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haps before it completely destroys the tree. A sort of water blister forms inside the 

 bark. The only remedy that I can find is, as soon as you find this blight take an axe and 

 cut the spot right out. If you do that it will not extend around the tree. I have a 

 Spitzenburg in the middle of the garden on the very best of soil, and that is affected the 

 worst of any tree I have. In the first year or two the bark adheres tightly to the wood, 

 and there is no appearance whatever of insects inside. 



Mr. Carr. — It is my opinion these gentlemen grow their trees too fast, and they are 

 caught in the fall when there is too much sap in them. There are places where you may 

 grow your trees as fast as you choose ; but by growing them too fast in those exposed 

 places so that the frost gets at them when there is too much sap in them the whole diffi- 

 culty is caused. This insect is the result of a worm that has worked there since the tree 

 was dead. This solution of lye and soap is a splendid thing to kill anything like lice or in- 

 sects, but that it will prevent this difficulty, I do not think. I think less manure and 

 more care in getting your tree hardy is what is required. It is those trees that put out 

 long shoots and extend their growth until fall that are most likely to be affected. 



Mr. Dempsey. — I had a tree affected by the borer, of which there are two kinds. 

 This tree was a Yellow Bellflower, It was attacked near the fork of the branches. The 

 tree was nearly half destroyed before I discovered it. I had the parts nicely cut out, 

 and then through applying this alkaline wash the tree has become perfectly healthy. Mr. 

 Saunders will tell you how the different species of borers operate in the tree. 



Mr. Saunders. — 1 think my friend who has just spoken has not observed the work- 

 ings of those insects, perhaps, as carefully as he might do or he would know that borers are 

 not particular. They will attack trees that are diseased quite readily, but they will also 

 attack healthy trees. I lost at first a great many trees from borers. After beginning to 

 use this alkaline wash it was very rarely indeed that I saw any of the effects of their 

 working. The disease in this specimen that Mr. Bristol has brought is evidently the 

 work of a borer, but whether that borer has deposited its eggs on the tree after the bark 

 has been discoloured or before, it is impossible to say. It often occurs that the sun scalds 

 the bark in spots, and in many instances no doubt the borer deposits its eggs in the 

 neighbourhood of these partly diseased parts ; but if it has nothing bnt healthy orchards 

 to work upon it will work upon them just as well as the bark that has become injured in 

 that way. As far as the borei's are concerned, I think the alkaline wash will check them. 

 The Convention then entered upon the discussion of the question : "Is Orchard 

 Culture in the County of Hastings and adjoining counties profitable?" 



Mr. H. F. Young (Trenton),'«promised to send in a paper on the subject. He also 

 took occasion to observe : — I think if we set out proper varieties and take proper care of 

 them, and then look for markets in which to dispose of the fruit, apple growing not only 

 in these counties, but in almost any other county is profitable. It all depends upon cir- 

 cumstances whether it is profitable or not. In our counties, I believe, it is par- 

 ticularly so. I doubt if in any section of the country apple culture would be more 

 profitable than in these counties. I have no doubt there are many gentlemen engaged in 

 apple culture in this district who do not find it profitable, but that is simply because they 

 have not got suitable apples. Their soil is not adapted to the culture of that fruit, or 

 they do not take proper care of their trees. I have no doubt the climate will enable us 

 to make apple culture in these counties very profitable. My orchard is the most profit- 

 able part of my farm — I think a hundred per cent, more so than any other part of it. 

 Last year I had some trees that paid as much as ten dollars each, and I plant a hundred 

 trees to the acre. 



Mr. James H. Peck. — I have not had practical experience in this business except 

 during the last three or four years. I cannot speak from my own experience so much as 

 others in the neighbourhood. I agree with Mr. Young that fruit culture, where you have 

 proper soil, proper varieties of apples for the foreign market, and even our local market, 

 and where you can produce such apples as Northern Spies, American Golden Russets, 

 Swaar, Rhode Island Greening, and Baldwins — although Baldwins here have been some- 

 what tender, I agree with him that under such circumstances fruit growing here is profit- 

 able. Until about twenty years ago we had not much fruit here except the common or 

 ungrafted fruit. Apart from the few apples that were used for cider and the few that 



