30 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUKIST. 



lugs'? By constant and well-directed 

 efforts in educating and elevating the 

 people ; by soliciting attention and 

 attendance ; by offenng benefits to 

 those who attend, and by giving them 

 something they can carry away with 

 them for their encouragement and 

 future guidance in life. 2nd. How to 

 get a fine fruit display at our meet- 

 ings 1 By oflScially requesting con- 

 tributions, and by offering premiums 

 and distinctions to those who do con- 

 tribute. 3rd. How to keep up the 

 interest and the attendance to the end 1 

 By having a well digested programme 

 of popular and interestitig subjects, and 

 by getting out the fullest and freest dis- 

 cussion upon them, and by having an 

 interesting variety every day. 



B. GOTT, 

 Arkona Nurseries, Dec. 12th, 1882, 



FRUIT m MUSKOKA. 



For a considerable time Muskoka 

 District has been celebrated for pro- 

 ducing the very finest potatoes, and 

 only till recently has it been established 

 that most of the hardier sorts of apples, 

 plums and grapes will grow abundantly 

 if only cared for. 



At the County show last September 

 we saw some very fine specimens of 

 " Duchess of Oldenburg" apples, grown 

 by Mr. Bowerman, of Bracebridge, on 

 trees two years from planting. Mr. T. 

 M. Robinson, of Muskoka Bay, grew 

 some fine specimens of Tetofsky fully 

 ripe 15th September, and Mr. James 

 McAllister exhibited some exceedingly 

 fine Haas apples. Mr. Hughes, on the 

 Muskoka River, showed several plates 

 of Muskoka seedling apples, all of a 

 fair size, free from defects, and having 

 good keeping qualities. Several other 

 parties had splendid exhibits. I could 

 not learn to whom they belonged, or 

 the varieties, but the whole exhibit 

 was one which plainly demonstrated 



that apples can be grown here to per- 

 fection. 



Settlei-s in this district need not fear 

 to plant a good orchard with hardy 

 sorts of apples, and let the above three 

 sorts be the prevailing kinds. While 

 here I may say that one of the principal 

 reasons why apples have not been grown 

 so satisfactorily earlier in the history of 

 the district, is that settlers generally 

 have too small a plot of ground assigned 

 for garden and orchard, and this almost 

 invariably includes the door yards ; 

 and of coui-se the cattle come to the 

 door in winter, and are not long in 

 browsing the branches, and after a few 

 days limbs and all are gone, leaving 

 only a wretched stub. I think settlei's 

 now see the need of more care and cul- 

 tivation, and if so, it will not be long 

 till Muskoka will be able to produce 

 her own fruit and to spare. 



The exhibition of grapes was good. 

 The finest being Rogers' No. 15 (Aga- 

 wam), grown by Rev. A. Dawson, of 

 Gravenhurst, produced on vines one 

 year from planting. He also showed 

 some Concord, Clinton and Champions. 

 All were grown not more than eighteen 

 inches from the ground on a light soil, 

 moderately enriched with rotted stable 

 manure and lime. 



Mr. Pickerell, of Macauley, J. P., 

 had a fine display of Concord, Hartford 

 Prolific, and some other sorts, grown 

 about Bracebridge, where the soil is 

 heavy clay, consequently the fruit did 

 not ripen as early as if grown on lighter 

 soil. I susj^ect that there had been a 

 good deal of manure used to increase 

 the vigor of the plants, hence the slbw- 

 ness in ripening. 



Grapes for Muskoka should be 

 planted on light land and not overlie 

 rich ; train low, and the result will be 

 satisfactory. To intending purchasers 

 of vines for Muskoka, I would specially 

 recommend Agawam, Concord, Cham- 



