278 



THE CANADIAN HO rn T C U LTURIST 



December, 1910 



manure, cost at 50 cents per load, $2.50. 

 The whole benefit of this was not return- 

 ed in the one year, but was spread over 

 a number of years. The cost of pulling 

 at 10 cents per barrel, in round numbers, 

 was $9.00 per acre. 



To sum up we find that the cost was 

 practically $27.00 an acre. This, de- 

 ducted from $103.35, leaves $76.35 profit 

 per acre for trees from seventeen to 

 twenty years of age, or $763.50 for ten 

 acres. 



BETTEE RETURNS 



We have sections of orchard much 

 older that give considerably heavier re- 

 turns. One old plantation of an acre in 

 extent, containing thirty-five trees, most- 

 ly Spies, has given as high as $18.00 a 

 tree even at the low price of $1.50 a bar- 

 rel, or $530.00 for less than an acre. 



Protect the Trees 



J. A. Moore, Prince Edward Island 



Building paper cut in strips and tied 

 around the trunks of fruit trees will pre- 

 vent mice from gnawing the bark. You 

 should attend to your trees now, as the 

 deep snow will give the mice a fine chance 

 to girdle the trees. If you tramp down 

 the snow hard around the trunks it will 

 stop the mice from getting at them. 



By manuring the young trees in ihe 

 fall you serve a double purpose — you fer- 

 tilize the tree and by banking some 

 around the trunks protect them from the 

 ravages of mice. 



Lime Sulphur vs. Bordeaux* 



R. R. Waddell, Simcoe Co., Ont. 



We have had a year's further experi- 

 ence with the lime sulphur and bordeaux 

 mixtures for spraying. As far as the 

 first spraying in concerned it is generally 

 admitted that on account of the Blister 

 Mite we should all use lime sulphur, 

 which will control this pest if it is used 

 at the proper time. If, however, this 

 spraying is neglected until the leaves 

 peep out a quarter of an inch it will fail 

 to control. 



This year I went through several or- 

 chards in three counties and found no 

 proof that three sprayings of lime sul- 

 phur for the fungus was any better than 

 one of lime sulphur and two of bordeaux. 

 In a close examination of some of the or- 

 chards sprayed three times with lime 

 sulphur I would find one to be barreling 

 ninety per cent, free from fungus while 

 adjoining orchards, which received the 

 same formula, had fungus on 30 pc 

 cent, of the fruit. 



In examining orchards sprayed with 

 bordeaux I found them differ in the same 

 way. Whether this was due to a lack 

 of preparing the formula it was hard to 

 explain. 



•A paper read at the recent convention in Tor- 

 onto of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. 







The Winning Car Load of Applet Shewn by the Kclowna District of B. C. at the Canadian National Apple Show 

 (Note that the exhibits are ten boxes high. See report Page 285.) 



We can figure that lime sulphur has 

 two points of advantage for the last two 

 sprayings : First, it does not cause the 

 fruit to rust ; second, we can use the 

 home boiled concentrated, which is a 

 little cheaper than the bordeaux. These 

 however count for very little in compari- 



son to controlling the fungus. The 

 only condition upon which I would pass 

 any opinion as to which is the best for 

 the fungus is to see two like machines 

 in an orchard in the same hour spraying 

 with the two formulae and then note 

 the results. 



Floral Hints for Amateurs for December 



Frank Wise, 



EVERYTHING in the way of clean- 

 ing up your garden and grounds 

 should have been accomplished by 

 the beginning of this month. If it has 

 not been, and the weather should con- 

 tinue favorable, it is a good plan to open 

 all drains to carry off surplus water in 

 the spring and to dig any ground that 

 has not already been dug. Use a spade 

 and leave the surface as rough as pos- 

 sible. 



The pruning of shade trees can be 

 done to advantage this month. Take 

 out branches that are too low, cross 

 limbs, and dead ones. Do not forget to 

 cut out or remove every other one of the 

 young trees which you planted a few 

 years ago, as they grow up and touch 

 each other. You will be surprised how 

 quickly the ones that are left will fill up 

 the vacant spaces. 



A good way to remove young trees is 

 to dig a trench around them about eigh- 

 teen inches to three feet from the trunk, 

 nccording to the size of the tree, letting 

 the earth freeze on the ball that is left. 

 Later pry up the ball and at the same 

 time pull over the top. When you can 

 place a stoneboat or truck underneath 

 the ball the tree can be easily removed 

 to any place where you may wish to re- 

 plant it. 



CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS 

 Your house plants during the winter 

 months require careful watering. This 

 must be done only when the plant be- 

 comes dry. 



When potting your house plants be 



Peterboro, Ont. 



careful to put an inch or two of broken 

 pottery in the bottom of the pot for 

 drainage purposes. It is often owing to 

 neglect in this respect that your plants 

 turn yellow and sickly and do not bloom. 

 Some of the bulbs which have been 

 planted and put in a dark moist place 

 to root will be ready to bring up to the 

 light. Do not expose them at first to 

 the bright sun, but gradually move tiiem 



A Protection for the Flower Bed 



there as they become accustomed to the 

 light. They will require copious water- 

 ing to keep them growing ajid to pro- 

 duce good flowers. 



Mulch your bulb beds with rotten 

 manure, which can be left on in the 

 spring, when it will serve the double 

 purpose of fertilizing and retaining the 

 moisture in the soil. Frequent cultiva- 

 tion of your bulbs in the spring is neces- 

 sary for success. 



Cover pansy beds with cedar or spruce 



