THK CANATtlAN HOKTIOULTUiaST. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



FRUIT TREES IN ALGOMA. 

 Mr. Editor, — I am unable to give 

 you any news of interest as to our 

 future j)rospects for fruit-growing in 

 this part of Ontario, as I planted a 

 hunch-ed line apple trees the spring be- 

 fore last, and they were all winter- 

 killed last winter, except three liyslop 

 and three Traiiscendant Crabs ; and 

 these six trees afford me encouragement 

 to try again, as they have made a good 

 gi-owth this summer. Amongst those 

 that I lost were, twenty Duchess of 

 Oldenburg, ten Alexander, ten Snow, 

 ten lied Astracans, and ten Russets. 

 I had great confidence in these vari- 

 eties standing our winter; and now 

 they are standing examples to my other 

 half-hardy favorites, which, of course, 

 perished with them. But I have great 

 j)leasure in informing you and friend 

 J. H. Cumming, of St. Hilaire, P. Q., 

 that the Wealthy apple I received from 

 the Association last spring, after being 

 almost dried up in the mail-bags from 

 the long delay in getting here, made 

 a fair growth, stood the winter well, 

 and has made three feet of growth this 

 summer ; and my hope is that it will 

 come out all right in the spring. 

 Yours with reajject, 



W. Warnock. 

 Bliud River, 11th Nov., 1882. 



Mr. Editor, — Enclosed please find 

 my subscription for 1883 of one dollar. 

 You will i)lease send at distribution 

 one of the Wordon Grape vines, as I 

 intend the planting of viues, and see 

 if we cannot have improved grapes to 

 gi'ow here. There are some Concord 

 and a few other sorts growing in the 

 older settled i)arts of this Island. I 

 think I can get these new hardy kinds 

 to do as well with good care. The 

 vine of the Moore's Early, received a 

 few weeks ago, is looking well ; but I 



will know by spring how it will stand 

 the winter. 



We are having very open weather, 

 thunder and lightning twice during the 

 past week. I suppose this indicates 

 open weather for some time yet ; so 

 the old settlers say. 



My crops this season have been, for 

 s[)ring and fall wheat and rye, very 

 good ; barley has not been good in our 

 part ; oats only an average crop ; pota- 

 toes only half a crop, on account of the 

 bugs, and we could not get Paris green 

 in time to save them ; but I intend 

 having a supply in time for next season. 

 Yours, with respect, 



Jas. C. Cooper. 

 St. Joseph Island, Nov. 13, 1882. 



DO BEES INJURE GRAPES? 



Seeing an article from the pen of 

 Mr. Taylor, in November Horticidturist^ 

 on paper bags, grapes and bees, I thought 

 said article certainly called for a reply. 

 Mr. Taylor states that certain interested 

 parties contend that bees do not punc- 

 ture graj)es, while he along with Hon. 

 J. C. Rykert and other horticultural 

 friends have actually seen them do it. 

 Now, with all deference to these gen- 

 tlemen, I must beg leave to differ with 

 them. Whether I may be considered 

 an interested party or not, I may sim- 

 ply state that I have a very fine collec- 

 tion of the finest varieties of grapes, 

 also keep a number of colonies of bees, 

 not for the profits they bring but from 

 the pleasure they afford, mentally and 

 ])hysically, both to myself and family. 

 I have kept from four to thirty colonies 

 of bees for several years in the same 

 garden as the grapes grow, and ] have 

 never lost a single bunch of gi*i\pes by 

 bees. I have seen bees, wasps and 

 flies all sucking the juices out of a 

 bunch of graj)es some of the berries of 

 which had either cracked or been 

 damaged by the cat-bird or oriole. The 



