JO 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



every year, he once in two years He claims 

 success in the highest degree, I can claim ditto 

 in this respect. In fact no one in this part 

 but will give me the palm in this line. From 

 Mr. Race's remarks, three years seems to be 

 the length of time he has been cultivating 

 the varieties he writes about. Now Mr. 

 Editor, I contend that three years is too 

 short a date for Mr. Race to prove his theory 

 to be correct Two years ago I might have 

 written his article with as much confidence 

 as he and still I would have been wrong. 

 Before that time I did not know what 

 mildew was. I have cultivated the Whit- 

 smith for eight years, the Industry for three 

 and I find the latter is very prone to mildew. 

 The former runs a good chance of escaping 

 fi\-e out of seven years. I will state what I 

 believe to be the cause of mildew, and that 

 is by heavy rains followed by hot sunshine. 

 I will give a few facts in support of this. In 

 the early part of this season, after the heavy 

 rains, the bushes on the highest part of my 

 plot were effected all of ten days before 

 those of the lower part which were shaded 

 by a high board fence. I enquired from six 

 different persons, who got bushels of the 

 Whitsmiths from me, if they had any 

 mildew ; only one of them had any, and that 

 was on the highest part of the land, the 

 shaded part escaping. Another of the 

 number, whose garden I visited often and 

 which is very much shaded, was entirely free 

 from it. I account for mine being affected 

 with it so much by the extra quantity of 

 ashes with the rain stimulating the roots to 

 great activity, causing rapid growth in the 

 young wood, while old Sol's rays started 

 fermentation. Mr Race talks of Nature's 

 method, but I am inclined to think if he 

 were to visit the woods and see how much 

 the goose'oerry was shaded in its native 

 home he might come to think, after all, he 

 was not following nature so very closely. 

 With all respect to Mr. Race and his theory 

 (which goes to show he is a thinking person), 

 I humbly beg to differ from, him for the 

 reasons given, and I think time and observa- 

 tion will prove who is correct. After trying 

 various methods to stay its ravages, I 

 eventually succeeded. The process was 

 simple and inexpensive, but as I expect 

 to make something from it I withhold it for 

 the present. Thanking you for absorbing 

 so much of your needed space. — F. W. 

 Porter, Mount Forest, Sept. 2yd, 18S9. 



Sir, — Having seen in Sept. No. of Can- 

 adian Horticulturist a reference in 

 August No. of a prevention of mildew on 

 gooseberries. But as I did not receive 

 August No., although enquired for several 

 times at P. O. I did not see the article 

 in question. But there is an article in Sept. 

 No. from T. H, Race, Mitchell. Can you 

 or Mr. Race kindly inform me how much 



ashes I could with safety use on sandy soil, 

 as I ha\e some eighty bushels of Whit- 

 smiths, and they have mildewed for three 

 years. I am anxious to know what will 

 preventit.— John Clements, ZJ/-(;«(/b;-</,0«/. 



Facts are stubborn things, and we 

 are always glad to chronicle them, 

 especially when observed by practi- 

 cal gardeners like Mr. Porter. Still 

 we fail to see any connection between 

 the use of ashes and mildew, either 

 in producing it, or in remedying it> 

 except that by promoting a vigorous 

 growth, more power of resistance is 

 imparted to the plant. 



The disease known as mildew is 

 really due to a faugus parasite, simi- 

 lar to the powder)' mildew of the 

 grape, the spores of which are carried 

 in the air, and, lighting upon a 

 suitable host -plant, proceed to grow 

 under favorable conditions, as 

 moisture for germination, and after, 

 wards dry hot weather for rapid 

 growth. 



These conditions prevail in our 

 Canadian climate, and this explains 

 why the mildew is so much more 

 wide-spread here than in England, 

 where the continuance of moist and 

 cool weather is unfavorable for its 

 growth. As the parasites are ex- 

 ternal, they may be destroyed with- 

 out much injury to the bushes, and 

 the remedy that has been most com- 

 mended in the past is the application 

 of the flowers of sulphur. This 

 should be applied as soon as the 

 hrst leaves are fully formed, and re- 

 peated every ten days during the 

 growing season. 



Prof. J. C. Arthur, State Botanist 

 of Indiana, has been experimenting 

 with potassium sulphide (liver of 

 sulphur) in solution, at the rate of 



