lO 



The Canadian Horticnltiirist. 



have fine vallc}^ stretches where 

 fruits could be grown to perfection if 

 properly attended to, and tlie soil is 

 easily cultivated, and a climate most 

 favorable. I have no opportunity to 

 find an3thing on the subject of grape 

 syrups here, as that fruit is not culti- 

 vated to any extent, many people 

 thinking the}- cannot succeed, and 

 besides they rest satisfied with those 

 from California, which are certainly 

 fine, though not high flavored. M}' 

 time will be so occupied that I can- 

 not go to California this trip, as 

 desired. I leave here this week for 

 Vancouver, and from thence east- 

 ward. All through, this " Canada of 

 Ours " is a wonderful country both in 

 extent as well as richness. For 

 scenery 1 never even dreamed of 



anything like that passing through 

 the mountains. There appears to be 

 more desire among the people on the 

 prairies for progress in forestr\- and 

 fruit-growing than 1 find here, and 

 certainly they are a much more 

 energetic and "go-ahead" popula- 

 tion, although struggling through 

 hard winters and fighting with the 

 many uncertainties of so large an 

 extent of prairie. But I look for 

 great results yet there, and I believe 

 forest planting will play the most 

 important part in bringing about 

 such results. Tlie men of tlie 

 prairies are all heroes, possessing 

 that determination of purpose and 

 energy that is sure of reward, and 

 we should give a helping hand. — 

 Yours very truly, Alex. McD. Allax. 



SOME FOREIGN APPLES AND PEARS. 



Several of my dwarf apples and pears 

 have fruited this fall. I have sent by this 

 mail three apples, the Queen, Lane's Prince 

 Albert and Cornish Gilliflower (true) ; two 

 pears, Fertility and Therese. You will find 

 the names in P. & E. Transon Bros,' 

 Orleans, France, catalogue. I have about_ 

 40 imported varieties of apples, and 15 to 20 

 of pears ; some are equal to our best, if not 

 superior. One fine pear that grew on a tree 

 18 inches high, the flavor of a rich musk 

 melon, ripened with the Bartlett — byname, 

 Beurre de Mortillet. — Jno. D. Roberts, 

 Cobourg, i6th Oct., 1888. 



MR. ROBERTS certainly de- 

 serves credit for his enter- 

 prise in testing and introducing to 

 the notice of our Association so many 

 varieties of foreign fruits. Last fall 

 he sent us quite a large collection of 

 samples of English apples, whicli he 

 had grown from imported stock ; see 

 Report 1887, p. 172. Of these, the 

 Cellini was a most attractive and 

 showy variety ; an English cooking 

 apple of very good quality, and 



which has been found to succeed in 

 Prince Edward County by Mr. P. C. 

 Dempsay. Of these now before us, 

 the most showy, by all odds, is the 

 Queen. It is enormous in size, 

 measuring 13 inches in circumfer- 

 ence ; oblate in form, with steni deep 

 set in a deep, fminel-shaped green 

 russeted basin. In color it some- 

 what resembles a King, but the red 

 is more in stripes and blotches. 

 Quality very good, especiall)- for 

 cooking. Such a showy apple as 

 this, if it proves a good bearer, would 

 be most profitable, and we shall be 

 pleased to hear from Mr. Roberts 

 upon this point. The Garden (Eug.) 

 speaks of it as a fine cropper in 

 England, and ripening in October. 

 We have prepared an engraving of 

 the Queen apple from the sample 

 sent us by Mr. Roberts, which wil 



