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JOUENAL C* HOilTlCULTUBE AnI) COTTAGE GAEbfaNfefe. 



[ Febrnafj 8, ISrf: 



and the curious epines in one or two species project over the 

 head like horns. A familiar example is the Pearl-bordered 

 (Argynnis Euphrosyne) to be captured in most large woods by 

 the score early in June. We pass from these to the more 

 showy group of the Angle-wings, often with gregarious larva, 

 generally attached to the order Urticacea?, as formerly consti- 

 tuted, feeding on Nettles, the Hop, and the Elm ; though the 

 Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui) prefers Thistlee, yet the larva 

 will eat Nettles. These species, the Vanessidro, as recognised 

 even by children through such familiar names as the Peacock, 

 the Tortoiseshell, and the Red Admiral (Admirable?) are 

 visitants to our gardens, where their graceful and rapid move- 

 ments are pleasing ; nor is their abstraction of honey so carried 

 on as to injnro the flowers they frequent. The not very abun- 

 dant Comma (V. C. album) it should be noted, though the 

 caterpillar feeds on the Hop, or rarely on the Ked Currant, is 

 too slightly injurious to be reckoned as an insect enemy. Of 

 this and the Little Tortoiseshell there are two broods each 

 year; rearing the latter (V. Urticas) from the unpromising 

 larvfB which swarm on Nettles in odd corners during May, and 

 again in July, has been to manj'the first experiment in butter- 

 fly nurture. The pretty White Admiral (V. Sybilla) is, how- 

 ever, a lover of woods, where the caterpillar eats Honeysuckle; 

 it was once common at Coombe Wood, Surrey, near the ground 

 rendered famous by a nurseryman of our time. — J. B. S. C. 



FBDITS IN ONTARIO. 



Ontaeio is as well adapted for the culture of a great variety 

 of fruits as any part of the world. Its climate closely re- 

 sembles that of the Grape-growing provinces of the Rhine. 

 The western portion of Ontario has been pronounced by 

 authorities to be the most suitable part of the American con- 

 tinent for Grape culture. There is ample sun to ripen the 

 fruit, and the Vines can stand the frosts of winter without 

 artificial protection. Vineyards require too much labour for 

 a new country, but in process of time no doubt Canada will be 

 able to make its own wine. Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines 

 ripen in the extreme south and west — I mean as orchard crops. 

 In favourable situations these fruits ripen in gardens here and 

 there all through Canada West. 



The Apple orchards of Ontario, both as regards the quanti- 

 ties and qualities of the fruit, are second to none in the world. 

 The export of Apples has been found such a profitable busi- 

 ness that farmers through the province have been adding 

 largely to their orchards during the last few years. A ten-acre 

 orchard is not an unusual sight, and I have seen orchards as 

 large as forty acres. Many of the so-called American Apples 

 that we see in the shops at home are grown in Canada. The 

 following are some of the favourite kinds ; — Rhode Island 

 Greening, Northern Spy, Baldwin, Swuzzes, Pomme Grise 

 Fameuse, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Swaar, Gravenstein, Blen- 

 heim Orange, Keswick Codlin, HcUand Pippin, Alexander, 

 American Golden Russet, Red Aetrachan, Ribston Pippin, 

 Esopus Spitzenburg, and King of Tomkin's County. 

 t The Fruit-growerb' Association of Canada recommend the 

 following varieties — viz.. For summer : The Early Harvest and 

 Bed Ajtrachan as sour Apples, and the Sweet Bough. For early 

 autumn: The Dr.chess of Oldenburgh, Gravenstein, Primate, 

 and Jersey Sweet.. For late autumn and early winter : The 

 Ribston Pippin, llubbardston Nonsuch, Fall Pippin, and Snow 

 Apple. For midwinter to March : The Rhode Island Green- 

 ing, Northern Spy, Esopus Spitzenburg, Pomme Grise, and 

 Tolman Sweet. For spring : The Golden Russet and Roxbury 

 Russet. For market the most profitable varieties are Red 

 Astrachan, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Gravenstein, and llubbard- 

 ston Nonsuch, ripening in the order in which they are named. 

 For a near or home market and for shipping the Rhode Island 

 Greening, Baldwin, Golden Rupset, and Roxbnry Russet will 

 yield the largest pecuniary returns. 



Apples are barrelled in the orchards and despatched there 

 and then to market. The orchard in Canada West, with very 

 little labour and moderate attention, is a source of a clear 

 annual income to the farmer who possesses one. To make an 

 orchard, '25 cents, per tree is the estimated cost. The trees 

 commence bearing in ten years. Farmers who do not like the 

 risk or the trouble of marketing their Apples can sell them in 

 the orchard for from SI. 50 to ?2 per barrel. 



Pears do equally well as Apples, but being a tenderer and 

 more delicate fruit they are more dillioult to bring to market. 

 The following are the chief varieties grown :— Louise Bonno 

 of Jersey, Bartlett, Beurie d'ADJon,Beurr(; Clairgeau, Flemish 



Beauty, Duchesse d'Angoulome, Graslin, Sheldon, and Winter 

 Nelis. 



Melons, both sweet Melons and water Melons, ripen through- 

 out Canada. The habitants of Lower Canada grow Musk and 

 Citron Melons in their little gardens that would throw in the 

 shade the Melons forced at great cost in good English gardens. 



All the well-known English small fruits, except the Goose- 

 berry, do admirably in Ontario. The cultivation of these fruits 

 for market is now a very profitable business in certain locali- 

 ties. In the vicinity of Oakville on Lake Ontario there is a 

 large breadth of land under Strawberries — an acre or so on 

 every farm, and occasionally as much as ten acres. Both 

 climate and soil in the vicinity of Lake Ontario seem admir- 

 ably adapted to this fruit. The facilities for marketing fruit 

 or vegetables either by land or by water carriage are unrivalled, 

 and the demand for both, but especially for Strawberries, 

 seems to be unlimited in the eastern states. The capital re- 

 quired for small fruit farming is not large, and I know of no 

 way in which an industrious immigrant with some knowledge 

 of this species of agriculture could do better than by buying a 

 small farm in Ontario and devoting himself entirely to fruit- 

 farming. He might, along with Strawberry plants, plant Apple, 

 Pear, and Currant trees, which would be an ample provision 

 for his old age ; or three or four small capitalists might buy 

 one of the large Ontario Wheat farms between them and divide 

 it into tmall fruit farms. 



Strawberries in Ontario are planted in rows about 3 or 4 feet 

 apart. The plants bear in the second year. In the fall they 

 are top-dressed with litter or stable manure. After the fruit is 

 picked in the summer horse hoes are worked np and down the 

 drills, the soil well loosened, and the weeds taken out. This 

 is all the cultivation Strawberries require. The plants bear 

 abundantly for two or three seasons, and should at the end of 

 that period be ploughed down, when a crop of Turnips can be 

 taken off the land without extra manure. The land cannot be 

 too highly manured in which the plants are put. To do the 

 Strawberry culture properly and keep up a rotation of crops 

 a man would require four fields, say of four acres in each. 

 The chief labour connected with Strawberry culture is picking 

 the fruit. This is generally done by children, who pick at 

 1 cent, the quart. The demand for Strawberries is so great 

 that buyers come to the country and give 8 or 9 cents, a quart 

 for the fruit on the spot, thus saving the cultivator all trouble 

 of marketing. At the latter price I have known of 9500 worth 

 of Strawberries being sold oti one acre of land. The variety 

 of Strawberry most in favour among fruit-growers is Wilson's 

 Albany. The wages of a good man in Ontario accustomed to 

 this work is *1 per diem if hired by the whole year, or $1.25 if 

 hired for eight months of the year. — {Rowan's The Emigrajit 

 und Sportsman in Canada.) 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



The retirement from businefs of Mr. John Lee after his 

 long and honourable career has seemed to some of his friends 

 a fitting opportunity to evince the respect and esteem with 

 which he is regarded, and they propose therefore inviting him 

 to a complimentary dinner to be held at the Horticultural Club, 

 3 and 4, Adelphi Terrace, on Thursday, February 15th. 



At a meeting of Florists at the Horticultural Clnh 



on the 31st ult., the final arrangements were made for the 

 Auricula Show to be held at the Crystal Palace on April 24th. 

 The schedule, as drawn up by a special Committee, was adopted 

 with a few sligbt modifications, which were made to meet to 

 a certain extent the views of the northern growers. The 

 schedule is on a very liberal scale, but the full amount has 

 very nearly been subscribed or promised ; a few pounds more 

 would remove all anxiety as to means. The projected show 

 of Carnations and Picotees was approved of, and a Committee, 

 with power to add to their number, was appointed to make 

 the preliminary arrangements. It was the unanimous wish of 

 those present that the show be held at South Kensington. 

 G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.H.S.,waB elected President, and E. S. 

 Dodwell, Esq., Hon. Sec. The sum of £25 was Bubsoribed in 

 the room towards the prize fund. 



■ The Committee of the Hailstoe.ii Relief Fund have 



published their report, from which it appears that the amount 

 subscribed has been £779 ISs. Id., of which £099 15s. 8d. was 

 paid to applicants for relief, and the remainder for advertise- 

 ments, printing, postage, commission to Secretary, and hire 

 of committee rooms. 



