THK CAXADIAX Hi >KTICULTCRIST. 



201 



gooseberries, 150 red and white cur- 

 rants, I planted 15<l black currant 

 bushes, they will doubt the profit part. 

 and I will tell you why I went against 

 the advice of the Association in this. In 

 the first place, my ground being clay 

 loam, it will suit them, and another 

 thing I boast of is that I can always in- 

 sure a good paying crop, but neither clay 

 loam nor any other loam will give you a 

 crop if you do not give them lots of 

 manure, and even with plenty of man- 

 ure y»\x will fail every time if you hoe 

 round them, for the reason that the roots 

 of black currants are like a door-mat, 

 almost so thick together and close to the 

 surface so that when you hoe you cut 

 the roots up. I have sometimes put 

 manure round thorn in the fall, and in 

 the spring I have taken a spade and 

 carefully put it about an inch under the 

 surface and turned the manure under in 

 that way. The only fault I have to 

 black currants is they do not ripen all at 

 once. I wish I could get the Champion 

 for that reason, and when lam using the 

 word Champion let me ask that the 

 grape of that name be not exterminated 

 like the poor sparrow, until we find out 

 what kind of wine can be made from it, 

 and if good, I would consider it the 

 most valuable grape ever introduced, for 

 it is early, hardy and productive ; for 

 what will we do in this eastern part of 

 Canada when the Scott Act men take 

 the whisky from us, if we cannot make 

 ourselves a drop of wine. I often say 

 that had this country been settled by 

 some nation other than British we would 

 be drinking our wine insiead of this 

 horrible stuff they choose to call whis- 

 key. 



Another time, with your permission, 

 Mr. Editor, I will tell your readers a 

 little of my experience amongst flowers, 

 as I also boast a little about roses. 



Yours truly, 



Geo. Mitchell. 

 Perth, Aug. 18th, 1884. 



NOTES OX SOME NEW FRUITS. 

 By Ho.s. M. p. Wilder. 



I beg to state that your journal is 

 carefully perused soon after its receipt. 

 So it is with others as fast as possible, 

 but yours is the Northern star, to which 

 we look for information in your region. 

 Our season has been very favorable for 

 the small fruits, and has enabled me to 

 test with some accuracy some of the 

 newer kinds. 



The Prince Strawberry is large, uni- 

 form, late, ver^ ijood and prolific. 



The Primo (of Berries) handsome 

 productive, and of high flavor. 



The Mrs. (xarfield, both in plant and 

 fruit, seems to have good characteristics. 

 We are on the high road in the improve- 

 ment of the strawberry, and the time is 

 not far di.stant when we shall have an 

 abundance of varieties allotted to the 

 market and home uses in all sections of 

 our land. 



Manchester is a good plant and when 

 fertilized by Sharpless has produced 

 abundantly, but I have not observed 

 the changes referred to in the proceed- 

 ings of the American Pomological So- 

 ciety by such impregnation. However^ 

 we must look into this matter, strange 

 as it may seem, for I am not too old to 

 believe that there is nothing new under 

 the sun in vegetable physiology, and I 

 can well remember the time when my 

 first attempts in hybridization were con- 

 sidered as almost ridiculous. Now it is 

 an acknowledged science, and its bounds 

 for improvement are without limit. 



Of raspberries, our old Franconia, 

 which came to us more than forty years 

 ago, still carries off the first prize at our 

 exhibitions. Cuthbert has done well. 

 Souchetii-blanc, or White Transparent, 

 as we have it, is my most reliable variety 

 for home use. Caroline serves us well, 

 and is a remarkable illustration of the 

 influence of cross fertilization, a true 

 hybrid, its fruit having the color, texture, 



