THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



101 



a grammar, he wrote clear, vigorous 

 prose, and occasionally penned short 

 poems, chiefly on horticultural topics. 

 Throughout his life he displayed a fine 

 literary tast'^, his favorite authors being 

 Johnson, Goldsmith, Pope, Cowper, 

 Longfellow and 'J'ennyson. With the 

 modesty and jjatient investigation of 

 Charles Darwin he was particularly 

 charmed. The writings of Lyell, es- 

 pecially the last edition of the *' Ele- 

 ments" were also a source of great 

 pleasui-e to him. " The Origin of 

 Species " appeared about the time Mr. 

 Arnold had completc^d his first set of ex- 

 periments in the hybridising of grapes, 

 and the confirmation there given to 

 some of his own private discoveries 

 regarding the action of pollen and the 

 fertilization of flowers, gave a new im- 

 pulse to his efforts. In his youth he 

 served his apprenticeshi[) to the trade 

 of a carpenter, and for some years of 

 his early numhood followed the business 

 of builder. But from a very early 

 period of his life he showed a passionate 

 fondness for flowers and fruits, and, 

 coming into possession of a suitable 

 piece of land in 1845, he determined to 

 follow the bent of his inclination, wliich 

 had been fostered and educated by the 

 study of English books, American peri- 

 odicals, (kc. The Paris Nurseries were 

 fully established by 1852, and have 

 long been well known all over this 

 continent, and to some extent in France, 

 where Mr. Arnold's new varieties of 

 grapes attracted considerable attention. 

 His success as a nui-seryman is a fine 

 example of the happy results which 

 follow when a man of great enthusiasm 

 tempered with good judgment finds 

 himself free to pursue the kind of work 

 he loves best. 



In 1872 he gained the gold medal at 

 the Hamilton, Ont., Exposition for a 

 new and hardy white wh«'at ; in 1876 

 he obtained the Philadelphia Centen- 

 nial Medal for a very supinior show of 



fruits, &c ; and from the seed of a new 

 cifss-bred pea, "The American Won- 

 dei-," which he sold to Bliss & Sons, of 

 New York, he lately realized a hand- 

 some sum. He originated several 

 varieties of grapes which are now grown 

 all over the continent, and was latterly 

 engaged in hybridising wheat, straw- 

 berries, raspberries and peas. He was 

 fifteen years in the town council of 

 Pai'is, and was deputy reeve for some 

 time. 



For a year past he has been gradually 

 failing in health, and after a few days 

 of intense suffering from a disease of 

 the heai-t, he ended his long and useful 

 life. 



CURRANT WORMS. 



A correspondent of the Fruit Recorder 

 says that common tobacco-stems placed 

 on the ground round currant-bushes in 

 the spring, before frost is out, will keep 

 off the currant- worm, and kee[) the bushes 

 clean. The tobacco is distasteful to the 

 worms, and they will not crawl over it to 

 ascend the bushes. — Montreal Witness. 



We reprint the above to call atten- 

 tion to the arrant nonsense that some- 

 times goes the rounds of our newspa- 

 pers, and even of agricultural papers. 

 If tobacco stems placed on the ground 

 under currant bushes in the spring will 

 keep off the currant- worm, it is not 

 because ''Hhey will not cratol over them 

 to ascend the hushes." Surely they 

 will not crawl before they are hatched 

 from the q^<^\ and if the parent fly lays 

 her eggs on the under side of the leaves, 

 the little worms will have no occasion 

 to crawl over tobacco stems in order to 

 ascend the bushes. We wonder if " a 

 correspondent of the Fruit Recorder" 

 ever penned such tmsh, or if penned, 

 that it escaped the sharp eyes of the 

 intelligent Editor. Or is the cniwling 

 business the surmise of some astute 

 scissoi-s-man, who must needs give a 



