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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



The unusually dry season was very 

 unfavorable for fall ploughing, but 

 recent rains have improved the prospect 

 in that respect. As for our leading 

 industrial and agricultural exhibitions, 

 they are getting to be very little better 

 than so many circuses. The worst 

 point about them is not merely the 

 horse racing, though that is bad 

 enough, but offering prizes to induce 

 fast ladies to exhibit themselves in the 

 capacity of riding and driving jockies — 

 equestriennes is the fashionable term — 

 and the county exhibitions are following 

 suit. I remain, sincerely yours, 



Charles Julyan. 

 Presque Isle P.O., Sarawak, Co. Grey. 



AN AMATEUR'S EXPEPJENCE. 

 To THE Editor of the Canadian Horticulturist. 



Dear Sir, — You often request your 

 subscribers to express their views and 

 give their experience of horticultural 

 matters in your valuable publication, 

 and although I am only an amateur 

 gardener, I thought the results of my 

 attempts might not be uninteresting. 



My residence is in Deer Park, a 

 northern suburb of Toronto, and the 

 soil sandy, I may say very sandy, so 

 much so that I have failed in cultivating 

 the strawberry, because in hot weather 

 the roots are burnt. 



Raspberries grow well, and the only 

 fault I have to hnd is with the shoots, 

 which are as bad as weeds. The ci'op 

 this year was very abundant and fine, 

 and the canes for next year are strong 

 and ripe. I adopt the system of nip- 

 ping the top when the cane is about 

 two feet high. Three shoots are thrown 

 out from the top, and when these are 

 about six inches long I nip again, and 

 each of these throw out shoots which 

 are again nipped, and so on. Thus a 

 bushy plant is formed, which I think 

 more easily resists the cold and is not 

 so liable to draggle on the ground, and 



I think the productiveness is increased. 

 I have some " Cuthbert's," and have 

 found the canes hardy and productive, 

 and the fruit showy and good. On the 

 18th August, I gathered large ripe 

 berries on this year's growth of wood. 

 I have the "Caroline;" it is hardy 

 and productive, but the fruit is poor. 

 In my opinion all the cap varieties are 

 dry eating. I have the " Hopkin's " 

 black cap. It is an exceedingly hardy 

 and rank grower and productive — large 

 berries, and as good, so far as I can 

 judge, as the "Gregg," which would 

 not gi'ow with me. I have the " Taylor 

 Prolific " blackberry. Every winter it 

 killed to the ground until last winter, 

 when it was untouched. It was loaded 

 with fruit, but the dry weather in 

 August destroyed them. I picked the 

 first on 10th August. I treat the 

 blackberry and black cap the same way 

 as the raspberry. 



Gooseberries were a veiy poor crop. 

 I do not know the cause, unless the 

 late May frost. I have " Downing " 

 and " Smith's Improved ;" both mildew 

 very much. 



Black currants do not do very well, 

 the berries drop off. Red currants not 

 productive. 



Grapes. — I have about ninety vines, 

 about one-third Delaware. The rest 

 are Rogers' 3, 9 and 44, Jessica, Purity, 

 Lady, Pocklington, Elvira, Martha, 

 Moore's Early, Brant, Creveling, Alvey, 

 Burnet, Worden, Brighton, lona and 

 Vergennes ; also the Prentiss. I 

 always prune about the first week in 

 November. During the summer I go 

 over the vines once a week and prune 

 the laterals with my fingers. The 

 trellises are ten feet apart and eight 

 feet high, cedar posts, four by four. 

 Three longitudinal slats, two by one 

 and a half inches. The first one foot 

 from the ground, the second five feet, 

 and the third at the toj). Between the 



