NOVEMBER CALENDAR. 4(59 



to cleats about luidway between hte posts, it makes a fence that will 

 keep out boys and fruit thieves. Where there are but few trees to 

 be protected, it may be done by windiupf them with cloth bands, hay 

 or straw ropes, or fastening^ ubout them cornstalks or strips of lath. 

 Sometimes smearinjjf the trunks with blood or rubbinjj them with 

 fresh meat will answer the purpose, but it is not liable to last throu|rh 

 the whole winter. Other devices are, placing- shallow boxes con- 

 taining a mixture of corn and oats near their runways, and when 

 they are once baited, trap them, or watch and shoot them on bright 

 moonlight evenings. 



Every "up to date" orchardist will have a chart of the grounds 

 with each tree and its kind recorded. This is a good time to make 

 such a chart. It is not safe to trust to the labels that come with the 

 trees from the nursery. The labels get loose and are lost, or the 

 names soon become obliterated; and when the name of a varietj^ is 

 unknown, half the interest in its welfare is lost. 



Scions for root-grafting in the winter and top-grafting next 

 spring may be cut as soon as the leaves have fallen or any time be- 

 fore the severest winter sets in and when not frozen, packed in sand 

 or fresh sawdust and put into a cool cellar, and they will keep fresh 

 until needed. Care should be taken in selecting the scions, cutting 

 them only from thrifty and healthy trees. 



Blackberries and raspberries that are to be protected during the 

 winter may now be safely laid down and covered with earth or other 

 material. Grape vines should be pruned as soon as possible after 

 the leaves fall and put in position for later covering. Rather early 

 pruning is usually the best. 



It is an excellent plan to mulch between the rows of the strawberry 

 beds at this time, or a little earlier, but not to cover the plants in tha 

 rows until winter is about to set in. 



Are we Killixc; our Birds?— Who has not noticed the disap- 

 pearance of the little birds from our fields and berrj' bushes since 

 the deadly Bordeau.x and other similar mixtures have become so 

 universally used. Surely our little friends are leaving us, and not 

 only they but many of our insect friends that daily feast on the in- 

 sects that destroy the products of our labor. The diligent and untir- 

 ing search of these little birds in the trees set me to thinking whether 

 or not we were not poisoning more of our friends than enemies. 

 Sure it is that there is a rapid increase of noxious insects, and 

 the time is already here when the chances of a paj'ing crop hang 

 very largely on the thoroughness with which we spread the deadly 

 poison over the foliage of trees, vines, bushes and plants. Noth- 

 ing escapes; everj-thing has its enemies. It cannot be denied that 

 the precious little songsters that so delight us are eating the 

 poisoned insects and picking it up on foliage and bark an<l are 

 rapidlj' sent "where the good birdies go," and we turn longingly 

 to the chemists and enquire if something cannot be produced 

 that will kill the insects and spare our feathered friends. — Mo. 

 Hort. Soc. Rep. 1895. 



