218 



THE OANA.DIAN HORTICULTDKTST. 



out in tlie open border, and lovely blue 

 flowers freely cut for bouquets. 



DWARF PEAR TREES. 



I have about thirty dwarf pear trees 

 whose leaves, after turning brown, 

 have all fallen off and fresh foliage 

 formed. The bark is not at all affected. 



1 . Will the trees die, or can they be 

 saved, and how 1 



Will the Horticulturist kindly reply 

 in the next issue 1 



2. Also, if the Clematis can be pro- 

 pagated by cuttings 1 R. 



Toronto, (sth August, 1883. 



1. It is impossible to tell whether 

 the pear trees will die or not. The 

 formation of fresh foliage gives ground 

 for the hope that they will survive. 



2. Clematis does not grow readily 

 from cuttings, but does well layered. — 

 Ed. 



To THE Editor of the Canadian Horticulturist. 



Mr. Editor, — Is the wild cucumber, 

 Echinocystis lohata, poisonous 1 It is 

 an annual. The leaves resemble the 

 leaves of the cucumber of our gardens, 

 but are more indented. The flowers 

 are white formed on sprays. The fruit 

 or pod is oval and covered with prickles. 

 The plant is a rai)id growing creeper. 

 The seeds are similar to those of the 

 water-melon. 



Yours truly, F. G. B. 

 Ottawa, Sept. 14, 1883. 



Reply. — Not being familiar with the 

 plant, we referred the question to Wm. 

 Saunders, Esq., of London, an able 

 chemist and botanist, to which he re- 

 plies as follows : — *' I have not been 

 able to find in any book in my posses- 

 sion anything relating to the physio- 

 logical action of the Echinocystis lobata, 



but since it is closely related to the 

 squirting cucumber, Echatium offici- 

 anum, from which Elaterium is pre- 

 pared, one of the most violent drastic 

 cathartics known, I should expect that 

 it would act violently on the bowels if 

 any of the fruit was swallowed, produc- 

 ing abundant and watery stools." 



Prof Asa Gray, in his Manual of 

 Botany, gives Wild Balsam Apple as 

 the common name of this plant. 



ALUM FOR CURRANT WORMS. 



To THK Editor ofthr Canadian Horticufturist. 



Mr. Editor, — In answer to Mr. J. 

 Savage's inquiry as to how to make and 

 apply the alum water, I took the receipt 

 from page 4, January number. The 

 solution is one pound of alum dissolved 

 in three gallons of rain water. The 

 mode of proceeding is to dissolve the 

 alum in a small quantity of water, 

 then add sufficient water to make three 

 gallons. When cold, put in a common 

 watering pot with a rose spout and 

 sprinkle the currant bushes as soon as 

 the worms appear, at first for two or 

 three days every morning, and then once 

 or twice a week will keep them clean, 

 or at least did mine. 



Yours truly, 



O. H. Webber. 

 Hamilton, Sept. 20, 1883. 



SIZE OF JAMES VICK. 



Mr A. M. Purdy writes to us as 

 follows : " Pardon me, but six such 

 large berries as you show for James 

 Vick could not be found on any plan- 

 tation of that sort. Mine were not half 

 that size." 



We supposed that Mr. D. M. Dewey, 

 of Rochester, N.Y., under whose super- 

 vision the coloured plate of James Vick 

 was printed for our August number, 

 had such a reputation for accuracy in 

 these matters that no one could chal- 

 lenge his representations. 



