THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



127 



not in the proper chemical combination 

 to be taken into the constitution of the 

 tree. 



The Field Mouse has been unusuallj 

 destructive this winter, especially in 

 the Niagara District. A snow fall, 

 upon the surface of a strong crust, re- 

 sulting from a previous ice storm, 

 favored their depredations, and every 

 orchard was more or less injured. Clean 

 cultivation, and mounding up trees 

 proved of no avail in this instance; 

 well and ill kept orchards alike suffered. 



Many of us folded our hands quietly 

 by the fire during the great storm, con- 

 soling ourselves with thoughts of safety 

 because of the careful heaping with 

 earth which each tree had received in 

 the fall ; but from such peaceful 

 thoughts we were suddenly aroused by 

 the sad news of the loss of hundreds of 

 beautiful trees. One orchardist lost 

 three hundred fine young pear and 

 peach trees ; another, sixty bearing 

 peach trees; another, his whole orchard 

 of (;ight-year-old apple trees, and so 

 goes the black list. 



A few were thoughtful enough to 

 trample down the snow about each 

 tree, and this prudence was rewarded 

 by perfect immunity. 



One fruit-grower remarked that he 

 had entrapped all the mice of his orchard 

 by opening his cellar windows, coaxing 

 them in, and then closing up the open- 

 ings. Few people seem to distinguish 

 between the house mouse {fniis mus- 

 eums)^ and the field mice {arvicola) 

 which make their nests under fences, 

 corn shock^s, grass heaps, stone piles, 

 and such places. I am very doubtful 

 wliether the latter would be found 

 rushing from the field into a cellar, for 

 ho would be ill at home in a house. 



The walnut, as an ornamental tree, 

 Was highly recommended at the winter 

 meeting of our As-sociation, and no 

 doubt it deserves all the eulogies it re- 



ceived, but I have one accusation against 

 it. I have one near my house, and I 

 find it is a very great attraction to red 

 squirrels, which come in great abun- 

 dance for the nuts. Some of these ani- 

 mals have had the audacity to gnaw a 

 hole under the eaves ; and entering, 

 have made their home above the ceilinfj, 

 where they spend the nights frightening 

 sleepers by constantly nibbling their 

 stolen walnuts. Nor is this the worst 

 part of their mischief ; for in fruit sea- 

 son, I find them running from the wal- 

 nut trees across to my packing house, 

 where, almost before my eyes, the little 

 thieves will steal choice pears and 

 apples from the baskets, mount to the 

 loft, and sitting upon the top of a })ile 

 of peach baskets, destroy these beauti- 

 ful fruits, simply for their tiny seeds ! 

 Why did you not shoot them % says 

 some one. I did shoot several, but it 

 was discouraging business, because it 

 always seemed as if two came to the 

 funeral of every victim, and I concluded 

 to blame the walnut trees for the whole 

 mischief. 



The Fruit Gro7uer^s Association of 

 Grimshv held a special meeting in the 

 Town Hall, Grimsby, on Friday, 9th 

 March, 1883. There were about forty 

 members present, Mr. Murray Pettit, 

 of Winona, the President, occupying 

 the chair. 



There wei-e three sessions, morning, 

 afternoon and evening, during which 

 lively discussions took place upon such 

 broad subjects as "The Apple, The 

 Peach, The Pear," etc. At the close of 

 each discussion an op])ortunity was 

 given for questions which called forth 

 much useful information, based upon 

 the results of pnictical experience. 



The following are some of the ques- 

 tions and answers of which I took a 

 note : 



How do you trellis for grapes ] I put 

 down i^ermanent posts at the ends of 



