HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 365 



demand for black caps. Souhegan gives the grower the best satis- 

 faction; it does not pay to grow the dark varieties of raspberries 

 when the large, bright red ones like the Marlboro, Brandy wine and 

 Cuthbert sell so much better. 



The future of plum culture is as yet uncertain. Wolff Spur and 

 Rollingstone seem to lack hardiness, at least in the young trees. 

 The tent caterpillar destroys the usefulness of about every 

 neglected tree. Black-knot, green lice, big green worm, blight, cir- 

 culio and plum rat, all conspire to make the life of the plum 

 culturist miserable, but I think an orchard of the DeSota and one 

 of the best local natives, properly managed would prove remuner- 

 ative. 



No one attempts to grow the blackberry except myself, and I 

 have about made up my mind that it doesn't pay; the winters are 

 too cold and the summer atmosphere too dry and hot. The Lucre- 

 tia and Windom are more easily grown, but the grower of these 

 must expect much imperfect fruit. 



Grapes are a success, and farmers are just beginning to find it 

 out. Concord takes the lead; the brown rot took the past season 

 about one-third the grapes that survived the June frost. The 

 same rot (apparently) took about the same proportion of my plums. 



From a commercial stand point I find that horticultural pursuits 

 are quite profitable here, when pursued to the extent of supplying 

 our local and near markets with fruits and vegetables in their 

 season. It is the aspiration of the writer to attain this end. 



Preferring to cut these notes short to further trying your 

 patience, I am, 



Very truly yours, Dewain Cook. 



WILD FBUITS OF MANITOBA. 



By Thos. Frankland, of Stonewall, Manitoba. 



A short residence of ten years and engaged in business that calls 

 for very little traveling about, may not give me an opportunity to 

 speak with authority on this topic; yet coming in contact with 

 many of the natives and older residents and my own observations 

 in a contracted area of this large country, give me some facilities 

 for telling you about the fruit possibilities of Manitoba from a 

 wild fruit standpoint. 



Along the wooded banks of rivers, on the shores of the various 

 lakes, and in very many of the timbered bluffs that dot the prai- 

 ries, plum patches (Prunus Americana) are pretty generally 

 found. These in the past years have borne most abundantly, but 

 the destruction of the timber, encroachment of cattle and the 

 annual fires have greatly reduced the yield, so that now instead of 

 our markets being plentifully supplied, very few of our settlers 

 can secure sufficient for home consumption. Some have tried 



