Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

He also asks “the cause of trees casting the bark to the height of eight or ten inches from the ground; under the bark the wood looks dead, and the bark scales off in time. No sign of borers. Two trees stand in a garden and are well cultivated, another outside of the garden in sod. The trees are of the Spitzenburg variety, and twenty years old.” “Also on other trees of the same variety the bark dies in streaks on the body and limbs. Is it caused by borers?”

The reason why the bark scales off, is because the wood beneath _is dead_, but why the wood has died is a question not easily answered by one who is ignorant of all the peculiar conditions in which these trees are placed, save the information given in this inquiry. Also it is impossible, for the same reason, to say what is the cause of the death of the bark in streaks on the bodies and limbs of the other trees. Our correspondent should be able to ascertain by examination whether it is probably caused by borers.

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THE CHINESE PRIMROSE.

In a previous number mention was made of this pretty flower, and of the satisfaction it gave to every one who had tried to grow it. We are now able, through the kindness of Mr. James Vick, of Rochester, N. Y., to present our readers with a neat illustration which will enable those not already acquainted with it, to form a very accurate conception of the appearance of the plant and flower.

It is one of those free, bright, cheery looking things, with something of a saucy air about it, that is ever reminding you of wildwood haunts and shady banks, where the fresh breezes toss the leaves, and toy with the flowers; and while you are enjoying their freshness and beauty, there steals into your mind the long forgotten melody of those witching words:

“I know a bank where the wild thime blows,
Where ox-lips, and the nodding violet grows.”

Such is their naturalness and air of vivacity that one never tires of them. You enjoy them to-day, and to-morrow they greet you with such a look of welcome, and hold up their pretty faces to you with such a winning grace that you linger longer than yesterday. You cannot tell which to admire the most, the modest bashfulness of that double white which peeps out to you from under the leaves, or the challenging boldness of that single pink, whose laughing eye meets your gaze so roguishly. Double or single, white, pink, magenta or carnation, they have each their beauty, both of flower and leaf.

You can either purchase the plants at the florists, already in bloom; or, if you enjoy the pleasure of raising them yourself, you can procure the seed from your seedsman. If you undertake to grow them from seed, it will be necessary to provide some light fibrous loam, well mixed with fine sand. Fill a small flower pot nearly half full of potsherds broken quite small, place over these a thin layer of moss to keep the soil from choking the drainage, and finish with your mixture of loam and sand. Now immerse your pot to the rim in water, until the moisture appears at the surface, then let the surplus water drain out, and sow the seed thinly over the surface of the soil. Now sift a very little of the very finest sand over the seeds, or what is better for the beginner, gently press the seed into the soil with some very smooth surface, such as a piece of glass, cover the pot with a light of glass, and set it in the north window of a warm room. In a couple of weeks the young plants will appear, and should be exposed to the light as much as possible, but not to the direct rays of the sun. When they need watering, it is safer to give it by immersing the pot in tepid water, until the soil is sufficiently moistened, than to apply it with a watering pot, unless you have one with a very fine rose. When the plants have become large enough to handle, transplant them separately into thumb-pots, well drained at the bottom, and filled with the same sort of soil that you used before, place them in a window where the sun will not strike them, give them plenty of air, and do not allow the temperature of the room to rise above sixty-five degrees. As fast as the roots fill the pots, shift into other pots a little larger in size, and do not check their growth by neglect. During the summer plunge them into a frame on the north side of some building, and when the nights begin to get chilly in the early part of September, return them to the window where you wish them to bloom. As soon as the flower buds form, be careful not to wet them when watering, lest they should rot.

If your seed was sown early, say in February, and your plants have grown well, they will begin to bloom before Christmas, and continue to yield a succession of flowers until June. When they have done blooming give them a rest of about six weeks, then pot them off into larger pots with fresh soil, and keep them growing, shifting to larger sizes as fast as they fill the pots with roots, if you wish to produce large, showy plants. If you do not wish to have large plants you can cut off the shoots and use them as cuttings, if you prefer this course, for any reason, to raising a fresh lot from seed.

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JARED P. KIRKLAND, L.L.D.

This distinguished man of science died at his home, near Cleveland, Ohio, on the 11th of December, 1877, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. To those who are now passing the meridian of life, he was well known as a most earnest student of nature, working diligently in several fields, with the fidelity and pains-taking of an enthusiastic admirer. His labors in the cultivation of fruits, and especially his experiments in the hybridization of cherries, have made his name familiar to every fruit grower. It is to him that we are indebted for that beautiful early cherry, the Governor Wood, which has been extensively disseminated throughout the sweet-cherry region of Ontario. Over twenty varieties of sweet-cherries, originated by him, are now in cultivation, conspicuous among which, besides the one already named, are his Black Hawk, Kirkland’s Mary, and Rockport Bigarreau.

Dr. Kirkland was born at Wallingford, in the State of Connecticut, on the 10th of November, 1793. His love of nature manifested itself in his early boyhood; the habits of all living things that had their haunts near his childhood’s home were familiar to him, and at the early age of twelve years he was trying experiments in the raising of silkworms. His grandfather bequeathed to him his medical library, and sufficient means to enable him to obtain a medical education. He entered the medical department of Yale College at its opening, and was the first student on its matriculation roll. After pursuing the practice of his profession for several years in his native State, he accepted the chair of theory and practice of medicine in the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, which he filled for five years with great ability and acceptance. In 1837 he purchased a farm, situate five miles west of Cleveland, where he made his home for the rest of his life. Here he pursued his favourite experiments in fruit culture and hybridization, and here he raised those hybrid cherries that have added so much to the pleasure and comfort of many a lover of fruit. During the period of his residence here he superintended the natural history department of the first geological survey of Ohio, and prepared a series of reports, which have been esteemed most valuable contributions to natural history. His large collection of specimens he donated to the Cleveland Society of Natural Sciences, where they are now jealously treasured. His was a busy life, down to its very close; for his temperate habits and genial spirits had preserved his vigor even to old age. May his mantle fall upon some of our young men who shall, with like tireless energy, take up the work of scientific fruit culture, and carry it on to yet fuller and richer results.

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BEETS FOR TABLE USE.

The Turnip-rooted Beets are usually grown for summer use, because they mature early. For many years the variety known as the Early Blood Turnip-Beet has been held in high estimation, both on account of its rich color, and good flavor. Then came the Early Bassano, not so dark in color, yet presenting a beautiful alternation of white and rose when cut into slices, and maturing a little earlier than the Blood Turnip-Beet. Within a few years a variety known as the Egyptian Blood Turnip-Beet has been gaining a place in our gardens. It is rich in color, tender and sweet, and comes to maturity the earliest of them all. On this account it is a favorite with market-gardeners, who often find it to their advantage to be able to supply their customers early in the season.

Beets delight in a rich and mellow soil. In cold and damp soils they are apt to be coarse and of poor flavor. The seed may be sown as early in the season as the ground can be worked. It should be planted in drills, eighteen inches apart, and two inches apart in the drill, and at a depth of an inch and a half. The seed will germinate more certainly and quickly if it be first soaked for a few hours in warm water, just before planting. When the young plants have grown to a height of about three inches they will require to be thinned out so as to stand from four to five inches apart. The young Beets that are pulled up in thinning out make most excellent greens, cooked tops and all. By taking out only a part at a time, the table can be supplied with these greens for some days.

In growing beets for table use it is not wise to endeavor to have them as large as it is possible to grow them. Overgrown beets are usually coarse, and lacking in flavor. A good beet is close and compact, fine grained, free from fibre, and smooth. For winter use the writer is in the habit of making a second sowing of the Early Blood Turnip-Beet about the end of June; these will keep sweet and good until June, if stored in a cold cellar—if kept in a warm cellar they lose their freshness and flavor.

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SHALL WE GRAFT OVER OLD ORCHARDS.

BY H. IVES, BATAVIA, N. Y.

After considerable experience in grafting old orchards on different farms, I have come to the decided conviction that it is better to plant out young, grafted trees of the sorts desired, than to graft over an orchard of old trees. I wished to change an orchard of Northern Spy, which had just begun to bear, into Baldwins; and thinking that the grafting of these thrifty young trees could be done to as good advantage as it ever could in any case, I put in from four to six grafts into each tree, which cost me about the same as new trees. Now I am not at all pleased with my work. The symmetry and beauty of the tree-top is destroyed, and after the best has been done that can be done to develop well-balanced tops from these grafts, they will have the appearance of having been bungled. In the case of old trees it is worse yet; it is more expensive, because more grafts must be set, more trimming done, and the work performed at great disadvantage. It is not, in my opinion, profitable to make such an orchard as satisfactory in appearance or as profitable in the end, as an orchard newly planted with young trees. The old trees will pay for the new trees if dug up by the roots in early Spring and cut up into stove-wood. I had a large orchard of old apple trees which I had dug up for twelve and a half cents each, and produced nearly an average of a cord of wood to a tree. The wood was worth enough, and more than enough, to pay for my new orchard of young trees, and when grown they will be far better than I could possibly have made the old trees by grafting them over.

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ONE OF OUR COMMON INSECTS.

BY W. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONT.

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(_Continued from page 11, No. 1._)

When the little caterpillar of the Cecropia Moth has eaten its way out of the egg, and makes its first meal on the empty egg-shell, it presents itself to us as a little, slim, black creature, with shining black knobs on its body, from which arise hairs of the same color. Being blessed with an excellent appetite, its growth is very rapid; and soon its skin becomes uncomfortably tight, when it is ruptured, and after much labor the little thing wriggles itself out of it; which process is repeated several times before the caterpillar attains its full growth. After each of these changes, or moultings, as they are called, the larvæ appears in an altered as well as an enlarged garment, and finally, when full grown, it attains the size and assumes the appearance presented in Fig. 3, and a very handsome creature it is. Its body is of a pale green color, and is ornamented with large warts or tubercles; these are coral red on the third and fourth rings of the body, while all the others are yellow, excepting those on the second and terminal segments, and the smaller tubercles along the sides, which are blue.

During its rapid and enormous growth it consumes an immense amount of vegetable food, and especially as it approaches maturity is its voracious appetite apparent. Where one or two have been placed on a young apple tree, they will often strip it entirely bare before they have done with it, and greatly damage the tree, and sometimes endanger its life by preventing the proper ripening of the wood.

The natural ratio of increase of this insect being very great, nature has provided means to curtail it. Being a somewhat conspicuous object, the larvæ sometimes serve as a dainty meal for some of the larger insectivorous birds, but is much oftener attacked and destroyed by parasites of several distinct species, all of which, in the larvæ state, live within the body of the caterpillar, and rioting on its substance finally occasion its death. One of these is shown in Fig. 4, a fat, legless grub or maggot, which is the progeny of a handsome four-winged fly, of a yellowish brown color, known as the long-tailed ophion fly, (_Ophion Macrurum_,) Fig. 5. The female fly deposits her eggs on the skin of her victim, fastening them firmly there; these, when hatched, eat their way through the exterior, and at once begin to feed upon the fatty parts within.

A two winged fly, known as a Tachina fly, very similar if not identical with the species known as the red-tailed Tachina fly, _Exorista Militaris_, figure 6, is often found infesting the Cecropia Caterpillar. The larvæ of this fly are of a translucent yellow color, and when mature, eat their way out of their victim and change to the chrysalis state under the ground. There are also two smaller species of parasites, known as Chalcis flies, which are destructive to this insect; one of these, (_Chalcis Maria_,) is shown in Fig. 7, much enlarged, the cross lines at the side showing the natural size.

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MILDEW ON THE BLACK CURRANT.

BY REV. W. STEWART DARLING, TORONTO.

I should be glad if in the next number of the HORTICULTURIST the editor would say whether he has seen or heard of a sort of blight or mildew which here has fallen on the black currants, and which, if it spreads, will put an end to the culture of that fruit. I have some beautiful black Naples bushes from which I have never had any perfect fruit; although a man who knows something about it said the other day, I ought to have half a bushel of currants from each tree. Soon after the foliage is fully developed, I observe here and there that the leaves begin to assume an upright tendency around the edges; underneath I find an almost invisible film, which however is so slight that I can assure myself of its presence only by passing my fingers over the under side of the leaves, after which there is a perceptible “stickiness,” which contact with healthy leaves does not produce. This continues to increase till the film becomes white, and passes over on to the upper side of the leaf in the form of mildew. This subsequently becomes brown, and the leaf, or part of it, will crumble as if scorched with fire. The power of the leaf is evidently destroyed before this stage; the fruit is arrested in its growth, and even that which is tolerably matured is dry and almost useless. I can detect no trace of insect life, nor could a well-known entomologist, who looked at them last summer, suggest the cause. I treated them with whale-oil soap in strong solution, and though I fancied that it retarded the growth of the evil it had no ultimately good effect. I have cut them back rather closely and propose to try salt on one row and sulphur on another. The land is light and warm, but well enriched; but land equally poor, not far off, had good fruit on it, while mine yielded nothing.

Not only in my own interest, but in that of others, I should be glad if some of our skilled fruit growers could give their attention to this matter.

[NOTE.—Not having noticed this mildew, the editor requests any
members who have been troubled with it to give their method of
treatment.]

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ASPARAGUS.

There is an increasing inquiry for plants of this most excellent vegetable, which indicates that it is becoming better appreciated, and that our people are increasing the variety of vegetables upon their tables. For a long time the only variety of vegetable enjoyed by the great proportion of our people was the potato. Very little attention was paid to the garden by our farmers, many of them had none at all; the only green peas were the poor, wretched things which were taken from the field—plundered from the swine, to which they properly belonged; and perhaps a few ears of green corn, in their season, from the corn-field. Rich, marrowfat peas, and sweet corn, were things almost unknown. It is very pleasant indeed, to notice a growing inquiry for better vegetables, and more of them.

One of the earliest that we have, much like rich green peas, coming with the sunny days of early spring, glad harbinger of other delights, is the Asparagus. As soon as the snows are gone, and the soil becomes warmed by the sun, the buds of the Asparagus begin to shew themselves above ground, and as soon as they have attained a few inches in height, may be broken off at the surface and cooked for the table. Many use them as they would green peas, cutting the sprouts into small pieces, cooking and serving them in the same manner. Others boil them whole until they become soft, spread them upon some toasted bread, and pour melted butter over the whole. Others again treat them as greens, dressing them with vinegar.

This little cut, which was obtained from Mr. Vick, of Rochester, shews the root with the buds growing up from it, and will give to many who are not familiar with the plant a good idea of its appearance. These roots can be purchased of nurserymen and market gardeners at very moderate cost, and planted out in a bed in the garden where they will continue for many years. The bed should be prepared by deep spading, and be well enriched and thoroughly pulverized. Trenches may be cut across the bed about six inches deep, and eighteen inches apart, and the plants set in the trenches nine inches from each other, and covered with two or three inches of soil. The best time for setting them out is in the Spring, from, say the middle of April to the middle of May.

Salt is a special manure which may be applied to our Asparagus beds with great benefit in this inland region. It should be spread over the surface of the ground only in the Spring, before the buds appear, at the rate of three pounds of salt to the square yard. Asparagus is a marine plant, hence an application of salt in sufficient quantity to destroy weeds, only supplies that, which in our inland country, is needed for the health and vigor of the plant.

A word about cutting the buds for use. In most of our works on gardening we are directed to cut them two or three inches below the surface, exercising great care not to cut off, in the operation, the buds which are coming up, but yet unseen. But why we should be at so much pains, and run so much risk of injuring the buds that lie hid under ground, merely for the sake of securing a portion of the stalk, which though it looks white and tender, is really tough and useless, is not easily understood. We prefer to cut them off just at the surface, thereby securing all that is eatable, and avoiding all risk of injuring the buds below. A young bed should not be cut over but a few times, after it has been well established the cutting may be continued for several weeks.

=VOL. I.]= =MARCH, 1878.= =[NO. 3.=

THE HASTINGS APPLE.

At the Winter meeting some specimens of this apple were exhibited by P. C. Dempsey, Albury, Ont. Such was the attractive appearance of the fruit, and so many its apparent good qualities, that we have obtained from Mr. Dempsey all that he was able to learn of its history, and procured an outline of the apple for the information of the members. The outline was taken from a medium sized specimen, and gives a fair representation of the form of the fruit and average size. The apple originated in the eastern part of the County of Hastings. The tree is a very pretty, rapid and upright grower, the wood is dark brown, the leaves large, and of a dark green color. The fruit is borne on spurs upon the old wood, and the terminal points of the previous season’s growth. The tree produces a good crop every year. Mr. Dempsey states that his tree has been fruiting for five years, and the crop has proportionately increased every year. The apple varies from medium to large; somewhat conical in form; the color is bright red, splashed and mottled with dark red. The stem is long, slender, set in a deep, narrow, funnel-shaped cavity; calix closed, and set in a shallow, strongly ribbed basin, flesh a little coarse grained, white, tender, breaking and juicy, flavor very mild sub-acid, pleasant, and slightly aromatic. The fruit sells readily, commanding the highest rates. We think it is worthy of the attention of those who find it necessary to plant the hardier varieties on account of the severity of their climate.

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THE SEASON FOR TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS.

BY S. B. SMALE, WROXETER.

When should Evergreens be transplanted, is a question which has been very often asked and as frequently answered. There is not a month in the year which has not been, from time to time, advocated as the proper season in which to perform this important work. But I believe the majority of those who have either written or spoken on this subject have stated the preferable time to be, in their judgment, from the middle of May to the middle or end of June in each year. I have known many to go so far as to say that this is the only time that it can be done with anything like safety. To this rule I wish to take exception, because the period named is that of the plant’s greatest activity; consequently, a greater shock will be given to it by its removal at this particular period than at any other. It is now admitted by all who have given attention to the subject, and it is in accordance with both theory and practice, that the best time to transplant deciduous trees is when they are dormant, that is, not growing; some time between the falling of the leaf in Autumn and the bursting of the bud in Spring. In this severe climate it is usually done in the Spring of the year, as soon as the ground has become sufficiently dry and settled to work easily. There is nothing in the nature of Evergreens to prevent this rule from applying with equal, or even greater force to them. They, in common with other trees, have their period of growth and their period of torpidity in each year, although no living tree can be said to be in a state of absolute torpidity at any time; they exhale moisture to some extent from their buds and small branches, and Evergreens from their leaflets also, even in the depth of Winter. In order to supply this waste they must absorb by the roots, so that a circulation, however sluggish, is maintained even at this period of the year. To transplant in the Fall or Winter would be to cut off a great many of the roots that run to the greatest depth into the soil out of the reach of frost, so that the tree would be prevented from obtaining the moisture requisite to maintain life. Therefore I would not recommend Fall or Winter as the season most suitable for transplanting Evergreens. The comparative leisure of the season might induce planters to perform the work in the Fall in milder climates than ours. I have found the first Winter to be a trying time in some years for Evergreens that were transplanted the previous Spring. In May and June the plant is putting forth its utmost efforts to produce the annual growth of wood; absorption, exhalation, and circulation are in their states of greatest activity, and the plant receives a rude shock when these are suddenly interrupted. By transplanting in the early Spring the earth will have time to settle about the roots; young fibrous roots will have commenced to grow, and the plant will not attempt to produce the same amount of annual growth that it would if not removed until June. The sap of Evergreens is resinous, and if the plant be long exposed out of the ground the watery portion of the sap evaporates, allowing the resin to harden, and no amount of water afterwards applied to the roots will soften it, as it is insoluble in water at ordinary temperature, the circulation consequently can never be restored, and the plant of necessity must die. Now this state of affairs is more likely to be brought about in Summer than in the Spring, when we have cooler weather and a greater number of cloudy days. I would recommend early Spring as the best time to transplant Evergreens. It is not contended that Evergreens cannot be transplanted with success at other seasons, but all other things considered, I believe the transplanting of them in early Spring reduces the chances of failure to a minimum. If they are taken up with a large ball of earth adhering to the roots, large trees even may be safely transplanted at any season; this however is too slow and expensive a process for large plantations. I have planted some hundreds of Evergreens, and my experience agrees with what I have stated above, as to time. The planting of shelter belts by the orchardist is now thought to be necessary before he can be said to have completed his arrangements for the successful growth of fruit, and the planting of two or three rows of Evergreens will have more effect in protecting an orchard from the cold winter winds than many rows of deciduous trees, which have nothing but their naked stems and branches to offer as a resistance; hence the importance of the subject that I have thus briefly discussed. Tree planting is one of unsurpassed importance to the fruit grower of the present day; and the free discussion of such questions in a periodical such as the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, must be mutually instructive and beneficial.

I wish to say, before closing, that I was much surprised and highly gratified on receiving, one day this week, the first number of the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. It will supply a long felt want, it being the first publication of the kind in Canada, so far as I know. The one mysterious thing to me is, how the Fruit Growers’ Association of Ontario can supply so much, for the member’s annual fee of one dollar. The Directors are entitled to the lasting gratitude of the members; and I trust their laudable efforts to promote the interests of fruit growing in Ontario may be crowned with unbounded success.

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THE CABBAGE BUTTERFLY.

A member of the Association writing from Garafraxa, wishes us “to give some information as to the best way of getting rid of the green cabbage worm; it is a great pest in this quarter.” We have much pleasure in referring him to the entomological part of the Report for 1877, at page 7, where it is stated by P. C. Dempsey, of Albury, that hot water had been successfully used to destroy the worms; that the cabbage would bear an application of water heated to 200° of Fahrenheit without injury, while even at a somewhat lower temperature it would kill the worms. The hot water can be applied through the rose of a common garden watering-pot. He also stated that a cold infusion of Quassia, in the proportion of three pounds to a barrel of water, had been found to be effectual in killing the worms, and more conveniently applied than hot water. The Quassia might give a slightly bitter taste to the cabbage unless thoroughly washed before cooking, but it is perfectly harmless to the human system.

At page 5 of the same Report, he will find that the President of the Entomological Society gives him the cheering information that the little parasite, _Pteromalus puparum_, is on the increase here, hence there is a good time coming, when the ravages of this pest to our cabbages will be very much lessened. And this hope was previously held out to us at page 40, of the entomological part of the Report for 1876. Some methods of lessening the numbers of this butterfly are suggested at page 32 of the entomological part of the Report for 1875, and a full description of the insect, with engravings of male and female butterfly, of the worm and of the chrysalis, are also given.

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A PLEA FOR FLOWERS.

BY AN OLD DIGGER, HAMILTON, ONT.

Among other useful magazines of the month, I wish to greet in terms of welcome that particular one which the Directors of the Fruit Growers’ Association of Ontario have put forth, not unlike what Noah did when he loosed the dove from the ark, to secure for the lovers of fruits and flowers so desirable a medium for exchanging horticultural thoughts and experiences. May the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST prove a welcome visitor each month to those who seek the festive regions of Pomona and Flora. I take its humble beginning as a pledge of future greatness, and am convinced that the numbers of the F. G. A. will make it a credit to our Province by frequent contributions of useful matter.

Farmers’ wives and daughters, among whom, I am happy to say, is growing up a most worthy and refined taste for flowers and fruits, will find it to their advantage to ask questions through this convenient medium, as to the finest, best, and most suitable flowers with which to deck their lawns and ornament the garden-plot attached to their rural homes. What can add more to the charms of these quiet homes than nicely kept borders of blooming flowers, unless indeed it be the ruddy glow of health on the cheeks of the maidens who tend and care for these lovely pets of Summer. They are the true Canadian daughters who thus labor to make home attractive, and secure the love of father, the approval of mother, the affection of brother, and finally gain for themselves, as a just reward, the deep and lasting love of the appreciative man, who has been watching and waiting to take as his wife to his own home, the girl who knows so well how to strew life’s thorny path with beautiful flowers. He knows, without further instruction, that she will make that home an Eden.

Many a time, weary with the day’s hard digging, have the pains of my own toils vanished when looking over and admiring the well-kept borders of petunia, phlox, pansy, heliotrope, and asters, placed in front of my humble cottage by the loving hands of those who know so well the attractive force of flowers; there have I sat, in the quiet glow of golden sunset, enjoying to the full their brilliant tints and grateful fragrance; the hard lines of life’s toil for the time quite forgotten, in delightful communion with these smiling daughters of Flora. Let us then cultivate flowers, and have all the talk we can touching these pledges of love from the full hand of nature.

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CYCLAMEN PERSICUM.

We wish to call attention to this beautiful and easily grown flower, both on account of the ease with which it can be cultivated, especially as a window plant in a cool room, and the abundance of flowers which it will yield in the months of January and February, when flowers are greatly appreciated. Probably many of our readers are not familiar with it, and therefore in order that they may have a better idea of its general appearance than can be given by any description, we have obtained, through the courtesy of Mr. Jas. Vick, of Rochester, N. Y., the accompanying engraving, which is a very accurate representation of the plant in flower.

The Cyclamen can be propagated successfully only from seed, but as that is a somewhat tedious process, requiring two, and sometimes three years to produce corms of sufficient size to flower, the process of raising them will not now he dwelt upon. The corms, already grown to sufficient size for flowering, can be purchased of the nurserymen and florists for fifty cents apiece, and when once procured, with proper treatment, will last many years. They are called corms because they are solid and not formed, as bulbs are, of imbricated scales.

Most persons will purchase their Cyclamens when in flower, and therefore we commence our hints on their culture at this point. When you have brought them home, place them in the window, as close to the glass as possible, where they will have abundance of light; they do not require much heat, even when in flower; indeed they flourish better and hold their flowers longer where the temperature is not raised higher than sixty-five. They should be watered with care, not allowing the soil to become dry, nor, on the other hand, to be kept soaked with water. When they have finished flowering, they should be slowly ripened off, withholding water gradually, and exposing them fully to the sun and air. After they are thoroughly ripened, it is the writers practice to plunge the pots into a bed on the north side of a building or tight board fence, where they will be sheltered from the full power of the sun. The pots are plunged deep enough to cover the corms with soil to the depth of a couple of inches. Here they can be safely left until September, unless mice find them, if they do they will surely devour them. About the first of September they should be taken up, knocked out of the pots, and repotted in fresh soil. Do not use large pots, one that will receive the corm nicely is large enough, the same pot often answering for two or more years. A soil composed of well-rotted turf, decayed leaves, and sand, in about equal parts, will be found well adapted to them. The addition of a little pounded charcoal, or soot from the chimney, is thought to add to the depth of color of both leaves and flowers. In potting, put plenty of broken crock or bits of charcoal in the bottom of the pot, so as to give it good drainage, then fill with soil and plant the corm so that the top of it will be level with the rim of the pot, and one third of it above the surface of the soil; now water sufficiently to settle the soil, place them in a cool, shady place, where they can be protected from frosts, if frosty nights should come, and water very sparingly, only giving sufficient to keep the soil damp. When the weather becomes so cool that it is prudent to take them in, put them in the window where they can have plenty of air and light, but where the thermometer will not indicate a temperature above fifty degrees, and continue to water them sparingly. In watering do not pour the water over the corm, but on to the soil below. Some place the pots in saucers, and give water when needed by pouring it into the saucers. The great secret of success lies in keeping the plants in a cool temperature until they begin to bloom, and not allowing the soil to become overcharged with water. When they begin to bloom they may be allowed a temperature as high as sixty-five°, and will require to be watered more freely.

The leaves of Cyclamen Persicum are heart shaped, toothed on the edge, dark green in color with marblings of gray. The flowers are raised above the foliage on long foot stalks, as shown in the engraving, and are either white, with a rosy purple centre, or rosy lilac throughout, with a deepened shade at the centre. They are very free bloomers, the individual blooms continue a long time, and the succession is kept up for months. Mr. Vick says of them, very truly, in his catalogue, “They are particularly adapted for window culture, and will give more flowers with less trouble than almost any plant with which we are acquainted.”

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CONOVER’S COLOSSAL ASPARAGUS.

We have not been able to see any marked superiority in the Conover’s Colossal Asparagus over that in use long before Conover was born. Some of the best samples of this new sort were sent to the exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society a few years ago, but they were badly beaten by the common sort, which was both larger and heavier, though it laid no claim to being colossal. Cultivation will make colossal buds, neglect will make but pigmies, in this as in everything else.

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APPLE TREES IN THE COUNTY OF DUNDAS.

BY JOHN CROIL, AULTSVILLE.

The following suggestions by one of the Directors of the Fruit Growers’ Association, are taken from the _Morrisburg Courier_, and deserve careful attention from all fruit growers who have to contend with a climate similarly severe:

To any one of common observation, I think it must be evident that the cultivation of the orchard has not been a success among us. Old orchards, with few exceptions, are comparatively worthless, and their place is not being well supplied. Appearances are that our farmers will soon have to procure from a distance, and at unnecessary expense, their supply of that most healthy and favorite of all fruits, the apple, which they should have in abundance, and at little cost, at home. The fault does not lie in that trees enough have not been planted; nurserymen and tree planters can vouch for that. The natural question comes to be, wherein lies the cause of failure? Many reasons are advanced, such as poor trees, our severe winters, &c. No doubt these have much to do with it, but much can be done to help us out of these difficulties. I suggest first, that we want hardy trees, and if I succeed in naming to your readers trees really hardy for this neighborhood, I think I will have gained one point. Any little knowledge I may have in the matter I have learned from observation, and rather dear bought experience. When I planted my first orchard, I thought I had so well posted myself up in the opinion of good authorities, that success was a certainty, but soon discovered my mistake. As to varieties, Downing names hundreds that will thrive well in his favored climate on the banks of the Hudson, that are of no value to us here. The same may be said of many of our large growers in the West, and other milder climates. Some trees succeed here that are worthless in the Ottawa valley. Many trees are classed in the catalogues as hardy that will not stand our Winters; of these I’ll name a few I am convinced will never be profitable with me, nor do I think they will thrive in our neighborhood, viz: Rhode Island Greening, Wagner, Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Spitzenburg. I have tried them all repeatedly, and they will not answer; I wish they would, as they are all first class apples. True, they are all hardy kinds, but not hardy enough for our locality. Under favorable circumstances some of them might live, but my advice is, leave them alone. Then most catalogues give us long lists of so called hardy apples, (too many to mention), that are worthless here; I’ll pass them over, and name some of those I have tried, and have no hesitation in recommending. As to Summer apples I can say little, as, excepting a few for family use, I don’t consider them profitable. Red and White Astracan, and Brockville Beauty are good kinds. Tetofsky and Early Harvest are well recommended. Autumn apples; Fameuse or Snow, St. Lawrence, and Duchess of Oldenburg, are quite reliable, and deserve all the praise they get. Seek-no-Further is a good apple, but I have found the tree short lived. Emperor Alexander is well spoken of. Winter apples; here my list will be small, but I think reliable: Talman’s Sweet, Pomme Grise, American Golden Russet, and McIntosh Red. Of the latter variety it is said in the _Canada Farmer_ for 1875, p. 125: “The parent tree originated where it now stands, in Matilda, Dundas Co. Ont., some seventy years ago, and has borne every year since the oldest inhabitants can remember, and is still perfectly hardy, the apple also being good in every respect. It has been propagated from, and distributed in the neighborhood, and evidence is given of the most positive character, as to the hardiness, productiveness, and longevity of the tree, and the quality, size and keeping properties of the apple.” I have not had this variety long enough in my orchard to speak positively of its bearing qualities, but the few apples I have had, are equal to the description, and my trees are healthy and hardy. I planted in faith sixty trees last Spring, and ten some years ago. I would be inclined to try a few of the Baxter and Peach Apples, both Winter kinds, and well spoken of.

Many of your readers, when they come to the end of my list, will say (and they are right,) the number of Winter apples, the good long-keeping fellows we like to have in the Spring, are reduced to very few. I don’t pretend to say the above are all the good Winter apples that will succeed here, but it is all I have found to succeed, and I will feel under obligation to any one in these counties who will name one or more other kinds faithfully tried and found good. Although my list is small, there is in it enough to have a good supply of apples nearly the year round, for home consumption and the market. When speaking of the very limited number of varieties that will succeed here, an experienced nurserymen gave me the advice which I will pass to your readers: “Buy your Winter apples; grow and sell Fameuse to pay for them.” I believe the advice on the whole to be good; would, however, recommend planting a few of the kinds above recommended. The Fameuse I consider decidedly the most desirable tree to plant, a hardy tree, an early and abundant bearer, and a universal favorite. Last Fall, from two trees of this variety, I gathered 17 barrels of apples, and sold them for $51. “Tall figures,” perhaps some will say, but true.

Charles Downing, the great American Pomologist, says that the McIntosh Red is an apple of medium size or above, skin whitish yellow, very nearly covered with dark rich red or crimson, almost purplish in the sun; flesh white, fine, very tender, juicy, sub-acid, refreshing, with a peculiar, slightly quince-like flavor. In use from November to February.

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ON PHOSPHATES.

BY P. E. BUCKE, OTTAWA.

Some enquiries having been made at the Winter meeting of the Fruit Growers’ Association, in February last, regarding phosphates, the following facts may not be without interest.

Deposits of the richest description of this ore are found on the River du Lievre, which flows into the Ottawa river, 18 miles below Ottawa city. Scientific analysis has proved beyond doubt that these beds of phosphates are decidedly the richest ever mined in any quarter of the globe, ranging, as they do, from 85 to 95 per cent. The rocks bearing this mineral are traced through five townships, and though the area is scarcely yet known to a certainty, owing to the country not having yet been cleared up, and the localities being covered with moss, leaves, trees, shrubs, and soil; it is not improbable that it extends over many miles of territory, besides penetrating to a considerable depth into the earth’s crust. In many places the deposits are high up in the hills, the country about the section in which the phosphates are found being of a very uneven and broken nature. Already a number of enterprising individuals are engaged in getting out large quantities for shipment this Spring, and though this industry has been greatly retarded by reason of the small quantity of snow that has fallen during the Winter, yet it is expected that some four thousand tons will be delivered on the banks of the Ottawa or on the navigable waters of the Lievre, ready for shipment in barges, either to New York city or to Montreal, where it will be reshipped to Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. The price realized per ton is about $15, which varies according to the assay, when deposited on the wharf. In Liverpool or New York it is worth, in its crude state, from $28 to $32 per ton; and when manufactured into superphosphate, by treatment with sulphuric acid, it brings $50 per ton on this continent. This manure is principally used, on this side of the Atlantic, in the southern States, where the climate is of a humid nature; further north, or in Canada, it is stated it cannot be used with success, as our atmosphere is not sufficiently moist, and it would therefore lay inactive in the soil; should this apprehension prove to be correct, it can never come largely into use here until some means of irrigation is devised to dissolve it, so that it may be absorbed by the tender rootlets of young and growing plants. This fertilizer is principally used in England for turnips, and is drilled in with the seed. When applied to this crop it produces the most wonderful effects, stimulating the young plants to a rapid growth, thereby overcoming the ravages of the fly so destructive in its early stages.

The great rival to the Canada phosphate beds are those of South Carolina, which were opened ten years ago. I find by the United States, government returns, that in 1870 the sum of six millions of dollars was then invested by capitalists in working them, and the products from these mines have been shipped to Europe in large quantities. These phosphates are not nearly so pure as those on the Ottawa, yielding only 40 per cent., and as ours become better known in the old world, they will be the more sought after.

The Canadian phosphates supplied to the States are principally used there to mix with the poorer class received from South Carolina, which are manufactured into superphosphate at Brooklyn; the sulphuric acid used for treating the ores being that which has already done service in the coal oil refineries of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The margin is so great between the phosphate and the superphosphate, the former being worth $15, and the latter $50 per ton, that the question of manufacturing an article ready for use ought to be seriously taken into consideration by some of our capitalists. The refuse sulphuric acid could no doubt be very cheaply had from the London and Hamilton oil refineries, and it would only be a question whether it would be better to convey the acid to the phosphate or the phosphate to the acid, as the latter is not a very easy thing to handle. Should it be found necessary to manufacture the acid, it is understood there is any quantity of material for the purpose in the eastern townships, both as regards copper pyrites and sulphur beds; and if our deposits of phosphates turn out anything like what present indications would lead one to expect, at no distant day large manufactories, both of the acid and of the superphosphates will be established, most probably near Montreal, that being the most central point for operations.

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THE POMME GRISE, AND THE SWAYZIE POMME GRISE.

BY REV. R. BURNET, LONDON, ONT.

The former of these apples has a number of synonyms. From the peculiar tawny color of the skin, the French are in the habit of calling it “Pomme de Cuir.” English people, acquainted with its French name, call it “Gray Apple.” This designation suits its appearance exceedingly well, for it is singularly marked, and once known can never be forgotten. Its excellence in Canada cannot be called in question; unquestionably it is the finest dessert apple we have. It is of French origin, and holds the same relation to apples, as the Seckel does to pears. Its exceedingly marked peary flavor has recommended its cultivation wherever known. Several Summer apples are exquisite in their flavor, and of great beauty, but for modesty of look, and real genuine goodness, commend us to the Pomme Grise. Some find fault with its size; it is easy to find fault, in fact that is the commonest accomplishment of mankind. It bears prolifically, and this may in part account for its diminutive size. Great size and fruitfulness, seldom distinguish one variety of fruit. The tree is a strong grower, and requires no particular extra care. Its home, like that of the Fameuse or Snow Apple, is the isle of Montreal. It has taken kindly to its trans-atlantic location. Nor is this to be wondered at, Hamilton beach is on the parallel of Cape Finisterre, on the north-west of Spain, and should St. Malo and neighborhood prove to be the country of its birth, it is not to be wondered at that it suits the climate of eastern Canada. It takes kindly to the soil of Ontario, and luxuriates in the western peninsula, succeeding more especially in the neighborhood of Niagara and Grimsby. We have never seen them excelled as grown on the Niagara river. The Messrs. Brown, perhaps, raise as good Pomme Grise as are grown anywhere. Mr. George Leslie, Jr., Toronto, has shown fine samples grown in his grounds, and the same may be said of samples from various parts of Yonge street.