TitE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



cooking, while the trees are often loaded 

 down with fruit when only two or three 

 years planted, while other sorts of the 

 same age have not a single specimen. 



The Kieffer's Hybrid Pear, he 

 adds, is a greater favorite than ever, 

 now that people are learning that the 

 trees are blight-proof, and that its large 

 and high-colored fruit sells at such 

 handsome prices. 



We note on this point of being 

 blight-proof that Mr. Thomas Meehan 

 says that instances have occurred where 

 the tree has suffered severely from the 

 genuine fire-blight, so that it is hardly 

 safe to say that the trees are wholly 

 proof against the fire-blight, though 

 they may be less subject to this sore 

 malady of the pear than many other 

 varieties. If it shall prove to be no 

 more subject to this disease than the 

 well-known Seckel, Duchess d'Angou- 

 leme, or Doctor Reeder, it will be an 

 acquisition in this particular. It is no 

 doubt a fact that large orchards of this 

 pear have been planted, and that some 

 of them are coming into bearing, and 

 that the fruit canning establishments 

 eagerly buy up this fruit for canning 

 purposes, because of its handsome ap- 

 pearance when canned and its peculiar 

 Quince like flavor. 



Mr. Charles Downing, the well- 

 known American pomologist, met with 

 a serious accident on the 9tli of No- 

 vember last in the Oity of New York, 

 by which two of his ribs were broken. 

 He is eighty-one years old, and it is 

 feared that ]iermanent ill effects may 

 result, though hopes are entertained 

 that it will not prove fatal. Every 

 reader of these pages, will, we are con- 

 fident, feel as though a much esteemed 

 pei-sonal friend had been prostrated by 

 this accident, amj will sympathize 

 deeply with this vetei*an worker in the 

 field of pomology who has done so much 

 for our favourite science. 



SPECIAL FERTILIZERS FOR MELONS. 



Dr. Sturtevant says that in growing 

 melons, it seems well to add a handful 

 of sulphate of potash, or several hand- 

 fuls of wood ashes, to each hill. The 

 effect seems to improve greatly the 

 quality of the fruit grown, and if his 

 experience is sufficient to generalize 

 from, he would say that the addition of 

 potash in excess to the soil upon which 

 the melon is grown will add an excel- 

 lent quality to the fruit. 



PEACHES FOR MARKET. 



Mr. P. M. Augur writes to the 

 Rural New Yorker that he has been 

 visiting the Delaware Peach Orchards, 

 and mentions trees whose girth was 

 from 36 to 44 inches, with [)roportion- 

 ate heads, loaded with beautiful fruit. 

 He says that most of the very early 

 varieties rotted badly, still those who 

 had good Alexanders got from two to 

 three dollars per basket when they 

 reached market in good order. Hale's 

 Early also rotted badly, and Early 

 Ptivers rotted, while l^^nrly Beatrice 

 were too small. The best kinds this 

 year were Mountain Rose, Crawford's 

 Early, Crawford's Late, Old M>xon Free, 

 Peeve's Favourite, Moore's Favourite, 

 Ward's Late, Stump the World and 

 Smock. 



He says that the Shakers at Enfield, 

 Connecticut, last year thinned their 

 Early Crawford's so that one hundred 

 and forty peaches filled a bushel and 

 sold them at their nearest market for 

 eight dollars per bushel, and adds, " let 

 all remember that fancy fruit brings 

 fancy prices ; it is the poor article that 

 begs a market." The Mountain Rose 

 takes the place of the Early York now ; 

 the Old Mixon Free is i*egarded as 

 having many good qualities, and can 

 be raised probably more cheaply than 

 almost any other |)each, and is excellent 

 for canning, only that the fashion now 



