REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST 107 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Kilmore (Yosemite Purple Seedling): — Size large; form roundish, slightly flat- 

 tened; cavity medium depth and width; suture a distinct line; colour bright purplish 

 red; dots moderately numerous, yellow, distinct; bloom moderate; skin moderately 

 thick, moderately tough; flesh deep yellow, juicy; stone above medium, oval, consid- 

 erably flattened, almost free; sweet, rich, good flavour; quality good. Promising. 

 Season medium late. 



CHEEKEES. 



As a rule the fruit buds of practically all varieties of cherries are winter-killed at 

 the Central Experimental Farm. When, however, there are no very low temperatures 

 there is a fair crop on a few varieties. Last winter the lowest temperature was only 

 20*6° F. below zero and there were no long spells of very cold weather, hence it was a 

 little more favourable for cherries. As a result a few varieties produced fair crops. 

 These were Orel 25, Vladimir, Minnesota Ostheim, Cerise d'Ostheim, Lithaur Weichsel, 

 Heart-shaped Weichsel, Griotte du Nord, and Orel 24. The best crops were on trees of 

 the first four varieties, which have in the past shown themselves to be of greater hardi- 

 ness in fruit bud than others. The Orel 25 is probably the hardiest of all. 



PEARS. 



Pears are not a success at Ottawa, none of the better varieties having survived. 

 The Flemish Beauty has proven the hardiest good pear, but the tree blights and it does 

 not live long. At Oka, lower down the Ottawa river, this variety succeeds well. The 

 Goliva Kurskaya, Dvinnoe Solovieff, and Zuckerbirn, which are among the hardiest and 

 freest from blight, fruited this year, but they are all of inferior quality. Some seedling 

 pears are being grown in the hope of getting some better hardy sorts. 



GRAPES. 



This was only a moderately favourable season for grapes. The crop was probably 

 the largest that the vines have borne and the bunches were well filled and the fruit of 

 good size and little affected by disease, but owing to the comparatively cool autumn and 

 the cool nights the grapes did not become as sweet as they sometimes do. Robins were 

 very troublesome and at the beginning of the season destroyed a large quantity of 

 grapes, a flock of these birds apparently making their headquarters near the vineyard. 

 The birds did not wait until the fruit was ripe the acidity of some of the varieties 

 apparently suiting their taste. The varieties chosen were with thin skins, such as 

 Canada, Brant, Peabody, Poughkeepsie and Delaware. 



There were 90 varieties which ripened. As this was an unfavourable season fox 

 early ripening, it will be useful to record the names of those which ripened first, as 

 these may be relied on to ripen almost every year. 



Grapes which ripened earliest, 1905: — Florence, September 16, Champion, Manito, 

 Early Daisy, September 18; Moore's Early, Early Ohio, September 20; Moyer, Golden 

 Drop, Bonne Madame, Pattison, Campbell's Early, September 23 ; JanesviUe, Telegraph, 

 Marion, Jewel, Canada, September 30. Brant and Peabody were nearly all eaten by 

 birds, but they usually ripen about the same time as Canada. 



The Lincoln (Read's hybrid) grape, which ripened early last year, did not ripen 

 this year until after the above named varieties, but the vines are in a low part of the 

 vineyard and the nights being cool ripening was delayed. This is a very promising 

 sort, being a heavy bearer with uniform bunches and fruit of rather good quality. 



