76 



The Cauaiian Horticulturist. 



be planted on an eastern or north- 

 east slope, and must be, in an}- case, 

 where the summer frosts will not 

 kill potatoes. In low places, subject 

 to frost, the young wood on the trees 

 is killed before the winter sets in, or 

 has not ripened sufficiently to stand. 

 The cheapest and best protection 

 for young trees against mice I find 

 is tar paper. About fifteen inches is 

 quite high enough up the stem for 

 the paper to come. Open your roll 

 of paper which is wide enough to cut 

 in two for the height, cut off about 

 twelve inches, and you have enough 

 for two trees, roll up to about three 

 inches in diameter, so as to give 



plenty of room for air round the tree, 

 tie on with a string, put a little soil 

 round the bottom to prevent the 

 mice getting under. I did not lose 

 a single tree last year, while the j-ear 

 previous I lost thirty-five girdled, 

 although they were carefully banked 

 up with earth and the snow tramped. 

 I did not tramp the snow around the 

 papered trees and they were safe, 

 concluding to let them go if the 

 paper would not save them, after all 

 the fruitless labor of the yearprevious. 

 I should very much like to test the 

 Moyer grape here if you can spare 

 one. — A Member of the F.G.A., of 

 Ont. 



GRADING FOR DRAINS. 



CAREFULLY laid drains are 

 important to success in fruit 

 culture. The apple tree may grow 

 on wet soil, but is much more liable 

 to injury by cold in such a situation, 

 and often protracts an enfeebled 

 existence. The Quince, though a 

 lover of water, yet soon succumbs to 

 the effects of the cold in undrained 

 soil ; and almost all our small fruit 

 plants are rendered sickly and un- 

 fruitful if placed on wet soil and 

 draining neglected. 



Besides this, under-draining is a 

 means of direct benefit to growing 

 plants, for the rain water, instead of 

 overflowing the surface, is drawn 

 through the soil, carrying with it the 

 growth elements with which it is 

 laden, such as nitrogen, carbonic 

 acid, etc. 



In this connection some of our 

 readers may be interested in the fol- 



lowing simple method of grading for 

 drains, from the Drainage and Farm 

 jfournal : 



I use two targets, which I will 

 name No. i and No. 2, to describe 

 . c 



05-^ 



^ CfrSlB 



i 



NO. 1. NO. 2. 



Fig. 24. — Grading for Drain Laying. 



them, and a pole. No. i A, is a 

 piece 2^ inches square by two feet 

 long pointed so as to drive in the 

 ground, two clasps on as shown in 

 cut, for B to slide in. B, one by two 

 and one half inches, by two feet long. 



