8 Bureau of Farmers' [nstitutes. 



Question. — "Which poison is tin- l«-i to kill the currant worm 

 on the bushes \ 



Mr. Smith. — For most people, no doubt, white hellebore is 

 best. It does nol cosl much. Where currants are grown on a 

 large scale, some of the arsenical poisons, as a rule, are used, but 

 the work must be done early and thoroughly. Don't wait, but 

 apply the poison as soon as there is any sign of the worms. 



A Farmer. — A man told me, recently, that he once bored 

 holes in some of his fruit trees, filled them partly with sulphur, 

 then plugged them up. Result : all .the fruit on them was per- 

 fect, while that on the other trees was scabby and knotty. I 

 should like to know if there is any foundation in the story ? 



Mr. I\iee. — A fellow canie along in our county (Westchester) 

 one time, and met a physician, whom he told that he had a fluid, 

 which, if injected into a tree, would make it healthy, and perfect its 

 fruit. He would do it for $2 per tree. The doctor told him 

 to go ahead, which he did. The doctor told me that he some- 

 times gives his patients hypodermic injections, and he thought 

 such fluid injections might benefit the trees. I told him that 

 the best way to inject life, and a good growth into a tree, and 

 to insure a good crop of fruit, would be to inject nitrogen, potash 

 and phosphoric acid into the soil, where the tree stands. 



-Mr. Smith. — I heard Prof. Beach ,-ay there was absolutely no 

 foundation for the statement. If the plug is withdrawn, the 

 sulphur will be found in the hole, but it might be possible that 

 the boring of the holes checked wood-growth, and thus stimu- 

 lated fruit-growth, but he very much doubted it. 



Question. — Can pear trees five years of age be grafted in the 

 stumps, the tops having been destroyed? 



Mr. Woodward. — Perfectly easy. Cut them back till you get 

 a good healthy stock and insert scions with three buds on each. 

 Pear tree- may be just as easily grafted as apple trees, and the 

 grafts will live jusl a- long. 



Question. — I have an orchard which I wish to top-graft. Is 

 it better to graft all at one time or be two or three years in 

 finishing the job \ 



Mr. Woodward. — It would be far better to do it at one time, 

 and -ne should put in lots of sci< ns. The idea that if is better 

 to be three or four years working a new (op on a tree is an old-fogy 

 one. Hut, when you select scions, cut them from annual-bearing 

 trees and pu1 the - tons into small, not large limbs, unless you 

 want to wait a number of years for fruit. 



