Sheldon, Bosc, Clair- geau, Anjou and Winter Nelis. On the quince, Howell, Superfin, Duchess and Anjou. I will add Kieffer, although it is not a favorite of mine. The varieties named ripen in succession. Working and Planting. — The soil should be thoroughly worked the year before setting out the orchard. This can best be done by planting corn, po- tatoes, or some other hoed crop. The grade will then be as nearly as possible natural, so that the trees may be set at a uniform depth in the ground. Before the tree is placed in the ground, it should be trimmed of all surplus and damaged roots, and the top should be headed back. This heading should be, at least equal to the trimming of the roots, and it will do no harm if itisa little more. I head back to one or two buds, believing that the remaining buds will push forth stronger than if a larger number are left. The hole for the tree should be dug large enough so that the roots can be spread out without being bent. If some of the surface soil is thrown in first, it will do no harm. Care should be taken not to plant too deep. Two inches below the collar, for dwarfs, and even with the collar, for standards, is sufficient. Nothing is gained in too deep planting, as, in the cold soil, the roots will eventually come to the sur- face. Fine soil should be well sifted in among the roots, so that the space will all be filled. For Bartlett, Clairgeau, Sheldon, Bosc and Winter Nelis, 15 x 20 feet apart is sufficient ; Anjou, Law- rence, Seckel and Kieffer should be 20 to 25. On the dwarf, 15 feet is suffi- cient for all varieties. The young orchard should be thor- oughly worked by planting it to some hoed crop. If the fertility of the soil is such that it will produce a good farm crop, no manure or other fertilizer need be applied for the first few years, after which the ground should be enriched by applying potash, phosphoric acid and 140 NEI nitrogen, the last furnished by plowing under Crimson clover or well-decom- posed barnyard manure. Treating the Tree.—At about five years, the trees will begin to show signs of fruiting, which should be regulated by trimming. The trees should be trimmed systematically, according to the form that the grower has decided upon. I prefer the pyramid, and trim to a leader. This is done by cutting the lower branches to four or five buds, those higher a little shorter and so on to the leader, which should be left longer. The cutting back and thinning out must continue annually, to obtain the highest results. Whether this is done closely, must depend upon the variety and the vigor of the trees. Some trees have a tendency to set fruit more than do others. ‘Trimming should be done during the dormant season which, in Western New York, is between Nov. 1and March 1. No trimming should be done after the sap starts. If the tree has become stunted and exhausted, from overbearing or other cause, it can, if not too far gone, be revived by cut- ting back into the old wood, and allow- ing the tree to make a top of new wood. After the trees have come into full bearing, which is at the age of from eight to twelve years, no farm crops should be grown among them. Plow the orchard during May, but never more than three inches deep ; I do not approve of plowing any deeper, as it cuts off many of the pear roots. Then move the soil often by the use of a cultivator or spring-tooth harrow. By this treatment, the soil will be kept in YORK FRUIT GROIWERS.—V/L. mellow, moist condition. Under no circumstances should it be allowed to become hard and cracked. Feeding and Thinning.—The orchard should now be in full bearing, and the fertilizers should, consequently, be ap- plied more liberally ; I cover my orchard every second year with a light covering of well rotted barnyard manure. In the alternate years, I plow under Crimson clover, adding to this a liberal amount of muriate of potash, applied by sowing broadcast, by hand, and worked in by the cultivator. I have sprayed for the last six or eight years with varying success. I believe in spraying, when necessary, but the person doing the work should have a knowledge of what he is spraying for, what to use, and how and when to use it. This is important to insure success. The thinning of fruit is absolutely essential, in many cases. The work should be done early in the growing season and, wherever a tree is over- loaded, a sufficient amount of the fruit should be removed to relieve it thor- oughly. ‘The money expended in thin- ning is amply repaid in the protection of the trees, and the superior quality of the fruit. Thin whenever a tree is overloaded, and bear in mind that, with judicious thinning of the fruit, and care- ful precautions to prevent the trees from overbearing, annual crops will be the result. Nearly all kinds of pears should be gathered at least one week before they naturally ripen on the trees, as pears allowed to ripen upon the tree, lose much of their substance and quality. TPS 141 TOMATOES FOR EXPORT. in ) ve fh iN é iV ai Ny 2 | », Fie. 1571.—Honor Bricut Tomato. ang i‘ . E are very anxious to find a W variety of tomato that may be carefully recommended for ex- port. So far the Ignotum has been the most generally satisfactory variety we have tried, for it is a wonder- ful yielder, and carries fairly well. Dwarf Champion and Dwarf Aristocrat were a perfect failure, and were to blame for the bad reports of results last year in shipping to Great Britain. We notice that Mr. T Greiner, gard- ener near Niagara Falls, N.Y., writes in Farm and Fireside most favorably of Mr. Livingston’s new tomato the Honor Bright, as follows : The illustration gives a pretty good idea of this new type, which the Liv- ingston’s gave us last year. The follow- ing is the catalogue description, and it fits like a glove: ‘The foliage is yel- lowish green, and the fruit grows in clusters of from three to five large to- matoes. The color when fully ripe is a rich, bright red, but during growth it makes several interesting changes in color, first light green, then an attractive waxy white, then lemon, changing to rich, bright red at maturity. It is one of the most attractive varieties grown. The quality is very fine, flesh thick and mealy, with small seed-cavities. The skin never cracks and the fruits are so solid that if picked when white they can be shipped in barrels like apples, and after a period of three to four weeks will be solid and ripened to rich, bright red.” My friend, the editor of the New York (former Orange County) Farmer, speaks in terms by no means flattering of this sort, and seems to consider it a curiosity. I do not agree with him, and shall plant quite largely of it. But don’t plant it for an early sort. It is rather late, as the fruit requires consider- able time to go through all these changes in color. I recently saw a report from London, England, saying that the ship- ment of tomatoes from here had not proved a success, and surely not profit- able to the shipper. The fruit in most cases was allowed to get too ripe before 142 PEAR GROWING. being gathered and packed for shipment. With the Honor Bright it would be easy to avoid mistakes, as the color shows the exact stage of progress toward ripen- $ ing. I think if picked when in the white stage they could be safely shipped across the water. PEAR GROWING. SEE by the Feb. No. of Horticut- TURIST, on page 80, Question 1043, from W. B. Stephens, on pear growing. Perhaps my 20 years’ experience would be acceptable, as I have tested and have now growing over 100 varieties, some of which have not fruited yet. I find Duchess d’Angouleme a good pear, but not a good yielder. I have them both in dwarf and_ standard. Beurre Clairgeau bears splendidly, but requires thinning on standard trees to get the proper results in size and color. The Beurre d’Anjou, I have both dwarf and standard, the former bears fairly well, fruit of good size and good quality, but the standards, of which I have about 20 trees, some 20 years planted, have not produced as many bushels as years they have been planted, but we have some very fine specimens and of even size. They do not yield enough per tree to compare with Louise which always bears abundantly and _ sells here at from $4.50 to $6 per bbl. ; and if picked at the proper season ships better than the Anjou. I have made more money out of the Kieffer, however, than any other variety I grow, but they must be thinned from 200 to 600 per cent. to get the best results, as they are the most persistent bearers we have so far tested, besides fruiting every year, and if properly thinned bear a fine, large, beautiful fruit. If properly ripened the Kieffer is of fair flavor and excels many other sorts for canning. If Flemish Beauty can be grown suc- cessfully at Owen Sound, I _ would strongly recommend them as a fruit that would ship well and please the custom- ers, as well as being productive and hardy and good quality of fruit, if it can be grown free from the spot or scab. We have succeeded in growing clean fruit only by persistently spraying with Bordeaux mixture. There are two or three other varieties of late introduction, which I think will prove excellent, viz., Rutter, Comice and Idaho. So far as I have tested them they are hardy, large size, good color and excellent quality when properly ripened, and I think when better known will be highly appre- ciated. The Dempsey is proving itself a good yielder, large size and of first-rate qual- ity, much superior, in my opinion, to the Duchess d’Angouleme, which it much resembles. With regard to the last clause of the © question, there is a Mountain Ash grafted about 12 years ago within 80 rods of where I am writing. It has often fruited, but the fruit is invariably small, warty, sour and no good. The scions used were Bartlett and Flemish Beauty. The varieties I have found to be the most profitable for the last 9 or 10 years are Keiffer, Bartlett, Louise, Lucrative and Clairgeau ; any of which would ship to England if properly picked and packed. R. L. Huccarp. Whitby. Notre.—We are a little doubtful about the Idado fulfilling expectations, from our experience at Maplehurst.—Ed. 143 GRAFTING THE GRAPE. HOULD our experimental ship- ments prove that Wilder and Lind- ley, Agawam andSalem, for exam- ple, are varieties of grapes that may be exported with profit to Great Britain, and that such varieties as Wor- den, Concord, Niagara and Brighton are unsuitable for that market, it will be necessary to graft over some of our large vineyards to these varieties. With this in view we give a simple method of doing this work, given some time ago by a writer in American Gardening. To prepare the stock, remove the earth from six to eight inches in depth Fie. 1572. Grape GRAFTING Saw (WAGNERS PATENT). around the vine. With a common handsaw cut it off at a convenient knob or knuckle, as shown at A in i lustration, three to six inches below the surface of the ground. Then cut a number of kerfs diagonally across the knob with the grafting saw. Be sure that every kerf is entirely clean, and free from chips, sawdust, etc. Now select a cion to fit the kerf. If it has a crook or angle like that shown at B, all the bet- ter. Cut a thin piece from each side directly below the middle bud. The cut portion of the cion should fit snugly into the kerf. Remove the bark from back of cion, so that this part will ap- pearas shownatC. Then press it into the kerf, driving it snugly in place by a light tap or two with the wooden handle of the knife. Neither tying nor waxing is required. We always like to put a number of cions in each stock ; the more we put in, indeed, the better are our chances, although we care only for one to make good growth. The Fie. 1573. cions after insertion appear as shown at D. The covering of stock and grafts should be done with great care. Pack the earth well about the lower ends of the cions, and between them and the stock. Cover to top of cions, making a broad hill. If a quantity of sawdust is put on top, it will help to keep the soil moist, loose and cool. Often the: buds start and then die downagain. Usually the secondary buds are the ones that make the growth ; they start after the first buds have given out. After the cions have grown six or eight inches, remove all canes starting from the stock, but do not disturb any of the first year’s growth of the cion. The second year, if too many cions grow, cut off what you do not want. This method has given excellent results all through the grape districts of Western New York. 144 * Flower Garden and Lawn * | CPA Pi aC HOME MAKING. Fie. 1574.— HE time is come when we in Canada need to pay more atten- tion to the surroundings of our homes, and seek to make them more in accord with the principles of good taste. Many a person will build a fine house, faultless from an architectural point of view, and wholly disregard the setting of the same. Old ugly building may be in full view,.beautiful landscape bidden, delapidated fences may surround it, and a yard unkept and untidy. The surroundings are next in import- ance to the house itself. Better a plain old fashioned house, with a fine lawn and artful planting of trees and shrubs, than a most ornate building with no taste in its surroundings. - This part of home making is sadly neglected with us in Canada, not always from lack of means, but more often from lack of taste in landscape art. It is with the object of overcoming this lack in our rural homes, where the conditions are so favorable for making beautiful homes, that Prof. Bailey has written such bulle- tins as No. 161 on Annual Flowers, from which we make the following extracts. 145 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fic. No. 1575.—THE OpeN-CeNTERED YARD. Flowers should be accessories —The main planting of any place should be of trees and shrubs. The flowers are then used as decorations. They may be thrown in freely about the borders of the place, not in beds in the center of the lawn. They show off better when seen against a back-ground: this back- ground may be foliage, a building, a rock, or a fence. Where to plant flowers is really more important than what to plant. In front of bushes, in the corner by the steps, against the foundation of the residence or outhouse, along a fence or a walk,— these are places for flowers. A single petunia plant against a background of foliage is worth a dozen similar plants in the centre of the lawn. Too many flowers make a place over-gaudy. Too much paint may spoil the effect of a good building. The decoration of a yard, as of a house, should be dainty. The open centered yard may be a picture ; the promiscuously planted yard may be a nursery, or a forest. A little color scattered in here and there puts the finish to the picture. A dash of color gives spirit and character to the brook or pond, to the ledge of rocks, to the old stump, or to the pile of rubbish. A flower garden.— But the person may want a flower garden. Very well; that is a different matter. It is not primarily a question of decoration of the yard, but of growing flowers for flowers’ sake. It is not the furnishing of a house, but the collecting of interesting and beautiful furniture. The flower Fic. No. 1576.— A Datnty EpoGine or FLOWERS. garden, therefore, should be at one side of the residence or at the rear; for it is not allowable to spoil a good lawn even with flowers. The size of the garden and the things to be grown in it must be determined by the likes of the person and the amount of time and land at his disposal; but a good small garden is much more satisfactory than a poor large garden. Prepare the land thoroughly, fertilize it, resolve to ‘take care of it, select the kind of plants you like ; then go ahead. ; Plants for screens.— Many annual plants make effective screens, and covers for unsightly places. Wild cucumber (or echinocystis), cobea, and sweet peas 146 SHRUBS FOR HOME GROUNDS. may be used to decorate the tennis screen or the chicken-yard fence. The alley fence, the smoke-house, the child- ren’s play-house, may be screened with morning glories, flowering beans, and other twiners and climbers. The win- dows may be screened and decorated by vines grown either in the ground or in window-boxes. Efficient screens can be made of many strong-growing and _ large-leaved plants, of which castor beans, sunflowers, cannas, tobacco and other nicotianas, striped or Japanese corn, are the chief. But it is not the mission of this bulletin to report upon foliage plants. The kinds of annuals.—In the selec- tion of the kinds of annuals, one’s per- sonal preference must be the guide. Yet there are some groups which may be considered to be standard or general- purpose plants. They are easily grown almost anywhere and are sure to ‘give satisfaction. The remaining plants are mostly such as have secondary value, or are’ adapted to particular purposes or uses. The groups which most strongly appeal to the writer as staple or general- purpose types are the following: Petun- ias, phloxes, pinks or dianthuses, lark- spurs or delphiniums, calliopsis or core- opsis, pot marigold or calendula, bache- lor’s button or Centaurea, Cyanus, clark- ias, zinnias, marigolds or tagetes, collin- sias, gilias, California poppies or esch- scholtzias, verbenas, poppies, China asters, sweet peas, nemophilas, portu- laccas, silenes, candytufts or iberis, alyssum, stocks or matthiolas, morning- glories, nasturtiums or tropaeolums. Annual flowers possess a great advan- tage over perennials in the fact that they appeal strongly to the desire for experiment. The seeds are sown every year, and there is sufficient element of uncertainty in the results to make the effort interesting; and new combina- tions can be tried each year. SHRUBS FOR HOME GROUNDS. LANT a few small shrubs near the house, so that the founda- tions of the house will be screened, and the house seem to rise out of its surroundings. The choice of shrubs depends somewhat on the soil and location. There area great many shrubs that are very appropriate for planting on the grounds, but only a few will be named here. Common Lilac—Syringa Vulgaris.— This is one of the commonest and most highly praised of garden shrubs, and one that has given rise, either by natural variation or by crossing with other species, to a great number of superior forms. ‘The colors range from white to various forms of lilac. Syringa Persica.—-This is a distinct small growing species, with slender straight branches, and lilac or white flowers produced in small clusters. The form bearing white flowers is named Syringa persica alba ; and there is one with neatly divided foliage, Syringa persica lanciniata. Philadelphus.— This is a genus of shrubs which are remarkable for the abundance of white and usually sweet scented flowers they produce. They will thrive on almost any good soil, and require no special treatment. Philadel- phus coronarius, Philadelphus somentosa, Philadelphus gordanisnus are all large growing bushes, and give a succession of bloom, 147 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. FToneysuckles or Lonicera, are all of the readiest culture, and succeed well even in poor soils. There are a large number of species, some vining, and some of a sturdy bushy habit. Lonicera fragrantissima blooms very early, and is very fragrant. It retains its leaves nearly allwinter. Lonicera ¢artarica pro duces whiteand pink flowersinthe spring, which are as attractive as the blooms. Berberis Vulgaris also produces at- tractive flowers in the spring and scarlet fruit in the fall. Spireas are excellent shrubs, and make very good low screens, and also give a beautiful display of flowers. Spirea Thundergit, Spirea Van Houttet, and Spirea veversiana give a succession of blooms. Deutziu gracilis and Deutzia crenata floraplena are very compact shrubs, with close spikes of very attractive flowers. Kansas Agricultural Coll. Bul. * Floral LEAVES CURLING. THE leaves of the Tub- erous Begonias, Gloxi- nias, Fuchsias, Roses and many other plants will curl and become un- sightly, when attacked by the red spider This pest thrives in a dry, hot at- mosphere, and can only be kept from becoming troublesome by evaporation, aud the free use of the syringe. It spins its almost invisible web upon the under side of the leaves, and causes the leaves to curl and appear rusty. When not numerous, the pest may be eradicated by syringing with soap suds, but foliage badly affected should be removed and burned, and the plants encouraged to put out new leaves and branches. Fie. 1577. PAONIES FROM SEED. Seeds from Pzeonies sown in autumn in a cold frame will germinate—some next spring, and others the second spring . afrer sowing. It is by means of seeds that the new varieties are propagated. Division, however, is generally the more successful and satisfactory method of propagation for the amateur, and the one to be recommended. Hints ¥ A VASE FOR CUTTINGS. The prop- agation of cuttings may be a source of = window adorn- ment as well as of interest and pleasure, by using a standing vase of silver sand, and ar- . ranging the cuttings tastefully, as repre- sented in the little engraving. The sand should be kept constantly wet, and in partial shade, at least until the cuttings begin to callous. Avoid strong draughts of air, and keep the atmosphere moist by evaporating water in the room. Fie 1578. CHINESE SACRED LILY. When these are grown in water it is generally as well to cast them out after blooming. They are worthless except to produce small offsets, which must be grown for several years before they be- come of blooming size. When grown in pots of earth, however, continue watering till the tops begin to fade, then gradually dry off. —Fark’s Floral Guide. 148 TUBEROUS ROOTED BEGONIAS, AMARYLLIS AND FREESIAS FOR THE AMATEUR; THEIR TREATMENT AND GROWTH.—I. A paper read before the Hamilton Horticultural Society by W. Hunt, florist. it may interest you to know that the numerous and beautiful class of plants, known under the term “begonias,” of which the tuber- ous variety form a very small, but de- cidedly important section of, were nam- ed after M. Begon, a noted French botanist, and their introduction to Euro- pean floriculture took place about a cen- tury ago, there being at that date only a few discovered. It was not until early in the present century (about 1810) that we have any record of the tuberous begonia, when it was introduced into England from South America, where a very large percentage of the numerous varieties of the begonia, which have served as the basis of the beautifully improved varieties, now grown, were natives of Peru, Brazil, Mexico and wh a § Fig. 1579.— Spray or TusBerovus BEGonNTAS. 149 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Lima, while a few originated from Africa, the west Indies and other warm climates. For a long time the begonia was treated altogether as a stove or hothouse plant, and at the present day, fine speci- mens can be seen, propagated and grown entirely in the windows and gardens of many of our own citizens, who are lovers of this beautiful and in- teresting class of plants ; but very little. was done to materially improve the tuberous varieties of the begonia, until well into the present century, when it was taken in hand by British and conti- nental florists, who by a careful system of hybridization of the few. and at that date thought to be almost worthless varieties, together with some more re- cent importation of a better type, have produced the numerous and magnificent specimens to be seen at the present day in almost every florist’s establishment in the world. Among the most successful improvers and growers being John Laing & Sons, Henry Cannell, and Ware & Co., of London, England, the first men- tioned firm devoting immense houses, and in the summer acres of ground to the culture and development of this tuber, beside other American and Continental growers that devote special attention to the tuberous begonia, and both seed and tubers of good strains are now offered at very reasonable prices in most of our Canadian florists, and seedsmen’s cata- logues. Apart from the beautiful and innum- erable shades and colors of both the single and double varieties of the tuber- ous begonia, varying as they do from pure white to pink and deep crimson, from pale yellow to orange, and almost brown so deep is the shading of some of the bronze varieties, there is also another feature, that strongly recom- mends this plant to notice, which is the beautiful emerald green foliage of many of the varieties, shaded and marked by hues of a much lighter color, oftentimes nearly white, making the plant still more attractive than it would be if, as is the case in many plants having fine flowers, the foliage is poor and meagre looking. There are two almost distinct classes of this plant, so far as habit and growth is is concerned, viz: Erect and Drooping varieties, the latter being -specially adapted for window boxes, hanging pots and baskets, placed in partially shaded positions, filling a much needed want in that respect. The great aim of the improver and growers of the erect varieties, has been to secure beauty and density of foliage, with flowers having the necessary at- tributes of a perfect flower, viz., color, symmetry and substance, with the flower standing erect on stout stems, carried well above the foliage and in full view of the admirer. This has been so successfully carried out that one is compelled to think the limit of perfec- tion has been attained, until, as in other classes or natural orders of plants, we are surprised by some new and often- times chance addition, so far as human skill and science are concerned, to the floral wonders of the world, showing, as they often do, some delightful feature really distinctive from anything hitherto produced. I am afraid I shall have already tired you, before coming to what might be termed the practical part of these re- marks, so I will endeavor, as briefly as possible, to give you a description of “ How to secure and grow this delight- ful flower.” The easiest method would be to pur- chase tubers from some reliable firm early in the spring, say February or March, the bulbs will likely then be in a dormant, or resting state, and if in good, sound, firm condition, satisfactory 150 TUBEROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS Fig. 1580.—SineLte Treerous-RooTED Becoxta, Surron’s QUEEN or WHITES. (Engraved from a photograph. ) results should be obtained the first season. If you can command a fairly even temperature of 60 or 70 degrees, you can commence to start the tubers at once by securing a flat wooden box (not a match box), two inches and a half deep, with holes bored through the bottom sufficiently large for drainage purposes, the box to be of a size so that the tubers can be placed on it, and allow about one inch of space between 3 each one. Put about half an inch of damp sand in the box first, so as to cover the bottom of the box evenly, then place the tubers in as above stated, and fill in around them with sufficient dry sand to cover them and water thor- oughly. If the sand settles unevenly after watering even up with dry sand, water again so as to settle the sand firmly around the tubers and when this is done the tubers should be barely show- (51 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fie. 158).—Mr. Hon. ing through the sand. Place the box in a warm position near the glass where the sun at midday does not strike directly on it, and in about a week, or perhaps longer, usually when the tubers show a growth of about half an inch in height, a tuber or two may be carefully lifted from the sand; if small fibrous roots about an inch long are showing, the tuber can be potted, if no root growth is showing, return the tuber at once into the sand and waterthoroughly. In potting the tubers use fairly well drained pots, of a size in proportion to the size of the tuber. A tuber one inch in diameter would require a six-inch pot, and so on, in proportion to its size, some very large tubers would require a nine or even ten-inch pot, as it is best to have the pot large enough for them to flower in, without repotting, as re- potting tuberous begonias in an ad- vanced stage of growth is a delicate and dangerous occupation, however carefully done, and is not really neces- sary. Care must be taken in potting the tubers not to injure the young fibrous roots by pressing the soil around them too closely ; the best way is to fill the pot nearly full with well prepared, en- riched, dry loamy potting soil, then take out sufficient of the soil in the _ centre to make a hole, large enough so that the tuber will be barely below the surrounding soil ; sprinkle a hand- ful of dry sand around the tuber to help start root action ; fill around care- fully with the dry soil taken out, so that the tuber barely shows above the tup of the soil; water thoroughly ; if ‘the soil settles to leave the tuber bare, fill in with more dry soil, and water slightly again ; place the box in a warm situation near the glass, partially shaded, water only when appearing dry, which will be seldom until established, then harden off gradually in a slighly lower temperature, as the tuberous begonia does not need a high temperature—5o0° to 60° being suitable—to produce stocky plants with good foliage. Give the plants a good circulation of air, as the tuberous begonia when well established dislikes a close humid at- mosphere ; in fact I find it best not to syringe or sprinkle the plants overhead at all; even in the open air, overhead watering is not really desirable, as the peculiar rough, spiney surface of the foliage retains the moisture in a close atmosphere sufficient to spot and rot the leaves ; this peculiarity applies to many other varieties of plants, among them being the gloxinia, gesneria and achimenes. I might add though, that unless there is a long spell of continuous wet wea- ther, the tuberous begonia when planted out in beds or borders, stands the rain very much better than geraniums, espe- cially if sheltered a little from sweeping winds. The tuberous begonia can be propa- gated from cuttings with fairly good 152 TUBEROUS.ROOTED BEGONTAS. success, in pots or pans, well drained, first, and filled about half full of loamy potting soil, with a small percentage of sand mixed with it ; then fill the pot up nearly level to the top with propagating sand ; the surplus growth from a large tuber can be utilized for cuttings, as four or five strong shoots is sufficient to leave on an ordinary sized tuber for flowering purposes, taking the weaker ones off for cuttings. The method of taking the cuttings, to prove most successful, is to pull or break the growth away from the tuber, for the base of the cutting close to the tuber strikes easier, as it is often already partly callused when taken off; the cuttings can be taken when the growth is about four inches long, about the time the strong shoots show signs of flowering. . Pinch the bloom buds, if any, carefully off the cutting ; be very careful not to force the cutting into the sand, or the base of the cutting will be injured, thus preventing it from cal- lusing and rooting; put the cutting in the sand so that its base is just above - the top of the soil and in the sand, about half way down the pot. Water well once, never allowing the sand to get really dry ; I find it is the best plan to allow rooted cuttings to grow on in the pot, or box, they have been propa- gated in until the foliage shows signs of decay when withhold water gradu- ally until the foliage has decayed en- tirely, when the box or pot, with the foliage left undisturbed, can be stood away in a cool dry place; a tempera- ture of 40° or 45° will be suitable; but if very vigorous they can be grown on in small pots to winter in, where they can in either case remain until the fol- lowing spring, when the young tubers can be taken carefully out of the sand or soil and started into growth in the same way as recommended for large ones. Of course the size of the young tuber necessitates a slight difference in hand- ling, and even more care than the large ones. I have been very successful in starting them in the spring in the same box they were propagated in, but this requires care, as the tuber cannot be seen so deep down in the pot. The after culture is similar to that for large tubers, only that the pots used must be smaller, probably at first 214 inch pots will be large enough ; these young tubers can easily be re-potted as required into larger pots, until showing signs of flowering. The soil should have a larger percentage of sand in the first potting than that recommended for the large tubers, or instead of putting into larger pots, the young plants may be planted out about the second or third week in June, in beds or borders, in a partially shaded position and in loamy soil. I omitted to mention that the cuttings when first started require a warm situa- tion, and not exposed fully to the sun. One advantage in prupagating from cut- tings is the certainty of securing a plant similar to the original, which is not often the case when propagated from seed. The cultivation of this begonia from seed is possibly the method that will most commend itself to an enthusi- astic amateur, not only because one is kept on the tiptoe of expectancy and uncertainty, from the time of sowing the seed until the first flowers have fully ex- panded into full beauty, but because there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome by care and watchfulness in the first stages of growth, and that are necessary with all small seeds. To se- cure satisfactory results, use a seed pan, 153 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. (not a saucer) pot or small wooden box, carefully avoiding a match box. I prefer the latter to either of tne others men- tioned, as the seed does not dry out as quickly as ina seed pan or pot. The box should be about two inches deep with holes boredthrough the bottom sufficient for drainage ; place broken pot or gravel in the box nearly all over, then put a thin layer of sphagnum or common moss over this, fill to within half an inch of the top with soil composed of one part dry sand, one part leaf mould and four parts of dry loamy potting soil mixed well together, and sifted through a fair- ly fine sieve before putting into the box ; press down firmly and evenly ; then cover this again with a quarter of an inch of finer sifted soil of eaual parts of dry loamy soil, sand, and leaf mould mixed well together, and pressed firm and quite level; then water thoroughly so as to soak allthesoil. Ifany uneven places are seen after watering sift in enough of the last named compost to level up, water again slightly and sow the seed at once, which should be of as good a strain as possible, that is, saved from good varieties. The seed being very minute, will have to be carefully and barely covered with fine dry leaf mould ; I prefer to shake it over the seed with the fingers to sifting it over, as it can be done more evenly, in fact, my usual method with all very fine seeds is to use only the tip of the first finger and thumb ; it is a slow method, but sure. A layer of sphagnum or common moss may be laid over the seed to prevent washing when watering, but care must be taken to remove it as soon as the plants appear ; water carefully with tepid or lukewarm water at this stage, but only when appearing to be dry. Place the box in a warm, partially shaded place near the glass, where the hot mid- day sun does not strike directly on it, as a few minutes hot sun will burn up the germinating seed or young plants and destroy them. It is the safest plan to put a pane of glass over the box or pot, and then shade with a sprinkle of sand just to cover the glass, or shade lightly in any other way. The glass can be kept close at first, but when the seeds start into growth, especially at this stage, will the tuberous begonia thrive in a close humid atmosphere. When the plants are large enough to handle, say when the second leaf is formed, take a pointed label or stick which has been dipped in the water first, with this stick take the young seedlings from the box, and plant ina carefully prepared box or pot, prepared in the same way, but with much less drainage than for the seed box, and in a similar compost, excepting that the compost need not be sifted so finely. Be careful to water the seedlings before commencing to transplant them, so as to get all the soil possible to adhere to the roots ; place the seedlings about an inch apart each way and when large enough, shift into suitable sized pots, two and a half or three-inch pots will be about the size. These should be filled with a com- post, similar to thatrecommended for the seedlings, with about half the proportion of leaf mould and sand to the loamy pot- ting soil, and possibly less drainage, as moving the drainage material when pot- ting, if in large quantities may possibly injure the roots of the plant. The next shift or re-potting will be into the flowering pots, when the plants have attained sufficient growth of roots and foliage ; 5 or possibly 6 inch pots will be suitable, according to strength of plant to be potted; or they may be planted in the border at once, if all dan- ger of frost is over—possibly the middle of June will be early enough. Plant ina rich loamy soil and in a partially shaded 154 TUBEROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS. position, a north or east aspect being the best—anywhere so that the burning mid-day sun does not strike them, and, if possible, sheltered from sweeping winds. Plants in pots can be stood out of doors in the same position. Watch the plants carefully and put sticks to support them, as the weight of flowers and foliage will often cause them to topple over and break the stem off close to the tubers, thus ruining the plant, perhaps permanently. In the fall, about October, after the tops have been slightly touched by frost and before the tubers are touched, take them from the borders, foliage and all if you can; place them in boxes deep enough, so that the tubers can be covered an inch deep with moist sand ; place the boxes in a dry cool place, free from frost, a temperature ranging from 40° to 45° is best; if the tubers are in pots, remove pots—foliage and all—in the same way and withhold water gradually until the foliage drops away of itself from the tubers ; then, if ne- cessary, remove the foliage and with- hold water altogether until the following spring, when they will require similar treatment as before recommended for large tubers. I prefer keeping the tubers in the pots they grow in, rather than turning them out in the fall, and packing away in cocoanut fibre, or sand, as often recommended ; as I have had better results by keeping them undisturbed in the pots until spring, having grown and kept the same tubers for ten years with good results. But I would not recommend keeping them, except for cuttings, quite so long as that, as young tubers require less care and give finer flowers than very old ones. If these directions are fairly well fol- lowed out, you will be rewarded with a ‘gorgeous display of flowers at a season of the year—July to October — when good flowers are rather scarce; they may possibly require a little more care- ‘ful handling than some plants, but they make ample returns for the care given. A few well grown specimens in pots stood out so that the burning sun does not strike thein, or planted out in beds in the same position, to say nothing of a whole bed in full flower, add beauty and brightness to a spot that without them would look barren, perhaps un- sightly. Ae I may say that J have been fairly suc- cessful with cuttings taken when the last flowers are dying off the plants in the fall, and treated as recommended before for cuttings; it is worth a trial, in case of good varieties anyway. The only disappointing feature in pro- pagating this begonia is that one, can scarcely get flowering results the first season ; but with the aid of a green- house or hot-bed, early sowing and good culture, it is possible to flower the tubers, oftentimes early the first season. I will conclude this subject by giving in brief, a few leading points to be noticed in the culture of this beautiful and fascinating plant : 1st. Get a good strain of seed or tubers. 2nd. Sow and plant carefully. 3rd. Use good, rich, loamy soil, and pure leaf mould and sand. 4th. Water well at the roots when established, carefully at other times. 5th. Don’t sprinkle or syringe the foliage at all. 6th. Give all the air possible. 7th. Select a cool, shaded position in summer. 8th. Dry tubers off gradually. gth. Keep perfectly dry when once dormant. roth. Use good loamy potting soil only, for flowering plants. 155 * The Canadian Forti 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 or Post-Otfice Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the Address Label. : ADVERTISING RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. LOCAL NEWS.—Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of local events or doings of Horticultural Societies likely to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. ; ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc.; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs i ditor to see. bi yee tne INUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will.not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their tevised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. +{ Notes and @omments. & ExporTING TENDER FrRuits.—Prof. pended upon the men who undertake J. W. Robertson, of Ottawa, gave an it; men who will deliver fruit (1) address on the prospects of this trade, sound, (2) large, (3) of good appear- at St. Catharines. He said that too ance, and (4) of high flavor, charac- many had gone into fruit growing be- teristics that are important in the cause they had failed on the farm, who order named. knew nothing about the best methods. During the past season over 2000 They planted varieties that would grow packages of tender fruits have been with least care, and least expense, with- sent over for experiment, and of these out reference to the demands of the 400 were Bartlett pears. The pack- best markets; and thus we have too ages held about a basket and a third many varieties of tender fruits thrown each, and netted an average return of upon our home markets. 72 cents each. Three hundred and For a successful export trade we twenty-four cases of peaches were for- need to confine ourselves to a few warded, and most of these were a fail- staple kinds, and those the very best. ure, because not of a variety that would Great Britain is a good market, im- carry. porting annually about a million dol- Of early apples 254 cases were sent, lars’ worth of pears; one anda quarter and these realized 44 cents net at million of plums, and two and a quarter Grimsby. ‘These cases were too small ; million dollars’ worth of grapes. Suc- they should contain a bushel. cess in capturing these markets de- Four hundred and forty-one cases 156 NOTES AND of grapes were forwarded, but these were not well received. A few cases of Wilder grapes, however, of about 17 lbs of fruit each, netted at Grimsby about 80 cents each. FRESH OR RoTTED Manurgs,--Mr. F. T. Shutt, in Bulletin 31 of Central Experimental Farm, speaks of the rela- tive merits of rotted and fresh manures as follows :—The advantages of rotted _over fresh manure have already been studied ; it has also been seen, on the other hand, that even under a good system of preservation, rotting must be accompanied by loss of fertilizing constituents. Weight for weight, rotted manure is more valuable than fresh manure, containing larger percentages of plant food and having these ele.. ments in a more available condition, but the losses in rotting may, and fre- quently do, out-balance the benefits. Undoubtedly the safest store-house for manure is the soil. Once in the soil, the only loss that can occur is through drainage away of the soluble nitrates, and this is usually very slight, indeed it is not to be compared with the loss of nitrogen in the fermenting man- ure heap. We, therefore, unhesi- tatingly say that the farmer who gets his manure, while still fresh, into the soil, returns to it for the future use of his crops much more plant nourish- ment than he who allows the manure to accumulate in piles that receive little or no care, and which, therefore, must waste by excessive fermentation or leaching, or both. - THE ANNUAL ApDpREssS of Mr. J. W. Bigelow, President of Nova Scotia Hor- ticultural Society, states that the apple yield of the past season amounted to about 300,000 bris., valued at $800,000. COMMENTS. The address was printed in pamphlet form for distribution. THE American Pomological Society holds its next meeting in Philadelphia, on the 7th and 8th of September, 1899, with the Penn. State Society. THE GREAT AND WIDE SPREAD dam- age by the severe cold of last February is reported to have been most serious throughout a large part of the United States, and from the fruit report sent out by Mr. Latham, secretary of the Missouri Horticultural Society, it would appear that not only are the fruit buds of the peach, pear and cherry badly killed, but even the trees of these fruits in many instances. - THE SuGaAR BEEt.—-Mr. F. W. Glen, of Brooklyn, sends us a leaf from the sugar planter, and draws attention to the good profits now before those who grow the sugar beet. Granulated sugar is now being manufactured at less than three cents a pound, and the farmers get from $4 to $4.50 per ton for their beets, an average crop being twelve tons to the acre. Mr. Glen thinks there is no better land on the continent for the production of the sugar beet than West- ern Ontario. FREIGHT CLASSIFICATION OF FRUIT.— In view of the 2fforts now being made by our committee to secure better rates on the carriage of our fruit, it will be of interest to note that our American cousins are seeking after the same ends. The following is a note from the last meeting of the Western New York Horticultural Society. FREIGHT RATES ON PEARS AND QUINCES, This Society, through its committee on railroad classification, has made efforts to have pears and quinces placed in the same 157 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. class with apples. At present the rates for pears and quinces are much higher than for apples, although it costs no more to the rail- road to carry them. The difference in price does no longer exist, and cannot be put for- ward as a justification of the difference in rates. The outlook is also that in ten years the shipments of pears and quinces will ex- ceed those of apples. The only thing accom- plished is a slight change for the better in the classification of quinces. Another griev- ance against the railroad is presented by Mr. Perkins, who states that the railroads are now making the mirimum weight for a full car 30,000 pounds, when it used to be 20,000 pounds, later raised to 24,000 pounds, and the minimum for refrigerator cars 15,000 pounds, while they do not furnish cars large enough to load 15,000 pounds—all these are great hardship. to shippers. The Committee on Railroad Classification was finally con- tinued, and charged to make new efforts in se- curing concessions from the railroad. COMMISSION MEN. A resolution endorsing the Legislation now pending the State Legislature, and aiming to clip the wings of dishonest commission men by forcing them to report to the shipper the name and address of the city buyer and the prices paid, passed after a spirited debate, and with much enthusiasm. 4} Our Affiliated Corictics e KINCARDINE. — Mr. Joseph Barker, the Secretary, sends us a copy of the circular being issued their members, which is as follows :— aera ’ PLANT AND BULB DISTRIBUTION FOR 1899.— Members will please make a selection and notify the Secretary, Jos. Barker, or Walter M. Dack, on or before 18th March. _ Collec- tion No. 6 will be ordered for all who omit to do tris. Members requiring more than one Collec- tion will pay additional only the wholesale cost to the Society. All stock is guaranteed first-class and named Spring delivery in April ; Fall delivery. early. Collection 1.—(Fall delivery.) Azalea, white or colored, in pot; 6 double tulips, 3 white and 3 yellow. Collection 2.—2 clematis, 2 yrs. old —Jack- manii (purple) and Henryi (white). Collection 3.—2 palms—Kentia Balmoreana (4 in. pot) and Asparagus Sprengeri (4 in. pot). Collection 4.—3 roses, hardy hybrids, 2 yr. old—Crimson Globe (moss), General Jacque- minot (crimson) and Margaret Dickson (white). Collection 5.—Tuberous begonia, 2 double and 3 single; 2 Gloxinias (tigered and spotted). Collection 6.—(Fall delivery.) 5 hyacinths —3 single and 2 double, assorted colors ; double tulips—6 white and 6 yellow. Collection 7.—5 gladioli—Childsi ; 3 cannas —Burbank, Bouvier and Queen Charlotte ; 2 cyclamen (white and red). Collection 8.—3 carnations — Bridesmaid white, Daybreak pink, Flora Hill white; 3 chrysanthemums — Philadelphia white, M. Henderson yellow, Mrs. E. G. Hill pink; 1 Gloxinia—spotted ; 1 Asparagus Sprengeri. Collection 9.—3 currants—Black Naples, 2 year old ; 3 currants—White Grape, strong 1 year old ; 25 raspberry —Cuthbert. Note sy Epiror.—We would advise our Societies to make up one general list for all members, as they could then buy the stock wholesale in advance at a great reduction, and the distribution would be much less troublesome. CuaTtHaAM.—Our Society is in a very healthy condition, and gradually creeping up. We shall have over 100 members this year. We are giving each member | palm, | fern, 1 new geranium, | tea rose, |] hydrangea, 1 fuchsia, | canna, 1 tuberous begonia, 1 tube- rose. 1 oz. sweet: peas, | pkt. asters, 1 pkt. pansies, 1 pkt. philox, 1 pkt. verbena. We are also likely to give bulbs in the fall, and talk of having a Chrysanthemum show. Hamitton.—This Society has issued a printed Directors’ report, dated 3lst Dec., 1898, showing list of officers, of addresses giving during the year, of plants given away. of honorary awards given at exhibition and of finances This Society receives an annual grant of $350. ; Hamitton.—At the monthly meeting, held March 6th, a paper was read before the Society by W. Hunt, florist, on ‘‘ Tuberous Begonias, Amaryllis and Freesias for the Amateur, their Treatment and Growth.” 158 — Question Fertilizers for Celery. 1047. Str, — What kind of fertilizers should be used in connection with stable manure for celery, and in what quantities ? Reply by Prof. Shutt, Central Experi- mental Farm, Ottawa. If it is intended to use a commercial brand of fertilizer, the writer would advise from 700 to 1000 per lbs. acre of one containing— Nitrogen. '—J. C. Evans, Mo. 251 (‘S681) Ysenbs Jo 1qrYxe STY YIM ayey oyY HOTZ SuTUIN eI “YoLepoy) Jo ‘HOONUVM ‘WA “SIN—TI9T “Oly 252 HOW TO GROW Str, I send you picture of three big squashes which grew in Goderich last year and exhibit- ed at our fallshow. This picture was taken when coming from the fair, with myself stand- lng at the back ; they weigh 3884, 3554, and 344 lbs. each. I thought it might bea suitable souvenir of the productiveness of our great province to be placed in your office where visitors could see it. Wn. WARNOCK. ’ Mr. Wm. Warnock of Goderich has certainly made himself famous by the marvellous sample of Rennie’s Mam- moth Squash, which he exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. It was the wonder of our visitors, whom we always took around to see the big squash that beat the world. California came nearly up to us but failed by a few inches of the size of our Ontario giant, which weighed 365 lbs. We have often thought that some of our readers might be interested in monstrosities in the vegetable line and would gladly welcome the secret of Mr. Warnock’s wonderful success, and since he freely sends us the following direc- tions for growing big squashes, we wil- lingly give them a prominent place. “My land is made in good condi- tion, being heavily mianured every year, it is of gravelly formation with about sixteen inches of clay loam ontop. A three hundred pound squash can be grown on any part of it by the following method of cultivation: For each hill I intend to plant, about the first of April I take two good wheelbarrow loads of hen manure, and mix with four barrows of good soil taken from some other part of the lot, this is mixed a second time the middle of April. The first of May I add four barrows of well-rotted man- ure and mix thoroughly, then about the eighteenth of May make hills and plant, dig out a space seven feet in diameter and fourteen inches deep, fill BIG SQUASHES. — in my compost mixing, and with it some of the best earth which was thrown out, and when finished, the hill will be about ten feet in diameter and six inches higher in the centre than the surround- ing level. Then plant the seed. Hills want to be about twenty feet apart ; work the ground well until the’ plants commence to run. When about three feet long I mulch the ground all over for twenty feet in diameter around each hill with horse manure three inches deep, and stake the vines down with sticks to keep the wind from rolling them about, so that they may root at every joint. It is of great advantage to keep the vine from fruiting as long as possible, by pruning all fruit bloom off until about the last week in July ; this will give time enough to mature a three hundred pound squash by the first of October, for there must be a big vine to produce a big squash. I practice fer- tilizing a few of the first bloom that come, when I think the vine is strong enough to grow a good specimen, by cutting off some of the fresh false bloom, trim the corolla or flower leaf off, and rub the stamen in around the fresh fruit bloom. This is necessary when fruit bloom opens on a morning that is unfavorable for bees to do their work, and it assures the setting of the specimens just where you want them. It also gives extra vigor to the growth of fruit to be well pollenized. When the first perfect specimens have set well, say four or five inches in diameter, cut all other fruit and blossoms off, and nip the ends off the vines and all bloom that shows twice a week, so that the vine is not exhausted with the great quantity of false bloom that would naturally come. Now while the great growth of the squash is going on I use 253 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. liquid manure twice a week along three or four of the principal vines of each hill, often six pails to the hill if it is in a dry time. Great care must be taken to give plenty of water ; for instance, in 1893 when I grew the great specimen that was the largest on exhibition at the World’s Fair, it was a dry time with us at Goderich, and having the advantage of the town water service, I sprayed each hill twice a week through August and the first two weeks in September, drenching the ground each time. I expect all have heard of feeding squash and pumpkin by injecting milk or other stuff. This is a ridiculous silly humbug. I have practiced several methods along this line when I was younger, but it only makes me ashamed to confess it, and I am now quite satis- fied the only thing that will increase the size of the fruit comes out of the vine, and the vine must get its support from the natural roots.” THE EXPORT OF CANADIAN GRAPES. HE overproduction of fruit in On- tario is most evident in fruits not exportable. For apples and pears of a No. 1 quality there seems to be an unlimited demand in Europe, and we are confident that if our best varieties of grapes could be landed in first-class condition, and once intro- duced among the middle classes, they too would find an unlimited sale. As _ it now is, our own markets are glutted with them, and unless the Northwest opens up a large trade in them, we shall soon have to dig out one half our vine- yards. Realizing this condition of affairs, the Dominion Minister of Agriculture has tried for two years experimental ship- ments of grapes, without success ; for it has been found that the English peo- ple will not take our Concords, and no more of that class will be sent forward. We are however hopeful that our Rogers’ grapes may meet with more favor, and our Exécutive Committee has submitted the following resolution to the various local societies for en- dorsation, so that the Minister of Agri- culture may be assured of the support of the public in his further efforts to open up English markets to our tender fruits. To the Honorable Minister of Agriculture : Whereas, the grape is one of the most im- portant fruit products in Canada, and very large acreages are devoted to its production, and Whereas, of late years the yield has been so abundant that our home markets are glut- ted, and the price too low to leave any profit to the grower, and ~ Whereas, certain varieties of Canadian grapes have superior flavor and excellent carrying qualities, as, for example, the Rogers’ Hybrids, and Wheras we are persuaded that English consumers need only to become acquainted with the excellence of such grapes to become fond of them, Therefore, Resolved, that we humbly pray that you will export in large quantities our best Rogers’ grapes to the best English mar- kets ; that they be put up in neat and at- tractive packages, and sent out in costermon- ger carts in such a city as Manchester, until the trade reaches a firm basis. Already we are receiving official notices from the various local societies, saying that they fully endorse the above resolution. 254 EXPORT OF FENDER APPLES. N the 26th of May Prof. Robertson and Mr. Grindley met the shippers at Grimsby to consider plans for farther experiment in shipping tender fruits. Peaches, tomatoes and grapes have been so unsatisfactory thus far that it was not proposed to receive any of them from shippers on guarantee, but the Govern- ment might buy some of these fruits for purposes of experiment. The Dairy Commissioner said the Government would push the export of pears and early: apples in particular during the coming season, because there seemed to be good ground for expecting that Canada would be able to take a first place with these fruits in the British market. There would there- fore be a large quantity of these sent forward, providing the crop was of fine quality. There would seem to be a good opening for fine, high colored Astracan, Duchess, Alexander and Gravenstein apples, among the summer and fall apples, if forwarded in small packages in cold storage. It was advised that apple growers in each province make specialties of a few of the kinds of apples that succeed and not to have too many varieties. Thus Nova Scotia has made a name for her Gravensteins. . Among the winter varieties he men- tioned such kinds as the King, Green- ing, Cranberry, Pippin, Golden Russet, and Spy, as varieties which were be- coming known as Ontario apples, and were in demand abroad. Prof. Robertson proposed trying some shipments of Ontario winter apples in the Ontario barrel, which is about 28% inches from croe to croe, 17% inch head, and 65 inches around the bilge, and some in the Nova Scotia apple bar- rel which has straight staves, and is smaller, but which appears to reach Great Britain with fewer slacks. He thinks the bilge tends to flatten in the Ontario barrels when piled three or four tiershighand thus render the apples loose in the interior. He had looked over many account sales for the purpose of comparison and had found in the Nova sales not more than 10 per cent slacks reported, while in Ontario sales a much larger proportion was not unusual. Of 14,000 barrels of Ontario apples for example, that were reported, only 5,000 were tight. He thought possibly the explanation was in the difference of the shape of the barrels. Of course it might possibly be due to difference in temperature of storage ; but if so, that would henceforth be remedied, for in response to the resolutions sent in by our Association, the Minister of Agriculture has made provision for better storage of fruit in trans-atlantic steamers, and agents of the Government would be sent to port towns to insist upon better conditions. The Committee discussed with Prof. Robertson the importance of persever- ing with the experimental shipment of grapes. So far, it is true, these have been a failure, but the shipments have been on too small a scale. Besides, they have been of too many varieties. Concords, Wordens and Niagara are worthless for export and large quantities of these varieties were previously forward- ed to the disgust of the English consum- ers, with both their condition and their flavor. We would advise shipping only the Roger’s grapes, such as 4, 9, 15, 22 and 44; grapes of the highest qual- ity, of fine appearance and _ excel- lent carrying qualities. These should 255 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. be packed in fancy packages and sent over in large quantities. Let them be peddled on the streets of the great cities by the costermongers, and thus intro- duced among the middle classes, until a demand has been created; then there will be no trouble in finding agents who will gladly receive them from us. Fic. 1612.—A SgeEDLING PLUM. A SEEDLING PLUM. A blue plum in my garden here is re- markable for its hardiness and produc- tiveness. It most closely resembles the variety “Prince Englebert.” The tree is said to have been planted about 25 years ago, and to be the only one of a number purchased at the same time which has lived. The trunk divides in three parts almost at the ground, where it has a diameter of about 15 inches. It is absolutely hardy, and yields enor- mously about every second year. In 1898, I gathered from it 440 pounds of fruit. At least 60 pounds more fell owing to the wind, or with branches which could not be propped. The size of the fruit is medium to large, and the quality good. The variety seems a de- sirable one to propagate, especially in the East; and I shall be glad to give scions for budding, at the proper time, to all who may desire them. Fig. 1612 shows a terminal cluster of the fruit. F. R. L. Ottawa. 256 LAYERING THE GRAPE. AYERING is the simplest, surest and easiest method of increasing the grape, and is the best way to grow them where but few vines are wanted. There are two kinds of layers, called spring and summer layers, from the season at which they are made. Summer layers are made in the sum- mer, generally the last of July, from a branch of the same season’s growth. They are likely to be weak for several years, and do not make as good plants as the spring layers. In making them, the wood should be slit for an inch or so near the buds that are covered. Bury about one foot of the cane four inches deep in the ground and it will be rooted by late autumn, when it should be separated and be treated as a young vine ; and it is generally best to get them well started in a garden or nursery before planting in the vineyard perma- nently. Spring layers may be made by laying down any cane early in the spring. It will root in one season. By fall it will have made a good growth of roots, when it may be cut from the main cane, and if strong it may be divided into two plants. This form of layer is illustrated FIG. 1613.—A ROOTED FiG. 1614.—TH& ROOTED LAYER. LAYER SEPARATED, MAKING Two PLANTS. in Fig. 1613 and 1614. _ By a little different treatment of the spring layer a 257 vine may be grown from each bud on the layered cane. For this purpose some thrifty cane should be selected in autumn, pruned of its laterals, and buried. In the apring it should be un- covered and only one shoot permitted to grow from each joint. After the new growth has started about six inches from each bud the whole cane should be lay- ered about four inches deep, handling it carefully so as not to break the new growth. Fig. 1615 shows such a layer after it has rooted. It is a good plan to cover it not more than three inches at first, and to fill up the trench as the shoots grow. If covered four inches deep at once the young growth will sometimes rot, though this seldom happens, and some skilful growers fill the trench full at once. In the autumn, roots will be found growing from each joint, and these A ZD J GS os Cz The FIG. 1615.--A ROOTED LAYER, EACH BUD MAK- ING A NEW PLANT. may be cut apart and treated as recom- mended for weak vines grown from cut- tings. If this method of propagation is to be used to some considerable extent vines should be grown especially for the purpose. It is not a good plan to use fruiting vines for layering to any great extent, though it may be safely done in a small way.—S. B. Green. STANDARD SIZES OF FRUIT PACKAGES. BILL introduced by Mr. Penny to define the sizes of small- fruit packages was given its first reading in the House of Commons on April 13th. The object is to arrive at a standard measure of quart, pint and half-pint baskets, used in buying and selling strawberries, rasp- berries, blackberries, currants, and other small fruits. The bill demands that the standard quart when even full shall contain sixty-seven cubic inches. The standard quart basket shall be 51% inches on each side at the top, and 43 inches on each side at the bottom, and 27% inches deep. The standard pint basket shall be oblong, and the inside measurement at the top shall be 5% inches by 33% inches, and at the bottom 434 inches by 2% inches, and it shall be 21% inches deep. The dimensions of half-pint baskets are also defined as 33% inches on each side at the top, and 234 inches on each side at the bottom, by 134 inches deep, all inside measure- ments The Bill also enacts that makers of baskets of less size or capa- city, shall mark the word “short” on the outside in letters not less than one- half inch in height. The penalty for selling “short” baskets of fruit not so marked will, upon summary conviction, be a fine of not less than five dollars and not more than twenty-five dollars. The Act is not to come into force until May Ist, 1900. In order to arrive at the probable effect of such an Act, we interviewed a number of fruit dealers who claim that such a provision, if it can be properly carried out, will do away with much dissatisfaction to both dealers and con- sumers, as many of the so-called twelve- quart baskets contain not more than frcm ten to eleven quarts, and smaller packages -in the same _ proportion. While the dealers interviewed could see considerable difficulty in having such a regulation carried out, they were of opinion that it is just what is needed, especially with Canadian fruit. The greatest difficulty, however, was ob- served in the way such regulations would effect foreign fruit, such as straw- berries, of which we get great quantities during the early season, as the cases from the various States differ widely in form if not size. It is claimed that there is little to complain of in the mat- ter of shortage in the American cases— in fact, far less than in Canadian—but as the Bill demands cases of certain di- mensions, an effort to compel the use of a regular form of box in place of those of a different form now in use for the shipment of fruit from foreign countries, and which are already iarge enough, would be to little purpose and well-nigh impossible of enforcement without seri- ously interfering with the trade.—Farm- ers Advocate. ORIGIN OF THE CaTAwBA —It is a fact that the Catawba grape was found wild in the woods of Buncombe cou.ty, N.C., about ten miles southeast of Ashe- ville. In 1807 Senator Davey, who lived on the Catawba river, transplanted some of the vines to his farm, and some time between that year and 1816 brought cuttings of his vines to Wash- ington and gave them to some friends in Maryland. The Scholl vine un- doubtedly came from these cuttings. American horticulturists are agreed in the opinion that the Catawba is purely a native grape, without the slightest admixture from European kinds.—N Y. Trade Bul. 258 PICKING AND MARKETING PEARS. THINK I may safely say that the | ripening of pears by growers has received but little attention until very recently, the purchaser in- variably attending to that whenever they were sold in market for eating. In the past, I have annually supplied market men with hundreds of boxes at a ship- ment, that they might ripen for that pur- pose. They would store them away in some convenient place, and frequently cull them over, taking out the ripe ones, until they were all disposed of. Very often such purchases did not prove very profitable, though sold at a much higher price, from the simple fact that the place in which they were stored was not at all suitable for the pur- pose ; the principal loss, which was by decay, being very great. Many years back, finding my crops greatly increasing and the price declin- ing, particularly for green stock, caused me to give the subject of ripening the fruit before shipping my most serious attention. That season, I selected fruit from all the varieties that I was growing (some fifteen or more), and put them in various place in my house (which is of brick) from celler to garret and also on a shady porch, and carefully noted the results. The following spring, I erected houses especially for the purpose. (Described house here. Size, platform, how used, etc.) The fruit to be ripened is carefully picked and brought to the ripening room, where it is at once assorted ; all inferior, ripe, specked and bruised are carefully culled out, the others being placed in baskets (7-8 peach baskets) and piled as high as a man can reach and kept there until they begin to ripen which will be from 10 to 15 days, if the fruit is properly picked from the trees. By that time, any variety that you are at work on should be gathered and put in the house. It is during this period of picking that the market is generally overstocked and prices low. As soon as they begin to ripen, commence on the first you put in, to cull them over, tak- ing out the ripe ones to ship, putting back the green ones for a future culling, until finally they are all ripe and dis- posed of. You can work, say, on the Howell and Duchess for at least three weeks after you finish picking, before they are all ripe enough to ship. Before you have gotten through with these varieties, the Kiefer is ready to begin on, and when you have finished these, the Law- rence will follow, and it generally takes until about the first or fifth of December to close out our pear crop. As to varieties to ripen in house, I will say, that all varieties are not adapted to this system ; in fact many varieties cannot be handled in this way, as they will ripen much better on the tree, and can be held, if desirable, much longer in that way. This is particularly true of the Bartlett ; when housed, the Bart- letts all ripen nearly at the same time, but fortunately, it is a variety, and one of the leading and most largely grown, that sells well to canners and shippers when green, and they prefer them in that way.—Report Md. H. Soc. 259 THINNING FRUIT. HIS is another part of the New Fruit Culture which is absolute- ly essential to success in plums, apples, pears and_ peaches. The absurd method of allowing each tree to overload itself each alternate year in its natural effort to produce as many seeds as possible, regardless of the size of the fruit must come to a stop, and the fruit grower who means to suc- ceed must aim at size of fruit and not at the number of seeds. Even for evaporating, buyers will not take apples, for example, less than 2 inches n diameter, and for export it is proposed that we make the minimum for No. 1 grade 244 inches. Van Deman writes very sensibly on this subject in Green’s Fruit Grower, he says :— There are several reasons why thin- ning pays. The most important one is, that it causes the fruit to be large and well flavored instead of small and poorly flavored. It is scarcely worth while arguing about the difference in value between large and small fruits of the same variety, either for market or home use ; and I would not do so if there were not so many who continue to grow so much of the latter kind. One big Baldwin, Jonathan or any kind of apple is worth more than twice as much as two of half the size. In actual net pro- fit it is worth fully four times as much whether eaten or sold. The same is true of pears, peaches, plums and all other fruits. When there is a glut in the markets it often occurs that small and inferior fruits will not sell for enough to repay the cost of gathering and transportation. Now if the trees that bore these small half or less than half-developed fruits had been stripped of half or three-quarters of them when they were about the size of marbles the remaining ones would have grown to weigh nearly as much as all of them and would have been worth much more. There have been several experiments made to obtain positive evidence as to the profit or loss of thinning fruit and what proportion should be removed. The first extensive experiments of this kind, of which I have knowledge, were made in California some fifteen years ago by Mr. A. T. Hatch, and were made principally upon peaches and pears. I heard him state that he tried leaving the fruits different distances apart; some being just as nature had placed them, some three, four, five and six inches apart and so on up to a foot. He said that he had finally decided that for these two fruits about six inches gave the best results. The open hand of the workman was given them as a measure by which to space them. In New York, Connecticut, Michigan and Georgia there have been several such tests with apples, peaches, pears and plums. Only a few persons have tried the plan upon grapes, except in house culture. In every case it has paid. A few have thinned big trees of Baldwin, Esopus and other apples, carefully charging all expense of labor and crediting the trees with the fruit sold. This having been done in comparison with adjoining trees that were not thinned, and of which records were kept of fruit sold, it was found that there was a very decided balance in favor of thinning. If this will pay on a few trees it will pay on many. It is purely a matter of business judgment as whether it should be done or left undone; just as a farmer thins his corn to two or three stalks to the hill and has big ears, or lets five or six stalks stand to make fod- 260 FRUIT INTERESTS IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, der and nubbins. A few of the most progressive fruit growers have passed the experimental stage of the business and practice thinning their growing fruit with as much certainty of profitable return as they do. tillage or any other part of the business. One large peach grower in New York showed me an orchard in which he had expended about $80 in thinning in 1897, with an increase of over $2,000. This he knew from comparing it with another orchard which was not thinned. Another of the leading fruit growers of New York has repeatedly stated in my hearing and written me that he has been experi- menting for many years with some large trees of Esopus and since he began thinning and spraying he has not failed once to have a fair crop, and the apples have always been extra large, well color- ed and richly flavored.— FRUIT INTERESTS IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. "=. ln Hansard of April 26th, we read the following : Mr. Martin asked : Does the Government propose to initiate, as advocated by Professor Robertson, any scheme tor experimental spraying of fruit trees? If so, to what extent is it proposed to ex- tend it this coming summer ? What sections are to be chosen for these experiments ? 1s it proposed to extend them to all the provinces ? Is it intended that these experiments are to be made without any charge to orchard- ists ? If not, what charge is to be made? The Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Fisher). Professor Robertson has not advocated any scheme for spraying fruit trees ; but it is pro- posed to co-operate with the provincial government of Prince Edward Island and the Prince Edward Island Fruit Growers’ Asso- ciation in preparing for some trial shipments of fruit by the spraying of fruit trees, and ix the packing and shipping of apples in the season of 1899. Mr. Martin is a member of parlia- ment for Queens (East) Prince Edward Island, where recently, thanks to a well organized Fruit Growers’ Association, the production of apples especially has received a wonderful impetus. Every- body now feels compelled to walk in the ways of the Association and hence the keen interest of the politician who scents the necessity of co-operation, in a matter of vital importance to his pro- vince, afar. When Hon. Senator Ferguson resigned the presidency of the F. G. A. of P. E. I., owing to enforced absence from home at a season of the year when the presi- dent of such a live organization would need to be engaged in active work, he advised, in view of a resolution passed at the general meeting of the Associa- tion to inaugurate a service on top- grafting for the province, the placing of this whole matter of orchard advance- ment into the hands of Professor Robertson, Dairy Commissioner for Canada, of whose judgment and superior intelligence on all matters pertaining to Agriculture, nobody, at this late day, has the slightest doubt. Down in the island province Professor Robertson had taught them?how to make cheese— had actually built the first cheese factory but a few years ago and now that fair province is, according to Governor Howlan’s happy expression, ‘A million acre dairy farm.” The whole island is dotted over with cheese and butter fac- tories, and their numbers will go on in- creasing, for all the conditions for mak- ing the best possible cheese at the least possible expense obtain there. The people there admire Professor Robert- son and trust .n him implicitly. It was 261 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. not wonderful therefore, that at Senator Ferguson’s suggestion the Fruit Grow- ers’ Association, backed by the local Government, asked the Minister of Ag- riculture to place on the Professor’s al- ready well burdened shoulders, the de- velopment of fruit culture in the “ Gar- den Province.” Luckily the kindly feel- ings which Islanders entertain for Pro- fessor Robertson are reciprocated to the full, and hence he took to the new work with that earnestness and industry— which are characteristic of the man and can only enter where such occupations are a labor of love. ‘“ Prince Edward Island can grow excellent fruit,” said Professor Roberson ;” ‘*‘ we must only fit up the old orchards, plant out judi- ciously the new, teach the people to graft, spray, and prune the trees they have and pack and ship properly the fruit, and, as with the cheese factories, so with the orcharding, this interest will go ahead with leaps and bounds.” The Minister of Agriculture con- vinced that the Federal Government ought to do something for Prince Ed- ward Island on the lines suggested by Professor Robertson and _ backed by all her representatives in the House and Senate, began to cast about for an ef- ficient orchardist. There was little time to waste as grafting time was on, so luckily a well recommended Nova Sco- tian, named George Kinsman, was se- cured to take charge of this im- portant work. Mr. Kinsman was sum- moned to Ottawa for instructions, and the most improved outfit left the Cap- ital on the roth of May and is now hard at work in Prince Edward Island, where the Fruit Growers’ Association had already a programme of operations cut and dried. He will have several young men with him, it is to be hoped, and as the Island province is small, compromising only three counties, he will be able to get a goodly number of old orchards top-grafted, and give valu- able instruction in spraying at once. The value of spraying will be demon- strated on the lines followed in Ontario and everything done to initiate the keen Islanders into scientific methods of orcharding without delay. The work will be invaluable and Prince Edward Island has already great reason to thank heaven for a live Fruit Growers’ Associ- ation. P. E. BURKE, Alberton, PET. TOMATO PULP WANTED IN ENGLAND. Canada from a house in England NQUIRIES have been received in c for large quantities of tomato pulp. The pulp must be put up in sealed tins, and must he free from acids or pre- servatives of any kind. Any information sent to this office will be forwarded to destination. This may open up new possibilities for the tomato industry. To what ex- tent can only be ascertained by actual experiment. It is to be hoped that persons will be found sufficiently enter- prising to interest themselves in a practi- cal way in the matter. Mr. J. S. Larke, the Canadian Trade Commissioner in Australia, in his last report to the Department of Trade and Commerce, pointed out that there was a maker of sauce in Australia who wanted tomato pulp, for which he was willing to pay $50 per ton. “ At that figure,” says Mr. Larke, ‘‘ British Colum- bia ought to be able to supply the article, though the freight might make it impossible to bring it from Ontario.” —The Canadian Grocer. 262 AFRICAN APPLES VERSUS CANADIAN. HE Cape of Good Hope bids fair to be a strong competitor with Canada in the English fruit market. The Fruit Grower, London, Eng., of May 4th, says: The arrival of new apples from the Cape has produced a perfect sensation in the fruit trade. The samples are very pretty and fine and are sure to create an immediate demand. In the early months of the year the public has to depend principally upon apples from California, Canada, and the Eastern States of America, and these fruits after January, through having been kept in cold storage, lose their freshness and aroma, and are thus in no way com- parable to the new, fresh fruit. It seems then, if devoloped, that future Cape apple shipments will completely revolutionise the trade, for with the ex- ception of the Australasian samples, there are no new apples obtainable at this time of tne year, which have not been rendered insipid through months of cold storage. It is believed that the opening up of new markets, and the successional arrival of new apples from various outside centres, will, in time, render cold storage unnecessary, compel- ling apple growers at least to market their stocks when the fruits are new, or, at least, fairly fresh. By this develop- ment the public will undoubtedly be the gainers, for all fruit is at its best when marketed in fresh condition. We learn that if the present shipments prove a success the Cape fruit shippers will send over a plentiful supply next year. The fruit will be put up in a very artistic manner, on the lines adopted by the Paris packers of choice new fruits. The retail fruiterers, particularly those at the West End, will welcome these fruits, as they will come in at a time when fresh apples are much appreciated. GRADING AND INSPECTION OF APPLES. HE Executive Committee of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association has prepared a resolution asking for some provisions of the grading and inspectior of apples, and has submit- ted the same to thelocalaffiliated societies in Ontario, and also to the various pro- vincial societies, for their support. The following is the resolution : To the Honorable Minister of Agriculture : Whereas it is well known that fraudulent packing of apples for export is a very preva- lent evil which is yearly bringing discredit upon the name of our Dominion, and ruining the English market for our Canndian apples, and . Whereas, as a matter of fact, Canadian apples are the finest in the world, and ‘will bring the very highest prices in the English markets if confidence in the packing can be sustained. Therefore, Resolved, that this Society do humbly pray that you will provide some remedy for the same. We would suggest that certain marks or numbers be adopted to indicate certain grades and sizes of apples, and that it be made a mis- demeanor for any one to stamp these marks or numbers upon the outside of his packages un- less the contents of the packages are in accord- dance therewith ; that the name and address of the owner and shipper be always required on the inside or outside of closed packages intended for export; and that an inspector be appointed with power to open packages, and, if found fraudulent to have the grade marks removed and to expose the offender ; and we further suggest that the terms used’ for grading be ‘*No. 1” and “A. No, 1,” ‘*No. 1” to include sound apples reasonably free from worm holes, scabs or other blem- ishes, and to be not less than 2} inches in diameter, and the grade ‘‘A. No. 1” the same with apples not less than 2? inches in diameter. 2 263 PYRAMID PEAR TREES. HE Pyramid or cone form of training pear trees, where they stand alone or in a small gar- den, is a very ornamental one and at the same time calculated to se- cure a good crop. A strong pyramid, well pruned, symmetrical and thriving, is certainly a handsome object. Like the dwarf or fan form the pyramid requires more or less annual pruning. One must of course \ begin with a young tree that has branch- es to the gronnd. Do not expect too vigorous a growth ; from five to seven main branches a year are all that should be allowed. When lay- ing out the branches for the next year’s growth, it is as well to prune close to the bud which is to continue the growth, leaving a small spur attached to tie the Fic. 1616. —Pyra MIDAL PRUNING. growing shoot to in order that it may grow in the proper direction. Or it might do to cut the branches three or four inches above the bud, removing all buds on it, and tie the growing shoots to this spur, which may afterwards be taken off. It is a mistake to prune strong-growing varieties too much, and it is equally wrong to allow the lateral branches to grow too long. Therefore it will be best in pruning to use a judi- cious moderation and keep the tree pro- perly balanced. A well proportioned pyramid should have a diameter about two-thirds of its height. Ifa tree of the proper age fails to bear, it may, if well proportioned, be left unpruned for two or three years. A circular incision of the bark about one-half inch wide at the base and. kept open may be tried, or even root-pruning resorted to, to bring it into bearing. The illustrations givea good general idea of a pyramid pear tree _ after winter pruning, also one in fruit —- Farm and Home. EDwaRD A. Rocers.—The _intro- duction of Rogers’ hybrid grapes marked anew era in American grape culture. The death of the originator, Mr. Ed- ward A. Rogers, of Salem, Mass., has just been annonnced. This occurred at Peabody, Mass., on the 30th March. It is remarkable, considering the grand results of Mr. Rogers’ experiments, that more work in the same line has not been attempted. All he did was to plant under a hot-bed frame a vine of the European race, and one of the Ameri- can Fox grapes. They then hybridized, naturally, as one might say, as the re- sults proved. If the path marked out by Mr. Rogers had been followed further, valuable results might have re- warded the explorer.—Mechans’ Monthly. SRE 264 THE FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR. Srr,—Onur last year’s visitors, the caterpil- lars, are on the rampage again, more plenty than even last year. I am in hopes that this may be their last year with us. They have nearly cleaned the Poplar of the fresh youn leaves already. So far I have kept my orchar clean by persistent spraying every few days; but when they get big and begin to travel round, will keep them aa by band of tarred cotton round the tree trunk. Paris green is after they get big,—at least I have not found it of any usc. fa have observed that the bud worm is here this spring ; this is the first time it has made its appearance to be noticed. We are a little behind you good people in old On- tario, but are getting educated whether we will or no, and this kind of compulsory edu- cation we’ll have to get, and [ hope may pro- fit by what you older people have already learned. Cuas. YOUNG, Richard’s Landing, Algoma. Mr. W. M. Munson, of the Maine Experiment Station, writes : The Forest tent caterpillar is defoliating many orchards in Maine the present season. The eggs are laid upon the twigs in the same way as those of the common tent caterpillar, but the insects, instead of spinning a web for a resting place, gather in great masses upon the sides of the trees at moulting time, and they often migrate for considerable distances. In many cases during the past year, they swept over entire orchards in spite of every- thing that could be done. Spraying in the manner already indicated, if begun when the insect first appears, will usually prove effec- tive, but if delayed till the caterpillars are half grown, it is of no avail, Many large orchardists have been approximately success- ful in holding the pests in check when they appeared in force, by putting on rubber gloves and crushing as many as possible of the in- sects. Many of those not killed would spin a web, and drop to the ground when dis- turbed, and a band of paper, smeared with equal parts of lard and sulphur, tacked about the trunk, prevents their return to the tree. The Forest caterpillar is at present doing much injury to the shade trees in the cities and towns of Maine, as well as to the or- chards. We have received numerous letters from subscribers living in northern parts of Ontario complaining of the ravages of caterpillars, saying they were so abundant as to become a great plague, sometimes collecting so thickly on the track as to be the means of stopping the trains ; and in the orchards they were so numerous as to threaten their wholesale destruction. Some complain that even Paris green is ineffective. It is quite evident that reference is made to the Forest and not the Apple tree Tent Cat- erpillar. The latter is comparatively easy of control by spraying, but the for- mer increases so enormously at times in the forests that imimense swarms often travel across roads or along fences in search of food, and woe to the garden or orchard which comes in their way. The foliage may be well poisoned with Paris green, but what if the first thou- » sand or two perish, the endless hosts following will soon take their places, and continue their ravages until July, when they usually go into cocoons and wait for another season’s attack. When we were on St. Joseph’s Island last July we noticed the evergreen trees white with loads of the whitish yellow cocoons like crops of some peculiar fruit; even the fences were dotted with them and every other convenient lodging place. We are not surprised to hear they have now appeared in enormous num- bers, and that all usual remedies fail against such an army. Mr. Young’s band of tarred cotton around the trunks of the trees is a fine plan, because one can easily control those worms hatching out from eggs deposited on the apple trees, provided fresh worms from the forest do not crawl up the trees to take their places. Dr. Saunders says on this subject: ‘‘ During the day they are so constantly on the move, that a young tree thoroughly cleansed from them in the morning may be crowded again be- fore evening. To avoid the necessity of constant watchfulness, strips of cot- ton batting, three or four inches wide, should be tied around the tree about half way up the trunk. These bands 265 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. should be tied tightly in the middle. Each caterpillar is furnished with four pairs of fleshy prolegs, which are fringed with small horny hooks, and on its try- ing to pass over the cotton these hooks get so entangled in the fibres, that its further progress becomes very difficult and is seldom persisted. in.” Fortunately, Dame Nature has the best remedy, and when an insect be- comes very abundant, she usually pro- vides a parasite to keep itin check ; she has several ready for this tent caterpil- lar, so that in a year or two we may ex- pect to see them cleared out without our assistance. THE. SCALE AGS, VERY important meeting of fruit growers was held at Grimsby on June 16th, under the auspices of the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, to consider the present delay on the part of the . Department of Agriculture carrying out the provisions of the San Jose Scale Act, which was passed at the request of our Ontario Fruit Growers two years ago. It seems that there are only three or four sections in the province, and those near the border, in which the scale has been found. The whole of the infested sections put together would not exceed twenty miles square, and the Act if vigor- ously enforced will soon clear out the whole thing. Two delegations from the’ sections have called on the Minister of Agriculture and asked that the Act be suspended so as to save their orchards, and in response the Department has temporarily suspended the Act and appointed a Commission to look into the whole question, consisting of Dr. Mills, of the O. A. C., Guelph ; John Dearness, of London, and W. H. Bunt- ing, of St. Catharines. Mr. Geo. E. Fisher, of Burlington, the Inspector, was present at the meeting on invitation and gave much valuable infor- mation, in answer to questions. He had become convinced that the pest was a much more serious enemy than he had first supposed, but since it was so far confined in Ontario to two or three small sections of two or three square miles each, it could still be easily routed. The young lice began to leave the mother scale about the end of June, and hence the importance of prompt action. He had found no scale at Leamington, and at Kingsville one square mile would cover the infested territory. He had found no forest trees affected. As to fumigation as a means of destroying the ‘pest, he believed it was impracticable, because the canvas tents were not gas proof, and it was not possible to apply - them to trees over ten or twelve feet high. Mr. D. J. McKinnon, Grimsby, said he was greatly surprised that the Govern- ment should delay action in a matter so important to the farmers of Ontario, at such a critical moment; when delay might mean their ruin. The Commis- sion might decidewhether the Act should continue in force for another year, but in the meantime it should be pushed for- ward with all vigor, in accordance with the wish of the people expressed two years ago. Mr. A. H. Pettit said he was much pleased when the, Hon. John Dryden had the Scale Act passed, and he much regretted the present hesitation in carry- ing out its provisions. - After consider- able discussion a committee consisting | of M. Pettit, Winona, D. J. McKinnon 266 KEEPING GRAPES. and A. H. Pettit, Grimsby, brought in the following resolution, which was unanimously carried. To the Honorable Minister of Agriculture for Ontario.— Whereas, the minute San Jose scale is the most serious enemy that has ever threatened the fruit grower, Whereas, the Government has passed an Act which is calculated to save the fruit orchards of Ontario from being infested with this scale, Whereas, certain persons, whose orchards were found affected and who were ordered to have them destroyed in their own and the public interest, have waited upon the Minis- ter of Agriculture asking that the law be not enforced, Therefore, Resolved, that we consider the Act to be all important in the interests of the farmers and fruit growers of Ontario, because it is the only sure way of saving our orchards from ultimate destruction by this terrible pest, and that we consider the interests of the many of much greater importance than the interests of the few, We, therefore, express our deep regret that the operation of the law has been suspended at this season of the year when the scale is beginning to spread and when a fortnight’s delay may cause irreparable damage, and we earnestly beseech you to enforce the law vigorously and without delay, allowing the findings of the Commission, lately appointed by you, to govern your action with regard to future years. And we further pray that you consider the interests of those growers whose orchards have had to be destroyed, by so increasing the amount of compensation that they will have no just reason for complaint. KEEPING RYNESS is essential to the success- ful preservation of grapes. Mois- ture causes the growth of mould, which at once ruins the fruit. With the present moist storage rooms some good absorbent such as sawdust must protect the fruit. Better success with grapes would be attained in a room cooled by dry, cold air currents than by the present systems of refrigeration. Such storage rooms are already being planned in some warehouses. Grapes, do not require a low temperature, 38° to 40° being as low as necessary, provid- ed the temperature is steady and the proper conditions regarding dryness are preserved. As may be observed from the records, the grapes held up in good condition from six to eight weeks. The results of other seasons agree in fixing this as the limit for grapes grown in our section. GRAPES. The length of time varies considerably with the different varieties. Delaware, Agawam, Brighton, Duchess, Centennial, Concord, Worden and Hays, ranking in the order named, have kept the best. It is noticeable that the red grapes head the list, the first three being red. The fourth and fifth of the list are white, while the black grapes, represented by Concord and Worden, rank in the sixth and seventh places. The varieties that kept best are those that rank as early grapes. However, no extremely late varieties were tried. Had they been tried the results might be different. The climat2 in which the grapes grow modifies their keeping qualities. A grape maturing slowly in a climate of moderately cool, regular temperature, will keep longer than one whose ripen- ing is hastened by excessive heat.— Kansas, Bul. 84. 267 ORCHARD E have frequently pointed out in these pages the necessity of thorough cul- tivation of the orchard. The notion was prevalent twenty years ago that an apple or a pear orchard would thrive in grass, and many growers plant- ed large orchards on their hardest land, thinking thus to reap harvests without the tough labor of ploughing and dig- ging. It has taken all these years to prove conclusively the mistake of sucha notion ; each year of barren trees or of scarcity of fruit was thought exceptional until at last the hateful truth has dawn- ed upon the planter that his ground and his trees were both wasting his time and his money, and that no high grade fruit would ever be produced without the same hard work and thorough cultiva- tion that was necessary for garden crop. Added to the crop failure is the change in markets. Twenty years ago apples of almost any grade would sell at $2.50 per barrel, but now only A 1 apples will bring such a price,and second grades are not salable unless to the evaporator or the cider mill. Evidently then we must most completely change our methods to suit the changed condi- tions, and tillage is the first and most important consideration. Bailey arranges the benefits of tillage under three heads thus : 1. Tillage improves the physical con- dition of the land, (a) by fining the soil, (b) by increasing the depth of the soil (c) by warming and drying the soil in the spring, (d) by reducing the extreme of temperature and moisture. 2. Tillage may save moisture, (e) by increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil, (f) by checking evaporation. 3. Tillage may augment chemical activities, (g‘ by aiding in setting free TILLAGE. plant food, (h) by promoting nitrifica- tion, (i) hastening the decomposition of animal matter, (j) by extending these agencies (g h i) to greater depths of soil. Bulletin 40, Kansas Experiment Sta- tion, is so much in point that we quote it at length as follows : There is no longer any question as to whether the orchards should be cultivat- ed. Experience everywhere shows that cultivated orchards live longer, bear better and are more profitable than un- cultivated orchards. “any of the ex- periment stations of the best fruit pro- ducing states have tried uncultivated orchards beside those that were culti- vated and have collected opinions of the most observant fruitgrowers of their sections, and the considerate verdict in almost every case is that cultivation is necessary for healthy trees and first-class fruit. The principal orchardists of the state have expressed themselves on or- chard cultivation. Out of 272 reports made to the Secretary of the State Horticultural Society, 130 advocate thorough cultivation till bearing time. and 130 urge continuous cultivation as long as it is possible to enter between the rows with horse and implement. Most of those advocating cultivation till bearing time only, live in the lower Kansas river district where the soil is very rich, deep and moist, and will pro- duce fine crops of clover. The general practice in this district is to cultivate well till the trees are in full bearing and then seed to clover. West of Manhat- tan, clover does not succeed. Even if it should succeed it would not be pro- fitable to sow it from the fact that all the moisture that falls in this region is required by the fruit trees, and any crop whatsoever simply robs them of the moisture they should have. For this 268 ORCHARD region, then, clean and steady cultiva- tion ought to be the rule for at least that part of the year including the dry season. However, bare soil soon loses its humus and becomes infertile. This must be prevented. Here is one way of preventing it. Plow the orchard in the spring, cultivate both ways and keep all weeds down till September 1, at which time the soil will be in fine condition for a seed bed. Sow rye at the rate of two bushels per acre. This will cover the ground well before winter, and there- fore protect the ground from blowing or hard freezing during the winter. Let the rye stand till knee high in the spring, then turn under and _ proceed with clean cultivation through the sum- mer. Deep cultivation is not essential nor advisable, but the cultivation should be frequent. Go over the ground after every rain, if possible, with the disk or the harrow to break the crust. This will give a mulch of loose earth two inches deep, which will greatly retard evaporation and therefore conserve the moisture for the use of the trees. This system of management has the following advantages : 1. It provides the soil with a good supply of organic matter (humus) which will keep it in good physical condition as well as prevent washing and blowing. 2. It provides a cover for the ground during winter, thus preventing the soil from blowing; it catches the snow, thereby moderating the temperature of the soil. 3. It provides for clean cultivation during the summer, the time when all the moisture that falls should be con- served for the use of the trees. 4.4By ceasing cultivation and intro- ducing a crop September 1, the trees TILLAGE, are helped to ripen off their wood and prepare for winter. These advantages are worthy of the consideration of the orchardist. The plan has worked well in the orchards of this department, and it will without doubt operate as successfully in many other regions of the state. It is a matter of grave doubt as to whether there is anything gained in the long run by cropping the land that has been planted to fruit trees. Of course it pays while the crops are being gather- ed, but does it pay to have the orchard come into bearing on soil reduced in fertility? Will not the orchard during its bearing period have need of all the food elements that the soil contained at the start? Will not the productiveness of the orchard be reduced in the same proportion as the elements of fertility have been removed by previous crops? This will certainly be the case unless the removed elements are restored by means of fertilizers. Ground that supports an apple orchard for thirty successive years has no food to spare for corn crops. Either cling to the orchard and forego the corn crop or else depend upon the corn and abandon the orchard. It is now the latter part of May. The soil is moist, and good growing condi- tions prevail all over the state. It is nip and tuck between crop and weeds on every side. With the farmer in the garden or the cornfield, the weeds grow apace in the orchard and often pre- dominate. Once in control they soon fully possess the situation ; and, as dry weather prevails later on, they will con- sume the water in the soil and leave none for the trees, which thereby starve for the time being. The only remedy is prevention. Do not allow the weeds to grow 269 THE LATE SEVERE WINTER. that has come from fruit growers from all the peach districts over the distruction of trees from the severe frosts of the past winter. I can readily lend my voice to that same sad tale. The past winter has been the ’ most severe and destructive in this sec- tion of the county experienced for twenty-seven years. And it is only now that the extent of the damage done is showing itself. Many trees that came out in leaf in the spring are now dying away. All my Burbank plum trees succumbed; the Imperial gage, Munro and Abundance will not pull through this season. Two Dempsey pears and one Marguarite are quite killed while, strange to say, Bartletts are showing no signs of having suffered. I would have supposed that the Demp- sey, being of Canadian origin, would have stood a lower temperature than the Bartlett or Duchess. But it is with my roses that I have suffered the greatest loss. I am invit- ing nobody to see them this year; or rather see where they used to be. Out of 130 varieties I will have, maybe, 50 that will bloom this year. Quite a few varieties were totally killed, among them ll HAVE observed the tale of woe Margaret Dickson, Mad. Gabriel Luizet, Ulrich Brunner, La France, Victor Verdier and Meteor. Many others are starting again from the roots, but will not bloom this year, and indeed will never bloom again with me as I in- tend to reduce my collection to at least sixty varieties this season. One very peculiar thing this season its that not one of the moss varieties are bloom- ing except the crested, though they are all vigorous in growth. All my roses were well covered with leaves, though there was very little snow over them at the time of the cold snap when the thermometer went down as low as 35 degrees below zero, a thing never known before here. Among the small fruits the Hilborn black and Loudon red raspberries came through all right. The Gregg black and Schaffer purple were badly killed ; the Cuthbert red and Golden Green were too much injured to give more than half a crop. Let us hope that such winters as the one we have just passed through and suffered from may be few, with many years between. T. H. Race Mitchell. June 2oth. SUMMER CarE oF HousE PLants.— A very satisfactory shelter for house plants may be made by setting up four posts in a square, to which strips of lath or boards can be nailed about an inch apart. Make a roof of the same ma- terial, and put on in the same way as the strips on the sides, which should be in a sort of lattice. Such a shelter will admit all the air that is stirring and all the sunshine that the plants will need, and not prevent any one of them from getting the benefit of dews and showers, while it will break the force of strong winds.—Ladies’ Home Journal. 270 Fic. 1617.—‘t Sport GLApIoLus.’S Va fp HE gladiolus shewn in Fig. 1617 produced on the same stalk single: semidouble and double blooms. The bulb was bought of Vilmorin, whose growers are the Souchet’ estab- 271 lishment at Fontainbleau, where the Gandavensis strain first reached its pres- ent excellence. The double blooms were produced at the base of the spike, the semi-double near the centre, and the single towards the end. The variety, Zamerlan, was intro- duced in 1883. As it is slow to multi- ply, and of great merit, it has main- tained a comparatively high price. The stalk is strong, and set with well ar- ranged flowers of medium size. The upper divisions are dark red, framed with slate on the edges ; the lower, deep reddish carmine, and creamy yellow. It is a superb variety, even when it does not sport in the direction of doubling. Zampa and Multipliant are varieties which frequently have double blooms, but Zamerlan has not been previously known by its originators to sport in this way. I may add, to avoid possible con- fusion, that there is a different Zamer- Jan, of the Nanceianus strain. F. R. LATCHFORD. Ottawa. AN OFFICE WINDOW. Fic. 1618.—View vor Orrick WINDow. HE above two photos are the office window of Mr. Walter T. Ross, Secy. Picton Horticultural Society, of Picton, Ont. One is taken from the outside, and the other from the inside The fruit is the Pomela or Grape Fruit ; there are five.on the tree, but only three show in the picture ; it is like an orange, but not so sweet. They are now about the size of a Spy apple, and are not ripe yet. The plant in the tub is a pineapple, about one year and a half old, and should soon fruit. The bloom in top center is a Melia fiortbunda (China tree) and 1s very odd looking, no leaves or branches except at the top, and looks like a stick with large bunches of fragrant flowers at the topend. Several orchids are hanging at the side of the window. With this result of the garden in the Summer, and an office window in the Winter, is Canada appro- priately called “Our Lady of the Snows.” SOMETHING ABOUT HE genus cyclamen, in Europe commonly called Sow-bread, from the fact that the acrid stems are greedily eaten by swine, is a near relative of the primrose. Beside the beautiful favorite flower of the window garden and greenhouse, the Persian species, through which it is, perhaps, known more widely than any other, the genus contains a quite lengthy list of hardy kinds not so widely dissem- inated. By English growers of fine Alpine plants these are much prized, and well they may be, for there is, as a whole, no more attractive group in the whole range than that comprised in this. Fic. 1620.—CycLaMEN HEDER2FOLIUM. The necessaries for success in open air culture are protection from dry, cut- ting winds, a rich, friable soil, good drainage, covering in the winter; still bearing in mind that because some species are hardy is no reason why they should thrive in exposed situations. For planting in rockwork, not too high, in warm, shady borders, they are of much value, and a choice collection in full bloom is a sight not easily for- gotten. The most luxuriant growth in their native haunts is noticeable among broken rocks, under the shade and friendly protection of low bushes and the hill corpses. While, in general, with high culture plants are improved in point of blooming and habit of growth THE CYCLAMEN: Fie. 1621.—CycLAMEN NEAPOLITANUM. from the original type, the conditions of growth are essentially the same as in the old form, and to this the cyclamen is no exception. There are two general classes or divi- sions made, regulated as to time of flowering, viz.: the fall-blooming sec- tion, of which C. Africanum, C. hede- refolium, (ivy-leaved cyclamen,) C. /Vea- politanum and C. Pyrnaicum are good representatives, and the spring flowering class, prominent among which are C. Atkinsiti C. Coum, C. repandum C. vernum. Though the growing of cyclamen in the open air may not be so desirable or practicable in this country as in the old world, we can expect them, nevertheless, to stand as much frost as the English Fic. —1622.—CycLaAMEN VERNUM. Primrose ; hence will survive with the same amount of winter protection. With out door cultivation undesirable, 273 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fie. 1623 —CycLamMEen Cotem. pot culture may be resorted to with suc- cess, providing the same period of rest be given as would be had if growing in open ground High culture and careful selection have brought the Persian cycla- men to a near state of perfection, nearly all the shades and colors known in the different species at the present day are to be found in the numerous varieties, as well as improved size of floret. Their culture is not difficult, the most impor- tant points being a light rich soil, plenty of sunlight and moisture during the growing season, and a cool place before starting into growth. Many plant in open ground in May, lift and pot in September for the winter. Tolerably true reproduction from seeds can be counted upon if the plants are kept from cross fertilization when in flower, while to secure a good per centum in germinating sow as soon after ~ gathering ss possible. Contributors to flower-shows should do all in their power to promote the cyclamen to a more prominent place than it now occupies, for were its true merits more widely known, our windows during the fall, winter and early spring months would be more frequently seen enlivened by its presence. — Vick’s Magazine. PANSIES AND FERNS. best in a cool and somewhat shady spot. I have grown them ina large bed with a border of hardy ferns with great success. One can pick them up beside the way almost. any- where, and a good long bed of them on the east or west side of the house admits of many varieties, and water ina “dry-spell” is an aid to both sorts. The florist’s fern, planted to grow shaded by larger ones, does finely, and the Maiden-hair is charming anywhere. I have transplanted them at all seasons, with good results. A bushel of black [= generally favorite flower does earth from the woods strewn over the bed is of great value, and all the leaves you can rake up in the fall tucked un- der ana about them and held down by chip or stone is useful. Often there is a shady corner of the veranda, that is greatly improved with an ivy, and ferns. We can utilize all space for the embellishment of our sur- roundings, if it be only a tumble-down sort of a place of small area. A good place to plunge pot ferns is such a spot. M. A. HoskINs. Newport, Vermont. PRIMULA STELLATA. . h Ay! Fra.” 1624, --INFLORESCENCE OF P. STELLATA. ly) RIMULA STELLATA is another ad- dition to our coliection. of prim- roses. It grows somewhat in the style of the Baby primrose, but the flowers are about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and flower stalks are about twenty inches high, very full of bloom. ‘The flowers are white, pink and purple. Fraser says of it in Amercan Garden- ing: “The culture is the same as for the Chinese primrose: Sow the seeds in March and when up keep near the light as they are liable to draw and be spindly, as the leaf stalks are not so strong as in the regular Chinese sorts. A sixinch pot, well drained, is large enough to flower in; or, what is better, a six-inch fern pan. I have grown all my primulas in these pans of late years and find them much better than pots, as when the plants are full grown the leaves hide the sides altogether, making them nice for room decoration. Plow deep ! Sow not thy precious seeds Among the scarce uprooted weeds, Or thou shalt weep To find thy crops all choked and dead, And nought but thorns and tares instead. Then plow down deep, The promise ringing in thy ears That those who sow their seeds in tears In joy shall reap. —A. G. Evans. STRIKING CUTTINGS. We are too apt to select short cut- tings for the best success. I have found those of sufficient length to bury two buds or even more, allowing about three to remain above the soil is best. The decay of the leaves that absorb moisture may be prevented by stirring, or by a porous soil. I failed in every attempt to root carnations and roses, until I tried this experiment, advised by some gar- dener along in the seventies. The water process does not give the satisfac- tion of this method. For geraniums almost any method works. They grow as easily as cabbages. M. A. H. 275 AMATEUR FLORAL DECORATIONS. Fic. 1625.—AmaTEUuR MANTEL DECORATION. The professional florist has material and skill for decorations of a superior order, but because amateurs cannot equal professionals is no reason why we should not encourage the former. _In- deed it is the general cultivation of taste in these matters which we most aim to develop, and we welcome every contri- bution in photography a writing which helps toward this end. The engraving shows one of three mantels decor- ated for a wedding by some young lady friends of a bridal pair at a recent wedding. The projecting canopy was of _ dwarf evergreen box, fastened on a wire frame above the mantel, and was inter- woven with apple blossoms. The other trimmings are largely made up of double white cherry blossoms, apple bloom, white roses and white carnations. The Double White cherry is one of the pret- tiest ornamental trees of its season, every blossom as full as arose and pure white. THE ROCK GARDEN. TuHE rock garden should never be near walls; never very near house ; never, if possible, within view of formal surroundings of any kind. It should generally be in an open situation. No efforts should be spared to make all the surroundings, and every point visible from the rockwork, as graceful and natural as they can be made. The part of the gardens around the rock work should be picturesque, and, in any case, display a careless wildness resulting from the naturalization of beautiful hardy herbaceous plants, and the absence of formal walks, beds, ete. No tree should occur in or very near the rock garden; hence a site should not not be selected where it would be necessary to remove valuable or favorite specimens. The roots of trees would be almost sure to find their way into the masses of good soil provided for the choicer alpines, and thoroughly exhaust them. Besides, as the choicest alpine flowers are usually found on treeless and even bushless wastes, it is certainly wrong to place them under trees or in shaded _ positions.— Gardening Jilus- trated. 276 THE GERMAN _ IRISES. Fie. 1626.—Irnis Sreertca (left) Iris Ger- MANICA (right). HE German Irises, Jvis Ger- manica, or Fleur de Lis, fur- nish us with some very useful and very hardy garden plants. They will cover a period of three weeks with their showy flowers The earliest varieties were showing open flowers May. 25th and at present writing (June 7th) it certainly appears as if there will be quantities of good flowers yet to be cut June 15th. There are a host of named Germanica varieties, we suppose on ac- count of them being easily handled from seed. Some of the varieties are certainly grand enough for any collection of hardy plants, but the seedlings show a great percent of poor flowers and unattractive colors. The collection at our nurseries numbers twenty varieties and comprises a great variety of colors and shows quite a lapse between the earliest and latest varieties. Spectabilis, a pure deep pur- ple, and A/a Odorata pure white, are two of the earliest bloomers and the largest flowers. The former is the most striking garden plant in flower at the time. Queen of the May is a delicate 277 reddish heliotrope shade, also one of the largest. Bleu Parfeur, white lightly edged and beautifully netted with dark blue. Hortense a clear yellow. Old Gold, the standard or upright petals are true old gold, falls marked white and purple. Leopold is atter the same style, stand- ards dark old gold, falls veined with brown. TZudifiora reminds one of a greatly improved common blue flag, the spikes are very long, sometimes bearing seven open flowers on a stem, the color | is a delightful shade of blue and the fragrance is like that of orange blossoms. Mme. Chereau still holds first place as the best fancy variety, a clear white ground with a deep and delicately feath- ered edge of sky blue, makes it at once the most admired flower in the bunch, The roots may be planted with equal safety in either spring or fall, however, if you are anxious to transplant them during the summer do not hesitate to do so, for you run no risk, just shorten the foliage slightly and water well after plant- ing ; if planted in mid summer, you will Fie. 1627.—Iniszs AT WERBSTERS’. have the roots nicely established by au- tumn and gain several months. Among dwarf Irsises the Siberian species .S?- THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. berica Alba and Siberica Coerulea are conspicuous, the latter sort is several days later, more dwarf and a particu- larly fine deep purple color. Pumila is a very dwarf species with light purple flowers, in appearance it is a dwarf counterpart of the Germanica varieties There is a pure white variety, of this species which we are adding to the collection. WEBSTER Bros. Hamilton. THE ASPHOOEL cemetery than this overshadowing canopy of twinkling blossoms, fit type of the soul’s_ resurrection ; covered with its dead flowers; its blos- soms and buds, typical of the past, the present and the future. Up the moun- tains where the Greek buried their dead, they desired to think the sleepers would wake in fields Elysian. The fair mea- To is no lovelier flower for the dows where the ever blooming Aspho- . del, or wrongly termed Daffodil, forever bloomed. Let us plant our church- yards with some at least of this hallowed flower, and keep the corruption of the name out of them, it no doubt being derived from Fleur ad’ Asphodel. The world is slowly beginning to com- prehend that the death of this natural body is the quick gate-way into eternal freedom, and cessation from life’s hos- tilities and strife. And we look forward to the day when the places we establish to commemorate our affliction will be- come a living picture, known and read by all mankind. When Cremation aids us to thoroughly purify the carth, Ceme- teries will be called Memorial Parks, and be no longer breeding places of disease and melancholy. The flowers and shrubs we plant now are our salva- tion from pestilence, particularly in cities. . M. A. Hoskin. PREPARING VIOLETS FOR WINTER BLOOMING. To grow violets for winter blooming itis by far best to plant them where they are to remain. The frames may be placed about them later. Pick off every bud that forms, and remove the run- ners, and do not force them by giving fertilizers. The ground in which they are planted should be light and mellow and only ordinarily rich. What is wanted is'a sturdy, healthy growth rather than a luxuriant one. Shower the plants frequently to keep down the red spider, unless they are where they will get the benefit of the dews and rains. Put the frames about them in October, but do not cover the plants until cold weather comes. At that time it may be well to fertilize the soil some- what. Bank up well about the frames, and provide a sash to cover them that fits snugly. On every pleasant day after the weather becomes cold lift the sash a little to admit air. If it is intended to grow them in the greenhouse, where there are no beds to plant them out in, keep them in seven-inch pots. Clip the runners off frequently, and do not allow them to bloom until winter comes. Violets are not satisfactory for culture in the window of the living-room.— Ladies’ Home Journal. 278 AZALEA. Srr,—I should be pleased if you would kindly furnish me with some information regarding the care and culture of the Azalea. I have three varieties, and as the blooming season is over, I wish to know how to care -for them during their resting period. Should they still be mi Se with water during this time? I have been told that in renewing the ‘earth in the pots it will be necessary to pur- chase from a florist, that they will not live in ordinary garden or flower pot soil. Is this correct ? The Crimson Rambler rose received from you last spring is growing nicely and full of buds. The Yellow Rambler received this spring has also made a good start. The Lilium Rubrum distributed two years ago, has developed and multiplied into a nice clump. Mrs. W. R. VANDERVOORT, Sidney Crossing, Ont. The Azaleas referred to in the above questions, are, I presume, varieties of the Chinese or Indian Azalea, and are generally catalogued by florists as Azalea Indica (greenhouse varieties), and are not the Ghent or American Azalea, the last named being sometimes forced and sold when in flower, and require quite different treatment from Azalea Indica. Some of the Ghent varieties are quite hardy in some localities in Ontario, and are of a deciduous nature, requiring a period of rest, which they get naturally during the winter season when planted out of doors as shrubs. The Azalea Indica requires no very decided period of rest ; that is, so far as the withholding of water is concerned ; they must never be allowed to become quite dry at the roots at any time, being of an evergreen nature. Immediately after the flowering season is over the plants should be repotted, if necessary, which can be ascertained by knocking the plant out of the pot and examining the roots; if the plant has fairly well filled the pot with roots, and is in a healthy condition, repot into a larger pot; one size larger will be sufficient, as overpotting must be care- 3 fully guarded against. In_ repotting remove all the old drainage, and a little of the old soil from the top edges of the ball of roots, then place in a clean pot of the size required. First put in some broken pots or coarse gravel about an inch deep, covered with a thin layer of sphagnum or common moss; place the plant in the. pot, so that the top roots are about half an inch from the top of the pot; fill in with a compost of one half peat, the other half being equal quantities of fibrous loam and sand, all well mixed together. Take care not to fill in too much of the compost at once, as each layer of compost must be packed firm around the plant with a potting stick ; a broken shingle or thin piece of lath will answer very well for that pur- pose. Continue filling in the compost and packing until nearly level with the soil around the stem of the plant, so that when finished, the soil near the stem is slightly higher than near the. edge of the pot; this is very essential to the well being of the plant, as the Azalea dislikes its roots to be buried deep beneath the soil. The packing process prevents the water from draining too quickly from the roots. After pot- ting, water once thoroughly, but do not over water at the roots, until the plants are well established and root action well commenced, when water may be more freely given; syringe daily with tepid water, and keep the plants growing in a temperature of 60° or 70° until growth is completed, which generally takes about two months, after which the plants can be stood out of doors, say about the end of June, to harden the new growth. Stand the plants or plunge the pot into a bed of coal ashes, where the plants can have plenty of air and sunshine ; I have found that too much of the latter 279 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. has proved injurious to the young tender growth, especially when first taken from the greenhouse. It is sometimes necessary to shade rather closely for a few days until the new growth has hardened a little. Afterwards a few slats of wood or lath about an inch apart, is all that is required to shade the plants, providing the plants are properly attended to in the matter. of syringing daily, and the roots kept fairly moist, without allowing the roots to become quite dry ; neither must they be kept sodden with water at this stage. The Azalea is sometimes planted out in specially prepared beds, but this is only done where large numbers are grown. If after flowering, the plants do not look healthy or the roots vigorous, repot into the same sized pot, and take a little more of the old soil from the plant than before recommended, as bad drainage produces sour soil sometimes, which no plant, especially the Azalea, will thrive in. Syringing with diluted tobacco water once a week, or oftener if necessary, prevents and keeps down thrip and red spider, the two most destructive enemies of the Azalea grower. The tobacco water can be made by placing a handful of tobacco leaf or stems in a pailful of hot water, allow the liquid to cool, add a teacupful of the liquid to two gallons of water, and syringe with as required. The peat required for potting had better be pur- chased, as it requires to be specially prepared before using; it can be ob- tained at most seed stores, and is not expensive. W. Hunt. 63 Aberdeen Ave., Hamilton. APHIDS OF PLUM, CHERRY, AND APPLE. (Aphis prunicola, Myzus cerasi, Aphis mali.) mer, few days pass without bring- ing some inquiry as to the method of getting rid of the lice on one of these trees. As these three species of lice all yield to},the same treatment, it seems expedient to discuss them together. The apple-louse passes the winter in the form of an egg. These oval eggs are very characteristic; they are black in color after they have been laid for some time, and are usually crowded together in large numbers. These are very difficult to destroy, and thus far nothing has been found which will do any good without killing the tree as well. As soon as the buds burst in the spring, the young lice crowd on to them and commence to suck. The remain on the leaves for some time, but usually ) 2: the spring and early sum- disappear in the early summer to re- "appear again in the fall at the time of depositing eggs. The plum and cherry aphids differ in some respects, but the life-history in general is similar. They may be easily killed by a spray of kerosene-emulsion (Hubbard formula), diluting the emul- sion ten times, or by a spray of whale- oil soap, using one pound of the soap to six gallons of water. In the case of the cherry aphis it is best to apply it a little stronger, as this louse is able to stand more than the others. Tobacco tea, made strong, is used by many with success, but whatever is used must be applied thoroughly, for each louse must be hit to be killed. — Mich. Exper. Station. . 280 APPROACH. TOV A RESIDENCE. HE approachtoa residence is one of the most 1m- portant tions that considera- confront the landscape gar- dener, as first impres- sions will naturally have effect on later ones. Some tastes will lead persons to con- struct massive gate- ways, which in them- Fic. selves may by truly magnificent, but which in relation to landscape effect will appear out of place unless the artist can so arrange trees and plants nearby to bring all into harmony. In the case of a large estate, nothing should appear cramped, hence the en- trance will be broad and the corners well-rounded. On the lawn, these cor- ners afford opportunity for massing shrub- bery ; and a little further in from these may be an open group of well selected trees. ‘The choice of these trees and the future of the shrubbery, are matters To the writers eye, the absence of strict form- ality is desired, and the trees should therefore be the elm, Wier’s Maple, Cut leaved Birch, Yellow Locust, etc.,; and the shrubs not con- tinually sheared and rounded. Evergreens in careful assortment take the place of the shrubs very acceptably, and make the entrance attractive sum- of considerable importance. graceful, like 1626.—THE APPROACH. mer and winter; and also be used in place of the deciduous trees—pines are perhaps most fitting. large ones may Vines on walls and gate-posts are always pretty; but especially desirable are the loose-clambering ones like the Virginian Creeper. Let the latter be mingled with English Ivy for a back- ground and winter effect. Flower boxes for stone posts filled with summer plants and vines can be easily and tastily arranged and are ad- mired by every one. [n winter, they may be replaced by evergreens of dwarf nature or small specimens of larger ones, like Himalayan Pine, Lawson’s Cypress and Scotch Pine. The main idea should be to construct the entrance as a whole bringing in pretty it and connect all with the estate in harmony.—Meehan’s Monthly. features to enliven SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $r1.0o per ear, entitling the subscriber to eee, of the Fruit wers’ Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its va uable Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. ; ‘ , REMITTANCES by Registered Letter or Post-Office Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon the Address Label. ADVERTISING RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. LOCAL NEWS.—Corres of local events or doings of ndents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence orticultural Bocietion likel to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. : ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc.; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. ISCONTINUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a sub: scriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their revised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. 3 Notes and Pomments. & Poisonous ToapsTooLs.— Prof. Hal- sted says there are three very poisonous toadstools, all belonging to the genus Amanita, viz. The Fly Amanita, the Death Cup and the Vernal Amanita. Only last October, three persons in Trenton, N.J., died from eating the Death Cup, and leave a warning to us against ignorantly using fungi, Dr. Peek warns against fungi. (1) in button state or decayed (2) with swollen base and white gills, (3) with milky juice, (4) with cap or pileus thin in proportion to the gills; (5) tube bearing fungi, of which flesh changes color when cut ; (6) fungi with spider-web ring about the upper part of the stalk. EXTREME CoLp does not seem fatal to the vitality of seeds we judge by an experiment of Tripler’s with liquid air. Seeds of pea, wheat, oat, barley, squash and cucumber were kept at the unim- aginably low temperature of 312 degrees below zero for tro hours, and then gradually thawed for fifty hours. The seeds were then planted, and they germ- inated and grew, none the worse for their exposure. STANDARD SIZES FOR Fruit Pack- AGES. —We notice that Mr. Penny’s bill, regulating the sizes of fruit packages is creating considerable discussion, and that some growers and dealers are not very favorable to its provisions. The objections urged are that the standard is neither imperial nor wine measure ; and that its adoption would necessitate an entirely different size of crate, and a different size wagon box for carrying to advantage. : We think that bill is a move in the right direction and we hope something will be 282 NOTES AND done to create uniformity of packages, and thus prevent fraud. But to confine growers to use certain fixed sizes for their fruits might not always prove a wise regulation. Perhaps a simpler method would be to make net weight the standard of sale. - The weight of the package being known, it would be quite easy to stamp or write in pencil, on the outside of a crate, the number of pounds net of the fruit con- tents. This is commonly done now with grapes, and the same habit could easily be extended to other fruits. BETTER SERVICE FOR FRUIT GROW- ERS.—A special express fruit train for the rapid delivery of fruit from the Niag- ara, Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville districts was put on the C. P. R on the 19th June by the Dominion Express Co. Seventeen new ventilated fruit cars, models of construction, clean and bright, have been put at the service of the fruit men. To feed this line of cars fruit will be collected by the H. G. & B. electric road, and by steamers which call at Jordan, Port Dalhousie, Niagara and Queenston, and carry the fruit across to Toronto in time for this new fruit train. We understand that the Grand Trunk proposes a similar ser- vice. THE San JosE SCALE inspection cannot be carried on without hurting somebody, and the great question is how to protect the interests of the pub- lic generally and at the same time do justice to the individual. For example, Mr. Angus Wigle, of Kingsville, has a peach orchard of about 1200 trees, which has largely escaped winter killing. In this orchard the inspector has found eighty trees badly affected with San Jose scale, from which the pest will quickly COMMENTS. spread throughout the whole orchard ; and no doubt many of the others are slightly infested. Consequently the in- spector has ordered the whole orchard destroyed. Mr. Wigle would not object to the badly infested trees being des- troyed at once, if the balance could be left until after he has gathered the fruit. We hope the Department will find some way of satisfying Mr. Wigle’s claims, and at the same time clearing out an orchard such as his, which threatens to be a breeding ground for the whole country. Obviously a peach tree with a load of peaches on it in a year of scarcity is to be valued higher than a tree with lit- tle or no fruit and in a year of plenty. MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SociEty.—Twenty-sixth Annual Report ; a fine volume, bound in black cloth, illustrated and with much _ profitable reading. PEACHES IN EssEx.—Our frontispiece shows a magnificent peach orchard of over 12,000 trees that were loaded with blossom and fruit this spring ; but alas, the exceptional winter has done fatal work with the roots, and Mr Wellington writes that the whole orchard is now dead, except about 200 trees. He esti- mates they would this year have paid 10 per cent. net profit on a valuation of $60,000. Kansas.—The R. N. Y. quotes Mr. Wellhouse as saying that this year’s apple crop will be the largest in the history of the State. He estimates that his 1,600 acres of apple trees will yield 100,000 bushels. The hard Winter in- jured only the tender varieties, and these are scarce in that State. 283 + Question Orawer. & Heating a Small Conservatory. £097. Srm,—I am desirous of putting up a small green house about 8 x 10 feet. Not being ina position to put in a hot water heat- er, can you or any of your readers tell me how best to heat it to say 50° when the cold out- side is 20° to 25° below zero. Any pointers gratefully accepted. +ane Ottawa. In TROUBLE. e To heat a small conservatory like that described, a large oil stove would answer in ordinary weather, but when the mercury drops below zero two would be required. If the stoves are well made and properly cared for there will be little trouble from smoke, but it would be safest to provide a small pipe to carry off the gases to the outside of the house. It will be much mure satis- factory if ahot water system could be used, and the oil stoves could be used for supplying the heat while a galvanized iron tank with a capacity of five gallons could be used as a heater. A coil of one-inch pipe containing as many linear feet as there are square feet of exposed glass, plus one-fifth of the woodwork, would distribute the heat around the walls of the conservatory. L. R. Tart, Agrt. Coll., Mich. Raspberries Affected With Rose Seale. L098. Srr,—If send you samples of dis- eased raspberry canes, can you explain and give remedy. ’ A SUBSCRIBER. Reply by Dr. Fletcher, Ottawa. On the rst inst., I received from you a card together with some samples of a scale insect on the raspberry. These have been examined and: prove to be the Rose Scale (Diaspis rosae). The scale resembles the Scurfy Bark Louse somewhat in appearance, but is rather arger, nearly circular and is pure white in colour, forming a striking contrast to the green or reddish shoots of the plant upon which it occurs. It sometimes appears in large numbers and thus is easily observed. It is by no means a common insect in Canada but occasion- ally occurs on blackberries and raspber- ries, and rather more frequently on roses, particularly on such bushes as have not free ventilation or are fastened to walls or trellises. As a remedy for this insect Dr. J. B. Smith recommends whale oil soap, one pound dissolved in four gallons of water ; to this add one ounce of carbolic acid and spray the bushes thoroughly. Badly infested bushes should be cut back severely in autumn and the cuttings burnt and all the canes left for crop treated a second time in spring before the leaves burst, if there is any sign of life in the scales. Worms in Garden Soil. 1099. Sir,—I send you to-day a small box containing worms, such as have been infesting’ my garden for the last two years. In fact they have become so trouble- some that I have been unable to grow, with any sort of satisfaction, sweet peas, edible peas, corn and many other crops. These worms cluster about the seed as soon as it starts to germinate, and attack it, causing it to soon rot, and of course the crop is de- stroyed. lf you, or any of your subscribers, can suggest any means of getting rid of the pest, I should feel very thankful. Last summer was the first time my garden was troubled with these worms. They are much more numerous this season, in fact my kitchen garden is almost ruinel by them. I will be glad to hear from you at your earliest convenience. T. H. PARKER. The creatures sent with your letter from Mr. Parker of Woodstock are Julidz or millipedes. These are occa- sionally complained of in gardens. A light application of nitrate of soda is 284 QUESTION DRAWER. sometimes useful in not only stimulat- ing the plants but also, it is claimed, in destroying the millipedes. 150 lbs. to the acre is recommended. Jas. FLETCHER. Ottawa. A Choice List of Roses Wanted. 1100. Srr,—I have been looking anx- iously for that gilt edged list of really hardy Hybrid Perpetual Roses that Mr, T. H. Race of Mitchell promised in the Magazine for December. Please jog to his memory as I hope to add to my few roses in the fall, and according to the catalogues they are all per- fect. I have Gen. Jacqueminot, Mrs. John Laing, Aune de Diesbach, and Margaret Dickson ; also a white one, and Crimson Rambler. I have room only for a few more, so I want extra choice varieties, and they must have perfume. Mrs. John Sharman Crawford is exquisite, but is it hardy? and I could not detect much perfume. Alfred Colomb is a lovely rose, and very sweet ; can you tell me its faults ? M. E. B. Toronto. Would our rose fanciers give their views in answer. At Maplehurst Alfred Colomb is a special favorite with its large fragrant carmine-crimson flow- ers. A good hardy and fragrant rose is Baron Provost. It is rose color, anda free bloomer. Some other special favorites with us are Gabriel Luizet, a beautiful pink rose, of excellent form, a free bloomer, and very fragrant; Paul Verdier, carmine red; and Paul Neyron, deep rose, and somewhat fra- grant, the largest variety known. Mrs. Doctor Hoskins of Newport, Vermont, who writes so lovingly of her floral treasures, sends us a note on roses, which may well be published as _ a partial answer to our Toronto corres- pondent. She says: Where one has room for a bed of hardy roses and knows little of the properties of them, a suggestion may be useful. A few like Marshal P. Wilder, Capt. Christy, Mrs. John Laing, Mabel Morrison, Gen. Jacqueminot, La France and Vick’s Caprice, make a fine selection. Then a bordér of the’ half hardy and quite hardy Polyantha, which are constant bloomers and can be protected by leaves and a little light manure after freezing, are well worth the care. The Dinsmore is an acquisition in northern latitudes, and a profuse bloomer ; also Ulrich Brunner. The La France rose is sometimes a better gift to a boy or girl than even a book. I knew one boy that was hard to man- age, and whose aunt made him the present of this rose, and for love of them he became one of the model boys of the neighborhood. The hybrid tea roses are half hardy but, given a banking up of soil and oldjmanure well mixed, they will stand almost any northern winter. In teas, a good choice is the three Souperts, which are said to be hardy with slight pro- tection. Marion Dingee, Sunset, Maria Lambert, Inconstant, Princess Bonner, Etoile de Lyn and Perle des Jardins, are my favorites. Do without some unnecessary thing you are accustomed to, and plant a bed of these roses, and see if you have not made a grand exchange. M. A. HoskINs. Newport, Vt. ONTARIO FRUIT CROP. As reported by Ontario Fruit Growers. Simcoe County: For a few weeks the weather has been very wet, and strawber- ries in low lands have been completely drowned out ; they mostly came well through the winter, and spring frosts have hurt them but little; in high lands they will be a full crop. Red and white currants and goose- berries promise a full crop, and to mature a week or ten days earlier than usual. Black currants ‘‘fair to middling.” Plums none, except of the Japan and native varieties. Cherries not much grown, and birds will get most of them. Pears not much grown. Apples of all kinds promise well, and with ptoper spraying and thinning a profitable crop is assured. But few currant worms have yet shown up, and they cannot now do any damage to this year’s crop ; but late broods, if not destroyed, may affect next year’s crop. C. L. SrepHens, Orillia. The last bulletin from the Bureau of Industries, Toronto, gives the following report of fruit : . Colchester, Essex : Peach trees have been killed by hundreds and thousands. One neighbor who has twenty-five acres told me yesterday that he will have to pull up the whole field; and many smaller lots have suffered as badly. Gosfield South, Essex: All peach trees are dead by frost, and many other kinds. Mersea, Essex: At least 50 per cent. of peach trees killed and some plums, Stamford Welland: Vegetation will prob- ably rush along now, as during the past two or three days we have had summer heat, I never knew the buds to come out so fast. The leaves came out on some trees within a few hours; they seem to almost grow while looking at them. Nottawasaga, Simcoe: Nearly a car load of young fruit trees were shipped into Creemore the other day. Farmers around here are taking considerable interest in planting out orchards. In a few years to come this neigh- borhood is going to play an important part in fruit production. Grantham, Lincoln : In some orchards part of the peach trees are killed by the excessive- ly cold weather, freezing and injuring the trees under the bark. The buds of all fruit trees were very backward during the winter, and even well into March there was scarcely sunshine enough to cause them to swell noticeably, so they were not in this section killed, as many who stay all winter in the house reported. Some varieties of straw- berries, especially the Clyde, not covered by litter during the winter, are killed, and ten- der varieties of raspberries are more or less killed in canes which should bear fruit this year. Grapes are about as usual. Spraying fruit is becoming a necessity for successful growing, as each fruit has its insect enemies and fungous diseases. Trafalyar, Halton: Caterpillars are already making their appearance on apple trees in large numbers. It is to be hoped that farmers will make more efforts to destroy these than many did a year ago. Man orchards, especially in the north end of the township, were entirely stripped of foliage. Mr. A. E. Sherrington, Walkerton, writes : The raspberry crop will be lighter than last year, as so many varieties suffered by the winter snow and frost. Some of them will not fruit at all. HiJborn is about the only black cap that came through all right; it will give a full crop. The Hale and Wickson plums were nearly killed out-right, and a few trees of other varieties. The Abundance and Burbank plums are loaded with fruit. TREATMENT OF BuLps.—It is a well- known fact that bulbs, forced in our country, are comparatively useless for flowers the season following. This is really owing to the fact that the leaves have not been permitted to mature properly. A bulb is composed of the bases of leaves which have become thickened and succulent. To make good, strong bulbs, therefore, it is neces- sary that they should have had good, strong leaves for their parents. Our 286 bulb growers commence to dry them off almost at once after flowering, instead of allowing them to grow as long as pos- sible. Even then, they will not flower as freely as newly imported bulbs, be- cause they are only allowed to flower until the bulb has reached a size desired by the grower. Bulbs generally have the flowers plucked out, until they have reached the size desired.—Mechans’ Monthly. ONTARIO FRUIT CROP REPORT. Prepared by the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association, June, 1899. Trenton — W. H. Dempsey. .............. Georgian Bay District—- J. U. Mitchell, Clarksburg. . Ontario Co,— R, L. Huggard, Whitby.. ..... Middlesex and Perth— T. H. Race, Mitchell,.......... Victoria and Peterborough— Phos, Beall, Lindsay........... Burlington District— A. W. Peart, Freeman.......... St. Joseph’s Island— Chas. Young, Richard’s Landing Frontenac and Addington—- Geo, Nicol, Cataraqui.......... Grenville and Dundas— eonee Apples. fair to poor... good..... poor..... good..... felt 65:5 good..... fair.” 5.8 very poor| . Apricots. se eee wens ey eeeee W. A. Whitney, Iroquois......./very good|........ Lincoln— - A. M. Smith, St. Catharines....|poor.....}......... Simcoe— fair to G. C. Caston, Craighurst.......} good...|......... Durham— E. C. Beman, Newcastle ....... |poor.....]........ Grey— J. I. Graham, Vandeleur. .... Grenville — AA. Jones, Maitland..:....... Ottawa District— R. B Whyte, Ottawa .... .... Oxford— J, S. Searff, Woodstock........ poor to a, Be RCS ee ..|very poor|......... 1 ery Sele wae ROIP Ses nies Pilcdsce eat ) Blkberries. poor..... very good very good LORE 30> hose TRIES es very good Taits sec. a poor .... Cherries. good..... eee ere wes good to very good aeit.c) 22 DIES RL very poor STEEN a os hare ../very good fair vc. ..|good..... very poor good,.... Currants. good .... faites... 's good..... very good fair to poor... Poors 33% fair...... very good very good TAINS. Se0s very good fAIT ac; Grapes. good..... none..... very good FOIT hse good,.... very good Seah ES Re A nae eo ee very good good..... SERRE S xs orcts RAL \ ag eee Pears. very good TAR 2s os -% poor..... EADS iscsi poor. ... poor. ... poor..... fair to good... Scale-- very good—good—fair—poor—very poor. Peaches. poor,.. re ed fits. 3s Pe ee eee weer Plums. Pt air to good... fale eho . |good. none..... -|good.... poor..... very poor no bloom. good..... .|poor..... ..|poor..... faie..t7 see eee eee poor..... very good Raspberries fair. \.25% good..... very good poor..... good..... good,.... eee eene good.... TRIES 2s <2 very good faliyize 2 er Vt very good poor..... fain. s. 53. good... ...|good. . very good et apa er Remarks. Orchards suffered much from worms and other in- sects. Raspberrries winter killed. Tent cater- pillar very destructive. Tent cater- pillar des- tructive. Blackberries winter kille * Open Letters. % Caterpillars, Srr,—I find my. orchard is badly infested with caterpillars. They are as yet very small but working industriously and I see have done a good deal of damage to leaves and blossoms which are pretty for adornment. Have sprayed all my trees twice thoroughly so far, first spray with blue stone, second blue stone, Paris green and lime. What an effect it has on other things it does not appear to bother the caterpillar. We had them last year but scraped them off and killed them on the trunks and big branches and burnt the ones higher up with coal oil torch. We hada good deal of work doing it but got rid of them in that way. This year however, they are apparently going to be even worse than last, at least their ravages are showing up worse than so far last year. Is there nothing can stop them? Was thinking of kerosene but am afraid it will hurt the leaves and blossoms. If { knew the formula of mixing it I would try it. If we cannot get rid of them in some way they will ruin our orchards up here any- way. W. B. SrepHens, Owen Sound. EDITOR: See article on this subject, page 120 We would advise a thorough spraying with Paris green water, 4 ounces to 40 gallons of water, separate from the Bordeaux mixture. That Fumigation Business. Srtr,—In the April number you publish the recent amendment of the San Jose Scale Act. Clauses 3 and 4 prohibit the removal or sale of any plant from any nursery without fumi- gation in a manner prescribed. The last clause prohibits the removal of any plants from any nursery where the inspector finds scale, ‘“‘until the inspector reports to the minister that it is safe in the public interest to permit the said nursery stock to be re- moved after fumigation.” How is this? Why restrict the nursery business to those able to furnish fumigating plants, if it is in- efficient? I am also curious to know how the possibly scaley stock of the last clause is ren- dered harmless if fumigation won’t do it. ApAM RussELL, Malvern, Ont. A Seedling Apple. Srr,—I sent you last week by mail a seed- ling apple of our own production to see what you thought of it; I believe it will turn out to be fine winter apple. It is a good keeper. I had about six last fall and I just put them on a plate in the cellar and they kept fine. I tried one or two at different times through the winter and [ find they are not fit to use till toward spring. I had about a peck the fall of 97; the tree bears early and is a very rapid grower, and to all appearances is going to be a good bearer. Jouy STEWART, Per G. Stewart, Benmiller. Apple Inspection. Str:—I have followed with very much interest your articles in the May and June numbers of the ‘‘ HortTicuLTuRIsT,” with regard to dishonest apple packing in which you certainly are on the right track in advo- cating that the apples be subject to inspection, and also to confiscarion when not up to grade. That this evil has grown to such enormous dimensions as to require legislative interfer- ence is evident, but why limit the inspection to apples for export only? Is the Canadian consumer of no account ? I bought a barrel of exceeding fine Jooking Northern Spy apples from a dealer in Mont- real about the ss pa of April last, paying him $4.75 for them. ‘he top two or three layers were as fine Spys as you could wish to see ; below that the barrel was simply filled with rubbish. I kept the head of the barrel which I send you by prepaid express to- night along with the paper cover over the apples, and four of the apples which I have managed to keep from decaying. You will see by the packer’s name and address being upon the head and thus certifying the apples to be ‘‘ choice Canadian apples” ‘* Gilt Edge” and ‘‘X X X,” that the intention was well calculated to deceive. The apples in this barrel were not worth over $1.00 to any one who would have bought them atall. I assure you in all seriousness that if the Ontario apple growers do not speedily devise some means to remedy such contemptible theiving, that their pockets will very soon suffer. I, for one, intend to boycott all Ontario apples in future unless some reason- able system of inspection is devised to protect the Canadian as well as the British consumer ; do you think I will be the only one to do so? Now, I am not a fruit grower, but it seems to me that a thoroughly efficient system of inspection could be instituted which would render such detestable work practically im- possible, but I think the scheme should first be formulated by the apple growers and packers themselves rather than wait for the Government to do so. : What would you think of forming an ‘*Ontario Apple Growers’ and Packers’ Association,” to be incorporated with exten- sive powers? The character of such associa- tion to be granted to say 10 or 20 of your best growers and packers, whose reputation is unquestioned. Admission to the Association to be secured by filling up a form of applica- tion, agreeing to abide by the rules and regu 288 OPEN LETTERS. lations, by-laws, ete., of the Association : such application to be accompanied by a recom- mendation signed by at least two reliable persons. The by-laws should of course set up the standard required for ‘‘ Gilt Edge ” or ‘*X X X” apples etc. : each member specially agreeing that all fruit not passing inspection be confiscated, as well as to have that fact published in the ‘‘ Horticunturist” and other papers. One of the main advantages to the shipping members would be the adoption of a uniform and elaborately engraved and copyrighted design, printed upon special waterproof paper of circular shape, just right to cover the out- side head of each barrel. These should each be indelibly numbered, and should be under the control of the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association, who upon application would issue them as required, first inserting upon each label the applicant’s name and address with stencil, together with his own signature and date in the blanks left for that purpose (leav- ing one blank for the name of the variety of the apple). A careful account of the number issued to each applicant should be kept, and should it be found advisable, any applicant might be required to report to the Secretary what he had done with his labels. All un- used labels to be returned at the end of the shipping season to the Secretary and new ones issued the next season : the year to be in very large (but light, open work) figures across the center of the label, which should also bear the words: ‘‘ This label is only valid for use over apples grown in the year... .and its use is specially forbidden by the rules of this Association any year after that time.” This would prevent any unworthy member from fraudulently using old labels after having been expelled from the Association. If the standard of quality required by the Association was a high one and rigidly insist- ed upon by efficient inspection, and all offend- ers promptly expelled, and their fruit confis- cated, it seems to me the demand for apples bearing this design would very soon exceed the supply. Not more than 5 bbls in a 100 would probably need to be examined after the first year. If you think this too crude an idea, please ive us a better one; but for the sake of the uture of the apple trade of Canada (of which I understand Ontario furnishes by far the largest share) something practical should at once be devised to prevent the trade from further falling into public disgrace and disre- pute. Danville, P. Q. Gro. 0. GooDHUE. The Plant Distribution. We have the most diverse opinions regarding the Plant Distribution. Some say discontinue and put the $600 it costs into the JOURNAL; others say it is most important, do not give it up. The following letter from Mr. C. B. Jackes, Toronto, takes a very moderate view of the whole matter : Srr,--In your last issue you ask an ex- pression of opinion as to the discontinuance of the bonus distribution of plants, etc. So far as I am concerned, I do not see how you can afford to distribute these plants and give the splendid value you do for the subscription price, and if the discontinuance of the bonus would enable you to increase the value of your periodical, by all means put the value of the plants there. The plant sent me was an Elzagnus lon- gipes. It came apparently in perfect order, carefully wrapped and covered. I at once puddled the roots and planted it same day. It never showed a sign of life until the Ist June, and I was a dozen times on the point of throwing it away. However, on scratch- ing the bark near the ground there appeared to be some sap in it, so [ allowed it to remain. On Ist June I observed signs of sprouting, and now there are half a dozen healthy sprouts making up for lost time. Of course, it is nice to get the plants which you send out, but I think the same object would be accomplished if you would occasion- ally, say in the September and February numbers, publish a list of desirable ornamental shrubs, hardy in the climate, for Fall or Spring planting, giving the common name as well as the scientific, and stating the prices at which they may be obtained, and finally, but most important, give the name and address of a reliable nurseryman from whom they can be obtained. The course now pursued by myself and many others is to order such plants through oue of the seed firms in the city, knowing full well that we pay their prices for the article, but preferring to do so if we get a good article, rather than order through plausible agents. eae 289 HINTS ON THE EASTER LILY. ULBS potted in August may be expected to bloom at Christmas time. Planting of bulbs late in October or early in November allows plenty of time for slow growth and for flowering by Easter time. Pots should remain in the dark at least six weeks so that roots may grow plentifully from the base of the bulbs. The Easter or Harris lily throws out a secondary group of roots a little above the bulb, soon after stem growth is pro- perly begun. For this reason, more soil should be heaped above the bulb from time to time till the pot is full. The first planting should be deep in the pot to allow room for the additional soil added later. Six. months will be required for the complete development of the plant from the time of planting. When first brought from the cellar a group of tips will be seen protruding from the earth. Water moderately, and gradually expose to the light. When tips turn green, increase the light but not the temperature. Slow growth, in an atmosphere moist and having a temperature ranging from fifty- five to sixty-five degrees Farenheit, is advised. A dry, hot atmosphere is fatal to success. To hasten the time of bloom bring into a warmer room, increase the sun- light, and keep the air moist by allowing water to evaporate more or less con- stantly from a dish on the stove or register. To retard growth, when de- velopment appears too rapid and bloom probable before the desired time, set pot in cool dark room and water moderately. ‘If the soil is rich a profuse watering every third day will helo the roots to abstract the nourishment it needs. If lacking nourishment, as may appear by weak growth, a half-pint of liquid manure should be given the plant each week or half-pint of water having in it ten drops of liquid ammonia. So large a bulb as the Easter lily is a gross feeder, and appreciates any extra care. After the plant has bloomed, it should be moder- ately watered till the foliage turns yellow. This indicates that the bulb is ripe and ready for a period of rest. Withhold water altogether, and set pot away in some cool cellar till the follow- ing October. It is then planted out of doors and treated as other lilies. Hav- ing bloomed once in the house, it is not fit for a second forcing, but out of doors it will renew itself so as to bloom ina year or two. In the open ground it is desirable that this lily should have some protection for winter, such as is afforded by two or three inches of coarse stable litter, or a thick covering of leaves.— J. F. B., Vick’s Floral Guide. CHRYSANTHEMUMS. have been wintered in the cellar should now be brought to the light and given plenty of air and water ; and in a short time the light- colored: shoots will take on a green i chrysanthemum plants which healthy appearance. After they have become well established they should be separated from the parent plant, each containing a portion of the fibrous roots which are supporting it, and potted into a small pot, where if 290 CHR YSANTHEMUMS. given proper care it will continue to grow as if nothing had happened. If it is desirable to grow them in the garden during the summer, they should be hardened to the outdoor conditions by placing them in the open air during the warmer part of the day and protect- ing them during the night, till the ground has become sufficiently warm for them to be placed in the open garden. They usually give large blooms, and plants are more easy to handle, if they are grown in pots during the entire summer. When this is done, it will be best to repot them as they need it, till they have been placed into six or seven- inch pots. The pots should be kept plunged into some material, as coal cinders, which will assist in holding the moisture. They can be placed in some protected corner of the garden and plunged into the soil if coal cinders cannot be obtained; or they are put into a frame and covered with lath screens during the heat of the day ; but they must receive plenty of air and water if good healthy plants are expected The plants should never be repotted after the buds have begun to develop. An application of liquid manure should be made twice a week till the buds begin to open, then it should be dis- continued. A dressing of well rotted barnyard manure is often placed on the surface of the soil. The plants should be trained from the time they are about six inches high. If the bush form is desired, the top should be nipped off about six inches from the ground and the side buds be allowed to develop; if only from three to five buds are allowed to remain, the buds will produce large flowers on long stems. If the tree form should be desired, the central stem should be allowed to grow about two feet high ; then the tip should be nipped out, and the lower branches trimmed to the height where it is desired to form the head, and above this the branches should be pinched back whenever the top needs to be made thicker, When the buds are formed, the weak ones should be taken off to encourage the growth of large flowers. The plants which have been grown in the garden through the summer should be taken up before the buds begin to form and placed in pots or well drained buckets. The objection to the garden grown plants is that the roots have such a wide range that many of the best feeding roots are lost in the operation of taking up the plants, and thus the plants are reduced in size. W. H. Moore. Kansas Agricultural College. Yellowish Rose Leaves. Sir,—I duly received your letter of the 20th ult, containing one from Mr. R. Cun- ningham, of Guelph with rose-tree leaves that had turned yellow. Though there was no insect on the leaves, there were under the leaves webs of the minute red spider, which is no doubt the cause of the trouble. Kerosene emulsion sprayed on the plants affected, well under the leaves has been found effectual, also water. containing finely powdered sulphur. A treatment which has given good results in California, even on trees, has been fine dry powdered sul- phur distributed on the foliage in the morning while the leaves were damp. The ro-e bushes should at the same time be fer- tilized so as to invigorate them and help them to withstand the attack. Without sample of the leaves ot the dying pine trees, it is impossible to speak positively as to a cause. It certainly cannot be the mulching with barnyard manure, but it might be winter killing, as has been the case in other places in Ontario. J. FLETCHER, Ottawa. 291 * Our Book Table. ¢ Among the subjects treated in Maynard’s ‘* Landscape Gardening,” are: ‘* Landscape Gardening and Home Decoration,” ‘‘ Orna menting New Homes,” ‘‘ Preparation of Land Trees and Herbaceous Plants,” Walks and Drives, ‘‘Improving Established Homes,” “¢ Roads and Roadside Improvements,” ‘‘ Pab- lic Squares,” ‘‘ Parks,” ‘‘ Cemeteries and School Yards,” ‘‘ Description of Trees and Shrubs,” ‘‘ Evergreen Trees,” ‘* Ornamental Shrubs,” ‘‘ Hardy Herbaceous Plants,” ‘* Ac- quatic Plants,” ‘‘ Hardy Ferns and Ornamen- ted Grasses,” ‘‘ Insect and Fungi Injurious to Ornamentals.” HARDINESS OF JAPAN PLUMs.—We are inclined to think that this plum will endure more frost than is usually sup- posed. Mr. Hale says they will stand 25° below zero; and perhaps he is not far wrong, for at Day’s Mills, North Algoma, where the thermometer often goes low- er than that, we found both Abundance and Burbank in good condition after two years planting. 3 REASONS | WHY YOU SHOULD SHIP YOUR FRUIT WHITE & Co. Se... L ORONTO, Merchants, 1. We have one of the best connections in Toronto for the sale of all kinds of fruits and early vegetables, and always obtain highest prices. _ 2. We send account sales every night and wire quotations without extra charge. - 3. We send remittances promptly every rege 6 and all consignments have our best care. Thanking you for past favors, We are yours for business, W iire,.6: (26,4 eat East, TORONTO. PLANT LICE OR APHIDS. If there is any group of insects that requires the constant attention of nur- serymen, green-house owners, orchardists and farmers, it is the family of plant lice oraphids. The season of 1898 has been unusually favorable for these vermin, as is always the case when the spring opens moist and cloudy, with very little hot weather early inthe season. Such wide- spread and well-known pests require very little description ; their small, pear- shaped bodies, rarely exceediug one- quarter of an inch in size, with the slender legs and feelers, are known to everyone. The life-histories of these plant lice are, however, not so well known, and in many cases they are as yet a mystery. Many species pass the winter in the egg stage, although a large number of species are not yet known to produce eggs. “The “winter eggs,” hatching in the spring, produce wingless females, which bring forth living youth without the intervention of the male. In some cases these young produce in turn winged females, in other cases wingless females (but these, whether winged or wingless, have the same power of producing young without pairing), and in the great majority of cases, if not Aphids are sucking insects, taking their food through a slender tube which is thrust deep into the tissue of the plant. For this reason any arsenical poison that may be deposited on the surface of the plant will do them no harm ; they will thrust their beaks clear through the poison into the plant and will suck the sap from beneath the surface. To kill these little robbers it is necessary to use contact poisons, such as kerosene emul- sion, whale-oil soap, to bacco-water, Pyre- thrnm, or some application which kills by closing upthe pores or byirritation, or else to use some vapor, smoke or gas, such as tobacco smoke or carbon bisulphid. in all, this method of reproduction is carried on until fall. Then in some cases males and females are produced, which, after pairing, give rise to one or more eggs, which serve to keep the species over winter. In many instances, as with the black peach-aphias and the grain aphis, the aphids themselves live over winter. In some cases, as in the case of the hop-aphis (4pAzs humuz), the winter eggs are laid on one plant (in this case on the plum, while the young mi-: grate to some other plant in the spring. The hop-aphis migrate from the plum to hop-vines and passes the summer there. 292 MonTMORENCY. EarRLy RICHMOND. KENTISH CHERRIES. THE CANADIAN HorticuLTurIsT. Vous SOx: Leo: No. 8 KENTISH HE classification of cherries ; is very unsettled, and unsat- isfactory, being founded too much upon form and color. The common American grouping is into I, Hearts and Bigarreaus, fruit heart-shaped, and II, Dukes and Morellos, fruit round, and III, Native Dwarf. But surely the Hearts and the Bigarreaus are sufficiently distinct for separate grouping, if only by reason of the difference in texture of the flesh, as for example the ‘Tartarian (Heart) and Yellowish Spanish (Bigar- reau). Again why class together the Dukes and the Morellos which are so totally distinct both in habit of trees and in fruit, as for example compare the May Duke, with its upright habit and fastigiate foliage, and very mildly acid fruit, with the English Morello, the fruit of which stains and is totally distinct in habit of tree and in flavor of fruit. Then why should the Morello and the Kentish varieties be put together, when the fruit is so distinct in color, flavor 295 CHERRIES. and texture. The former is well repre- sented by the English Morello, and the latter by the Early Richmond and the Montmorency. It is of these two varie- ties we desire to speak more particularly at this time. The EarLy RICHMOND is an Ameri- can name taken no doubt from Rich- mond, Virginia, where it has been plant- ed in early years, just as the Old English Williams Pear took on the name Bartlett, at Boston, from the first introducer. It is also called the Virginian May, although with us it does not color before the middle of June. It was not easy for a time to trace this variety to its identity in England and France, but from all we can learn it is the Kentish Pie cherry of England and the ative (Early cherry) of France (Le Roy). The cherry appears to be of French origin, and George Lindley supposed that it had been brought into England from Flanders in the reign of Henry VIII. The tree, like all the Kentish and Morello, is a slow grower and slender THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. in branch, but very hardy, and produc- tive in proportion to its size. Some trees five or six years old at Maplehurst produced about 30 quarts each, and since the trees may be planted about fifteen feet apart, the yield per acre would be excellent in a year like this. The fruit is not large, as is shown by our engraving which is the natural size, but it is free from rot, and not very subject to curculio. The form is almost round, though slightly flattened; the skin is uniformly of a bright clear red, becoming darker as it matures. The stem is slender, about one inch in length, often carrying the calyx, inserted in a good sized cavity. Apex set in a small indentation. The jesh is very tender in texture, yellowish, with abundant uncolored juice, flavor quite acid, pit small. Season, June 2oth, to July roth, (1899). Quality, poor for desert, but rst class for all culinary purposes. Value, very good for market. Adaptation, succeeds at all the sta- tions. THE Montmorency.— Of all the Kentish pie cherries this seems to us the most profitable. The tree is one of the most vigorous of its class, the fruit is large, and abundant. This and the Early Rich- mond cover the season very well, and are the two leading Kentish varieties for market. In France, this cherry has many synonyms, as for example MMozt- morency a longue queue, Petit-Gobet, etc. Origin Montmorency valley in France in middle of 17th century. Tree, healthy, fairly vigorous, productive, and hardy. Fruit attached in ones and twos, 34 long by % of an inch broad, roundish almost flattened at apex, skin bright shiny red becoming darker red at ma- turity, easily detached from the flesh ; stem 1% inches long, in rather large cavity. Flesh, salmon yellow, juicy, sprightly acid. Season, July 1st, to roth in (1899). Quality, very good for cooking. Value, good for market. Adaptation, general. There are a good many other varieties of Kentish but the most common is the old Kentish Late which differs little from Montmorency except that it is smaller and less productive. In our experimental collection we notice Suda Hardy, Lutovka, Kings Amarelle and Spate Amarelle all of which seem to ripen during a season cov- ering the greater portion of the month of July. These are only two years planted, and are all bearing a few cherries each. The Early Richmond and the Mont- morency are about twelve years planted and are carrying between 30 to 4o quarts each. As the various kinds increase in size and age we shall be able to give our readers more definite information regard- ing their value. very tender very TomAToEs.—An Exchange _ says: Market gardeners do not often give away their ‘'snaps,” but one confessed not long ago that he had led the market in early tomatoes for several years by following two rules. He plants in north and south rows, and lays the stalk hori- zontally in a shallow trench, leaning the plant to the north and covering all ex- cept the top of the plant. This plan lets the sun strike the ground over the roots and buried stalk and hastens fruiting. His other rule is never to cultivate in any way which would wound the roots after the blossom has appeared. When wounded the plant stops feeding the fruit until it has repaired the damage. 296 JUNE FLOWER SHow, HAMILTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 297 HAMILTON HE exhibition held by the Hamilton Horticultural So- ciety on June 21st, was a decided success The display was first-class, the music excellent, the weather perfect and the attendance very good. In addition to the members several outside friends contributed fine specimens. Among the latter may be mentioned Mrs. Stuart, Inglewood ; Mr. A. E Alexander, Aberdeen Ave; Mr. Goodale, Asylum ; Mr. Morgan, Florist ; Dr. Russel, Asylum ; Senator Sanford, Wesanford, and Mr. L. Woolverton, Grimsby. The centre of the tent was occupied by a grand display of stove and green- house plants, among which were many magnificent specimens of hydrangeas, palms, pandanus, ferns, auracarias, clerio- dendendrons, ficus, coleus, fuschias, oleanders, sedums and amaryllis, ex- hibited by Dr. Russel, R. A Lucas, Thos. Horn, M. Skedden, A. Alexander, W. Hunt, gardener for Mr. John Stuart ; and S. Aylett, gardener for Senator San- ford. A very neat and clean collection of anthuriums, palms and other stove and greenhouse plants shown by E. G. Brown, florist, surrounded the orchestra in the rear, while the side tables were taken up by cut roses and herbaceous blooms, fruits and smaller pot plants. The following, in addition to above named, received special mention from the Judge, Mr. Roderick Cameron, of Niagara Falls Park. The order of mention is according to position occupied by exhibits. CUT ROSES IN VASES. Mr. J J. Evel, 10 varieties. Mr. B. E. Charlton, 10 varieties. Mr. S. Briggs, 4 varieties. ROSE SHOW. Mr. H. J. Healy, Baron de Bon- stetten. Mr. Adam Brown, 2 varieties, shaded. Mr. Wm. Hancock, Paul Neyron. Mr. E. Fisher, T. H. & B Ry., 9 vases. Mr. Jas. Ogilvie, 16 varieties Mr. A. E. Alexander, 16 varieties. Mr. Wm. Hunt, Hybrid Teas. Mr. Goodale, (gardener, Asylum for insane), a very large collection. Webster Bros., a fine display of roses, paeonies, campanulas, delphiniums, aquilegias, cannas, etc. Messrs. John Knox, W. F. Burton, Geo. G. Brower and James Ogilvie, beautiful baskets of roses. Mrs. Stuart, Inglewood ; collection ot herbaceous cut-blooms. W.F Burton and John Knox, baskets of pinks, petunias and catalpas. Mrs. Thos. Horn, beautiful boquets of white carnations and asparagus plumosus. Mr. Morgan, florist, and Mr. James Ogilvie, collections of sweet williams, gaillardias, coreopsis, marguerites, etc. Master Harry ‘Tribe, a wonderful dahlia. ; A. Alexander and W. C. Brennen, single and double tuberous begonias. W. Hunt, S. Aylett and A. Alexander, adiantums and gloxinias. Walter Holt, Florist, marguerites and delphiniums. Mrs. Boyd, West Ave., amaryllis and oleander. Mr. A. Alexander, arethusa bulbosa. Mrs. Woodman, cocos, cactus and richardia. W. T. Miller, rubber plant. Mrs. Garson, ferns, palms and imanto- phyllum. Jas. Anderson, stag-horn fern, rhodo- dendron and orange, and last in the 298 HAMILTON ROSE SHOW. floral line, but not least, a fine;collection of cut roses, pentstemons and other blooms from Mr. L. Woolverton and Grimsby friends. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Geo. Wildes, cucumbers, very good. Master Frank Gage, potatoes, would be creditable to Southern States. Jas Patterson, cherries, strawberries, gooseberries and lettuce, very good. Wm. Farrar, strawberries and cherries, very fine. ; Geo. Wildes, strawberries and goose- berries, excellent. Mr. Samuel Aylett filled the rather trying position of Superintendent to the satisfaction of all. Osler’s orchestra furnished music during the afternoon and evening. Mr. Wm. Hunt, gardener at Ingle- wood, exhibited some grand specimen adiantums at the Hamilton flower show. Many were indeed surprised to learn that they could be grown to such per- fection. J. M. Dickson, See. COVER. FOR N handling berries it is important to keep them from the heat of the sun, and we found it difficult to get our fruit to market in good condition in an open wagon, and so last winter decided to build a cover. The accom- panying ,illustration represents the plan which we%adopted, and we have found it so convenient and beneficial that we would not be without it for many times the original cost, which was about $7. It has five 144 by 34 in. bows which set into staples made of strap iron bolted to the sides of the box. A 2 in. rave is put on the outside with the lower edge just below the top of the box so as to carry the water over. From this rave the sides and front are boarded up 2 ft. with 3g in. matched sheathing, on top of which is another 2 in. rave 7% in. thick. The sides are covered with can- vas the remainder of the way up. The seat is set back in the center, leaving room for one row of crates in front, which makes them handy to get at and evens up the load. ‘To support the seat an inch board is bolted to theinside of the bow withthe lower edge resting on the top of the box. BERRY WAGON. ee cc r ge i} i ec gah ; . ° ; how Z . AIG, FRury as Shae 2 en eee of "AH CARBENTERESONS | ‘4 $f oo0R Lianstetie ei Ems Rem» — if eo, Be ie theme ff ; z 2, feZ q £0" Fic. 1627.—OoTLINE oF Berry WAGON. The seat is 12 in. wide and is fasten- ed with hinges at one end, so that it can be turned up out of the way when loading or unloading. The top is covered with 36 in. matched sheathing the same as the sides. The top is well painted and then covered with canvas. The canvas on both sides and top was first sized with hot glue to fill up the cloth and then painted with white lead and oil with a very little lampblack to give ita drab color. This makes the canvas water-tight and keeps it from shrinking. In this wagon we can carry 50 crates and have them where we can easily get at them. When we wish to use the wagon without the top it can be set off out of the way. — American Agriculturist. 299 Fie. 1628.—CLIMBING HyDRANGEA. THE CLIMBING HYDRANGEA. (Schizophraga hydrangeoides ). HEN visiting the floral ex- hibit of the Hamilton Horticultural Society last June, we also visited the garden of Mr. John Knox, a prominent member, who has several rarities on his grounds as for example, a varie- gated maple, a variegated ash, a double-flowering peach, etc. But, per- haps, the most remarkable of all, isa climbing hydrangea, which has covered half the front and a portion of the side of his brick residence. We do not know of another specimen of this plant in Canada; Mr. Cameron, of Niagara Falls Park, who was with us, valued it so highly that he said, “If it were mine, I would not take $300 for that plant.” Our frontispiece shows this beautiful vine, as it appeared at the time just in full bloom, and showing off to best ad- vantage. We also secured a photograph of one of the flower cymes, which will give our readers a fair idea of its man- ner of blooming It is a fine climber for old dead trunks of trees, and does equally well for wooden or stone buildings, throwing out aerial root!ets, which cling quite as tenaciously as the Japan Ivy. The leaves are opposite, five inches across, nearly round, and toothed. The flower cymes are from six to ten inches in diameter, and are composed mostly of fertile flowers which, however, do not fruit. 300 mePLES IN NORTH 1629.—A Maniropa DucHeE T would appear that our visit to Sault Ste. Marie did not reach the extreme northern of the apple. At a ineeting of the Western Horticultural Society in Winni- peg, in February last, a photograph was passed around showing a Duchess of Oldenburg apple tree, growing in the garden of Mr. W. L. Lyall, of Portage la Prairie, which had on it forty-five fine apples, and we are glad to be able to show our readers an engraving of the photograph. Mr. A. P. Stevenson, of Nelson, Manitoba, read a paper before the Society on ‘‘ What the past year has limit FARMER? ADVOCATE ss APPLE TREE. WESTERN ONTARIO. taught us,” from which we take the following regarding apples. ‘*Qur most prolific crop is the Transcendant, one tree alone yielding fully two barrels of apples. This is the first variety to bleom in spring ; on that ac- count there is some danger in certain localities of injury to the blossom by frost. Mulching around the roots of the trees with half rotted straw, above the snow during winter, has been tried to retard in early blooming, but without any ap- parent advantage, Sweet Busnett is the name of another variety deserving of special mention on account of its fair cooking qualities, very little crab flavor being notice- able. Ten varieties of Russian apple trees carried fruit to ma- turity last summer. — Blushed Calville, a summer variety, bore rather better than a bushel of apples of good size and of fair dessert quality, and were ripe on the 25th August. > : ‘ ‘ « - i al H ° i - a ~ ’ = . - 7 . - p * ‘ a is a - Ne, . * _ 2 ‘ ’ GARDEN OF BOBOLI, FLORENCE. THE CANADIAN HortTicuLTUurIST. Vout. XXII. 1899. No. 9 WY lt > a Lhd Sf ‘© 2 OTS. SOME GARDENS OF ENCHANTMENT AND RENOWN. ‘* Nebassar’s Queen Fatigued with Babylonia’s level plains Sighed for her Median home, where Nature’s hand Had scooped the vale and clothed the mountain side With many a verdant wood; nor long she pined Till that uxorious monarch called on Art To rival Nature’s sweet variety. Forthwith two hundred thousand slaves up- rear’d This hill—egregious work, rich fruit o’erhung The sloping vales and odorous shrubs entwine Their undulating branches. , OME time between 590 and P5561 BC., would seem to have been the most prob- able date of the erection of the famous Hanging Gar- dens of Babylon. (Fig. 1639.) The lowest stage of these gardens covered between three and four acres. It is not known what their height was. Two ancient writers agree in making their height that of the walls of Babylon, but there is much difference 331 of opinion as to what the height of these latter were. According to the lowest calculation found in the pages of ancient writers they were seventy-five feet high Whilst this estimate was probably much too moderate we must consider the statement of Herodotus, that they were 360 feet in height, an exaggeration. The mound Babel, which of late years has come to be generally considered their wreck, is still 140 feet high, though for centuries it has been used as a quarry by the Arabs, As to the general external appearance of the structure there seems to be two main opinions. One that it was like a lofty, wooded pyramid with several ter- races, each smaller than the one below ; the other, that as in the Roman amphi- theatre, the several tiers of arches were so built that the line of the outer wall from base to summit was perpendicular. All seem now of the opinion that arches THE Pie been i ae cm peat nearest a LO EAE LI TT re atari Fic. 1639.—HANGINnG GARDENS OF BABYLON. (Attempt at reconstruction. ) of brick formed the main support of the building. Probably some use was made of piers and columns too. Flights of stairs led to the summit of the building. Each flat contained stately apartments for all sorts of purposes. The walls of these were perhaps adorned with color glories—battle and hunting scenes glow- ing in yellow, red, brown, and blue. A great mass of earth covered the top of the terraces. When this soil was laid even and smooth it was planted with trees, shrubs and flowers, “* And Tie were gardens bright with sinuous Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree, Aud forests ancient as the hills.”’ Not inappropriate as at first sight, would seem is the comparison of this plantation, in its later days at least, to a primeval CANADIAN HORTICULTORIST. forest. Quintus Curtius asserts that some of the trees grew to be more than twelve feet in di- ameter. In the days of Amy- itis the trees must have been smaller, but the ground was probably more profusely deck- ed with flowers. Aromatic plants most likely grew there, and if the native flora of the country was not denied a place among the vegetable novelties from abroad, the date palm with its crown of splendid leaves and charming amber clusters of fruit hanging down several feet in length, adorned the slopes. The pomegranate with its scarlet flowers, the graceful acacia, the mournful willow, the long feathery rods of the tamarisk, the cone-like cypress, the orange and the apple tree, very likely brightened its groves. In the burning climate of the country, the shade and cool- ness of the place was delicious. The water for the gardens was supplied from a canal from the Euphrates, and was raised by a screw hidden away in a room within the structure. Mr, Rassam a few years ago found, at the mound Babel, iour “exquisitely built granite wells,” still some 140 feet high, which he concludes were the pipes used in irrigating the Hanging gardens. Huge rocks were elevated to the gardens to give a mountain like appearance. Passing on to Roman times we find that this iron race delighted in their gardens, to show their mastery over nature by a display of engineering skill. Lucullus suspcnded hills upon vast tun- nels and brought in the sea for moats and 332 SOME GARDENS OF ENCHANTMENT AND RENOWN. fish ponds in the making of his pleasure grounds. Reproached by a stern moralist of the age for his degenerate indulgence in the luxury of a house for summer as well as a winter residence, this celebrity smilingly replied, “‘Do you think me less provident than the storks and cranes who have their summer abodes, as well as those suited for the cold weather.” The Topiarian art or the clipping of trees and hedges into representations of birds, beasts, vases, and even fleets of ships was another characteristic of the gardening of this age. The Emperor Hadrian’s villa with its grounds some seven miles in circumference was per- haps the most ambitious of Roman gardens. In one part of this park was an imitation of the lovely vale of Tempe in Greece, whilst another portion was designed to represent the lower regions described by the poet Vergil. During the dark ages garden craft had to find its home in the monasteries. Beauty had to be sacrificed to military ends in the medieval castle, and there was little room within its walls for such a luxury as a garden. When the use of can- non rendered the walls of these strong- holds useless, they were replaced by princely mansions and villas, with an ample setting of garden charms. The gardening art blossomed forth anew in the 15th and 16th centuries in the Italian cities, now treasuries of vast wealth, whose princes and cardinals found in this a congenial outlet for the display of their riches. Our frontispiece, taken from an old Italian engraving, repre- sents part of the Boboli gardens laid out about the year 1550, at Flor- ence. The quaint looking screens that figure so prominently in this are cut in greenery, and the tall spire-like trees marshalled in formal lines in the back ground, are not Lombardy poplars as we of this country would be likely to suppose, but cypress trees. The Italians took great pains to make their gardens harmonize with the archi- tecture of their palaces. The garden was a suite of open air apartments as much a part of the home as the house itself. The main features of the grounds were the terrace, the grove, the fountains, the reservoirs and the flower garden. They were places of greenery and water, commanding splen- did views, for they usually nestled against a hill side. The English horti- culturist Evelyn, visiting Boboli in the 17th century, says that there was much topiary work there, and that he saw there a rose grafted on an orange tree. Splendid gardens were not found in this age in the old world only, but if we can give any credence to the very doubt- ful authority of Spanish waters of the time on our own continent also. These authors may have drawn very largely on their own imagination when they de- scribed the glories of the Coricancha, or Place of gold, the magnificent temple of the Sun at Cuzco, in Peru. The gleam of the soil of the garden there, in the rays of a tropical sun, must have been dazzling, for it was composed with small pieces of fine gold. The graceful stem leaves and tassels of Indian corn were imitated here in gold, the plants rooted so firmly that the strong winds prevalent there could not loosen them. Other plants with leaves of silver, and flowers of gold figured in some gardens of Peru, and doubtless were to be seen here. A flock of twenty sheep of pure gold was grazing in this fairyland, and the shepherds guarding them were of the same bright metal. Illustration Fig. 1640 is of a labyrinth, which up to the year 1775, existed in the gardens of Versailles in France. The 333 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fic. 1640.—AncrenT LABYINTH IN THE GAR- DEN AT VERSAILLES winding path was flanked on either side with grotesque imitations of animals in- tended to represent the beasts of Aesops fables. The gardens of Versailles were extremely formal in character. They still exist, but modern critics who have written disparagingly of them should re- member that to form a just idea of their merits they should have been seen when thronged with all the splendid life of the court of the Grand Monarque Louis XIV. They were admirably adapted to the purpose for which they were to be used drawing-rooms for summer days for the gaily clad courtiers and ladies. ‘Ten thousand people lived in the palace, so the lawns could seldom have been deserted. Versailles was en- tirely the creation of Louis XIV. If he did not “ make the desert smile,” he at all events through his gardener, Le Notre, turned a pestilent marsh into a superb pleasure ground. He was ex- tremely fond of gardening, and at some periods of the year spent whole days in watching and superintending work in his gardens and his different buildings, and took as much interest in the minute detail of direction as if he had been a landscape artist or an architect. The cost of the palace and park of Versailles according to Voltaire’s estimate, nowcon- sidered the calculation most nearly ap- proaching the truth, was something like one hundred millions of dollars, and to this must be added the worth of the labor given by the peasants, who .were forced under the law of the corvee to toil without any pay. At Versailles and its adjoining parks of Trianon and Marly, there were at one time employed no less than 22,000 men and 6,000 horses. The making of Versailles was a trag- edy. A diary of a French notable con- tains, under date of 31st May, 1685, the following entry. ‘ There are now more than 36,000 peasants at work in and Fic. 1641.—Locis XIV.—From a rare por- trait in the Archives at Ottawa. about Versailles for the King. The half- starved and half-clad wretches die by dozens under the strain of the cruel tasks imposed on them.” In October of 1687, Madame de Sevigne wrote as 334 SOME GARDENS OF ENCHANTMENT AND RENOWN. Fic. 1642.—THE GarpEns at San Sovuct, GERMANY. follows: ‘The King wished to spend Saturday at Versailles, but it seemed as if Providence willed that he should not, for the buildings are in no condition to receive him, and there is a prodigious mortality of workmen so that carts full of the dead are carried off every night as they are from the Hotel Dieu, (a famous hospital.)” In contrast to this dark picture of a tryants oppression, we would place the story of the old wind- mill at Sans Souci the garden repre- sented in our next cut, which shows royalty ina brighter light This famous wind-mill stands close in century later the owner was forc- ed byadversity to think of selling the property and offered it to King William. The Crown still generous, settled on the owner of the mill a sum sufficient to maintain him on his property. Our last cut is of a landscape garden in Japan. The Japanese are very successful in making in their gardens imitations on a small scale of natural scenery. Miniature mountains, lakes and dwarf trees figure in their com- positions. A famous and novel concep- tion is the gardens of a Buddhist eccle- siastic which illustrates thelegend of the nodding stones which bowed down to the earth when they heard the words of the Monk Daito, an early missionary of the Buddhist religion. Some Japanese gar- dens such as Ginkakuji, or Silver Pavilion and Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion are some three or four hundred years old. One will see there trees a century old not more than a foot high, and many other sights strange to Western eyes. Maplehurst. A. E. MICKLE. the rear of the palace erected by Frederick the Great of Prussia, and still belongs to the descen- dants of the sturdy miller who refused to surrender it to that monarch when the latter wanted to pull it down, and include the site in his own gardens. The original mill was a very small one, but Fred- erick having lost his law- suit with the miller, with great generosity built a larger mill for his op- ponent. More than a Fic. 1643,.—A JAPANESE GARDEN. ‘nops.ing ‘Pp hq paydn.bojoyg (Meta yaorg ) ‘dO Laog “osy ‘NVHNHXOG ‘H ‘H AO AONAAISUY— HFO! “OT StiRe ext nn 336 A TOWN RESIDENCE. ORT HOPE with its diversity of hill and dale, its meandering stream and its. inclining streets with their wealth of shade trees on either side, has many fine resi- dences and grounds. One of the most attractive of these, and the most ob- served, perhaps, because situated on the main street of the town, and only three minutes’ walk from the central business portion, is the residence of H. H. Burnham, Esq., the President of the Port Hope Horticultural Society. Because so situated, the grounds, though by no means contracted, are not so extensive as they would have been had they been more suburban, but the best has been made of every yard of space. In fact, Mrs. Burnham, to whose fine taste, artistic skill, assidu- ous attention, and passionate love of flowers the grounds and house surround- ings owe their beauty, has success- fully solved the problem of garden decoration. By a well planned arrange- ment of walks, terraces, lawn space, parterres, and statuary—here a group of cacti, there a mass of bloom, here a creeper, there a climber, here wild bushes and a bank of ferns, there well trimmed shrubs, here a basket, there a vase, and taste and beauty everywhere — this villa attracts the attention and de- lights the eye of every passer-by. Seen by hundreds every day it no doubt exerts a silent influence in the interests of horticulture, which it would be hard to over-estimate. A. Purstow, Port Hope. PRINCIPLES OF PRUNING SHRUBS AS FORMULATED BY MR. CHARLES BALTET. 1.—Prune when dormant plants of those species which flower during the growing season on the young, herbaceous shoots. This is Winter Pruning, or Dry Pruning 2.—Prune in full growth, as soon as the flowering period ends, the plants of those species which, when the sap starts, expand their flowers on the branches of the year or older ones. This is Summer Pruning, or Green Pruning. In both cases the desired end is that the floral elements shall come well con- stituted at the blooming epoch Sum- mer pinching or shortening strengthens, or causes to branch, the long shoots which should flower in winter or the fol- lowing spring, and thus increase the show of flowers. Pruning is long when more wood is left on the plant, short when more is cut away, combined if the two operations are applied at the time on the same shrub, a system preferable to alternating. Without rules to follow, long pruning or the absence of pruning should be pre- ferable toexaggerated mutilations. Every- where and always the trimming of trees and shrubs is recommended by thinning the branches that grow too dense, their rejuvenation by the suppression of old, sterile, wornout stems, and replacing them with vigorous shoots, and, finally, the cares of neatness, clearing away scaly or mossy bark, the suppression of dead wood, broken pieces, suckers and the withered remains of flowers. 337 (MOTA Opts) ‘ado «LuOg ‘ OST SWVHNMOG "HO “HE AO YONSCISAY—'CPOT “DIY TERA RCL ire SKS ARE , . ms 44 i td te Fae _ im Shae: 2 “ie ae eae T * 338 “a NOTES ON THE GRIMSBY FRUIT DISTRICT, O the enthusiast in horticul- ture the Niagara district offers an endless variety and an almost inexhaustible field of interest. Especially is this true when the enthu- siast is less favored than the fortunate dwellers of our sunny vineyards and happens to be a dweller in the north. To one of the latter who drops in upon you perhaps only once a year, or less, the progress you are making in your methods of cultivation, and general ad- vancement as a fruit district, are much more noticeable than to one of your- selves who are engaged in the opera- tion. I, for example, can see great changes for the better every successive visit I make to your district. If com- petition be the life of trade in commer- cial lines, so must competition and the spirit of rivalry tend to greater perfec- tion in the operation of fruit culture. Only a few years ago there were con- spicuously but a few model fruit farms and farmers between Hamilton and St. Catharines. Now there are many, and their number is increasing every year. There are yet a number of laggards to be seen, but the discriminating compe- tition in the fruit markets must in time drive them, if the spirit of rivalry does not shame them into better and more progressive methods. . Last December while making a visit to my old friend Mr. M. Pettit and his family and marking the great improve- ment which he had made in_ his fine fruit farm in the course of three or four years, I visited especially the home of Mr. W. M. Orr to note his methods of fall cultivation in the several depart- ments of his farm. A few weeks ago I made a second visit to observe, as far as they would show, the result. Mr. Orr is among the most systematic and thorough fruit farmers on the Grimsby road, but to a novice it is not easy to see how a beginner could adopt his methods and follow them until returns began to come in without considerable capital to start with. Mr. Orr does not demand two crops from his land at the same time, nor does he believe in tak- ing anything from the land during the years in which the orchard is in its pre- paratory stage, whether it be in peaches, pears, plums or apples; but on the contrary he believes in cultivating and feeding the soil from the time the trees are planted without taking any crop from it till the trees are in bearing. This belief he puts into practice, for we noticed on his farm orchard plots of both plum and pear trees two years, three years and so on up to thirteen years, all treated after the same fashion. Last fall Mr. Orr had nearly all his plots covered with a growth of rape. This served to arrest the leaves as they fell from the trees and they helped to thicken the covering. This covering Mr. Orr claimed protected the roots of the trees during the winter, besides act- ing as a mulch for the soil, and was ploughed under early in the spring. This ploughing was followed by a sow- ing of crimson clover, or some other green crop to be turned under early in the fall and treated as before. Mr. Orr is firm in his belief that the trees, in the increased quantity and superior quality of their fruit, pay for all this preparation after they come into bearing, and ina very few years more than make up the value of any root or other crop that might have been taken off the land. I stated in the HorTICULTURIST two years ago that the finest samples of plums that came into the northern market came from the farm of Mr, Orr, and 339 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. looking over his farm this season I am convinced that his methods of cultiva- tion and care of his trees has much to do with it. Besides the labor that he puts upon the soil Mr. Orr gives due attention to washing, pruning and spray- ing his trees, and I never saw anything look finer or cleaner than all his orchard plots did a few weeks ago. All his plum trees six years planted, and from that to thirteen years and over, were as full as they could bear ; and a young pear or- chard five years planted, treated as above and looking fully as well as the plums, Mr. Orr says is already giving a fair return for labor and land value. One thing is certain that Mr. Orr has his farm as clean as it can be; is giving it a thorough system of cultivation and is taking nothing from it but his fruit crop. As to how well and how much the latter pays for expense, labor, and land value, and at what age the trees begin to pay a fair equivalent, and at what ratio they increase from the paying point, Mr. Orr alone may be able to say. Another matter of interest on Mr. Orr’s farm is his apple orchard planted on the mountain side where cultivation is impossible. Here the trees seemed to thrive well enough but did not ap- pear to be bearing very well. The un- der growth I suggested might be against them and we thought the situation an ideal one for sheep grazing. Mr. S. D. Woodward, of Lockport, places great value upon sheep in the apple orchard ; so do many farmers about here in my owncounty. But Mr. Orr’s reply to my suggestion was that he had tried sheep and could not protect them from dogs. This seemed to me a strange state of affairs in a civilization such as you enjoy in the Niagara peninsula. Such a state of things could not exist with us up in these back townships, and why should they with you. With that defect reme- died and Mr. Orr’s mountain side apple orchard stocked with sheep his fruit farm might well be considered an ideal one. ay dic RACE Mitchell, Aug. 15. THE EMERALD PLUM, late Warren Holton, of Hamilton, well known in fruit growing circles, sent us a sample ofa new seedling plum, which he called “ Early Green.” In an accompanying note he said, ‘‘ con- sidering its size, fair quality and in particular its early season (1st August), in ripening, I think it may prove worthy of cultivation.” About August Ist, 1899, ten years S long ago as the year 1889, the later, we received another sample of this plum under the name of Emerald, which we had little difficulty in identifying as the same. The accompanying engraving shows this plum in natural size, the color is greenish yellow, form roundish, of good size and excellent quality, coming in before the better varieties of Japan plums, and not being subject to rot- this plum will no doubt be of consider, able value. 340 Fic. 1646 —Tur EmeRELv PuivuM, (natural size). 341 FERTILE AND: STERILE GRAPES. ROF. S. A. Beach of Geneva Experiment Station, has been making a study of the self fertility of the grape. It has been noted that some varieties, when planted alone, failed toset fruit. Barry, Herbert, Brighton, Eumelan and some other varieties, when set alone in vine- yards, or in blocks remote from other sorts, proved shy bearers, producing only a few bunches of a straggling character, cr were complete failures. These same grapes, in vineyards not favorably located, but composed of mixed varieties, gave heavy yields of large and compact bunches. The cause of these results has heen the subject of in- vestigation for some time and has been under experiment. One fourth of the varieties have borne perfect compact clusters in the bags ; more than one-third produce clusters not quite perfect but still marketable ; about one-sixth of the varieties produce a few fruits, but not large enough to produce - salable bunches; and nearly one-fourth of all tested produce no fruit whatever where cross pollination is prevented. The following is a list of classes 3 and 4, as tested, which will not fruit well when standing alone, and should therefore be planted beside other grapes which bloom at the same time. Ciass 3. CxLustrrs UNMARKETABLE. * Adirondack Marion Alexander Nectar Amber Queen Noah Brighton Northern Musca- Canada dine (?) Daisy Norwood Denison Pearl Dracut Amber Roenbeck Eumelan tRoss (Gov.) Geneva Thompson, No. 5 Gold Dust Hayes Lindley Cuiass 4.—SELF-STERILE. Thompson, No. 7 Vergennes Weodruff No Fruit Dr- VELOPS ON COVERED CLUSTERS* Amber (?) America Aminia Barry Black Eagle Blanco Burnet Creveling Dr. Hexamer Eaton (?) Eldorado Elvibach Essex Faith (?) Geertner Grein Golden Herbert Hercules Jewel Juno Massasoit Maxatawney (7) Merrimack Montefiore Oneida Red Bird Red Eagle Requa Rogers No. 5 Roscoe Salem White Jewel Wilder Wyoming The method used was simple but the amount of work required great. Vines of the different varieties in apparently healthy, productive condition selected, and two or more well formed flower clusters on each vine were in- closed, before the flowers opened, in manila paper bags, as shown in the figures. When the flowers open, as were Fig. 1647—-BaG IN POSITION OPEN. SKETCH OF THE WORK OF MR .H. H. STEWART. Fig. 1648.—RAG CLOSED WITH WIRE LABEL. they do perfectly although bagged, they can receive pollen from no other variety ; that is, they must become self- pollinated, not cross-pollinated. If they produce fruit under these conditions the variety is self-fertile ; but if, repeatedly, in different years and in different vineyards, the flowers bear no fruits or but a few straggling berries, the variety is self-sterile, or practically so. SKETCH Or THE WORK Fia. 1649.—Mr. H. A. haga Hamivton, P. E. President P. E. I. F.G.A E have pleasure in reproducing in our columns this month the portrait of H. A Stewart, Esq, President of the Fruit Grower’s Association of Prince Edward Island. Mr. Stewart was bornat Hamilton, P E.T. OF MR. H.H.uSTEWART- on March 2oth, 1850, and is consequent- ly in the prime of life. He has always taken an active and prominent part in all movements in his native province, having for their object the advancement of agriculture, and the subordinate science of horticulture. Before a Pro- vincial F. G. A. was propérly launched, he was the President of the Prince Edward County Association, which did much good pioneer work for the general association. Mr. Stewart is one of the most advanced agriculturist and horti- culturists of his native province, where lately agriculture is followed with such success in all its improved phases ; he is also active in the organization which brings the cultivator within reach of the social, fraternaland economic advantages of the age. Since 1897 he has been President of the Agriculture Insurance Company of P. E. I. Mr. Stewart is a man of splendid presence, a good speaker, a clear and forcible writer, and a true lover of his country and Province. Under him the F. G. A. of P. E. I. is making a steady progress. 343 UNPROFITABLE PLANTATIONS. RUIT growers. are a long time in learning that the principles of success in other lines apply with equal force to their busi- ness. Every fruit farm has acres of orchard which yield no profit because not properly utilized. One of the first les- sons to be learned is, fhe soils that are suited to the various frutts. The apple is easily satisfied, and will grow on a great variety of soils—from heavy to light—but on light soil there is often too much wood growth and too little color. The best results so far as our observation goes, are obtained in clay, or where a clay subsoil is covered with a few inches of sandy loam. Such soil, if well tilled and enriched, gives highly colored and large sized Baldwins, Spys and Cranberry Pippins, which on light sand are irregular in size and quality, and the King, unproductive on the latter soil, was fairly productive on clay. The pear and the plum, especial- ly, demand a clayey soil, well tilled, for the best success, and in such soil they will be much more fruitful than on a light sand; and the pear especially will take on a finer color. This we have noted especially in the case of the Bart- lett, the Flemish Beauty, and the Clair- geau. It is astonishing what endurance the pear and the plum have of even poor soils. An apple orchard was planted at Maplehurst on a poorly drained clay soil, with ‘‘hard pan” subsoil. The apples were worthless—too small to pay for gathering. Pears planted in the same soil were a success. The cherry and the peach, on the other hand, most fastidiously demand a sandy loam, well drained, and will not thrive on clay. The cherry tree is particularly fastidious over soil. On _ sandy soil, well tilled, it makes extraordinary wood growth, young branches of the sweet cherry class, such as Napoleon or Spanish, often making two feet of stocky new growth in the months of June and July. In sod, if on sand, therefore, the growth is good, and many fooolishly allow their trees to go untilled, when cultivation would double their returns. On heavy soil the cherry is not usual- ly a success. | Peaches at Maplehurst planted on clay loam and well cultivated, made poor growth, and much sickly wood. The fruit was small, though highly -colored, and after one or two crops the trees began to lose their vitality and die by degrees ; while those on high sandy loam, grew with great vigor and lived to twenty and twenty-five years of age. A neighbor, Mr. George Smith, who keeps a Jersey herd and fertilizes heavily, has a fine Early Crawford orchard on sandy soil, which yielded an average of seven baskets per tree of magnificent highly colored peaches, and pay an almost incredible income per acre, while other orchards of the same variety, on unsuit- able soil, are an actual loss to the owner. The peach orchards of the Niagara and Essex districts also are planted on sandy soil. The grape will succeed on either sand or clay, but we have noticed that on sand there is more mildew, more wood growth, and less fruit than on heavier soil. Pattison, a grower on clay, claims that his Concords ripen a week earlier than others planted on sand, and are swéeter in flavor. On uncultivated land the grape is almost barren. It is a gross feeder, reaching out its rootlets eight or ten feet in every direction in loose soil, and 344 ; J SPRAYING FOR MUSTARD. quickly responds to generous treatment. The currant grows vigorously on sand, but fruits more heavily on clay, if well tilled; and the gooseberry is almost a failure on sand, especially the finer varieties. On clay, especially if on a northern aspect, as for example on the north slope of the Niagara escarpment, where there is moisture, shade and drainage, even the large English goose- berries, such as Lord Dufferin, White-- smith, Crown Bob, etc., succeed remark- ably well, while on the sand on the level land below they are worthless. Raspberries and blackberries do best on deep rich, moist sand, which does not hold water in winter. On such soil the Cuthbert often grows canes eight feet high, and yields won- derful crops of huge berries. The same soil is most suitable for strawberries. With these data in view the young planter should plant wisely, and many who are making no money should con- sider whether the points here made do not explain the reason. Much of the best sandy loam in the fruit growing sections of Ontario is planted to apples, land that would bring a fine income if planted to peaches, cherries, raspberries, straw- berries or garden truck, such as toma- toes, cauliflower or celery, but which now rarely yields enough to pay the taxes. We kndéw Baldwin orchards on sand, which only average one crop in ten years, and one where the subsoil was hard pan that only yielded two or three good crops in forty years, and is being made into fire wood. Had the planter known something about soils suited to fruits, he might have saved himself a life of disappointed hopes. SPRAYING FOR MUSTARD. By Frank T. Shutt, M,A., Chemist, Dom. Expl. Farms. NE of the most persistent weeds that farmers in many parts of Canada have to con- tend with is Mustard, commonly known in Europe as Charlock. Though an annual, it is most difficult to eradicate from fields in which it has become established, owing to the fact that the seeds—of which a large number is formed —are endowed with a strong vitality and are preserved, by the oil they contain, from decay until favour- able conditions for sprouting occur. Pulling the Mustard when it appears among the grain, or keeping the weed from seeding by working the land (as under a hoed crop) are the two methods which have hitherto been in vogue to exterminate this pest, and when the work is done thoroughly they may be considered satisfactory and_ efficient. The former, however, is always costly, and the latter is sometimes not con- venient. When, therefore, it was an- nounced in the Agricultural Press that spraying with certain solutions of sul- phate of iron and sulphate of copper had been tried successfully in England and France, it was deemed advisable to make similar experiments here. We should then be in a position to furnish information at first hand on this sub- ject. The fields of the Experimental Farm being free from this weed, it became necessary to make the trials upon an adjoining farm, and for this purpose a field of barley was selected which showed 2 345 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. a considerable amount of Mustard. The size of the plot treated in each case was one-tenth of an acre, and the quantity of solution uniformly supplied to each area was five gallons, or at the rate of 50 gallons per acre. The date of spraying was June 26th, the grain being from 15 inches to 20 inches high, and the Mustard practically the same height and just coming into flower. The chief data may be briefly stated as follows :— Sulphate of Iron, 5 per cent.: No effect upon barley. The leaves were practically all stripped from the stems of the mustard, but the weed was not killed, as evidenced by the new leaves subse- quently starting, the plant flowering and the seed-pods filling out and maturing. The leafless stems were quite green a fortnight after the spraying, and were apparently furnishing nourishment to the seed. Sulphate of Iron, ro per cent.: A slight scorching of some of the leaves of the barley was to be noticed. A fortnight after the spraying this was not discernable, and, though this spray may have s/ightly retarded growth, it is not, probable that the yield of grain was affected. Though the effect upon the mustard was more pronounced than in the fore- going instance, as noticed by the “ spot ting” on the stems, it was not suffi- ciently strong to prevent flowering and the ripening of the seeds, a large pro- portion of which proved, upon testing, to be vital. Sulphate of Copper, 2 per cent.: A certain amount of injury to the leaves of the barley resulted, evidently retard- ing growth to a somewhat greater degree than the to per cent. Iron Sulphate solution. At the end of two weeks, however, this effect had practically all disappeared, and it became doubtful if ‘there were any permanent injury to the grain. The mustard very quickly and markedly showed the effect of the spray- ing, both the stems and the leaves dying without allowing the plant to seed. Two weeks after spraying, a few living mus- tard plants were found in the plot, but it is believed they had escaped the solution, owing to the height and over- shadowing of the barley. Sulphate of Copper, 5 per cent.: This solution damaged the barley in a much more pronounced manner than the pre ceding solution; in all probability it somewhat lessened the yield of grain, though, as the ground was very uneven in character, no comparative data on this point could be obtained. The mustard was all killed; an in- spection two weeks after the spraying did not reveal any living plants. In order to ascertain the effect of these solutions upon this weed at a younger stage of growth than that just reported upon, mustard seed was sown in rows in a plot upon the Experimental Farm. When the mustard plants had reached the height of six to nine inches they were sprayed, as follows: July 2oth— Sulphate af Iron, 5 per cent.: Not all killed; the few survivors pos- sessed green stems and in time sent out new leaves. It is extremely doubtful, however, if the plants will have sufficient strength to flower, Sudphate of Copper, two per cent.: All the plants died within a few days. July 22nd—Further sprayings were made. Sulphate of Iron, 5 per cent.: The stems were stripped of all their leaves, but in the course of a few weeks fresh leaves had appeared on many of the plants. Sulphate of Iron, ten per cent.: ‘Though somewhat more severely attacked ‘than by the five per cent. 346 NOTES OF STRAWBERRIES. solution, there was sufficient vigour left in many of the plants to send out new leaves, after a few weeks. Sulphate of Copper, two per cent.: Only a very few of the older and more vigorous plants escaped destruction, pro- bably not more than three to five per cent. This solution is evidently strong enough to kill all mustard plants six inches in height and less. Sulphate of Copper, five per cent. fe All the plants killed. From the above data, I make the fol- lowing inferences : 1. That a two per cent. (2%) solu- tion of Sulphate of Copper, (that is, 2 lbs. in ro gallons of water) is, all things considered, the most effective, safest (as regards the grain crop) and most economical to use. The spraying should be done thoroughly, and for that purpose 50 gallons per acre will be required. If a heavy rain follows the spraying within 24 hours, the operation will be required to be repeated, 2. That, in order that the work may be effective, spraying should not be delayed after the mustard plants have reached a height of six to nine inches. If allowed to grow taller than this, stronger solutions would be necessary and in larger quantity, as the grain would then largely protect the mustard. For many valuable suggestions and much assistance in the work I am in- debted to Mr. W. T. Macoun, Horti- culturist of the Experimental Farm, who concurs with me in the deductions drawn from this investigation. NOTES OF STRAWBERRIES. CLYDE was as productive, fine form, uniformly large size and good quality as ever, but its continued great productive- ness from year to year is developing a weaker growing plant not exactly a weak plant but not enough foliage stalks for its great number of fruiting stems, and to bring this variety to its highest state of perfection it will need to be mulched with horse stable manure in the winter, or else have some nitrogenous commer cial fertilizer put on in the spring before fruiting to make a little heavier foliage to shade the enormous crop of berries that it carries. From some few soils this berry seems to be a little too light in color to please all markets, but for my own fruiting on a variety of soils and from general reports received, it is one of the most productive and satisfactory berries that has ever been grown. GLEN Mary is very vigorous in plant 347 growth ; dark green foliage and enor- mously productive of large size, deep red berries of high quality and is proving more satisfactory even than in former years. I have been fearful in the past that there would be too many irregular berries in this variety, but this year they were all of uniform, gobular shape and no mis-shapen ones at all, and it can be counted as A No. 1, either for home use or market. PRIDE OF CUMBERLAND, although a little later in ripening than Glen Mary, has the same vigor of plant, great pro- ductiveness, equally good, dark red color, perfectly globular, very firm berries of high flavor. I count it the most pro- ductive, fine appearing and firmest shipping, medium to late season berry for long distance markets of any we have in the country.—J. H. H. in American Gardening. NOTES ON THe NortH Star CuRRANT.—We have fruited this currant at Maplehurst since 1896. At first we were inclined to condemn it as being too small a berry, but during our four year’s acquaint- ance with it, our estimate of its value has been gradually growing higher, until in 1899 its great productiveness, bright beautiful color and lateness have given us a much more favorable impression of its value. Originating in Minnesota, it may naturally be expected to have greater hardiness than varieties origin- ating farther south. The plant is very vigorous and very productive, and the fruit grows in long compact bunches, with an inch or so of naked stem as a handle. The fruit hangs in fine con- dition as late as September 1st, a point in its favor for Southern markets. CurRRANTS.—On the subject of cur- rants, J. S. Stickney, speaking from twenty years’ experience, ‘‘ recommends deeply trenched soil ; would not manure too heavily ; too much wood, too little fruit ; prune severely in fall or spring, also in summer for renovating old plants ; eight acres of Prince Albert produced _ same. CURRANTS. goe bushels, that netted $200; long Bunch Holland not good—too dry and sour; Fay not good; is looking for a new variety ; Pomona recommended as good, better, best; Wilder highly re- commended.” Mr. Reed says Pomona, Wilder and Knight’s Improved are the Mr. Stickney and also Mr. Barnes recommend London Market. Berry boxes in sixteen quart crates re- commended for currants.—Report of Minn. Society. THE WHITE IMPERIAL CURRANT is about the most satisfactory white currant to be found. We consider it one of the most satisfactory fruits for table use. It lacks the sharp acid taste of the red currant, which is quite objectionable to some people, but has a mild, pleasant flavor, which is very enjoyable. Perhaps the finest of all currant jelly can be made by using White Imperial with just enough of the red currant mixed with it to give a light red color. It, probably, would not pay to raise white currants for mar- ket, but they are very satisfactory for home use.—R. N. Y. PicKLE MILDEW. — Bulletin 156, Geneva, gives some pointers of interest to pickle growers. A few years ago this crop was considered quite a profit- able one until the downy mildew ap- peared, and caused nearly all the growers to lose money. In 1897 it was proved by repeated experiments that repeated sprayings of Bordeaux mixture will prevent the mildew and save the crop. The spraying begins about July zoth, and continues every eight or ten days until frost, costing from 2% to 3% dollars an acre for each application. This seems quite an expense, but since the yield is increased in value from $22.50 to $73.75 per acre by the out- lay, it is evidently a safe investment. so 348 THE SUMMER TREATMENT OF CACTI. — L2F With the exception of the phyllocacti, some forms of which are as graceful as any plant that grows, all cacti are stiff, prickly, curi- ous things, and a little round cactus planted in a little round pot has very much of a dumb-bell effect. In winter all cacti, except the very hardy ones, must be grown in pots or boxes, but in summer it is pleasant to relieve their stiffness by bedding them out in this picturesque mound fashion. ‘Thus they are more easily cared for, and that the mound is much prettier than the potted group will be shown by contrast- ing the two pictures. I have never been affiicted with the cactus craze, and perhaps this is the reason why so many complimentary plants, cuttings, etc., have been sent Fie. 1650.—OpuntIA. me. I am always glad to get the prickly things out of the way into some such an outdoor arrangement, and summer treat- ment of this kind seems to suit the plants well. The broad-leaved phyllocacti are handsome and harmless enough to keep at closer range, and they do not like the full, hot sun so well as most other sorts; 349 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST sometimes it blisters, cracks or yellows the leaves. The secret of success with cacti lies in giving them thorough drainage, plenty of water when flowering or growing, then thoroughly resting and ripening them by withholding all water except what nature gives them, through the flower- less season. More cactus cuttings and plants fail from over-watering and lack of sunshine than for any other reasons. Most cacti are hardier, too, than we | think. Unless flowering, they can be | left in an unheated room through all ft The PN except our most severe winters. opuntias and some of the pretty red- berried echinocacti are entirely hardy | without protection out of doors here in Western Carolina.—American Garden- ing. DICENIRA SPECTABLIS is one of the finest of the hardy herbaceous perennial plants in cultivation and should be in every garden. Nothing is prettier than its graceful racemes of rosy crimson flowers, among its leafy stems in the early sum- mer, and indeed it has been largely planted in our Province. It is suitable for planting along the margin of shrub- beries, or on the borders of walks, along with other perennial flowers. Grows to a height of from 9 to 24 inches. In the Niagara district, on the moun- - tain side, there are two native Dicentras, which are very beautiful and are great favorites with school children, who call them ‘Boys and Girls.” Botanically they are: D. Canadensis (girls) with greenish-white fragrant flowers, and un- der ground shoots on which grow small round yellow tubes From: these it gets another common name, Squirrel Corn. The corolla is heart shaped but the spurs are very short and rounded, giving an excuse for likening the flower to a girl’s dress. The other is D. Cucudlaria (boys) of which the flowers are whitish, and have longer spurs, which so diverge as to remind one of boys’ clothes, and which gave rise to another common name, Dutchman’s Breeches The flow- ers are clustered on the raceme, and are much sought after in spring for table decoration. 35° ORNAMENTAL ASPARAGUS. length, but should one prefer not to have a vine it can be easily made to grow in bush form by pinching out the ends of the branches. This is really the most ornamental way to grow the plant, as it is then a perfect mound of green, lace-like leaves, drooping on all sides of the pot. The leaves arch gracefully, and are from ten to fifteen inches long, tapering from a width of % ten or twelve inches down to a point. Fic. 1652.—AsPARAGUS SPRENGERI. HE Ornamental Asparagus open up a new line of ornamental plants for house culture. Unlike many such plants’ they do as well in the ordinary window as when grown ina greenhouse, making rapid growth, and holding their attractive green color well. They do not require a great deal of sunshine, but thrive best where begonias and primroses do well. For that reason a north or west window can be utilized which will be of little use to flowering plants. Like ferns a damp atmosphere suits them perfectly, but unlike ferns they will do well without it. A daily spraying with clear water will furnish just the dampness they need. Asparagus plumosus' nanus, also called the climbing Lace Fern, is usually considered the handsomest one among them. The shape and form of the leaves remind one of the fronds of the finest fern, the texture delicate and lace- like. It grows in the form of a vine, and the branches often grow to great * making one of the most beautiful plants for table decoration that can be found. The branches are fine for cutting, and remain in perfect condition for weeks if the water is changed frequently. I had several cut sprays for mantel decoration last season, and they remained in per- fect condition in an ordinary room for tive weeks. Hardly a leaflet fell during that time, and the color seemed as fresh and bright as when picked. Charcoal was kept in the water, which was re- newed every second day, and _ this probably helped to keep it so well. A. Sprengeri is adapted for a basket plant, being of drooping habit, and though the foliage is also fine. and a vivid green it is entirely unlike that of the other variety. The sprays grow to alength of four or five feet, but if a shorter growth is desired the ends can be pinched back and the plant will then grow bushy, often entirely hiding the basket in which it grows. If one has no place for a hanging basket, the plant can be grown in a pot placed on a bracket. This is often the better way, as it can then stand in a saucer and be sure to receive all the water it needs, while a basket often suffers for want of water. Both of these plants grow freely all the year round, and cannot fail to please everyone.—Park’s Floral Guide. 35% CLIMING VINES. Fig. 1653,—CLimBiIneg VINES AT MAPLEHURST, T is time that our Canadian farm- ers began to study a little of land- scape art. They have long enough confined their attention to the plough and the harrow, and now surely they can spare a little time for the decoration of their lawns. It is a very simple thing to hunt up some of our native Vir- ginia Creepers, and plant them to cover the unsightly stables, or to trail over the back verandah. In some parts of our country they grow in great profusion, climbing up the old forest tree trunks, and hanging in festoons from tree to tree. They are easily moved, for roots spring out at every node, and a plant seldom fails to grow. Even cuttings made in August may be planted, with good hope of success. Figure 1653 shows a side view of Maplehurst, with a Virginia Creeper, and Clematis Vir- giniana, another hardy native creeping 1899. (From a Photograph by Miss Brodie.) up in company, and showing the pretty little cymes of white flowers of the latter sett off quite prettily by the dark pur- ple berries of the Virginia Creeper The effect is charming and_ the pretty creepers thus almost covering the wood: work seems to cause the house and the grounds to have a more living connection, and blend into a harmoni- ous whole. The Park and Cemetery says :— The work of improving the appear- ance of public grounds and private premises facing the railway rights of way is just as importart, perhaps even more so, as improving the station grounds proper, and is rather more difficult of accomplishment. This is especially true of private grounds, for there are more individuals to be dealt with. In the outset as many old buildings and fences as possible should be re- 352 AUTUMN WORK IN THE GARDEN. moved, and after that the greatest im- mediate good will follow a generous use of vines. A Virginia Creeper, Ampel- opsis Quinquefolia, set against the base of every building, no matter how old and delapidated, and at intervals along every fence, will alone do wonders in altering the appearance from passing trains, but the effect will be greatly im- proved by using a variety of hardy vines such as Clematis paniculata, C. Jack- manni, C. Virginiana, C. graveolens, Trumpet Creeper (Bignonia radicans and where hardy, B. grandiflora), Bitter- sweet (Celastrus scandens), wild Roses and wild Grapes. Small trees and shrubs should also be freely introduced to shield the grounds from the passing public as well as to screen unsightly objects. By this means a double good will have been accomplished, the general appearance of the place will be raised to a higher plane, and individual back yards transformed into habitable gardens while the chances are in favor of other good results following in the wake of this, as of every kind of unselfish movement. AUTUMN WORK IN THE GARDEN. work in the garden, while not so interesting as the work in the spring, is fully as important. The hardy border should first be cleaned up, by cutting and clearing away the stems and tops of all herba- ceous plants, and the beds given a good _ mulch of well-rotted manure or compost, made up of leafmold and manure. Where this cannot be had, street sweep- ings can be used, but must not be put on over two inches deep. Hardy roses may be protected by heaping leaves about them and over the ground around them, with a little soil thrown on top to prevent the leaves from blowing away. ‘Tender roses may be protected in the same way ; but in- stead of using earth to prevent the leaves from scattering away, better to have a lean-to, made of boards about eighteen to twenty-four inches high, which also sheds off the rain and snow. Care should be taken to leave it open at the ends, or one side, to admit air. Shrubs should be pruned by remov- ing such thin branches as will not bloom. le good results are desired, the fall Hydrangea paniculata should be heav- ily manured, and in the early spring all thin branches cut away, and the other wood of the past season’s growth cut back severely, fully one-half. This treatment will result in a vigorous growth and produce large clusters of bloom. All clematis can be cut back within two feet or less of the ground, and a covering of rotted manure and leaves placed around them and over the ground. Grapevines may now be trimmed to advantage, much better than late in the spring. Fruit trees should be pruned by re- moving all ‘‘ water sprouts” and inter- fering branches, always cutting them off close to the trunk or limb. All dead limbs should be removed from shade trees, and where the top is too dense remove some of the thin inside branches. Examine all trees for nests and larve that will produce caterpillars. The lawns should now receive atten- tion by topdressing with compost, old manure or street sweepings, spreading it over as evenly as possible The cannas, dahlias, gladioli and 353 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. caladiums should now be safely housed in a dry, warm cellar not heated by a furnace. If your cannas and caladiums begin to rot during the winter, shake off all the dirt, and cut and scrape away the decaying parts Then dust over thickly with fine charcoal, which may be had from any tinner or cornice maker Cover with dry earth —Landscape Gardener. BASKET PLANTS AND VASES. varieties grown for hanging plants since 1850. The cultivation of many delicate kinds like Lobelia, Sweet Alyssum, Mimulus, Cupid sweet pea, Ivy geraniums, etc., have entirely succeeded the Dusty Miller and Straw- berry geranium, but the Oxalis is still grown, and properly cared for is fine for this purpose. Lobelias of any variety are admirable for both basket and vases, as are the above mentioned sorts. But few are cognizant of the Lobelia Erinus thriftily grown alone; for then it be- comes a mass of delicate green folage, interspersed with lovely blue flowers. Emperor’s star has a white centre, and each by itself is best. The double petunia grown with asparagus tenuis- simus, and Ivy geranium, Plumosus nanus, Abutilon Mesopotamicum with T times have greatly changed with centrosema and pilogen and climbing - meteor rose, make the most charming vase if rightly trained. The trailing lantana (de/icatissima) is worthy of a trial for baskets. It is of very compact growth, profuse bloomer of pinkish lilac. This too is fine to edge a vase on one side, with lobelia on the other. . Then the Japanese Fern Ball is an acquisition ; it may be so neglected as to entirely wither away, but water will revive it. It is unlike the resurrection plant in that it grows leaves. But this resurrection plant, so called because it spreads itself when wet, is of little use except to be strung up with moss and mimulus or some other plant to flourish in. I believe ina resurrection that is more permanent. Let us cultivate good roots to our plants, and expect corre- sponding results. I am of the opinion the Memorial rose will be of great ability and beauty grown in a vase. Somehow the tree rose gives one the impression little children do when over-dressed, be- frumped and befuddled with lace and ribbons. If we cannot purchase a vase, we can manufacture one. I found in my travels one day an old cover of a meat warmer, heavy Britannia ware, I took it home and gave it a coating of tar on the inside, sawed off a shapely round post, and made a circular bottom of two inch plank, nailed it together, gave another coat of tar, painted the outside, and have a vase that answers every purpose and looks like something better, when arrayed as even Solomon never was. By the way, this cover came from Montreal, I learned afterwards, and the bottom part I obtained and used for small pots, intersected with moss. Doubtless, more are to be found in the province of Quebec. M. A. HOsKINs. Newport, Vt. 354 THE AMARYLLIS AND SOME RELATIVES. ROM the time that, as a child, I stood in wonder before my mother’s king lily, I have loved the amaryllis. Not until many years later did I learn that the name of the king lily was Amaryllis Johnsoni, and it was after many experi- ments and repeated failures that I suc- ceeded in the culture of these rich and rare bulbs. I know of no specialty which gives so much satisfaction at so little labor as the amaryllis. I use a very rich compost of well rotted manure, black earth and sand. The large bulbs are set in sixinch*pots, and smaller bulbs in four-inch pots. Into the bottom of each pot goes a handful of charcoal, and then the mold. I set the bulbs so that about one-fourth shows above the soil ; then I water them and set them in a warm, light place. A good bulb will throw up leaves and flower stalk almost at once ; some send up the flower stalk first. As soon as they begin to grow thriftily I set them in the sun and give them plenty of water. New bulbs planted in the spring will bloom about August. After they have bloomed I gradually dry them off and set them in the cellar in the fall, to rest until November. I have found this the great secret,—the resting of the bulbs. When I bring them up I give them sun, plenty of water, and liquid fertilizer once a week. They will bloom twice during the winter for me, the last time about April or May. Then I gradually dry them off until in July they are put under the rose bushes to rest. In the fall they come into the house to bloom, and this year were put into the cellar along in March,—and so on, alternate rest and vigor. I only repot once in two years, but I give them much fertilizing and water when they are growing. Some bulbs will throw up two stalks, each bearing six flowers, and a grander sight cannot be imagined. The familiar Johnsoni is a rich red, with a white stripe. It isa good color, but is small in size of flower and bulb. It is almost universally called King Lily, although it is by no means king of the amaryllis tribe. Its mate is Amaryllis Regina ; it has short, stubby leaves, in- stead of the long ones of the king, and the flowers are large, pale red with a white centre. We call it Queen Lily. The King, because of its richness of color, rather kills the Queen if they stand in bloom side by side. But alone, Queen lily is beautiful. The Crinum ornatum is the real king of amaryllis. It has a big bulb which sets on top of the earth, with short, fleshy leaves and snake like roots. It will do well in the garden as a summer bulb, but I treat it as a pot bulb. The flowers are borne upon a stout stalk and are very large and numerous. The color is a lovely pink with a broad fiery band of scarlet through each petal. A grander lily can scarcely be imagined. It is the grandeur of lilies which makes them such favorites, and when you add fragrance to them, such as Crinum Moorei possesses, you have a wonderful combination. This crinum is white with a pink stripe, and very sweet. It is hard to select a favorite from the amaryllis, but my A. aulica, which is a tich deep red, almost black, is of such magnificent size and rich coloring it may well be termed a favorite. The color is seen in no other flower. The Empress of India is the costliest of all the amaryllis, but it repays its cost. The flowers are enormous, of a deep scarlet, banded with orange. It is a royal plant without question. 355 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Amaryllis formosissima is a rich vel- vety crimson with a green band through the centre, and it gives one a sense of luxuriant pleasure to look upon it. The pure white, fragrant amaryllis is called Ismene. Pale beside its more gorgeous relatives of royal coloring, it is nevertheless valued because of its frag- rant daintiness. The zephyranthes belong to the amaryllis family. I have a large pot filled with a dozen or two bulbs for summer blooming. The red, pink, white, and yellow flowers are very dainty. Some day I hope to see a clear yellow amaryllis. All shades of red and the white we have,—a yellow would be the touch of novelty in this wonderful family.—American Gardening. GERANIUMS FOR WINTER BLOOMING. than bulbs for me in the window in winter, and bloom almost con- stantly. Some of mine are five and six years old; others were slipped last summer. All intended for winter- blooming are kept in pots the year around. The six-year-old plants are now in quart pots. During the summer they stand on the east side of the house, where they get the sun a part of the day. I trim them well back, cutting off every bud, and do not allow a bud to remain on them during the summer. Late in July or early in August I repot . them, giving good but not rich soil, and using a size larger pot if needed. Trim (eee do very much better back again, giving them water enough to keep them in good condition. Early in September they are placed on the veranda. Late in September they are placed in their winter home. They get accustomed to the indoor air before the fires are started, and never lose their leaves, as is usually the case if brought directly from outside into a heated room. Mine bud and bloom at once. Experience has taught me that to bloom in winter a geranium needs a small pot, not too rich a soil, and a good summer rest—that is, a non-blooming period. Mad. Bruant is a lovely geranium.— Park’s Monthly. 356 GLADIOLUS FREAKS. EFERRING to the article on IX page 271 of your July number, oF I am pleased to ‘notice the in- terest of Mr. Latchford in the natural tendency to variation in plant form, due entirely to hybridity. Having originated by cross fertiliza- tion over 250,000 varieties of the Gladi- olus from the choicest parentage obtain- able, many curious variations have resulted from the blending of this mass of diverse chemical constituents. Duplicature of petal is not uncommon, nor is it confined specially to any variety, although there are varieties that show a greater tendency in this direction. Another form peculiar to some vari- eties in the Burbank section, is that of the flowers growing evenly around the spike like the hyacinth. One distinct hybrid between a red and and a white, divided the plant area between the contending forces, and bloomed all red on one side of the spike, and all white on the other. Another on the same line of influence, instead of opening regularly from the base of the spike, opened the alternate flowers, that is from one to three, and from two to four, the forces of develop ment clearly working on parallel lines. A most unique case of variation ap- peared in a variety of Lemoines novel- ties, the true ground color of which was an intense scarlet. The variations, con- sisted of a clear division of the flower to the mid-rib of the lateral petals, the upper half becoming a delicate cerise carmine, the lower remaining normal. The next season the whole flower assumed the new color. Gandavensis “ Tamerlan” has long been obtainable in America, but has been superseded by newer and more beautiful varieties carrying the same peculiar markings. The plants of the newer hybrids also have greater vitality and increase rapidly. ** Multipliant ” is a beautiful variety, but like most Gandavensis is materially lacking in vitality. This variety gave me the only twin seedling I ever saw or heard of. The division showed the first season from seed, and the two plants have since proved to be one variety. H. H. Grorr, ” Simcoe. THE JAPAN IRIS. iris will repay a little extra trouble in planting the roots. We have one splendid bed before us as an object-lesson. In preparing it last fall the soil was dug out for two feet and the trench filled nearly to the top with dry leaves. The rich loam spread above the leaves packed them down so that with about a foot of soil upon the leaves the surface of the bed was still several inches lower than the surrounding sur- face. Later in fall we spread five or T: glorious flowers of the Japanese six inches of fresh fertilizer from cow- stalls over the bed. Next spring before and during the time of flowers we kept the bed soaked with water. The leaves held the moisture below the light soil without allowing it to sour, and oh, what grand flowers we had! Near to this bed we have English and native iris in large clumps. The form of these I shall always like best. Kaempfer’s iris is bigger and brighter, but not bonnier. —Vicks Magazine. 357 PLANTING LILIES. CARDINAL point in the cul- ture of lilies is to keep them under ground. Order the bulbs early, so that they need not remain long in the importer’s storage room ; plant them as soon as they are received, and never in subsequent trans- planting allowed them to remain one minute longer above ground than is absolutely necessary. Frequent removals of lilies are to be deplored. The bulbs should not be disturbed so long as they ‘flower satisfactorily. Root growth for another season begins as soon as the tops die down. ‘The hardiness of lilies is usually over-estimated. As a general thing they suffer from shallow planting and often the necessary winter mulch is forgotten. Lilies should be covered at ‘least four inches in a heavy soil, and from six to eight inches in a light one. I plant my lilies in pure sand, and mulch them after the tops die down with cow manure, over which later on is spread a thick layer of half-decayed leaves. The lillies are planted along the shrubbery border, with special ‘‘ pockets” of sand hollowéd out for them here and there. The foliage of the shrubs protects the roots of the lilies, and their buds and flowers here have leaves enough to form a good background. The shrub-roots also drain the soil all that is necessary. —-Vicks Magazine. : In planting lilies, as everything else, white flowers must not be overlooked ; as Ellwanger says, ‘‘ White is the lens of the garden’s eye,” and in a class so generally conspicuous for its glowing colors we need the snowy purity of the Madonna lily (Z. candidum) or the state- ly waxen blooms of the tall annunciation lily (LZ. longiflorum). * * The use of tall-growing and showy bulbs is sin- gularly ‘effective in connection with shrubbery, the arrangement looks so delightfully natural, breaking as it does the monotony of similar sizes of shrubs or foliage. Certainly, the nearer we approach nature in arranging our gar- dens the nearer we are to actual har- mony ; it is rather hard to imagine how we ever could manage to reconcile our consciences to carpet-bedding. It should be a great comfort to the lily tribe to feel that they can never be tortured into an even mosaic, looking more like a few yards of linoleum than a flower-bed. But there are plenty of misguided people still living who admire this form of gar- den art (?) and until they wake to the error of their ways we shall continue to see bedding-plants misarranged after the model of carpets.—American Gar- dening. SwaInsoniA.—This plant delights in a compost of peat and loam, with good drainage. If peat cannot be obtained a fibrous soil will answer, prepared by piling sods, manure and sand, and allow- ing the pile to remain undisturbed until partially rotted, stirring well before using. Pot the young plants in this material, using three-inch pots, and pinch back the shoots and shift into larger pots as growth progresses. Shade in the heat of the day during summer, and syringe regularly to keep down the red spider. If aphides appear fumigate with tobacco. Give support as needed. With good drainage, regular supplies of water, and attention to the above cultural hints, none should have reason to complain of non-blooming.—Park’s Monthly. 358 FREE SINS: should be planted in August or September, as it takes them four or five months to reach biooming size. Freesias are seldom planted as early as they should be. I have been told by one who is very successful with freesias, that to keep the bulbs in good condition, they should never be thor- oughly dried out, as they easily loose vitality. Lhe soil cannot be too rich if one wants fine, large flowers. Soil which is composed of old, thoroughly decayed leaves and manure, with a very little wood ashes is good. Use deep pots, well drained. Put in bulbs about two inches apart, and cover fully an inch. Water sparingly until shoots ap- pear. You need not put them away in Fee to bloom by Christmas THE jonquilla, are popularly known as “ Jonquils ” and possess many points of similarity with the small flowered section of that very extensive genus. Although they do not present a great variety of colors, yet they are highly prized for their charming, golden, fragrant flowers, which are freely pro- duced. They are perfectly hardy, and may be successfully grown by anyone in either the flower border, greenhouse or window garden. And as the bulbs can be procured at a very moderate price, they well deserve all that can be said in their praise. The bulbs can be planted any time from September to December, although it is best to plant them as early as possible T° species and varieties of Narcissus 309 JO the dark for roots to form, but keep in any cool, shady place in yard or house After the shoots come through gradually bring the pots to the full sunshine, and you will have strong plants, standing up erect. Keep well watered and grow in the full sunlight, as they are much more fragrant when grown in a sunny position. Also be careful not to wet the blossoms, as that will lesson their fragrance. Rich soil is said to give highly colored flow- ers. To buy small inferior bulbs will only cause disappointment, as they cannot produce the fine blossoms that the large bulbs will. Put six or more mammoth bulbs in one pot, and you will be richly rewarded for all your trouble and ex- pense. NQUIL. In potting let three or four bulbs, ac- cording to their size, be placed in a four-inch pot, and if large masses are wanted, larger pots or pans, and more bulbs can be used. In potting let the pots or pans be properly drained, and use a compost consisting of two-thirds turfy loam, one-third well decayed manure and a fine sprinkling of bone dust. Mix well and use the compost rough. In potting fill the pots or pans to within three inches of the top, then set in the bulbs, keeping them a few inches apart, and then fill to within half an inch of the top. Water thorough- ly and place in a cool, dark cellar to make root, watering when necessary.—. Vick’s Magazine. +{ Our Affiliated Societies. & FLOWER SHOW IN CaPE BRETON.— Mrs. George Kennan, of Breton Cottage, Baddeck, sends the following account clipped from Halifax Chronicle, of a flower show in Baddeck managed by a young ladies’ club, which might do credit to the management of some of our affiliated Horticultural Societies. ** With a view to encouraging the cultiva- tion of flowers and the ornamentation of homes and grounds with blossoming plants and shrubs, the Young Ladies’ ciub, of Bad- _deck, decided about a year ago to have a flower show, with prizes for the best speci- mens of cut flowers and potted plants. Al- though a flower show was then a new thing in our village, and our flower growers had made no special preparations for it, the display of blossoms and plants was so good and excited so much interest that the club decided to have another similar exhibition this year. Inviting the co-operation not only of the towns people, but of fiower lovers in all the surrounding country, the young ladies of the club went energetically to work in July, and on the 2nd of August had their show in complete readiness for public inspection. When the doors of Masonic hall were thrown open at two o’clock last Wednesday afternoon, the decora- tio s of the spacious room and the extent of the floral display were a complete surprise, even to those who had expected most. The upper part of each side wall was appropriately ornamented with gardening implements, arranged in tasteful geometrical patterns ; along the dado underneath ran a long shelf, banked with moss, which supported a dense fringe of blue speedwell, yellow Canada lilies and tail leafy perennials of various sorts. The stage was set with a garden scene, repre- senting a flower border with achillea, panther lilies, Siberian fox-glove, larkspur and aconite, growing against and half concealing a rustic fence. Upon narrow green terraces, under and in front of the stage, were massed a hun- dred or more blossoming house plants, flanked by huge clumps of larkspur and spiry fox- glove seven or eight feet in height ; and near the centre of the hall, in the shade of two leafy, white-stemmed birch trees, was an artificial pond, filled with blossoming water lilies and bordered by a dense growth of wild flag, interspersed with ferns, English and Japanese iris, the white and purple spikes of fringed orchis, and many other aquatic or moisture-loving plants. On green tables, set around the sides of the hall at acute angles to the walls, were hun- reds of vases and pots of cut flowers and blossoming plants, most of which had been entered in the competition for prizes. Among the flowers exhibited were roses of many kinds, annual poppies in great variety, phlox’ mignonette, eschscholtza, potentilla, calen- dula, alyssum, digitalis, ageratum, aconite, speedwell, white lupine, Young’s evening primrose, clematis, lychnis, cornflowers, Canterbury bells, mallows, aneniones, Cape hyacinths, nasturtiums, sweet peas, mari- golds, herbaceous, spiraeas, hollyhocks, da- hlias, annual chrysanthemums, and half a dozen or more varieties of lily, including elegans, Canaderse and auratum. Mr. J. H. Harris, of the Nova Scotia nur- sery, Halifax, who manifested a most cordial interest in the exhibition, not only sent a fine collection of cut flowers, including cannas, dahlias, Cape hyacinths and auratum lilies, but presented the club with a large number of small potted plants, to be distributed among people who had no flowers, the club, at the same time, offering a prize for the plant of this collection that should show the best care. Flowers and potted plants were also sent to the show from places in the country as far away as Middle River and St. Ann’s, and after having been carried twelve or fifteen miles in jolting wagons some of these country flowers took prizes. At four o’clock on the first day of the ex- hibition a procession of pretty and tastefully dressed flower girls marched with flower baskets through the hall and around the square in which stands the Telegraph house and the Bras d’Or house, and in the evening there was a floral tableau, arranged to illus- trate a poem read by Mr. Alexander Graham Bell, and written for the occasion by his father, Mr. Alexander Melville Bell, of Washington, D.C. On the evening of the second day the de- corated flower show posters, painted by mem- bers of the Young Ladies’ club and already used as advertisements were sold at auction, and the Hon. J. J. McCabe announced from the stage the names of the prize winners in the flower competition. Great interest in the show was manifested both by tourists and towns-people and the attendance on both days was very large. Pictron.—We must commend the energy of the directors at Picton, who have just completed their arrangements for a summer flower shower. The fol- lowing is the circular just sent out (Aug. oth) to the members. The idea of a promenade concert is an excellent one, for the flowers give topics for conversa- tion, and the music enlivens everybody. The plan of sending out a conveyance 360 OUR AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. to collect the flowers and plants, and re- turn them after the exhibition is a capi- tal one; when the money is equally distributed instead of giving special prizes, the Society must do this to en- sure a large exhibit. The following is a copy of the circular :— Proton, Ont., 9TH AUG., 1899. The Society propose holding a Flower Show and Band Concert, in connection with the Citizens’ Band, in the Crystal Palace on the Agricultural Fair grounds, on Tuesday cven- ing, the 15th inst. It is expected that three bands will take part in the Entertainment, making a promenade concert, which together with the exhibition of flowers should make the evening a very attractive one. The Directors respectfully request you to contribute all the cut flowers and potted plants you can, and ask your friends to do the same whether members of the society or not. The flowers and plants should be at the grounds not later than 3 o’clock Tuesday. If you will send an answer to the Secretary on the enclosed card, stating what you can contribute, a conveyance will call for your exhibit, if within the corporation limits, and will return same to you in good condition. There will be competent persons at the Crystal Palace during the day to arrange the plants and flowers. Please do what you can to make this Exhi- bition of flowers and plants worthy of our town. J. Rotanp Brown, President. Watrter T. Ross, Secretary. Picron.—The Picton Gazette gives the following account of the flower show held by the Picton Society, on Tuesday evening, Aug. 15th. z Whoever has studied the characteristics of the residents of Picton—and has noticed their love for flowers, and the care and pains taken by a large majority of them in adorning their dwellings and grounds with rare and beauti- ful flowers and plants—will not wonder that the first exhibition of the Picton Horticultural Society, on Tuesday evening, was in every sense a success—-was, indeed, a most pro- minent success. There were, probably, some- where about 700 people who availed them- selves of the opportunity to view the flowers exhibited, and expressions of delight and appreciation were heard on all hands. Pro- minent among the exhibits were the oleanders and hydrangea ‘shown by Mr. C. S. Wilson ; a 25 year old palm shown by W. P. Despard ; 3 a pomegranate shown by Mr. T.. Ross, Secre- tary of the Society ; and other beautiful and rare plants shown by several of our citizens. There were geraniums in abundance. The exhibit by Mr. A. M. Terrill, florist, was exceptionally fine. A feature of the show was a collection of flowers shown by members of the society from bulbs gratuitously supplied to the members of the Society by the pub- lishers of the CaNnap1aN HortTIcULTURIST. The exhibit was a very fine one. When it is considered that no prizes were awarded, the exhibition being simply a friendly display, largely as an educational object lesson, to cultivate a taste for the growing of flowers, and thus contribute additional attractions for the home and fireside, its success must be very gratifying to those having the matter in charge. As the inital exhibition the pro- moters have achieved as niuch success as they could reasonably expect. The officers of the Horticultural Society desire to thank the ladies, who so successfully and tastefully assisted in the arrangement of the exhibit ; Mr. Dobson and Mr. Turner for their valued assistance ; Mr. Carson for use of vases ; and the public generally for their splendid patronage, which the society feels is jndeed an incentive to future progress. The Citizens’ Band contributed a choice prograinme of music which was highly appre- ciated. A large excursion party came down from Trenton, accompanied by the Trenton Band, and the music supplied by the amalgamated bands was very fine. Woopstock.—Financially, artistically and socially the opening of the Horticultural Exhibition in the Graham St. rink last night was a brilliant success. An immense crowd gathered in the spacious building and enjoyed to the utmost the flowers, the music and the refreshments. There was perhaps but one drawback—the oppressive heat. It ° was warm—very warm—and at times the crowd became so congested in front of the platform as to make breathing difficult. But everyone was very good natured, even under such trying circumstances, and the closeness of the atmosphere did not perceptibly mar much of the enjoyment. Neither the ladies nor the members of the committee had spared any trouble to make the occasion an exceptionally pleasurable one and everything possible had been done to contribute to the evening’s suc- cess. The dreary old rink was transformed beyond recognition. The big, bare walls were covered with red and white bunting and Union Jacks hung round in glorious profusion. Across the ceiling, iron bars and wooden beams were ‘changed into things of beauty with tiny, fluttering flags, asparagus ferns and festoons of colored wreaths., A large platform had been erected at one end of the hall, the decorations about. which were particularly effective. Immense flags were hung across the back, conspicuous in the 361 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. centre being that of Old Ireland. Strings of smaller pennants radiated from the centre of the platform to the sides, and in the back ground was a table laden with yellow flowers. A wheelbarrow covered with Japanese sun flowers, in the midst of which Miss Muriel Weir sat selling sweet peas, was a pretty sight. Indeed the artistic effect of the whole building did much credit to the ladies of the decorating committee, Mrs. W. C. Stewart, Mrs. Finkle and Mrs. Dugit. The flowers, plants and frait on exhibition were much admired. An excellent musical programme was ren- dered and was much appreciated by those who could hear it, and they were only those who were fortunate enough to crush some- where near the platform. D. W. Karn was the efficient chairman of the evening. Madam Hausch (lst violin), Miss Gurli Hausch (2nd violin), Mrs. Orr (harp), and Mrs. Gurnett (piano), gave several splendid selections. The quartette is well balanced, the artists playing with excellent taste and refinement of expression, extreme care mark- ing the variations of light and shade. Miss Powell’s solo, ‘‘The Jewel of Asia” was heartily encored as was the duet by the Misses Murphy. obligato by Mr. Tindale, rendered ‘‘ Doris” with great sweetness and responded to pro- longed applause with a piquant little encore. Everyone was glad of the opportunity of . hearing Mrs, Ridley of London, Eng., again, her clear soprano voice showing to excellent advantage in Dudley Buck’s ‘*‘ When the Heart is Young.” Miss Hogg sang ‘* Ma Honey ”—a piece well suited to her contralto voice, in an effective manner. Solos also from Mr, Sykes and Mr. McLeod, familiar favorites, were well rendered and well re- ceived. Miss Muriel Weir, in a sparklin spanish gown scored one of the successes 0 Mrs. Merritt, with violin, the evening by her beautiful dancing. The little lady was exceedingly graceful. Miss Bushby and Mr. White were the very capa- ble accompanists. A pleasing part ot the evening’s entertain. ment was the dispensing of refreshments by the ladies. Candies, ice-cream, cake and lemonade were sold for the benefit of the hospital, and a rushing business was done in the sale of toothsome wares. The receipts of the evening amounted to about $50.—Sentinel Review. KINCARDINE.—The above Society has de- cided to hold its third Annual Exhibition in’ the Town Hall, Kincardine, during the day and evening of Friday, September 8th. To ensure success it is very necessary that you as a member should do your part towards the exhibition by a liberal display of flowers, foli- age and flowering plants. You will please note that any healthy plant will be gladly accepted for exhibition. There must be a large display. A collector will call upon you on Thursday, September 7th, so please have your exhibits in readiness for him. The greatest care will be taken of everything. Mark your pots for identification. On Fri- day evening a promenade concert will be given in connection with the exhibition. All members contributing plants or flowers are entitled to one ticket of admission to the hall. General admission, 10 cents. The di- rectors have decided that between the hours of four and five o’clock in the afternoon of Friday the school children will be admitted free. Some of the teachers must be in at- tendance with the children. S. W. PERky, President. JOSEPH BARKER, Secretary. THE rubber tree is a good pot plant, and it grows well planted out in the garden during the summer. As a rule, however, it is not advisable to remove it (rom the pot. A good soil for it may be composed of three parts good fresh loam, two parts leaf-mold, and one each of sand and well-rotted manure. This plant does well as a window plant, win- ter and summer, and is a good veranda or porch plant through the summer. It makes its growth mostly in the summer, at which time it needs a liberal supply of water, but the pot it is in should have good drainage. The leaves should be wiped or sponged frequently to keep them clean, and prevent red spider or mealy bug finding lodgment. The leaves are quite capable of sustain- ing themselves, and there is no danger of their falling off until they become old and yellow.—American Gardening. 362 a" nt Is SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per The Canadian Horticulturist ear, entitling the subscriber to membershi 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 or Post-Office Order are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowinanse upon the Address Label. ADVE TISING RATES quoted on application. Circulation, 5,000 copies per month. LOCAL NEWS.—Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of local events or doings of orticultural Societies likel to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of Horticulturists. ILLUSTRATIONS.—The Editor will thankfully receive and select photographs or drawings, Suitable for reproduction in these pages, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, etc.; but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. NEWSPAPERS.—Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. ISCONTINUANCES.—Remember that the publisher must be notified by letter or post-card when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Returning your paper will not enable us to discontinue it, as we cannot find your name on our books unless your Post Office address is given. Societies should send in their revised lists in January, if possible, otherwise we take it for granted that all will continue members. +{ Notes and Comments. & THE BRANTFORD SOUTHERN FAIR. Geo. Hately, Sec.-Treasurer, issues a fine prize list of $4,000 in cash, in a neat pamphlet form. The Horticultural De- partment is an especially full one. IN GRADING ASTRACAN APPLEs for experimental export we have made four grades, as follows :—(1) Small, meaning apples, measuring from 2 to 2% inches in diameter, which are the smallest that ever should be exported. These were perfect apples, of high color, and very choice for the dessert table. “This grade was packed in our regular half case, 4% inches deep, and which contained just 120 apples. (2) No. 1, meaning apples, 2144 to 2% inches in diameter, in same case, containing just 80 apples, and (3) A No. 1, meaning apples, from 2% to 234 inches in diameter, of which 64 go ina case. The later and firmer varieties will go in bushel cases. THE Bosc is a favorite late autumn pear with some growers. Bassette writes in R. N. Y. he has set an orchard of them, because of an old tree 40 years of age, which bore annually two bushels of choice fruit. He planted Sheldon and top worked Bosc upon it,. because the Bosc is a poor grower. THE Kostoy MoreELLO CHERRY seems to be remarkably hardy. Prof. Macoun in his recent report, says that in 1895-6, when cherry trees at Ottawa were killed out generally, this variety was an exception. It was sent out by the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Association in 1890, 24 trees having been sent out by Jaroslav Neimetz, Winnitza 363 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Podolie, Russia. Only five of these have failed, the rest have borne fruit for several years, and we consider it very valuable. A Very USEFUL LADDER in the peach orchard is one made after the model shewn in the engraving. Where the land is at all level it is quite easy to wheel this ladder about from place to place, even with two or three baskets of fruit, and it is always safe toclimb. So many of the step ladders in use are so heavy as to give one a back ache to carry them about, that it is a pleasure to find one which is easily moved. Fig 1654.—A Usrrct LADDER. THE ENGLISH Fruit Crop.—The Gardener's Chronicle, London, Eng- land, dated August 5th, gives very com- plete reports of the fruit crop, from 350 correspondents. The general consensus is that this year sees one of the worst fruit crops on record. Apples are under the average and bad in quality ; and pears are worse still. The same may be said of the plum crop, one of the most important of the English fruit crops, no fewer than 199 correspondents out of 238 reporting the plum crop as ' below the average, and only 2 as over. 364 This gives us ground to hope for good prices for apples, pears and plums. The difficulty with us in On- tario is that we have not planted vari- eties for export, but only for our home markets. We should have just one favorite variety of apples for each sea- son if we would succeed in our export trade in fruit, thus we could begin with the Astracan, and ship in succession Duchess, Tetovka, Alexander, or Wolf River, Blenheim, Crimson Pippin, Wealthy, Ontario and Spy, and thus cover the season with fancy apples. COTONEASTER VULGARIS is proving itself one of our most satisfactory shrubs at Maplehurst, with its loads of red berries, which hang well into the winter It deserves to be widely culti- vated. GRAPE YELLOWS.—A_ mysterious disease has appeared in the vineyards in some parts of the province, which seems to baffle the scientists. The leaves gradually turn white, the vine soon becomes unproductive, and finally dies away entirely. Several vineyards about Grimsby have been more less affected with it, and many theories have been advanced to explain the cause. No definite conclusion has_ been reached. GARDENING is an art too little under- stood by us in Canada. In the first place, we in Canada try to cultivate far too much land in proportion to their means, and therefore always a part is sadly neglected. We must learn some lessons from our foreign friends, who practice so-called “intensive” garden- ing, and who aim to make the most of every square inch of ground. Prince Krapotkine, who has made a NOTES AND careful study of the subject in France, gives a number of instances in the coun- try districts around Paris, where com- paratively ignorant farmers have made small market gardens enormously pro- ductive. One farm is mentioned by him of two and seven-tenth acres which produced annually 125 tons of market vegetables of all kinds. The owner of this farm, by building walls to protect his land from cold winds, by whitening the wall to secure all possible radiated heat, and by the constant and judicious use of fertilizers, has his little farm in a productive condition from the first of January till the last of December. By simple and inexpensive means he has practically located his farm in the tropics. Pror. RosBertson called on the Grimsby fruit shippers on Thursday the roth of August, to make plans for a continuation of the experimental ship ments of tender fruit. Notwithstanding our urgent pleading for it, no grapes are to be forwarded this season, but shipments of early apples and pears will be continued as freely as possible, because in these there is considerable encouragement. This season pears are especially in demand in Great Britian, because of the failure of the English and French crop. It is proposed to ship chiefly to Bristol, London and Manchester, for these are the finest markets for our produce; Glasgow would be included, but sailings are less regular from this latter port. It is advised that the cases be not filled too full, so as to avoid bruising the top layer in nailing on the lid, and excelsior or other packing is to be used to make the fruit tight. The grading for this trade will be A. No. 1, apples over 2% inches in diam- eter; No. 1, over 24% ; and “Small,” COMMENTS. 2 inches or thereabout. Pears will be graded similarly, only using 214 and 2 inch diameters respectively, while those over 2% inches will be extra. Some limited experiments with Craw- ford peaches may be tried in Veneer grape baskets, to hold one dozen each. They will be packed in cotton batting. Tomatoes are just now too cheap in England to be worth shipping. A CuEap HEATER.—So many of our readers are amateur horticulturists, with little or no convenience for keeping their plants safely through the cold parts of our severe winters, that many of them will be pleased to see repro- duced from American Garden, S. G.’s article and illustration of a cheap heater. Fie. 1655. The very picture of the enormous iron monsters advertised, with their many valves and doors, strikes terror to a timid soul, and she gives up the idea of having a greenhouse, for where is the money to pay even for a small heater ? But take courage and examine the pic- ture of my boiler, and see if your can’t take your beloved plants through zero weather. My conservatory, 6x 13 feet, with double windows, is connected with the parlor by a large arched door. In 365 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. his room is an aldine grate. A register is in the chimney at the back of the conservatory, but the heat is not quite enough, so I have a small oil stove, called the Economist, and a tin tea kettle. After lighting the lamp and filling the kettle the water will boil in ten minutes. Moisture gathers on the glass, and there is a pleasant heat. The plants flourish. I have abutilons, geraniums, carnations and ageratums in bloom, and the chrysanthemums are splendid. Ferns, too, and lycopopium are doing nicely. You have only to be watchful that the lamp does not smoke and the water does not boil out of the tea kettle, and your plant will flourish as well as in a more aristocratic green- house. CONDITIONS FOR WINTER KILLING. —A heavy peach crop in the Niagara District is rather strange after such a severe winter which killed the roots of the trees themselves in many cases. Sometimes the peach buds all succumb at a temperature of 10° or 12° below zero, while the trees themselves are un- hurt, but this last winter they have endured 18° below zero without injury to the blossom. Bailey thinks that the 099q spnqme less hardy in proportion as they are more developed. This ex- planation is generally concurred in, so much so that of late it is becoming a practise to whiten the buds with lime in early spring to prevent their swelling under the influence of the sun which often shines with considerable power even in winter. The winter killing of the trees them- selves last February was no doubt due to the severe cold which continued steadily for about three weeks, without any protection for the roots of snow or other material. Evidently, the wise thing is to mulch our tender trees well in the fall, or else sow a cover crop in mid summer, to be plowed under the following spring. This latter method is doubly remunerative, for besides the winter protection it is the surest method of enriching the soil and promoting wood growth. At Maplehurst we sowed Crimson clover three years in succession in the month of July, and ploughed it under in May, with a light dressing of wood ashes and bone meal. The por- tion treated was planted to Spy, Bartlett and Imperial Gage, trees which had a record for being unproductive, this season the finest apples and plums are being produced on these very trees. APPLES were last year exported to Helsingfors, on the Gulf of Finland, by the Imperial Produce Co., Toronto. FINE Prize Lists have been issued by the Industrial Fair, Toronto, H. J. Hill, Secretary; the Western Fair, London, Thos. A. Brown, Secretary ; the Prince Edward Agricultural Society, Thos. Bog, Picton, Secretary. THE SEASON OF Fairs is close upon us, and no wideawake fruit-grower should fail to inspect the exhibits of fruits whenever possible. Comparing notes in this way is the surest method of learning about the best and most profitable varieties. This is the especial duty of the intending planter, who has not had much experience, and who would make most serious blunders in planting if he did not first inform him- self upon the characteristics and quali- ties of the kinds which he proposes to set in his orchard. 366 NOTES AND SMITH’s SEEDLING PEACH, NO. 1, re- ferred to on page 367 of this Journal for 1898, continues to make a favorable impression. Ripening between the 15th and 25th of August, just between Hales and Crawfords, it fills a gap not filled with any dessert peach of equal quality and size. Samples brought us August 23rd from the original tree, which is growing in Mr. R. T. Smith’s garden at Hamilton, averaged 214 inches in either diameter. The skin is cream, beautifully dotted and shaded with red, and may be peeled off with the finger ; the down is very fine, soft and velvety ; the suture is distinct and terminates in a small black apex. The flesh is white, tender, juicy, rich and delicious ; the stone is perfectly free. Our Report. After long and pa- tient waiting cur subscribers are now receiving our report for 1898. But we COMMENTS. are confident that their patience will be rewarded when they review it, for it well possesses exceptional value. Combin- ing four reports in one volume, (1) the Fruit-growers ; (2) the Entomological Society; (3) the Fruit Experiment Station ; (4) Supt. of Spraying; all bound in cloth, it certainly forms a volume of great value, well worthy a place on the shelves of the best selected libraries. The descriptive work on “Fruits of Ontario” is but in its initial state ; it is a work that must take years to complete, if indeed it ever is com- pleted. It is evident that we must have personal knowledge of each variety, both as to characteristics of fruit, and habits of tree, in order to give anything like an accurate description, that will also be of use to others. The writer invites the criticism of the readers of the CANADIAN HorTICULTURIST in re- spect to his work. FRUIT DRYING. There is a large shrinkage in curing green fruit, and comparatively few grow- ers are advised of the actual loss by evaporation. The shrinkage varies with the quality of the fruit and also accord- ing to the humidity of the atmosphere in the localities where the drying is done. In the Sacramento and San Joaquin val- leys and the foothills of California the following tables are approximately cor- rect, as to the number of pounds of green fruit required to produce one pound of dried fruit : Apricots, Moorpark, 5% tor Apricots, others, . ‘ 6 tor Peaches, Muir, 354-434 to 1 Peaches, Crawford, 514-6% tor Peaches, Salway, . 4%-5% tor Peaches, Cling, .. 64-656 tor The general average may be approxi- mated as follows : Apricots, all varieties, 5% tor Peaches, all varieties, . 6 to I Pears, all varieties, . 7% tor Prunes, French, . 234 tor The general cost of curing fruit ranges from 1 to 2 cents per pound. In the large plants where the investment is con- siderable and help is hired, the average cost of preparing and curing apricots is 2c. per pound, and on peaches 1c. per pound on the cured fruit. The cost of cured fruit per pound at different cost price for fresh fruit per ton, allowing for varying shrinkage, is as follows : FRUIT, FRESH. CURED. Peaches, 20 6% to 7c. . : 25 734 to 83% re - 30 9 to 934 Apricots, 20 74% to 84% s ; 25 8% to of a - 30 1% to 97% = ; 40 10% to12% —Fruit Trade Journal. 367 4{ Question Orawer. & Shaffer and Columbian. 1103. Srx,— What is the difference be- tween Shaffer’s Colossal and Columbian rasp- berries? Is the parentage of this variety known ? J. M. B. Shaffer originated with George Shaf- fer, of New York State, in 1869, and was introduced by Chas. Green, of Rochester. The late T. T. Lyon thought it a hybrid between our two natives, Occidentalis and Strigosus. Columbian resembles Shaffer very much both in fruit and foliage. It is said to be a seedling of the Cuthbert, grown near Gregg. Both these varieties are vigorous grow- ers, and the berries very large, purple, in color, and excellent for canning. Aphis on Honeysuckle. 41104. Srr,—I enclose a leaf from an English ‘‘ Honeysuckle.” The plant is in- fested with a bug of some kind and we find it covering the vine. Will you please inform me what it is and how to get rid of it ? The insect is a plant-louse, which has produced the honey-dew noticeable on the leaves, and the remedies recom- mended on the C. E. F. spraying calen- dar for the apple aphis will be effectual for this one. J. FLETCHER. Central Experimental Farm. Oyster Shell Booklouse. 1105. Srr,—I am sending you a twig cut from a neighboring orchard. Can you tell me whatitis? Is it or is it not the dreaded San Jose scale? The tree from which the twigis cut is literally covered with parasite. If it is as destructive as it is ugly, and I presume it is, will you please tell me how tv destroy it? Will anything short of burning the tree de- stroy, and how can I prevent its spreading ? H. H. Kine, Port Hope. This is not the San Jose scale, indeed it has very little resemblance to it, being of an entirely different shape, the latter is round with a tiny dent in the centre, the former is the shape of an oyster shell. Then, too, the San Jose scale '§ almost microscopic. This is the Oyster Shell booklouse, unfortunately only too familiar to On- tario apple-growers. Indeed very few of the older orchards are free from it, and some of them are almost ruined by it. Under each of these oyster shaped scales will be found masses of eggs, varying from 20 to 100, which hatch out in early June, and creep forth toa fresh part of the bark, where they begin sucking and soon become fixed, sub- sisting upon the sap of the tree. The best means of destroying these scale insects is by spraying with kerosene emulsion. Perhaps the best time to apply it is about June rst, when the young lice are moving about. Woolly Aphis. 1106. Srr,—Would you kindly give me a remedy to extinguish the woolly aphis, through your valuable paper. I have tried pure coal oil No. 1 spray (lime, sulphur and salt), also Paris green in bordeaux mixture, but they are thriving better and spreading more every year, and I do not wish their company whatever, although it is very lonely here. N. ButcHART. Port Moody. This insect, known to entomologists as schezoneura lanigera, is of the same species as the apple root louse. It very commonly affects the common thorn bush in Ontario, from which it spreads to various other fruit trees. Under each patch of white down will be found one large female with her young, and late in the autnmn she deposits eggs for the following spring, which are almost microscopes. Both young and old de- rive their nourishment from the sap of the tree, thus weakening its growth. An excellent wash is made of soft soap re- duced to the consistence of paint by the addition of a strong solution of washing soda in water ; spraying with kerosene emulsion will also be found efficaious. 368 * Open Letters. ¥ Gooseberries. Srr,—I should think this would be a good section of the country to raise gooseberries fur market. I have a very large gooseberry growing in my garden, I have had it for over twenty years and it never fails to give me a ood crop of berries. Mildew is a thing un- nown to me, I have never seen it, I do not know the name of the berry in question. I sent you six of them by mail in July, to see if you could give me the name of them. I don’t know if you received them. I am also testing some other varieties, viz.: The Downing, Pearl, Whitesmith, Triumph and Industry. I intend to give these all a fair trial. I don’t raise any fruit for market, but I am testing several kinds of fruit. A. BripeGE, West Brook, P.O. Hardy Roses. Smr,—In July number of the Hortt- CULTURIST, rose growers are invited to give a list of hardy roses suited to cold districts. I ~ am able to speak from experience, having wintered about fifteen varieties through last season, which was the coldest for many years, the thermometer going down to 28° or 30° below zero. The following have proved very satisfac- tory tome; Madam G. Luizet, Jacqueminot, Paul Neyron, John Hopper, Magna Charta, Earl of Dufferin, Marshal P. Wilder, King of Sweden, and Gen. Washington. This list Mag a variety in shade and delicacy of per- ume worthy of a place in any garden. All roses are the better for winter protection and will repay the grower for the trouble of lay- ing down. I bend them down, lay a sod on the tops and cover with straw. I would ad- vise amateurs to purchase H. P, roses on their own roots, they prove less troublesome as you are always sure the new growth is flowering stock. I have wintered tea roses outside here with fair success, but they need more care and should be completely covered with sods. I have added some new plants to my list which I may be permitted to report on in the future. W. A. BROWNLEE. Report of Plants. Str,—I will, in the following give a short report of some of the plants and trees re- ceived since the year ’73. "79. Salem grape still living, bears well, rather late for this section, still ripens fairly well. 75. The F. Beauty pear is doing well, get- ting to be a large tree, bears heavy, but black spots and cracks open badly. "76 The Glass plum is a fine smooth bark, thrifty tree, hearty, and is a moderate bearer, ripens late. 77. The purple raspberry is still on the place, a good bearer, the yellow one is thrown out as worthless. 78. The hybrid grape (Burnet) is a farce at the best, though strong grower, too late, coarse, sometimes bearing two kinds of ber- ries on the same bunch, divided into two periods of ripening. The small berries are about the size of a Delaware, ripen about a week earlier than the remainder of the bunch, which are a large berry ; no use. "79. The Canadian Hybrid apple is a splendid winter apple ; lust my tree ; mice girdled it, though it bore a few good crops. ’80. Congres Pear; tree did not grow, but from grafts taken from it I now have a lot of big bearing trees, extreme bearers every year, fruit enormous size, high flavored, little tart. From the year 1880 I will only report in bulk The winter St. Lawrence apple tree 1s dead, too weakly to live, caused by having bad, dried up roots. but from grafts taken from it I now have a large bearing tree of excellent winter fruit. The remainder of the trees and berry plants, and so forth, are nearly all dead or thrown out as worthless, excepting the two last plumsareliving. The Improved Lombard plum of this spring is the best tree I got for a long while ; it’s making a good growth; I hope to have good luck with it. Report on fruit in general apples in our section are a very light crop. Pears ditto. Early cherries such as Richmond, were well loaded, but the trouble is, people don’t plant enough of that kind of trees, cherries would again do well if more trees were planted. Plums are a small crop, still enough for home use. All kinds of berries are plentiful. D. B. Hoover, Almira, Ont. The Plant Distribution. Str,—I would say discontinue the plant distribution amongst the members or readers of the CanapIAN HorticuLturRist, and lay out the money to something that will make the Journal more showy by adding well got up lithographs of the best new as well as old fruits ; our aims should be in the interest of fruit culture, the plants are very often worth- less by being qrineies and dried up before they reach their distant receivers. D. B. Hoover, Almira, Ont. 369 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. A Report From Ireland. S1r,—I do not think much of the Gault raspberry you sent me. It seems to bea small, poor blackberry, inferior to what we have wild here in our roadside hedges. I should much like to hear your opinion or that of some of your correspondents who have tried them, on the Honeyberry. Now I think setting fruit in my garden, and the Iceberg White blackberry, which I think is one of Luther Burbank’s raising,? though I did not have it from him. : W. E. GuMBLETON. Belgrave, County Cork, Ireland. Fruit in Lake Huron District. Srr,—The very cold weather we had the latter part of February and first part of March did a great deal of damage to the wheat fields, but no injury to the fruit, large or small, that I can see in this section. I see that Mr. Race of Mitchell states that raspberries were win- ter killed in that part; here no harm was done to any varieties We had a good crop of strawberries, gooseberries, currants and raspberries ; also a fair crop of cherries, but the birds take a lot of the early sorts ; in fact we cannot get any to ripen. I find the Rock- port is exempt from their attacks Plums are a very good crop and very free from the curculio; pears are a very light crop, and apples, the most valuable of all fruit, are of fine quality. This year they are very clean and free of the codling moth. I think the severe cold must have settled them and the cureulio. Apples are not so very plentiful, but good in quality. A number of the trees had no blossom. The King of Tompkins I have found hitherto shy bearers, but last year they bore heavily and again this year are yielding well. The grape vines were dam- aged to quite an extent. The hard frost we had gave my boxwood a sad scorching, and injured the Baltimore Belleso badly that there was no bloom. The Deutzia crenata suffered severely. 1 see by the reports that the Tent Caterpillars have been numerous down east ; I find in this section they have been compar- atively scarce. Our spring grain of all varie- ties is a heavy crop ; potatoes also will turn out well. The bugs are not very numerous ; likely the cold affected them also. We had I might say no spring ; it turned from winter to summer suddenly. Although vegetation was late in starting, the growth was rapid when it began. While east of us rain was much needed, in these parts we had an abun- dance of it, enough and to spare; several heavy raln falls: that damaged some of our early potatoes and peas, which together with hot weather caused the weeds to grow ram- ae and we could not keep them down or illthem. I am sorry to say that farmers generally don’t try to do it, seemingly, not thinking that the weeds rob the soil toa very great extent—so much so that not more than half a crop can be grown on a good many places. It is really disgraceful to see some farms, actually covered with weeds of every description, which are constantly on the in- crease, WALTER HIcK. Goderich. The Export of Peaches. Srr.—In talking to Mr. Davies Allan com- missioner of Cape Town south Africa, on Saturday last, I found out that they ship fruit from there to England in first class con- dition, although the fruit is double the time on the voyage that ours are. He told me that the secret in shipping peaches was never to let the hands touch the fruit. They have pinchers made for the purpose that fits round the joint of the peach fruit when they give it a gentle twist and the fruit seperates from the tree and it is placed into a shallow box or crate and they never commence to pick until about four o’clock in the afternoon and each box or crate as it is filled is placed into refrigerator cars on sidings run from the main track into the orchards, when filled they are sent on their long journey in cold storage and it takes eighteen days for the peach to reach London England, when they get good prices for the same. Would not a trial of this kind be of much interest to our fruit growers in Ontario. R. CAMERON. Niagara Falls South. DESTROYING Ants.—Make holes with a crowbar or convenient stick, from six inches to one foot deep and about fifteen inches apart, over the hill or portion of the lawn infested by the ants and into each hole pour two or three teaspoon- fuls of bisulphide of carbon, stamping the dirt into the hole as soon as the liquid is poured into it. The bisulphide of carbon at once vaporizes and, perme- ating the ground, destroys the ants but does not injure the grass. One should remember while using this substance that it is highly inflammable and should not bring near it a flame or even a lighted cigar. Mass. Exper. Station, in Minnesota Horticulturist. 37° SELECTING FRUIT FOR THE PARIS EXPOSITION. The following circular has been sent out by the U.S. Department of Agri- culture, and may give some useful hints for us also: To call special attention to the great variety of fruits now procurable in the United States in quantities sufficient for the export trade, it is proposed to install and to maintain during the entire period of the Exposition, a repre- sentative exhibit of American fresh fruits, To accomplish this it will be necessary to provide a supply of choice specimens of the more dur- able fruits (such as winter apples, pears, citrus fruits, cranberries, nuts, etc.), of the crop of the present season (1899) for display at the opening of the Exposition and until specimens of the crop of the year 1900 are available. It is intended that all the more important fruit growing districts of the United States shall be represented in this exhibit and the active co-operation of growers and other persons interested is therefore solicited. You are cordially invited to participate in this exhibit by contributing specimen fruits of the crop of 1899, grown either by yourself or others in your section, and to prepare to send choice specimens of such varieties as you may desire to exhibit of the crop of 1900 as they mature. The exhibit will be collective, but each contributor will receive the fullest credit for what he shows and the same con- sideration from the Jury of Awards that he would have if individual space were allotted him. Collections made by States, horticul- tural societies, boards of trade, shipping asso- ciations, railroad companies, etc., will have the same consideration as those from indi- viduals. KINDS OF FRUIT DESIRED, 1. As the kinds of fruit grown in the dif- ferent parts of the country differ widely in number, season and character, it is suggested that for the opening exhibit (of the crop of 1899) only such varieties be chosen as possess special merit as market, dessert or culinary fruits in your section. Special attention should be given to standard varieties that are likely to keep well and be adapted to the requirements of the export trade. Small lots of choice specimens of promising new or little known varieties are also desir- able and may be included. SELECTION OF SPECIMENS. 2. All specimens for exhibition should be selected early in the picking season, as it is of great importance that the specimens be not over-ripe when shipped. Symmetrical, well-grown specimens that are characteristic of the variety in the region. should be given preference to such as are over-grown or ab- normal in other respects. Apples and pears should be picked as soon as the seeds turn brown, even if they have not attained full color. All specimens must be hand-picked, preferably into padded baskets and must be free from bruises. They must have their stems attached and be free from insect in- jury or fungous disease, to be entitled to shipment to Paris. In no case should speci- mens be rubbed or polished. QUANTITY, 3. To allow for loss in storage and in transit, a-quantity of specimens of each va- riety should be provided of the crop of 1899. In general not less than one peck of a stand- ard variety of apples or one-half peck of a standard variety of pear, should be sent by an exhibitor. In case of a promising new sort or a little known variety, as few as ten specimens may be forwarded, if in perfect condition. Where collections are made in localities that grow but few varieties and those on a large scale, at least one barrel of each variety should be provided, though the fruit may be in small lots furnished by dif- ‘ferent individual exhibitors. CARE AND PACKING OF SPECIMENS, 4, After being picked the fruit should be handled with the utmost care and shielded from exposure to heat or frost. When the collection of specimens is completed, they should be double wrapped with paper and carefully packed in layers in clean, new ap- ple barrels or boxes. The several lots in each package should be separated from each other by large sheets of paper and each should be labeled with the name of the va- riety, the locality, and the name and address of both giower and collector. Labels and wiapping paper will be fur- nished to intending exhibitors without charge, upon application. . SHIPMENT. 5. Each package should be plainly marked with name of shipper and nature of contents, and forwarded by express or fast freight to such storage point as shall be hereafter desig- nated. It is probable that exhibits of this character will be assembled at two or more storage centres, to be held until date of final shipment. In this case your exhibit will be ordered shipped to the most accessible point. Shipping labels, properly addressed, will be furnished. In order to complete the necessary arrange- ments for the forwarding and reception of exhibits, it is important that you indicate at an early date the probable number of varie- ties and quantity of specimens that you will desire to contribute and the approximate date when they will be ready for shipment. Photographic exhibits that illustrate char- acteristic features of the horticulture of your region are also desired, and circulars of infor- mation concerning such will be sent on appli- cation. 37? THE APPLE CROP. UNITED STATES. Messrs. Duncan Bros., New York City, report concerning the. U. S. apple crop as follows : ONTARIO AND Nova Scorra.—A full aver- age crop, the quality been the best known for several years. New Eneuanp Srates.—A light crop. WEsTERN NEw YORK AND Hupson River VaLLEY.—More apples than last year, of good quality and consisting largely of Green- ings. 3 Micuigay.—More than last year and ot much better quality. ARKANSAS, ILLINoIs, MissouRI AND KAn- sas.—From one-quarter to one-third of an average crop. Quality in some sections good, and in others only fair. Vircinia.—A half crop of fair quality. Ca.trorni4.—A larger crop than last year and of better quality. These conditions indicate the necessity of great caution in buying this crop. Buyers should use great care in buying and packing and grading, exporting only fine clean fruit, carefully packed and at moderate first cost. The purchase of inferior and carelessly packed fruit, will almost surely be followed by unsatisfactory results. The following estimate is given by Mr. Arthur P. Fowler, August 5th. Arkansas 60% NewJersey 75% California 75" New York 404 Corado 50 4 Nebraska 40" Illinois 45 Ohio 654 Iowa 50 «4 Pennsylvania 45" Kansas 45" Viginia 65 Kentucky 25 0 West Virginia 60" Marylannd 60 « Wisconsin 354 Michigan 454 Washington 50" Missouri 40 Canada, Ont 654 New England 254 Nova Scotia 90" New York State.—The Rural New Yorker says: The apple crop of western New York largely determines the price for that fruit in the eastern markets. The condition of the Baldwins decides the matter, for that variety is in an immense majority. Baldwin has had a hard season this year, and reports are all one way. Taken as a whole, the apple crop from this great section promises to be less than half, and the chief loss is in red apples. Greenings are in better condition, but few people appreciate them. Nature packed some of her riche:t sauce inside the skin of a Greening apple, but there is a craze for a red skin, and this fine fruit is often neglected. Early apples are promising, but buyers are likely to part with considerable money when they buy their late Fall and Winter fruit. Ben Davis may come to the front as usual, but reports indicate that even this hardy citizen feels the rheumatism in his twigs and branches, as the result of last winter’s free7e. PROPAGATION OF THE GOOSEBERRY.— Seeds for the raising of new varieties, says Professor Bailey, should be sown as soon as well cured in loamy or sandy soil ; or they may be stratified and sown together with the sand in the spring. Cuttings six to eight inches long, of the mature wood, inserted two-thirds their length, usually grow readily, especially if taken in August or September and stored during winter in the same way as currant cuttings. Single-eye cuttings may be used for rare kinds. Stronger plants are usually obtained by layers, and the English varieties are nearly always layered in this country. Mound- layering is usually employed, the Eng- lish varieties being allowed to remain in layerage two years, but the American varieties only one. Layered plants are usually set in nursery rows for a year after removal from the stools. Green- layering during summer is usually prac- ticed for new or rare varieties. Strong plants may also be produced by tip- layering, as in the black raspberry.. If it is desired to train the weaker goose- berries in tree form, they may be grafted upon the stronger growing varieties. 372 SWEET PEAS’ IN’ POTS. lar or useful annual than this ; its fragrance and beauty, combined with the diversity of color to be obtained, renders it useful for all kinds of decorative work. Yet how seldom one sees blooms out of season! Many other subjects less beautiful and useful are forced. Yet none are more amen- able to forcing or yield a better return. As they are much appreciated here for dinner table and other room decoration I grow a batch in pots, and generally get them in bloom a month before those outside. I have now been picking flow- ers for a week from plants grown in unheated houses. My method is to sow five seeds in a 60-sized pot about the first or second week in February. These placed in a peach house will germinate and grow steadily and strong, and in due course are shifted into 32’s, keeping them as near the light as pos- sible, and supporting the plants with twigs. This year I gave some more pot room, using 16’s but so far I have observed no better results than from small pots. Growth is stronger, but they are not so floriferous. When about to Lloom I remove them outside and stand them in front of a greenhouse or fence. They produce plenty of bloom till outside ones are ready. If I had much conservatory work to do I should use these, for I think a group of Sweet Peas pretty, graceful, and light, and always command admiration. The dwarf Cupid, both pink and white varieties, have been much abused since their introduction a few years since; but I like them very much as pot plants notwithstanding their little eccentricities such as dropping their blooms when on the point of expanding, i SUPPOSE there is no more popu- and the very short peduncle. Three plants in a 32-sized pot make a nice - bushy little specimen, and for edging of stages and walks and if allowed to grow naturally, without any stakes, they are very effective, and remain in bloom several weeks. Careful watering and a shady and airy situation, when in bloom, will prevent many of the flowers falling. I have tried most of the best varieties and find them all very amenable to pot culture. I have, this year, in addition to the dwarfs just mentioned, Mars, a brilliant red ; Venus, very delicate straw color, a charming flower ; Black Knight, one of the best darks I have yet grown ; Duke of Sutherland, a dark claret stan- dard with bluish wings; Duchess of Sutherland, pinky-white, blooming pure white when fully expanded ; Lady Mary Currie, a delicately shaded bronze-pink, a lovely color ; Prince of Wales, bright rose-self, richly colored; Chancellor, orange-pink; Lady Nina Balfour, a beautiful mauve, very effective where this shade is favored ; Colonist, a rosy- lilac, very good. These are all pro- duced on long stems and are of a good form. Copious supplies of water are needed ; and weak manure and soot water aid the production of fine blooms, A very pretty and light arrangement of cut blooms for dinner table decora- tions may be made by using small, developed growth of Asparagus—now in plenty on outside beds as foliage— associated with the tendrils of the pea itself, interspersing small sprays of Gyp- sopbila elegans. ‘The prettiest possible effect may be produced by the judicious use of these very simple materials.— Gardening Illustrated. 373 BAKED APPLES FOR BREAKFAST. HE true, not the new, should be the motto of those who write or speak about the apple —the fruit longest in use by our branch of the human race. There are certain simple principles that must be given, line upon line, precept upon precept, to every fresh generation of men, or rather should be given just about that time that the generation is beginning to lose its freshness and to call on the doctor for remedies. Every well-to-do man of good digestion and appetite tends to eat too much meat every day after his twenty-fifth birthday, and one of the values of fruit, the apple above others, is the ease with which it may be made an “‘anti-meat-for-break- fast” article. With baked apples and cream and good roast potatoes on the breakfast table, the dish of cold or hot meat becomes subordinate, even if it is not entirely abolished. Men of forty, the age when every man not a fool is supposed to have acquired the right to give medical advice, at least to himself, will relate their various wonderful dis- coveries and remarkabie self cures just as they had given up all hope; and in general these reduce themselves to this : *“T ate less meat, but I did not know it, and I took a great deal more fruit, especially apples.” Baked apples for breakfast tend to reduce the amount of meat eaten, if we are inclined to eat too much, and to supply the system with mineral foods and the digestive tract with acids. People who eat too much food are not to be advised to eat baked apples as a mere addition to-the breakfast, and those who need a substantial meal must not let the baked apple interfere with the taking of solid food. As a rule those who eat three meals per diem will wisely have the nicest dish of baked apples obtain- able for breakfast. It is a piece of simple wisdom worth pages of ordinary medical literature. The digestion of milk is somewhat delayed by sour fruits, but pure rich cream is not milk, and taken with a juicy baked apple, what dish can be more tempting and whole- some ? If you are twenty-eight or thirty-five, inclined to ring the doctor’s bell and talk with your druggist, try this prescrip- tion. You may put sugar on the apples, but we shall not sugar coat the remedy with any mystery or any claim to novelty ; we merely turn to your good wife or your housekeeper, and ask whether she is careful to give you nice roast apples and cream, and to make the breakfast meat dishes as little tempt- ing as may be.—Amer. Garden. * Our Book Table. # SouTHERN Farr, Brantrorp.—We are pleased to notice that the Directors of the Brantford Southern Fair are giving promin- ence to the Horticultural Department in their prize lists, a copy of which is now before us, and from which we see that they are offering over $4000 in cash prizes for excellence. We would recommend fruit growers, florists and - market gardeners to write to the Secretary, Mr. Geo. Hately, Brantford, for prize lists. The Ladies’ Board of Directors, which has been a feature of Brantford Fair for some years, is again in charge of that department. This year the prizes are all cash with the exception of a high grade lady’s bicycle, valued at $75, which is given to the exhibitor taking the most prizes in the Ladies’ Depart- ment. Special arrangements have been made with the Railway Co’s. for carrying passengers and their exhibits, Particulars are to be an- nounced in the regular weekly papers. 374 et a > a ty 2 ‘NOILISOdXH TWINLSNGNI AHL LV LIGIHXd THE CANADIAN Horticulturist. Vou. XXII. 1899. No. t0 FRUIT AT THE INDUSTRIAL. HE Industrial Fair is about one week too early for a fruit exhibit to be at its best, for while it has the advantage of taking in plums and peaches, it shows our best apples and grapes at a great disadvantage. The best Rogers grapes, for example, have no color, and the finest winter apples, such as Spy and King, are still very green. The change in the tables to raised shelves instead of flat is very helpful to a display and breaks the monotony of the fruit exhibit ; but the shelves should be nine inches wide instead of twelve, and four set of them in- stead of three, so that there would be no waste of space. The risers also are at least an inch too high. On the whole, the fruit exhibit never showed to such advantage ; thanks to our President, who is chairman of that department. Our experimental exhibit is beginning to be of real use to fruit growers, and will be more so every year, as the new varieties come into bearing. This year our apple specialist, W. H. Dempsey, Trenton, shows 140 varieties, labelled in alphabetical order. Of the older commercial varieties, his Alexander, Stark, Ben Davis, Falla- water and Kentish Fillbasket were ex- ceptionally fine, the last two, Falla- water (though a showy variety) never pays, because not productive enough ; and Fillbasket. drops too early to be a paying. summer variety. His Primates were exceptionally fine, so large and highly colored. They hang. from July to October, and no variety of its season is a greater favorite for eating. Among the newer varieties shown by Mr Dempsey we notice : Golden White, not a white apple, but striped, large in size, a Russian fall apple, very desirable for its hardiness, as well as good appearance. Rochelle, another large apple, red striped, very promising. Winter Banana, a deep red streaked apple, of good size and much promise. 377 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Starr, of good size, yellow with red cheek. Winter Red, a kind much in favor in Illinois, but which does not show suffi- cient color, nor possess such quality as to hold its friends. The Zyenton is an entirely new var- iety, which originated some years ago with Mr. P. C. Dempsey, near Trenton, having some of the Fameuse blood in it. It is a fine dessert apple, both on ac. count of its deep red color, and its good quality for eating. Fie. 1656.—THE WaLtTER APPLE. The Walter (Fig. 1656) is also a fine apple, striped red, large and productive. It was named after Mr. Walter H. Demp- sey, our fruit experimenter for the Bay of Quinté District. Mr. Murray Pettit, of Winona, con- tributed a fine exhibit of 102 varieties of grapes, prominent among which were fine samples of Moore’s Early, Worden, Delaware, Moyer and Clinton. The bunches were well grown, under average conditions. Mr. A. W. Peart, of Burlington, con- tributed a fine collection of bottled black and red currants, preserved in acids by the Secretary. He also showed twelve pyramids of commercial varieties of pears, intended to give to the public reli- able information as early as_ possible. The twelve varieties thus exhibited as worthy of planting are Goodale, Louise, Vicar, Bartlett, Sheldon, Howell, Duch- ess, Boussock, Kieffer, Anjou and Clair- geau. Mr. Mr. Burrell, of St. Catharines, showed a mixed collection of 62 varie- ties of fruits, and among them the fol- lowing desirable kinds of peaches, viz. : Early Crawford, Garfield, Foster, Reeves, Mountain Rose, Barnard, Champion, Old Mixon, Carlisle, Yellow St. John, Elberta and Crosby. He also showed the Augusta grape, a seedling of Con- cord and Rogers 4, raised by Mr. J. Broderick. The Champion peach is very showy, large and fine cheeked. It also fruited this season first at Maple- hurst, and we were much captivated by its beautiful appearance. Mr. Caston, of the Simcoe Station, showed 54 varieties of apples, including . nine of Crabs, all the latter small, but one or two very showy, especially the Florence, so regularly striped with bands of red about the whole surface. His Duchess were fine, a favorite market variety with him ; his Gideon, Baxter, Alexander and Wealthy were also all fine samples. One would think the County of Simcoe especially suited to apple growing. Mr. John Mitchell, of Georgian Bay Station, showed a very valuable exhibit of 40 varieties of plums, including Cha- bot, Satsuma, Tage, Abundance and Burbank—Japan varieties, also Shippers’ Pride, French Damson, Brunswick, Wea- ver, Hammer, etc. Mr. Huggard, of Whitby Station, showed 83 varieties of mixed fruits, including some very fine Clapps, Bart- letts, Louise and Clairgeau. The first prize for Horticultural So- ciety exhibit was taken by Burlington, which showed 225 varieties of fruit, and the second by Louth fruit growers, who showed 125 varieties. On the whole, the fruit exhibited in classes for prizes was well up to the mark. There were some wonderfully 378 A FRUIT EVAPORATOR. fine bunches of grapes among the single plates, the largest bunches of Concords we have seen —weighing about two pounds each, and Brightons_propor- tionately large. The former were grown by F. G. Stewart, of Virgil. It may interest our readers to know a few of the first and second prize lots of fruit, so we give a few samples : GRAPES, 12 varieties —lst prize and silver medal :—J. Haines, St. Catharines. Kinds: Concord, Rogers 44, Agawam, Worden, Pock- lington, Brighton, Catawba, Vergennes, Nia gara, Lindley, Velaware, Moore’s Early. The Lindleys in this collection were exceptionally fine. ApeLEs, 20 varieties.—lst prize :—Frank Onderdonk, Albury (silver medal) ; 2ad prize: —H. Marshall, Hamilton. 5 varieties for export.—I|st prize:—P. Mc- Culloch, Burlington. Kinds: Spy, King, Baldwin, Ribston, Greening ; 2ad prize :—A. R. Brechen, Toronto. ~ 5 varieties for cooking. — 1st prize: — H. Marshall, Hamilton. Kinds: Duchess, Spy, Greening, Alexander, Fall Pippin. 5 varieties for dessert,—|st prize :—P. Mc- Culloch, Burlington. Kinds:—Spy, Ribston, Spitzenberg, Gravenstein, Swazie. PuiuMs, 6 varieties, Red or Blue.—1st prize: —E. A. Wilson, St. Catharines. Kinds: Ponds- Glass, Lombard, Burbank, Duanes Purple and Bradshaw. 6 varieties, Green or Yellow.—lst prize :— A. Glass, St. Catharines. Kinds: General Hand. Coe’s Golden, McLaughlin, Washing- ton, Yellow Egg and Imperial Gage. PgacHEs, 10 varieties.—lst prize : — John Stevenson, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Kinds: Wheatland, Late Crawford, Mountain Rose, Early Crawford, Fitzgerald, Elberta, Henry’s Golden, Reeve's Favorite, Foster, Old Mixon. A, FRUIT EVAPORATOR. HE G. H. Grimm Manu- facturing Co., has_ in- vented an_ evaporator, especially for fruit and vege- tables ; a low priced machine which any fruit grower could safely invest in. We always grieve over the amountof fruit which wastes in our orchards and many times we are tempt" ed to invest in a fruit evapor- ator of some kind. to save it, but the price of the evaporator is the bug bear. The cooking stove size has six trays, giving 7 square feet of drying ser- vice, and affords a capacity of two pecks of apples in 12 hours. No. 1 has capacity of 2 to 3 bushels of apples per day, Noz, 3 to 5 bushels, No. 3, 10 to 15 bushels, and No, 4, 18 to 25 bushels. Fic. 1657. 'Rurr EvappoRAtTor. 379 Fic. 1658.—GIANT SPRUCE IN STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER. 380 SOME NOTABLE .TREES IN CANADA. Fic. 1659.—FReNcH THORN ON THE BASTION AT Fort ERIE, I’ll take a branch of it he said, across the v juui Stormy sea, That roars between NewFrance and Old, and Yi jWHeplant it solemnly. - It will remind and teach mankind Of pains that blessing bring.” O cries Count Bois le Grand as in the poet’s Idyll he stands beside cross and holy thorn tree in Old France and swears fidelity to his fair, angelic wife. From Palestine the tree had come, a plant from that which supplied the crown of thorns of sacred memory. Commandant of the Fort at Niagara the Count plants the thorn on the plain hard by. The English begin a long forest march to seize Niagara Ere they arrive ‘‘a dame of charms most radiant, the queenflower of the gay capital Quebec, enthralls his heart. ‘“* He loves again despite the pain And stinging of the thorn.”’ A hunting party rides gaily along. The thicket stirs before the fair dame. She shoots and finds her victim, no wild animal, but alas! her soldier lover. Tenderly she nurses him but as justice would have it, the thorn spray she wears as a token of contrition, estranges him from her, reminding him of his far-off spouse Niagara is taken A bitter life des- troying thorn it is to the disabled warrior to see the flag of England rise. The cry “O thorn of penitence ” bursts from the dame. ““She kissed his mouth, Fell by his side. And both lay dead as stone ” The most enduring monument of the French occupation, a group of these trees, though a century and a half has elapsed since their planting, still stands near the Grove of Paradise at Niagara. Our illustration is of one of their pro- geny on the South Western bastion, Fort Erie. 381 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fic. 1660.—Historic WILLOW oN DUFFERIN IstanpD, NIAGARA FALLS. Overhanging the water, there is on Dufferin Island, near Niagara Falls, a weeping willow, a descendant of the trees that kept vigil by Napoleon’s tomb and formed a feature of the landscape of which it occurs to us the great com- mander would have fully approved. For intensely practical and military though his mind was, he had yet enough appre- ciation for the beautiful and venerable in Nature, to make him, when he was laying down the plan for a great road in the Alps, actually to turn aside its course to avoid an ancient representa- tive of that other grave-yard tree, the Cypress. This tree it may be of in- terest to remark, was that which a de- feated monarch, some three hundred years befores, struck with his sword in childish petulance There are on the banks of the Detroit river, some pear trees, old and weird of aspect, planted by the French before the year 1760. One of the oldest is said to date from 1705. There is a story that a settler brought from France three seeds in his vest pocket and plant- ed them near Amherstburg. The old trees there now are the children of those which sprang from these trees ‘‘ The trees are productive,” says Professor Craig, to whose writing we are indebted for information about them, ‘‘ but the fruit is not valuable.” In the famous apple-growing country of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia there are also apple trees still bearing that were planted about the middle of last century. Prince Edward Island can also boast apple and cherry trees set out in old French times Plum growing, according to Mr. Craig, has been a special industry for a hun- dred or more years in L’Islet County, some seventy miles north-east of the City of Quebec “Reine, Claude de Montmorency is delicious and peculiar to this region. The Damson plum trees grow in stocky form and produce out of all proportion to their size. The Kentish cherry has through heredity developed hardy forms well adapted to its new home and ripens a month later than the same variety grown at Ottawa.” At the home of the editor of the HortTICULTURIST an apple tree was cut down five years ago, whose limbs had 98 rings, showing its age to be as many years. A Rhode Island Greening here has a record of having one season pro- duced twenty barrels of marketable ap- ples. A thirty year old Yellow Spanish cherry tree on this farm once yielded a crop of 360 quarts The apple tree at Waterloo shown in Fig. oo00, was grown from seed bought from Pennsylvania in 1800. It is the oldest apple tree in that locality. It measures at the base three feet in diameter and at a distance of five feet from the ground two anda half feet. Of interest are some rare specimens of southern trees found within our borders. There are a few bearing fig trees to be found here and there. They have been successfully cultivated at Niagara, Winona and even as far north 382 SOME NOTABLE as Goderich. The Custard ap- ple, the Sassafras and the Sour Gum grow in the mild spray laden atmosphere of Niagara Falls. Queen Victoria Park, at the Falls, contains some rare trees under cultivation, among these are the Paulownia, the Chinese Cypress and a fine specimen of the Umberella Magnolia. This is perhaps the only magnolia of its kind in Canada and has beautiful white flowers from four to six inches across in June. At the resi- dence of Mr. Suckling, College street, Toronto, there is a Mag- nolia which when clothed in its glory of pink and white flowers, attracted a great deal of atten- tion. A tulip tree, some sixty feet in height, grows close to the road on the grounds of the Leslie Bros. Nursery, East To- ronto. Hundreds of blossoms which are somewhat like green tulips, make it a sight worth seeing in eaily summer. ‘Though large for a cul- tivated specimen, this tree is small in comparison with forest representatives of its species along the Niagara River. The forest trees of Eastern Canada are not particularly remarkable for their size or age. ‘They have their rise, pro- gress, and decay in a much shorter time than European trees, and a tree two hundred years old is a rarity. Here and there, however, are trees solitary or in groups, that are worthy of note. On the road between Cobden and Beach- bury, in Eastern Ontario, stands a huge elm ; near Windsor there are some large ash trees; a great maple, the largest specimen of our national tree of which we know, is a feature of the road from Picton to the sand banks. TREES IN CANADA. Fic. 1661.—AN Otp AppLe TREE ar WATERLOv. The wild cherry, though not a native of this continent, sometimes attains a large size, though to vie with the great specimens some 14 feet in circumference that Pennsylvania boasts, we can only instance in our own country one about three feet in diameter that formerly grew on the shores of Balsam Lake. The oldest Black Walnut in Ontario, of those grown by man is on the farm of Mr. W. H. Dempsey at Trenton and was planted about 1800. Of mature trecs in Canada the smallest perhaps is a dwarf evergreen in the Horticultural Gardens, Toronto ; though some forty years of age this is only about a foot in height. It was brought from Japan some years ago by Mr. Geo. Anderson a commissioner of the Dominion Government. Japanese gardeners make a large use of dwarf 383 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. Fic. 1662.—MAGNOLIA. trees to blend with the minaiture moun- tains and lakes they are so fond of in their landscape compositions. A great contrast to this tiny conifer is the Douglas spruce of our frontispiece, standing in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Some distance from the ground a fairy like balcony of Licorice ferns relieves the gaunt expanse of its trunk. The trees of this park are in general tall and majestic and in some places rise from luxuriant thickets of bracken higher than a man’s head. A fine view at the end of the drive in Stanley Park is the subject of our next illustration (Fig. 1663.) The Rocky Mountain region and the Pacific slope of our Continent have always been remarkable for the size of their trees. There is a story of a gigan- tic fossil tree alleged to have been found by a party of gold diggers in Nevada in 1860. It lay on the ground and its trunk was 666 feet in length. The ‘Monarchs of the Mariposa,” sustain in later ages the claim of the west to majestic trees. British Columbia has species of large cone-bearing trees. One of the most interesting of these is the Sugar pine (Pinus Tambertiana)so called because its resin, when half burned by the pas- sage of a fire is sweet. Ford notes a fallen tree of this species 215 feet in length and 57 feet 9 inches in diameter. The same writer speaks of pines of a certain species growing on the Colum- bian river that attains the height of 240 feet. In running the boundary between - British Columbia and the United States the axe-men had in one locality the her- culean task of hewing out the line through patches of gigantic Douglas spruce, many of which were 30 feet in circumference and from 200 to 250 feet in height. In Eastern Canada some years ago two old pines of remarkable size enjoyed a local fame as the Old Man and Old Maid of Kempenfelt on the shores of the bay of that name. There is an Indian legend that shows very well how the aboriginals the chil- dren of the forest esteemed the pine and cedar for their size, stability and length of life. Glooskap was a divinity. ‘‘ Hearing that they could win the de- sires of their hearts there went forth men unto him; and all got what they asked for in any case, but as for having just what they wanted that depended on the wisdom with which they wished and acted. Three brothers journeyed from afar to the isle of enchanting beauty where in three wigwams dwelt Glooskap with Cuhkeo, the Earthquake and Cool-pig-ot a man without any bones. The first of the brothers who was very tall and was vain of his comeliness asked to become 384 SOME NOTABLE TREES IN CANADA. Fic. 1663.—ScENE IN STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER. taller than any Indian in all the land. And the second wished that he might ever remain where he was, idly gazing on the beauty of the scene. The third wished to live to an exceeding old age, and ever be in good health. Then Glooskap called Earthquake and bade him place them with their feet in the ground and as he did so they became, as one tradition declares, pines, and another, cedars. The head of the first now rose above all the forest and he who listens in the wood may hear him murmur, ‘“‘ Oh, Iam such a great man! Oh, I am such a great Indian! The second too, has his wish, being fast rooted in the ground and obliged to stay there, whilst the third, who wished for long life, is still standing as of yore. A. E. MICKLE. Maplehurst. We ‘ny HON ee BY ae << Fic. 1664 —GLooskae TURNING A MAN INTO A CEDAR-TREE. 385 THE MOYER GRAPE. Fic. 1665.—Mover GRAPES. N December 1888, we gave our readers a colored plate and a description of a new red grape, called the Moyer after the intro- ducer, Mr. Allen Moyer, of Jordan. This gentleman had purchased the right of propagation’from Mr. W. N. Read of Port Dalhousie, who had originated the grapes about ten years previous by cross- ing the Delaware with Miller’s Burgundy. Mr. Moyer brought us a basket of his grapes which impressed us most favor- ably as to quality and earliness. Now 386 after ten years more of general experience with this grape, we are able to confirm most of the statements there made con- cerning it, and being of Canadian origin we are all the more glad that it has made so good arecord, and that it holds so good a place in the estimation of the public. We do not commend it for the com- mercial vineyard because the vine does not seem sufficiently productive to give large crops to the acre, but no one who is planting a collection for his own table PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION. should omit the Moyer, for, unless we except Campbells Early, a variety this year bearing for the first time with us, we know of no grape of its season to compete with it in flavor. It is not the equal of its parent the Delaware, in this respect but it comes only a few points behind that excellent variety. One quality of the vine is its freedom from mildew, a disease which so often ruins our finest Roger grapes. The bunches of the Moyer are about the same in size as those of the Dela- ware, usually shouldered, and sometimes double shouldered ; it is fairly compact, though much looser than Delaware. The berry is very irregular in size, varying from half an inch’ to three quarters in diameter, which is not a good point. The color is amber, or where ripe, a dark wine color ; pulp is tender and juicy and the flavor sweet, rich and excellent. One great point which gives the Moyer a chance for propagation is its early season. A vine in our experi- mental plot ripened its fruit this season about the 2oth of August, along with the miserable Champion, which has done more harm to the grape industry than a dozen fine varieties can help it forward. We notice several other varieties col- oring just after Moyer, viz., Janesville, Marion, Early Victor, Pearl, and Ohio. RS ANY Wwe ast SPs = Te RERN = . A . —= SSN RES Ss" es laa} SSS Sass Fic. 1666.—Sirre oF THE PAN-AMERICAN Exposition, to be held at Buffalo in 1901 ; View across North Bay of Park Lake, from near the Country Club, (from Farming.) THE PAN AMERICAN EXpPposITION, by the colonies and republics of the Ameri- can hemisphere, to be held in Buffalo, N.Y., from the rst of May, to the 1st of November, 1901. At this exposition Canada should be very prominent, and we hope that energetic measures will be taken to make a most creditable exhibit. It is said that the management is well prepared financially to make the fair a grand success, having at their disposal $5,800,000. 387 BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN POMO- LOGICAL SOCIETY, HE 26th biennial meeting of the American Pomological Society was held in Philadel. phia on the 7th and 8th inst. The city was in gay attire as the G. A. R. encampment took place during that week. The weather was fine, the at- tendance good, and taking everything into consideration this was thought to be one of the most successful meetings in the history of the Society. Nearly 150 delegates were sent by the various State horticultural societies, chosen from among their most successful men. Many of the professors of horticul- ture of the several experiment sta- tions were also present, and other prominent men. Seldom has there come together at one meeting so many and well known horticulturists. The exhibition of fruit while good was not representative, the chief ex- hibitors being the New Jersey State Horticultural Society and Ellwanger and Barry of Rochester, N.Y., the latter firm exhibiting about too hundred vari- eties of pears. The papers and addressses were all of a high order and showed the rapid advance that horticulture has made during the past few years. The programme was carried out almost as advertised and the chairman kept the audience strictly to business. Thursday morning was devoted to the addresses of welcome and response, followed by the President’s address, which was very encouraging for the future welfare of the society. Prof. Thos. Meehan in his address on “ Phil- adelphia’s Contributions to the History of American Pomology were very in- teresting, as he told of the introduction 388 and origin of many well known fruits. The talk on “Culture” by Mr. J. H. Hale was such as one would suppose a man of Mr. Hale’s force of character would be supposed to give. No half way measures please Mr. Hale, and the striking examples he gave of the advantages of thorough cultivation, were ample proof of the wisdom of his practice. On Thursday afternoon there were several instructive papers. All who were interested in fig culture were well pleased with Dr. Howard’s address. Prof. Waugh’s address on ‘‘ Nomencla- ture and Systematic Pomology,” or in other words, the advisability of some change in the rules regarding nomencla- ture,” received the attention it merited and a committee was nominated to dis- cuss the matter and report at the next meeting of the society. The results of Prof. Lazenby’s studies on “ The origin and development of buds in certain fruit plants,” showed that there was a wide field for research in this direction. Prof. Whittens experiments in the whitening of the buds of trees to retard the swelling of the flower buds in late winter and early spring, were explained in a very clear manner and listened to with great attention. Thursday evening, Mr. H. J. Webber by means of lantern slides illustrated some of the important work he is doing in plant breeding, especially in relation to the orange cotton plant, and Indian corn. Mr. W. T. Sivinglis’ slides illus- trating ‘‘ Horticulture along the Medi- terranean ” were also interesting. Two other papers were given by Prof. G. H. Powell and Prof. W. M. Munson. Prof. Powell’s paper on the “Importance BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE AM. POMOLOGICAL SOC. of the plant individual in horticultural operations ” showed that the individual characteristics in fruit were, as a rule, constant, thus proving that it was im- portant to propagate from plants of trees with the best characteristics. Prof. Munson’s paper showed the possibilities in growing of blueberries, which is an important industry in some parts of Maine. On Friday the election of officers resulted in returning the same men as had been in office for the past two years. President, C. L. Waltrous, Des Moines, Iowa; Secretary, Wm. A. Taylor, Wash- ington, D. C.; Treasurer, L. R. Taft, Agricultural College, Michigan. In his paper on “‘ American Horticul- ture at Paris in 1900, Col. G. B. Brack- ett emphasized the necessity of prepar- ing an exhibit worthy of the United States, and of the importance of the fruit industry. Mr. J. W. Kerr, Denton, was very severe on dishonest packers and commission men but did not seem very hopeful that they would do much better in the future. We favoured selling direct where possible, and also trying to induce purchasers to come and buy rather than to sell through commission men. Prof. Wm. B. Alwood gave some interesting facts regarding fruit growing in Virginia, but lack of time prevents him from fully covering his subject. Prof. John Craig read a paper on the effects last winter on fruit trees in the west. He said that when the roots were protected in some manner there was not so much injury. He _ strongly recommended cover crops. On Friday afternoon, Prof. S. A. Beach addressed the meeting on the “Improvement of the Grape,” a subject of much interest to many present. The improvement in the native grapes dur- ing the past fifty years has been remark- able. While the papers were all instructive, it was felt by many present that if there had been fewer papers and more discus- sion from the delegates who had come from widely different climates and vary- ing conditions, more imformation of a practical nature would have been obtained. W. T. Macoun. Ottawa. BRITISH PREJUDICE AGAINST OUR GRAPES is absurdly strong, and we have a task before us to overcome it. Un- fortunately all attempts thus far made to introduce Canadian grapes have been with mixed varieties, of which Concord and Niagara were prominent, and these are extremely poor in quality when com- pared with the English hot-house grapes. From these our English friends have judged all Canadian grapes unfavor- ably, and the wholesale fruit men en- tirely discourage any further attempts to introduce this fruit. Nevertheless we still intend to persevere, but on a differ- ent line. The Ontario Fruit Experi- ment Station Board have authority from the Hon. John Dryden to make an ex- perimental shipment of Rogers grapes to Manchester, and we will forward these about the end of September, This is a kind that is sure to win favor and overcome the present prejudice. At the fruit building of the Industrial, we had a visit from two educated Scotch- men, and we asked them what about sending over our grapes. “Oh,” they said, “they are a bad flavor.” We handed them a bunch of Rogers 9, and asked them totest them. ‘‘ Why,” they said, “those are fine!” One instance of prejudice overcome already ! 389 THE UNPRODUCTIVE ORCHARD: NE of the most discouraging features of fruit growing is unproductiveness on the part of orchards of bearing age of apples. The Baldwin has developed this fault to an alarming extent in some fine orchards in the Niagara peninsula which have been planted twenty-five or thirty years. The Kitchen orchard for example, over thirty years planted has never given more than three or four real good crops and is now being taken out root and branch. The E. J. Wolverton orchard is following after much the same fault, although in 1896 it yielded a tremendous crop. As we remarked in our last article (p- 344) on unproductive orchards, this evil may result from soil uncongenial to the apple; viz., a sandy loam, of such natural depth and fertility that the wood growth is stimulated rather than the fruit production. This is substant- iated to some extent by the produc- tiveness of the same variety on clay soil under good cultivation, where the fruit is also better colored. Bailey suggests a startling possibility in his Principles of Fruit Growing, namely that after years of unproductiveness, trees may perhaps be- come so fixed in this bad habit of unpro- ductiveness that no amount of good treat- ment can make them bear satisfactorily. Another explanation may be in the propa- gation of the variety. We all know that certain trees in an orchard have a tend- ency towards scanty fruit bearing, and cions cut from such a tree would perpetu- ate the fault. Nurserymen seldom con- sider this, and cut their scions indiscri- minately, and possibly this may explain the wide spread unproductiveness of the Baldwin. Now fora remedy. First let us say we would recommend digging out the orchard unless it is comparatively young. There is too much value in the fine trees of fifteen or twenty years growth, to throw it away in a brush heap and then begin de novo with new plantings. We would advise top grafting with a variety that is productive. The Ontario, for example, has all the excellence of Spy as winter export apple, and is almost over productive of large even sized fruit. If the unproductive Spy was top grafted with it or some other first class produc- tive variety no doubt the result would be most satisfactory. THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS on the San José scale has just been published. The following are the sug- gestions made :— ‘*That the utmost care be taken to prevent the scale from spreading. That valuable trees be not destroyed when it may seem possible to save them without serious risk of infesting neighboring orchards. That the owners of orchards, especially those who are directly interested by infesta- tion or exposure, be enlisted as far as possible by and with the official workers in the effort to exterminate the scale. That a brief circular of instruction in re- gard to the most important facts in the life history of scale-insects, and of the San José scale in particular, and the approved methods of treatment be prepared at once and sent to every orchardist in the infested areas. That a plan, something like that submitted herewith, be adopted, to encourage every owner of an orchard in the Province to make a careful inspection of his orchard next win- ter, with a view to discover whether or not there is any San José scale in it.” 39° REASONS OF FAILURE IN SPRAYING. BY JOHN B. PETTIT, FRUITLAND, ONT. apples that was put on exhibition at the Toronto Industrial Fair by Mr. W. M. Orr, Superintendent of spray- ing experiments for the Province of On- tario, could not be anything but a most excellent educator to the agriculturists of the Province and more especially to those being engaged in fruit growing. While there were thousands who appre- ciated it as such, there were many, who claimed to be up-to-date fruit growers, declared that it was not an honest ex- hibit and that they had personally proved the art of spraying to bea failure. While we do not mean to say that all who have carried on the work have experienced benefit therefrom, it is almost unneces- sary to state that the reason of this is not because there is no efficacy in the work, but that the work has not been properly carried on. There are several reasons why spray- ing has proved a failure in some instances in the past, the principal ones being :— (a) The use of wrong mixtures; (0) uneven distribution ; (¢c) applications made at improper time; (d) lack of thoroughness in work. _ In the various papers that have in the past devoted space to the subject of horticulture, there have been many formulas printed, some being correct, while others again have been decidedly wrong. When we consider the success that has attended the efforts of the Gov- ernment in experimental spraying, we would naturally conclude that the solu- tion used was a proper one, or nearly so. The use of the same has also been advised by most State experimental stations. That this solution may be evenly dis- [= display of sprayed and unsprayed tributed, the ingredients must be dis- solved and kept agitated. It is a mis- taken idea with many farmers, and not a few fruit growers, that as long as the Paris green and water meet in the bar- rel everything will turn out satisfactorily, and accordingly the poison is weighed (or, what is a very bad practice, mea- sured by guess) and then it is thrown into the barrel. This is the careless, lazy man’s method, and worthy of noth- ing but condemnation, as much of the Paris green will float on the water and never become dissolved, and as a result the insects would sustain no injury. To properly dissolve the Paris green, it should be put in a cup or bowl and a few drops of water added to it. Then stir until the water is taken up and add a few more drops. Keep this up until ‘you have a thin paste, which will be but a very short time, and every particle of the poison will be thoroughly dissolved. Then put it in the barrel of water. To. dissolve the copper sulphate, it should be put in a coarse. cloth or leno and suspended in ot water. Keep it hot, and it will take but a few minutes to get it ready. Be sure it is dissolved in a wooden receptacle, as the sulphate would ruin any metal vessel. When these ingredients are thoroughly dis- solved and lime is slaked, all are mixed, passed through a screen into the barrel and kept thoroughly agitated, and even distribution of the poison is assured. As to the time.of spraying, the orchard- ist should give considerable thought. Many insect eggs hatch before the buds burst and the young feed upon the swell- ing buds. As these worms are more easily killed when small than when they have attained full growth, it is advisable 2 391 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. to give one or two applications before blooming time. This is also the best time to combat fungus. To be effective against the Codling moth, the» apple’s worst insect enemy, the applications should be made immediately after the bloom has all fallen, and then again ten or twelve days later, before the calyx cavity has closed up, as it is in this cavity the most of the worms are killed. Care should be exercised to select a time when the air is quite still, and when appearances point to at least two or thrée fine days to follow, and spray with the greatest care. But of all the reasons of failure in spraying, the last mentioned—“ lack of thoroughness in work ”—is the most prevalent. Some men appear to think that as long as the solution is thrown at the tree the work is done, but it must be remembered that ‘‘ whatever is worth doing is worth doing wed/.” Every part of the tree should be covered, from the point where the soil encircles the trunk, to the tips of the longest and highest: limbs. The trees should not be drenched, but sprayed. If one holds a piece of glass over the mouth of a teakettle, it soon becomes covered with what ap- pears like a heavy fog or dew. Hold it .few seconds longer and the dew will drop off in the form of water drops Just so will the solution act upon the leaves of a tree. When the leaves and branches become coated with the spray the tree should be left, as but a very little more will cause the solution to begin to drip; it will then run to the edges of the leaves and drop off, and they will simply have had a wash, and the insects will eat away unharmed. That this may be done successfully, the spray must be broken up into very fine particles. ‘To thoroughly spray trees, it. is necessary to have a good spraying outfit. The pump must have great power, the hose and extension must be of good length, and the nozzles must break the spray into very minute parti- cles. At this work one should act as at voting time—“ early and often.” With the exercising of more care in the preparation of solutions and apply- ing the same, better results would fol- low, and many who now condemn spray- ing would be loud in its praise. Note.—The writer has had charge of the Government spraying experiments in the “ Eastern” division for two sea- sons and has had ample oppurtunity to prove the effectiveness of thorough spraying. 392 THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. HE Royal Horticultural Society of England being very old and most favorably located, is very strong. There are now about five thousand members. These pay in membership fees and in special funds about $30,000, or $6 apiece yearly; something like $15,000 more is realized as receipts at their shows, making an annual income of $45,000. Amateur science is a great fad in England. Many wealthy men take up science for science’s sake and make much out of it. Numerous men of comparatively small incomes also make a specialty of some line. Preachers, bankers, merchants and even prominent brewers have their specialties, in which they have gained more or less eminence. Many of these men have been interested in botany, entomology or some other line associated with horticulture, and they naturally sought the congenial atmosphere of the horticultural society and of the various gardener’s clubs, which abound in England. While these scientific men form a very inter- esting group of the membership, the society is made up largely of growers of flowers, fruits and vegetables. There are not so many professional scientists in England as one would ex- pect to find, especially in the sciences related to industries. Private enter- prise having assumed to develop, direct and control things scientific, parliament and the lesser legislative distributors of the moneys accruing from public taxa- tion have not undertaken to build up great government schools, experiment stations and scientific laboratories. We, coming after them and seeing the great need of scientific development, have 393 begun to push these institutions with public moneys. While our people are still in the stage of hastily getting riches, and individuals are not ready to take up all the burdens of higher edu- cation and of research, our states’ taking hold of these affairs has tended to curb private enterprise. I wish we might do more to encourage amateur scientific research of a high class. Numbers of these English amateurs have done won- ders in making new flowers. What could some of our bright young business men or professional men do to make their spare moments pleasant and of use, better than to work up something useful? The country homes of these wealthy amateur scientists are places of joy to the visitor. We have much to learn from English life. They live more. They are not in such haste to leave the country for the city. I trust that the entrance of girls into our superb agricultural high school is a most important step looking towards better living in our farm homes. Besides holding meetings and shows, the Royal Horticultural Society issues many reports and does much to promote the work of horticultural scientists. It has trial grounds where new things are tested, and if found of superior merit given certificates. Certificates and prizes are awarded at the shows also. Horticultural schools and horticultural professorships are much in the back ground, that field being occupied by the amateur workers. What little govern- ment aid there 1s doled out is in the main given in small parcels to various general educational schools. We are bound to lead them in horticultural THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. pedagogics, and their best men sorrow- fully admit the fact. While we may be able to push ahead of them in the science of horticulture, we cannot hope to do so in its practice. Their long training, their cheap labor, their more salubrious climate, their larger markets and their long experience with the things they are growing, give them the lead. Then, too, they are here near this great centre where the libraries, the botanic gardens, the large meetings and the much communication permissible by their short distances, enables the individual to learn much from others. As I listened to the ven- erable men of their society tell of the growth and achievements of the organi- zation, I thought of the reminiscences of our older members. Taking everything into account, the Minnesota Horticul- tural Society has done a wonderful work for the people of the state. If Uncle ‘Harris and his elderly fellow members of the Minnesota Society could be in the meetings and shows of the Royal Horticultural Society, they would go home feeling none the less proud of having led in the growing of apples, plums, small fruits and flowers in the north star state. Peter Gideon would have felt at home in the international conference of plant breeders.. His in- tensely practical work would have inter- ested these men, many of whom see only the scientific principles involved. The Royal Horticultural Society did a good thing in calling this conference. The American representatives have their heads together for a similar meeting on our side. I only wish we might have it in Minnesota. Plant breeding is in a great boom. The Americans were complimented for their keen sense of the practical. Later on I hope to present to the society a brief report of the plant breeders’ conference. The English people constantly express their warm feeling of friendship for America. They did this constantly in the meetings and banquets and before the representatives of other nations, I sometimes feared to the discomfiture of the latter.—Prof. Hays in Minnesota Florticulturist. POTATOES. small, the long, the round, the black, the purple, the red, the yellow, and other colors ; and in flavor, the acid, the rough, the smooth, the sweet, and the rich, fine Gages. Varieties to please: the eye, suit the purpose, and the palate. And so with our Pears — varieties for all, from the hard, perry-making, to the scarcely less hard baking Pear ; the musky, the vinous, the sugary, the buttery, and juicy ; some large, some small, some round, some oval, and some pear-shaped ; but, like the Plum, each so differentiated from the other () Plums, we have the large, the as having among them something to suit the most fastidious. _ : And again in the Apple, what a mul- titude of sizes, colorings, shapes, and textures ; some semi-sweet, some semi- acid, some with just “a thought” of bitterness, some soft, some crisp, some hard (so much so that they might well be called the Dentist’s Favorite), some rough to the eye, as Russets, with a pineous flavor ; some smooth and bril- liant in skin, pleasant to look at, but only just a little good, and some with not much quality but beauty. This is the “‘ eye-¢aster,” and these are called good market Apples ; as though the 394 i POTATOES. public bought twice when they had been taken in by appearance once. _ Now, this brings me to my subject. If with all these varieties, fine, luscious, and delightfully-enjoyable fruits, differ- ent form, color, and flavor to suit all eyes, palates, and tastes is offered, and fruit-lovers are not made to eat all sours, all acids, or all sweets, either one or the other, with no change or interchange ; but such is the pomolo- gist’s catering, that it must, indeed, be a continuous indulgence to the fruit- lover in trying to select amongst the many, where no two are alike, that which pleases him the most. But with the Potato, how changed is all this! We are told, but I am loath to believe it, that one that boils to ‘‘a ball of flour” is the right thing, and it must be white, and not yellow ; why, I know not. I was praising a Potato a short time since to a grower, when he said, “Yes, it is pretty good ; but it won’t sell, mind you, for it is yellow fleshed.” ‘ Oh!” said I, ‘then color has something to do with it?” * Just so,” said he; “they (the Pota- toes) must boil white, and be ‘balls of flour.’” “Oh,” said I—‘“ but why ? I hate a mere tasteless ball of flour in my mouth. I want a Potato with some flavor.” Why not have different flavored Pota- toes as we have different flavored fruits ? I own in the shape of the Potato there is an advance, but the texture, taste, and flavor, are gone. Why is the “ball- of-flour” man to be catered for entirely, to the exclusion of those who will not have such a kind of Potato on their table? Why are yellow Potatoes not “the right thing ?” When I was young, and that is a very long time ago, my brother, John Jenner Weir, F.L.S., etc., and myself, used to look forward to the coming of the new Potato. .How we longed for the time. How eagerly we looked for “the coming dish” of the then bright yellow new Potatoes ; and for our dinner we wished for, wanted not anything else but these, and — butter; firm in texture, but slightly mealy, and then there was a flavor— a flavor that was not in any other vege- table ; a genuine, fine mellow Potato- flavor. Oh! how we and others used to enjoy them with a never satiated appetite. ‘ Oh, those were the days!” But now for some time I have asked for my table some new Potatoes ; yes, and have had them! They, “the young” of ‘the balls of flour” outvie their parents in their want—tastiness. Some were like pulp of an undistin- guishable kind in one’s mouth, with only the knowledge that it was “nasty ” ; others with a sort of semi-transparent, sickly, tallowy-look like a consumptive’s cheek, and these were at the ‘“im- proved” price of 4¢. a pound. No, there has been nothing nice or “ pota- tory” about them! Who eats these I do not know, nor do I care, so long as they are not put hefore me again as— food. I daresay they are very good croppers, so are called ‘‘good market Potatoes.” Not they. A good tradesman must now cater for the public’s appreciable taste ; rubbish may be bought once or twice, but not often. As it is with me, so with my friends. We will zt eat the present sort of Potatoes when— “ new.” What I ask is, let us have a variety of flavor, flesh, or what not ; let us enjoy our different textures, tastes, and not be “ jumped upon,” as it were, when we say we do not like insipid, dry, _ tasteless, powdery, balls of flour. We do not want such hot flour, but Pofatoes, and the real quality of the Potato, with a fine and delicate though slight perfume, giv- ing a pleasureable feeling on the. palate —that from a tasteless ‘‘bali of flour’ is non-existent.—Gardener’s Chronicle» 395 CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM ORTICULTURE is a promi- nent division of the work at the Central Experimental Farm, as a result of which there are many objects there to interest lovers of trees, shrubs, fruits and flowers ; and it seems unfortunate that so few have the opportunity of seeing them. Thinking it might prove profitable and acceptable to readers of this magazine who are unable to visit the Farm, or who, if they do visit it, come but rarely, it is proposed to contribute monthly such notes on matters relating to Horti- culture as may be deemed the most in- teresting and seasonable. Unlike Western Ontario, there was comparatively little winter- killing of trees and shrubs at Ottawa last. winter; nor have things suffered so much from dry weather this summer, as in some other parts of the province. July was excep- tionally wet, nearly 10 inches of rain fall ing during that month. August was dry and warm and by the beginning of Sep- tember rain was again much needed. On account of so much rain falling when the season’s growth was nearly finished, followed by warm weather, some trees blossomed the second time this year. The Experimental apple orchard, now containing more than 600 varieties of apples, furnishes abundant data of inter- est to fruit growers. The apple crop was light this year, but there was about 150 varieties which fruited. A few valu- able varieties which are thriving particu- larly well, and which are producing good crops this year, are: McIntosh Red, Shiawassee Beauty, Gano, Malinda, and Patten’s Greening. The indications are that Shiawassee Beauty is going to be a valuable tree in this section of the country. It is a heavy bearer of medium sized, highly coloured fruit, which hangs Ulm, Bicksley, and De Soto. NOTES.—I well on the tree, there being few wind- falls. The quality is very good. Mc- Intosh Red needs no words of praise, it is one of the finest appearing and best dessert apples grown. While not bear- ing as heavily as some varieties, there are so many points in its favour that it will probabiy prove in some districts one of the most profitable apples grown. The Ben Davis seems quite hardy at Ottawa ; but the Gano, which resembles it very much, is, I think, the better tree to plant in this part of Ontario. The Gano is much more highly coloured than Ben Davis, though no better in quality. ‘The trees are vigorous and and appear perfectly hardy. Malinda and Patten’s Greening are two promising hardy varieties from the Western States The former is an al- most sweet apple, keeping in good con- dition until April or May ; the latter is a large green cooking apple: season, October. Its hardiness, productiveness, and the uniformly large size of the fruit will probably make this a valuable apple in the colder parts of the country. The collection of plums is now quite large, there being about 130 varieties growing in the orchard, most of which are improved American sorts, especially desirable for certain parts of Canada. Although there were but few plums of any kinds at Ottawa this year, 35 varie- ties fruited at the Experimental Farm ; most of the trees, however, bore but light crops v ‘ee 2 gy ° = 5: e ‘ . “ a ae q ‘ as =v i ee p — * a" ; H . ‘ , ar) = a - r , ; ; i an 4a 2 . if . 2 yt 7 nee Y ie x a ¥ i 3 . ’ “ is, A : a i ee has i 7 oe ilpe “ re 4 . ; A ie a 1 ; - A | ‘ ; : . a | ° 2)", ~ ¥ . ‘ ‘ ek ‘ - ry i 4. - ; F . 7 oh ’ 4 . - ’ - " . s * » fi £ > - - : i r) x , : x ~ eee > . et b i “aWVdd NOGTAHHS FHE CANADIAN HorTiCuLTURIST. Vou. XXII. Lees. No. itt THE- SHELDON \PEAR. HIS pear is an American seed- ling. It was propagated acci- dentally, on the farm of Norman Sheldon, in the town of Huron, Wayne County, N. Y., and has borne several synonyms, as, for instance, Hu- ron, and Wayne, from the places above mentioned ; but, properly enough, the name Sheldon prevailed, as being the name of the originator. With regard to its adaptability to the climate of Ontario, our reports show that it is perfectly hardy in the Coun- ties of Lincoln, Brant, Essex, Kent, and even Huron, along the borders of the lake, but in the County of York it is not considered quite hardy. The con- clusion, therefore, to be drawn is that this pear is not suitable for planting north of Toronto, except under some particularly favorable circumstances. The pear ripens in October and No- vember; but it must be gathered in good time, or a large portion of the crop will need to be gathered from the ground ; and it must be used just at the 423 hour it becomes mellow, or it will be found too far gone for use. In this respect it bears a worse character than even the Bartlett. We esteem its qual- ity very highly; and a writer in the Country Gentleman says that he thinks that, when well grown and properly ripened, it excels all other pears in deliciousness of quality. It is as melt- ing as ice cream, and its flavor is su- perb. The pear, however, is variable in quality and sometimes, when badly grown and poorly ripened, might be called poor. As a market pear the Sheldon cannot be ranked high, first, because of its russety appearance, which, however, yellows up finely when ready for the table, and, second, because the tree is not sufficiently productive. A tree at Maplehurst, about thirty years old, bears some years a few strag- gling specimens, and other years possi- bly a bushel or so ; certainly far below the average yield of many other varie- ties, as, for instance, the Buffum, Tyson, Bartlett and Howell. But, whether THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. the crop of Sheldons be large or small, we always save it for home use; for none of its compeers, the Duchess, the Anjou, nor the Lawrence, though all are delicious, are as desirable. No mem- ber of the family would select one of the latter for eating when he can have the Sheldon. The Committee on Pears, appointed by the Ontario Fruit Growers’ Associa- tion, gave the Sheldon ten marks, the maximum number to indicate its value for dessert, and seven for market; but they have ranked the Anjou equally high, and, in our opinion, this might justly be amended to make the latter variety at least one point below the Sheldon. The following description of this pear is given in ‘‘ Fruits of Ontario,” Tree vigorous, erect, not very productive, late coming into bearing. Fruit above me- dium in size, roundish, obtuse, obovate ; skin yellowish green, covered with thin light russet, brownish crimson in sun, russet dots ; stalk short, stout in a nar- row cavity; calyx nearly open, in a broad basin. Flesh creamy white, but- tery, juicy, sweet and aromatic. Season, October, One of the most delicious of dessert pears, if eaten just at the proper time. Worthy of a place in every home garden, but not productive enough to be planted for market. Two or three reports concerning this pear have been sent in, which we here insert : W. Boulter, of Picton, Prince Ed- ward Co., writes: ‘* My experience. with this variety has been poor. I planted ten years ago, seventy-five of them, and lost every one of them, perhaps due to the winters’ cold. I gave them the same cultivation as the Clapp’s Favorite and the Flemish Beauty, some three hundred of which I had by the side of them, and lost none. I think it will not endure the climate of this county.” Thos. Beall, of Lindsay, says: “I have not grown this pear, but I had two trees planted, which died before the bearing age. I do not know of its being grown in this locality.” The late Warren Holton, of Hamilton, said: ‘I have fruited the Sheldon for several years and think very highly of it. It is with mea moderate bearer when young, but improves with age. I con- sider it the best quality and it always commands the highest price and a ready sale in the local markets.” T. T. Lyon, of South Haven, Mich., once wrote: ‘“ The Sheldon pear is con- siderably grown for market in Michigan. It is a vigorous, healthy variety ; a little variable in quality and somewhat un- certain in bearing. Aside from Bosc and Anjou, this and Howell may be said to range next to the Bartlett in the estimation of the mass of commercial planters of this fruit.” Proressor S. T. Maynard says that the old varieties of apples are running out and cites the Baldwin as an example. The varieties which he calls new, and which he says are coming more into vogue, are Sutton, Palmer, McIntosh, Wealthy and Gano. None of these, except possibly the last, are in reality new. All are good, says the Country Gentleman. Palmer, is little known, except locally. We suppose that this is the same as Palmer Greening, or more properly, Washington Royal. 424 LHe. EXPORT OF PREACHES. T seems well proven that we cannot export the Early Crawford peach with any certainty of success. One lot that was safely landed sold for $3.75 per bushel and clearly showed safe carriage. Not only is each peach being wrapped with cotton batting, but it is laid on a cushion of the same, and a pad of this material separates each row of fruit, as shown in our illustration. Fic. 1677.—TrRAY FOR PEACHES. that our peaches would bring a long price in England, if only they could be landed in good condition, for the qua- lity is most excellent and the color is exquisite. But for the most part this peach has arrived in a soft and worth- less condition, and brought loss upon the shippers. The package first used was very clumsy and very expensive, but of course if it were successful we could stand the cost. It was a box holding a little more than a bushel, having 8 trays, each of which contained one layer of fruit, and had to have a separate cover nailed on it. The peaches were each wrapped in tissue paper and tightly packed. The labor of packing in this way was most wearisome. ‘This season the same case is being used, but still greater care is being taken to ensure (Fig. 1677). Then a cushion covers the whole, so that there is no possibility of bruising, and if carried at a temperature of 36° F., we see no possibility of failure even with the Early Crawford. Two trays of them so packed were left over at our cold storage building at Grimsby, and three weeks later opened at the Town Hall, at our Horticultural Socicty Exhibition, and although of this tender variety, they were in perfect con- dition, with no perceptible change since packing. The surest success in exporting peaches will come about by the use of some bet- ter shipper than the Early Crawford, and we believe that in the Elberta we have found such a peach. It is about as large as the Early Crawford, longer and flatter lengthwise, not quite equal in 425 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. » = QS NSE ty Zi, Z Z AA AA. | : VA Fig. 1678.—Case FOR PEACHES AND PEARS. color, but a fine yellow peach with a fairly well colored cheek, not very juicy, but rather firm in flesh, and a free stone. For such a peach as this, our pear case (Fig. 1678) would answer an excellent purpose and be far less expensive. It is I ft. x 2 ft. x 4% or 5 inches, and holds two layers of fruit, wrapped in tissue paper, with packing ad libitum.