THE WINTER IN CANADA. 



With rcirnnl to tlie subject matter of your letter, we have been always itineh 

 surprised at the accounts wo have so t're(|uently seen in the Jfor/inilturisf, espe- 

 cially from jiarties at the far West, as to the winter killin,!; of ai)plc-trees. It is a 

 thiiii? almost entirely unknown with us here. During the course of ten years' 

 experience on these grounds, we really cannot say that wc have ever found one 

 variety of the ap})le more tender than another, except, perhaps, the Early llarvest 

 and the Baldwin, and, even in these two cases, we are not sure if we can attribute 

 it to any inherent tenderness in the tree, for the Early Harvest is generally ajit to 

 canker and rot at the junction of the limbs and stem. In the case of our losing 

 some young Baldwins, it was perhaps owing to a too luxuriant growth. That 

 there are sorts which seem to acclimate themselves better than others, there can 

 be no doubt. Thus, the Fameuse, Pomme Oris, St. Lawrence, and Bonrassa, all 

 natives of Montreal, grow vigorously and well, whilst the Newtown Pippin seems 

 to grow slowly and weakly ; but then, we must attribute these dilferences to the 

 original constitution of the tree, and not to the severity of the climate. We 

 believe that fruit-trees have nowhere ever been put to a severer test than on our 

 own grounds, for the nursery lies on the northwestern slope of the Montreal 

 Mountain, which overlooks the city, and the cold blasts from the Ottawa Kiver 

 sweep over it unbroken. We have experienced a temperature of 35° below zero, 

 and every winter have it approaching 25° or 30°. Before winter sets in, we have 

 some little freezing and thawing, but once the icy king is down upon us, there is 

 little of that. Winter, in its rigor, lasts about four months. Our soil is a light, 

 gravelly loam. 



We see plainly that you have a strange and fickle climate to contend with. It 

 must be all traced to that ; ours may be called a ripening climate. Our cold, dry 

 falls prepare the trees for the severity of the winters. P>om the lists you have 

 sent us, it is plain that, with you, some sorts are in reality hardier than others. 

 We have looked carefully over your list, and confess ourselves quite puzzled, for 

 we see the universal Canadian favorite, the Fameuse, so hardy and fine, is occasion- 

 ally tender at the West, and that hardy, healthy, sprawling fellow, the Rhode Island 

 Greening, put in the same category. One remark we may venture to make, that 

 those classed in your lists as hardy, are generally the most vigorous with us. 



Winter killing of trees in the nursery row, is entirely unknown with us, as we 

 have stated above. The snow generally averages about four feet in depth, and 

 forms a valuable covering. In proof of this, we had a small Cryptomeria japonica 

 quite uninjured last winter. 



We will now name a few of the sorts of apples we have found most worthy of 

 cultivation. Fameuse, the very best fall apple, of delightful flavor, and the tree 

 an enormous bearer. Thousands of barrels are raised hereabouts. The same may 

 also be said of the Pomme Gris, Bourassa, and St. Lawrence, though the Bourassa is 

 rather getting out of favor, as it does not always bear well. Kerwick Codlin, the 

 poor man's apple, and a universal favorite. Kerry Pippin and Hawthorne, very 

 fine. We also name Emperor Alexander, Early Joe, Red Astracan, Sapson, 

 Doming, R. I. Greening, Kentish Fillbasket, Rambo, Yellow Bellflower, Stone 

 Pippin, Baldwin, Minshall's Crab or Baker. Ribston Pippin, every way worthy, 

 and grows most luxuriantly. Breden Pippin, small, but good. Golden Pippin, 

 of sorts. Northern Spy, late in bearing ; all the Leadingtons do well with us. 

 ^Montreal Beauty, a Crab, and the best of all. Sam Young, Carroll's Seedling, 

 Pearson's Plate, and Cornish Aromatic, are four old country sorts of exquisite 

 flavor. Carroll's Seedling is one of the best apples we ever ate. Rosemont is a 

 new winter sort, produced in Montreal of first-rate flavor, 



The above remarks as to the hardihood of trees, refer to apples alone. When 



