I02 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



suited to the soil, climate, purpose 

 and market. First of importance for 

 fruit growing is a dry soil. Ground 

 too wet for winter wheat should be 

 underdrained, unless plowing it up 

 into narrow lands with deep dead- 

 furrows between be sufficient. A 

 loamy soil is considered best, and 

 sand or gravel preferable to stift 

 clay. Whatever manure is used 

 should be plow^ed or harrowed in be- 

 * fore planting, or else placed around 

 vines, but not in direct contact with 

 them. 



What and When to Plant.— V\d.nt 

 mainly of varieties that are gener- 

 ally successful, and such as do best 

 in your own neighborhood, but do 

 not confine yourself to them alone. 

 Try other well recommended kinds 

 and new varieries. Be enterprising. 

 If you are the first in a community 

 who learns of the merits of a new 

 kind you may get more satisfaction 

 and money out of a small lot of them 

 than you would out of a large lot of 

 common kinds. Plant at the earliest 

 moment possible. If that be in the 

 Fall, do not wait until Spring. If it 

 be in the Spring, there is certainly 

 nothing to be gained by waiting until 

 Fall. 



Care of Stock when Received. — 

 When the stock arrives, unpack and 

 plant at once. Should it, however, 

 appear frozen, do not unpack, but 

 cover it up in a cool, dark cellar, 

 where it may thaw out gradually. 

 Freezing does not injure plants, but 

 rapid thawdng with exposure to light 

 and air does. If not ready to plant 

 when received, heel them in, in a dry 

 place, protected both against sun 

 and sweeping winds. Dig a trench 

 deep enough to hold the vines or 

 plants, open the bundles and spread 

 them out against the side of the 

 trench an inch or two thick ; cover 

 them with a layer of soil, which press 

 firmly against the vines to exclude 

 air, put on another layer of vines and 

 soil, until completed, taking great 

 care to keep the different varieties 

 separate and well labeled. If the 



stock is to be left heeled in over 

 winter, both root and top must be 

 well covered with earth, and over 

 that place a cover of coarse horse 

 manure and other litter to insure 

 safety. 



Selection of Varieties. — Beginners 

 in fruit culture are often puzzled as 

 to what to select from among the 

 multitude of varieties offered. To 

 such we would say that climatic con- 

 ditions and other circumstances gen- 

 erally so limit the planter in his 

 selection that he has usually but a 

 comparatively small number to select 

 from, and often too few indeed. In 

 the extreme North they are short 

 seasons and severe climate, so that 

 none but the hardiest and earliest 

 varieties succeed. In sections where 

 the best can be grown, nothing else 

 is wanted. For family use, onl}- the 

 best that can be well grown are 

 desirable. For market, the. most 

 profitable only. What those are, each 

 particular localit}^ and market must 

 determine. The most profitable in 

 one locality and market may or may 

 not be so in another. For keeping, 

 and distant shipping, tough-skinned 

 varieties are preferable. In sections 

 where grapes are much subject to 

 mildew and rot, onl}- the most robust 

 and healthy should be selected. 



Varieties of the Labrusca class, at 

 the head of which stands the Con- 

 cord, succeed over a larger extent of 

 territory than any other, and are 

 particularly recommended for plant- 

 ing in the North and North-west. 

 To this class belong the new varie- 

 ties : Early Victor, Lady, Eaton, 

 Moore's Diamond, Moore's Early, 

 Niagara, Pocklington, Vergennes, 

 W^orden, etc. Varieties of the Ri- 

 paria class, such as Amber, Elvira, 

 Noah, etc., seem better adapted to 

 the South and South-west. 



Regarding Rogers Hybrids, Aga- 

 wam, Lindley, etc., we would add 

 that although they are not as reli- 

 able as some otiier varieties, being 

 more or less subject to rot and mil- 

 dew in imfavorable localities and 



