THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



159 



gooseberries are hardy, Smith's Im- 

 proved appears to be taking the lead ; 

 it has the finest berry of the American 

 varieties, bears well, :ind is compara- 

 tively free irom milldew. A good de- 

 sert gooseberry, free from disease, in 

 all parts of Canada would be a decided 

 acquisition. And this will no doubt be 

 produced by our hybridists within the 

 next few yeai*s, if it has not already 

 been obtained. 



What apple trees there are, shew 

 abundant promise of fruit. Tlie bloom 

 was magnificent, and so far as can be 

 judged they have set well. On the 

 whole the fruit prospects in this district 

 are the brightest that have opened for 

 many years. 



P. E. BUCKE, 



Director Ottawa Division. 



TO THE GROWERS OF FRUIT IN THE 

 BLEAK NORTH. 



We are told by the ancients that 

 " the gods help those who help them- 

 selves." Would it not, therefore, be 

 to our mutual advantage to unite and 

 furnish to one another such information 

 on the subject of fruit growing as we 

 may have gleaned from time to time in 

 vjui variea localities. I doubt not that 

 you all have experienced the same diffi- 

 culties that I have in securing fruits 

 sufficiently hardy to withstand the 

 intense cold of our nothern clime. It 

 seems to me, therefore, eminently de- 

 sirable that we should every spring 

 give a revised list in the Horticulturist 

 of those trees, shrubs. Sic, that have 

 most effectually withstood the rigour of 

 our northern blasts. In this way we 

 shall soon be enabled to furnish a com- 

 plete and reliable "fruit list" for the 

 colder sections of our Dominion. Our 

 southern neighbours are anxious and 

 willing to give us the benefit of their 

 varied experience, but, unfortunately, 

 in many respects, it is not of such a 

 nature as to be of very material service 



to US. I shall therefore give you the 

 benefit — if it can be called such — of 

 my own experience, trusting that it may 

 be the means of inducing others to 

 " go and do likewise." 



It is perhaps best to state briefly in 

 the beginning, that I live in the county 

 of Renfrew, in the Ottawa valley, in 

 lat. 45° 30' ; that I am entirely re- 

 moved from the ameliorating influence 

 of any body of water, and being besides 

 situated at a high level have to with- 

 stand the eftects of the most rigorous 

 winters — the mercury some seasons 

 ranging as low as 40° below zero. 



Notwithstanding these natural dis- 

 advantages, I have succeeded in raising 

 a considerable quantity of various kinds 

 of fruit, and though they are not of the 

 very best quality, yet sufficiently valu- 

 able to make it desirable to grow them. 



I shall confine myself in this letter 

 to the varieties of apples that I have 

 succeeded in raising, and shoidd it be 

 deemed advisable will give a list of the 

 other classes of fruits that I have 

 found sufficiently hardy to warrant me 

 in recommending them to others. I 

 shall endeavour to enumerate them as 

 nearly as possible in the order of their 

 hardiness : Wealthy, Duchess of Olden- 

 burg, Yellow Transparent, Tetofskv, 

 Peach of Montreal, Mcintosh Red, 

 and Emperor Alexander. 



The White Astrachan, Northfield 

 Beauty, Magog and Red Streak, and 

 Scott's Winter, although very hardy, 

 do not appear to be quite so vigorous 

 in the spring as those first mentioned. 

 Last wintei* was a particularly severe 

 one, yet all those mentioned above 

 came through uninjured with me. I 

 have several other promising sorts under 

 trial, but not yet sufficiently tested to 

 pronounce upon with cei-tainty. 



A. A. Wright. 



The Editor would urgently request 

 Mr. Wright to continue his notes on 



