200 



The Canadian Horticultnrist. 



"Average of orchard per year, $884.32 ; aver- 

 age per acre, $88.43. Deducting, say 2.5 per 

 cent, for expense of picking, packing, market- 

 ing and care of orchard, it would leave a net 

 profit of $60.33 per acre per year. 



" Thes-e figures compared with figures in 

 growing grain give a far better result. 



"Notwithstanding that this orchard was 

 planted 25 years ago, on a stony piece of land, 

 prohibiting cultivation other than top-dressing 

 with manure, and before anj' reports as to the 

 most hardy varieties for this Province had been 

 published, and the fact that the orchard con- 

 tains more than 30 varieties of ajiples, and some 

 of the varieties almost worthless, I think the 

 above figures show that orcharding as a com- 

 mercial investment has given fair i)rofits. — 

 N- C. FisK, before Montreal Horticultural 

 S ociety . 



Girdling Gpape Vines. 



I have practiced girdling more or less for 

 many years to test its value in a scientific and 

 economical way. The numerous experiments 

 made in the college vineyard lead to the follow- 

 ing results : 



1. No injury to the vines girdled has ever 

 been detected, even where the girdle was made 

 on the main trunk near the ground. 



2. The time of ripenine is generally hastened 

 by one or two wetks. 



3. Careful sugar tests show no injury to the 

 quality of the fruit. 



4. The fruit was larger, more beautiful, and 

 sold for from three to five cents per basket 

 more than that from ungirdled vines. 



.5. The best time to perform the work has 

 been found to be early in July. 



6. For reasons of economy of the forces of 

 the vine, only a part of the cane 

 of each vine should be girdled and only those 

 that are to be cut away. 



7. Annual arms should be grown for the 

 purpose of girdling to bear the fruit, and fi few 

 unbearing ones fruit for spurs to produce the 

 canes for next year's girdling. 



8. The best results were obtained when the 

 ring of bark taken out was from one-eighth to 

 one-quarter of an inch wide, according to the 

 size of the cane girdled. 



9. Good results were obtained when wires 

 were twisted about the canes, but only when 

 twisted very hard with pincers. For this pur- 

 pose about No. 20 annealed was used and the 

 work done late in June. 



10. From our experience we believe that 

 girdling will result in profit to the vineyardist, 

 and in much pleasure to those who are growing 

 choice late grape varieties. 



In our practice we have worked out a method 

 of girdling that may be applied to any system, 

 but is most satisfactory where one cane is al- 

 lowed to grow ungirdled on one side of the 

 vine, but not jjermitted to grow fruit, while the 

 cane of the previous year has been girdled and 

 is producing fruit. — S. T. Maynard, Mass. 

 Agric. Coll. 



Capagana Arboreseens. 



Caragana ARiiORp;scEX.s, the Siberian Pea- 

 tree, is an old inhabitant of gardens, and a 

 perfectly hardy small tree, of good habit, and 



an unfailing bloomer at this season of the year 

 when the erect branches are covered with its 

 handsome, bright yellow, pea-shaped flowers, 

 borne in fascicled clu.sters from the axils of the 

 compound leaves. These have spinescent 

 stiiiules, and consist of four to six pairs of 

 small, oblong-oval vilous leaflets. This tree, 

 which will grow to a height of fifteen or twenty 

 feet, is often found in nurseries grafted as a 

 tall standard ; but it makes a more beautiful 

 object when it is grown on its own roots and is 

 allowed to send out its branches from near the 

 ground. 



The shrubby ^^ Caragana fruescens" is a 

 native of Siberia also, and a desirable plant. 

 It has larger solitary flowers of a paler yellow, 

 and smooth leaves with broader leaflets. It 

 flowers a few days earlier than C. arborescens, 

 and is eqvtally hardy. Both species are easily 

 grown from seed. — Garden and Forest, June 

 5 th. 



Mixed Manure. 



The t'xjieriments at stations and by indi- 

 viduals continue to confirm the old opinion 

 that barn manure is more universally use- 

 ful and efficient under all circumstances 

 than any of the special fertilizers. In rating 

 its value by analysis, the carbonaceous n;atter 

 which it contains is not commonly taken into 

 account, but its abundant presence is one 

 reason why it is so generally beneficial to all 

 soils. It operates in several ways, among 

 them in the mechanical condition given to land, 

 and in promoting the absorption of moistui'e 

 and essential ingredients of fertilizers. It 

 greatly assists in improving the texture of 

 many soils. With these qualities, it is well to 

 mix with yard manure various other sub- 

 stances. Inquiry is often made as to the best 

 way to apply bone-dust, plaster, marl, air- 

 slaked lime, superphosphate, etc. In most 

 cases the easiest way is to mix them through 

 heaps of manure, in their alternating layers ; 

 and if there is plenty of the luanure, and the 

 quantity of the other iiigrtdicnts is small, 

 the more perfect the intennixturp can be made, 

 the thinner and more numerous the layers, the 

 more perfectly thej^ will be diffused through the 

 manure, and the less labor will be required in 

 working over the pile of manure. — Cidtivator. 



Ink for Zinc Labels. 



A LEGIBLE and permanent black ink for 

 labels may be made as follows : Verdigris, one 

 ounce ; sal ammoniac, one ounce ; lamp black, 

 half an ounce ; rain water, half a pint. Mix in 

 an earthenware mortar or jar, and put up in 

 small bottles. To be shaken before use and 

 used with a clean quill pen on bright zinc. 



Ruby Currant. 



Moore's Rcby Currant.— Mr. Hooker— 

 This currant originated in Rochester, N.Y., 

 and has borne with us for several years. It 

 was produced by crossing the Cherry with the 

 White Grape, and shows characteristics of both 

 parents ; is of fine quality and unsurpassed for 

 family use. It is about the size of the Victoria, 

 and is much more jH-oductive than the Cherry. 



