202 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



cious. No birds or anything to disturb 

 it while ripening. Well yes, it tempt- 

 ed the children. — C. Paranteon, in 

 Fruit Recorder. 



A PROMISING WINTER APPLE. 



Prof. J. L. Budd, of the Iowa Agri- 

 cultural College, says, in referring to a 

 new apple : " Scions and trees of an 

 apple known as Belle de Boskoop have 

 been distributed from the college. 

 While far hardier and longer-lived than 

 Ben Davis, it will not probably prove 

 iiardy enough in all parts of the north, 

 as like the Alexander it is only a half 

 blood Russian. Taking it all in all it 

 is, as Charles Downing says, the most 

 promising variety for the parts where 

 it will prove hardy of any on our ex- 

 perimental list. In Eastern France, 

 where the standard of quality is high, 

 Simon Louis, of the great orchards and 

 nurseries at Metz says, 'In our opinion 

 the Belle de Boskoop is one of the most 

 beautiful and in quality the best for 

 table use at the close of winter.^ It is 

 equally a favorite over a large portion 

 of Central Europe as far north as 

 Northern Silesia, Hungary, Bohemia, 

 and Poland. It does not bear quite as 

 early as Ben Davis, but no variety has 

 a better record for regular crops of 

 even sized fruit. At this time we need 

 an apple of fine appearance and high 

 quality to take the place of the over- 

 grown Ben Davis, which, aside from its 

 low quality, is proving too short-lived 

 in tree. I append Charles Downing's 

 description of the fruit, whose guarded 

 expression in relation to new fruits is 

 well known : * Tree vigorous spreading, 

 comes into bearing moderately early, 

 and produces abundantly, alternate 

 years, of fair fruit, good size, very good 

 quality ; keeps well and is a promising 

 variety. Fruit medium to large, round- 

 ish oblate, skin yellow, shaded with 

 light and dark red over nearly the 

 whole surface, some specimens more or 



less mixed with russet; basin large, 

 round, deep, slightly corrugated, flesh a 

 little coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, brisk, 

 sub-acid, rich, and of very good quality ; 

 core small and close, season February 

 to April.' 



" With us the apples are brighter 

 colored than in New York and will 

 average on young trees larger than de- 

 scribed. At the college, which is in all 

 respects a trying situation, I have not 

 known it to fail to start from the termi- 

 nal buds even during our recent test 

 winters. I hope our nurserymen will 

 propagate this variety." — Prairie 

 Farmer. 



THE GRAPE VINE PLUME. 



A caterpillar with a very long name 

 {Pterophorus periscdidactijlus) works 

 in an interesting manner upon the 

 grape vines. About the time the third 

 cluster is forming on a vigorous shoot 

 the young leaves at the extremity may 

 be found fastened together, making a 

 cavity, in which one or more caterpillars 

 find a retreat. The mature insect is a 

 moth of a tawny yellow color, with a 

 very rapid flight. The wings are sj)lit 

 up into feather-like lobes, and on this 

 account the insect is known as the 

 Grape Vine Plume. Tlie larvae hatch 

 soon after the grape leaves begin to ex- 

 pand. At first the caterpillars are 

 nearly smooth, but after each change 

 of skin the hairs become larger and 

 more numerous. They feed for about 

 a month upon the tender grape leaves, 

 and then, fastening themselves by the 

 hind legs to the under-side of leaves, etc., 

 they change into the inactive or pup.i 

 state. A second brood is not known, 

 but if there is one, it can do but little 

 inj ury. 



The method of treatment is Iiau 1- 

 picking. The part attacked should 

 usually be removed in the summer 

 pruning or pinching, and therefore the 



