REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 99 



Speedwell. — English ; from Wm. Fell & Sons ; a fair grower; berries pale red, 

 gparsely spined, oval or pyriform ; ripe Aug. 1 ; quality rather poor, productive. 



Riccardo. — From same source as last named variety ; a strong healthy grower ; 

 berries 1^ x \^ inches ; tinged with red ; roundish oval or slightly pyriform ; mildly 

 subacid ; ripe last week of July. 



Among other better known varieties may be mentioned Crown Bob and Lancashire 

 Lad. The two varieties of English gooseberries best known and most widely cultivated 

 are Whitesmith and Industry. 



Of American varieties Downing or Pearl undoubtedly stand at the head of the list. 

 White Crystal has been very productive, but drops badly and is of poor quality. 



LARGE FRUITS. 



THINNING PEACHES AND PLUMS. 



The importance of thinning peaches and plums during seasons of heavy yields is 

 fully demonstrated by the results of the following experiment carefully carried out and 

 clearly described by Mr. Martin Burrell, St. Catharines, Ont. The crop of peaches 

 throughout the peach belt of southern Ontario last season was very large and the size 

 of the average sample of fruit very small. No doubt the extremely hot weather of early 

 summer was largely responsible for the small size of the fruit ; again the usual period of 

 high temperature characterizing the Crawford season had the effect of forcing the whole 

 crop on the market very hurriedly. Prices went down to zero and poor fruit was an 

 absolute drug. For a few days only the best grades brought in remunerative returns. 

 Had the fruit been of good size it would have paid growers and buyers to have stored it 

 a few days pending the clearing of the markets — as it was, a large proportion of the 

 early Crawfords were sacrificed. The experiments conducted by Mr. Burrell for this 

 division are therefore timely, and it is hoped that fruit growers will bear in mind the 

 necessity of carrying out practices of this kind in these days of close competition. 



With regard to thinning plums, though the results are not so marked as in the case 

 of the peaches on account of the variety selected, there is no doubt that thinning 

 Lombards is an absolute necessity, taking one year with another. If allowed to bear at 

 will the tree overbears, the fruit soon becomes small and poorly coloured and will hardly 

 pay the cost of picking, transportation and selling. The trees, too, break down and 

 become debilitated. It is expensive work, but it will pay. The fruit should be thinned 

 early in the season. Hand labour seems to be the only practicable method at present. 



NOTES BY MR. BURRELL. 



The thinning experiment on peaches were conducted on six-year old trees of the 

 Hyne's Surprise variety, an almost free stone, white fleshed peach ripening between the 

 season of the Early Rivers and the Yellow St. John. (10th to 25th Aug.) Three trees 

 of each variety were selected as nearly alike as possible. The first was thinned on 22nd 

 June, the second ten days later and the third left as a " check " tree. The thinning 

 process was performed on the first tree when the peaches were quite small, between 

 one-half and two-thirds of an inch from apex to base. On the second tree the peaches 

 were from an inch to an inch and a quarter long. The fruit was picked as it ripened, 

 three or four pickings for each tree. In the results appended " firsts " were 7 inches or 

 more in circumference, and " thirds " were too small to be marketable. 

 8a— 7i 



