160 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



the several fruits and to extend them 

 to ornam(mtal trees, shrubs and plants, 

 and roses as well. 



ALUM WATER FOR THE CURRANT 

 WORMS. 



Dear Sir, — In the Canadian Horti- 

 culturist you ask any one who tries the 

 alum water on currant worms to report 

 its effect. 1 have tried it and it works 

 splendid, j ust as good as hellebore. I 

 first used it on gooseberry bushes nearly 

 full of worms, and after two applica- 

 tions scarcely a worm could be seen. 

 Your obedient servant, 



D. H. Webber. 

 Hamilton, June 12th, 1883. 



HOW APPLES ARE SOLD IK 

 ENGLAND. 



At a meeting of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, Charles F. Cur- 

 tis gave an account of the method of 

 selling apples in England. This is 

 wholly by auction. There are five 

 auctioneers in the business at Liverpool, 

 and all the apples received are sold by 

 one of them. The sale is held in a 

 large amphitheatre, in the centre of 

 which is a large table, on which a barrel 

 of each mark is poured out as a sample. 

 Each auctioneer sells for three-quarters 

 of an hour at a time, and the sales 

 continue, if necessary, till ten o'clock 

 at night. Apples are sold in lots of 

 twenty barrels each. The understand- 

 ing is that the apples shall be perfectly 

 tight in the barrel ; when such bring 

 twenty-five shillings per barrel, "shak- 

 ers," or those not tightly packed, will 

 bring four shillings less. The next 

 grade is "wet and wasted," which 

 bring only half the price of the best. 

 The Baldwin is the only variety sold to 

 any amount ; it is the only one which 

 can be obtained in sufficient quantity 

 to sell by the thousand barrels. Retail 

 lots and odds and ends are not wanted. 

 Sales are held three days in a week. 



The trade dates from about ten years 



affo. 



THE KIEFFER PEAR. 



That this pear, which is producing 

 such innovation in pear culture, is a 

 veritable prodigy, no one will perhaps 

 deny. Therefore, in order to do it jus- 

 tice, it seems necessary to look upon it 

 calmly and criticise it philosophically. 

 That it is not perfect, all should admit 

 — no fruit has yet been produced that 

 is — but that it possesses much merit, 

 from a somewhat full experience with 

 it, I am ready to assert. 



With its large size, peculiar form 

 and surpassing beauty, together with 

 its remarkable growth, early bearing, 

 and ornamental properties of the tree, 

 it has so fascinated many, that they are 

 blind to any defects, while some disap- 

 pointed ones can see in it nothing to 

 admire. Still others, charmed at " first 

 sight," but chagrined at finding it " not 

 quite so" sweet as appearances led them 

 to suppose, can speak of it only slight- 

 ingly- 

 After growing the Kieflfer, seeing it 

 in several different places in New Jer- 

 sey and Pennsylvania, and having tes- 

 ted it three consecutive years, I would 

 describe it in brief as follows : 



In size it is large to very large, of 

 double turbinate form, rich yellow, with 

 carmine cheek when exposed to the sun; 

 showy and exceedingly handsome ; an 

 excellent shipping and keeping pear; 

 flesh harsh-grained and of variable 

 flavor; when well grown and^ well 

 ripened, rich, juicy, peculiarly piquant 

 and spicy, and when poorly grown or 

 poorly ripened, lacking in character. 

 Season, October to December. Tree, a 

 marvel of rapid growth and early bear- 

 ing, producing large annual crops, sym- 

 metrical, with large, glossy, dark-green 

 foliage in abundance, rendering it de- 

 cidedly ornamental. Were it of uni- 



