The Canadian Horticulturist. 



87 



Muscadine or I'Vontignan wine. In 

 Canada these varieties are tender, 

 subject to mildew, and otherwise 

 iinsuited for out of door cultivation, 

 but with more or less artificial heat 

 these fine foreif,m grapes may be 

 successfully grown. 



Fpuit Evapopatops. 



18 Can you inform me of any pierson in 

 Ontario who manufactures apple evapor- 

 ators, such as could be sold to individual 

 farmers for preparing their surplus apples 

 for the market. I see by the Rural Ntir 

 Yorker that they are made in different parts 

 of the States, and retail from three dollars up 

 to ten. Any information you can give will 

 i)blige. — L. H. Hamilton, Thornbury, Ont. 



Vietopia vs. Raby Castle Cuppant. 



iQ Are the Raby Castle and the Victoria 

 currant the same, if not, what is the differ- 

 ence? The Victoria is said to be the largest 

 variety grown. How much later is it than 

 the old Red Dutch ; as I have it from Lovett, 

 of New Jersey, and Green, of Rochester, it 

 ripens at the same time as our old Red 

 Dutch. — H. McKee, Norwich. 



We believe that these are but two 

 names for one and the same currant ; 

 and Downing in his " Fruits and Fruit 

 Trees of America " gives the preference 

 to the name Victoria. At our meeting 

 held last month in Hamilton, Mr. E. 

 Morden claimed that there is a differ- 

 ence between the two, but we think his 

 position unproven. We would suggest 

 that samples of each be submitted to 

 the fruit committee at our Summer 

 Meeting. 



The Victoria ripens about with the 

 Red Dutch, but will hang on the 

 bushes longer, and hence has the repu- 

 tation of being the latest currant. 



Pruning the Goosebeppy. 



20. How should a Downing gooseberry 

 hush be pruned to ensure finest fruit and 

 largest possible quantity of it ? 



How much fertilizer, and of what kind, 

 should be applied to a bearing plantation to 

 give the best results ? — G. C. Miller, Mid- 

 dleton, N. S. 



The gooseberry should be pruned 

 differently from the currant. The 

 latter needs constant cutting back to 

 encourage as much new wood as pos- 

 sible; the former should not be cut 

 back, but it should be freely thinned. 

 Indeed, without a thorough annual thin- 

 ning out of the branches, it is impos- 

 sible to produce fine gooseberries ; and 

 probably it is not too much to advise a 

 cutting out of one-half of the head 

 every fall, whether of old or new growth ; 

 but retaining the latter in preference to 

 the former, as upon it the fruit is grown. 

 In England the tree form is preferred, 

 but with us the bush form is more popu- 

 lar, as it will live longer and produce 

 more fruit under that method. 



Regarding fertilizers for the goose- 

 berry, much will depend upon the 

 needs of the soil as to the kind, but 

 with regard to quantity it can scarcely 

 be made too rich. Barn manure is no 

 doubt the most useful, containing 

 almost every essential element. Potash, 

 either simple, or as supplied in wood 

 ashes, is never out of place in the fruit 

 garden. 



The Ailanthus. 



21. Please say in sour next number if 

 you think the Ailanthus will do well in this 

 latitude ?— W. W. R., Toronto. 



This useful tree, which was intro- 

 duced from China about one hundred 

 years ago, is well adapted for street 

 planting, for it grows rapidly, adapts 

 itself to the dust and smoke of the city, 

 and will thrive in the poorest soil. It 

 grows well and is perfectly hardy at 

 Grimsby, and would probably succeed 

 in the latitude of Toronto. 



It has one serious fault, viz., that 

 the pollen dust, which is abundant at 

 the blooming season, is very injurious 

 to human beings, producing catarrh, or 



