272 



TIIK CANADIAN HoitTKJLLTUKIS'l 



600 miles further north than Quebec, 

 there are twelve villages where the 

 peasants are growers of this race of 

 apples in large quantities. A^nother 

 race seems to be designated by the name 

 of Antonovka. It is the leading apple 

 of the vast prairie region that stretches 

 from Tula to the south of Kharkof and 

 from Kozlof to Kiev. He found this 

 apple in latitude 5i° north, about 4>0 

 miles farther north than Quebec, re- 

 garded as their hardiest and most pro- 

 ductive apple tree, noted for its length 

 of life, average annual bearing and 

 fruitful ness in old age. The Aport is 

 the name of another family, to which 

 the apple grown here under the name 

 of Alexander belongs. Arabka or 

 Arabskoe is the name of yet another 

 family, seemingly not quite as hardy as 

 the two first mentioned, yet containing 

 some members that are likely to prove 

 valuable here. 



The Pear. The wild pear he found 

 planted in the public square at Sim- 

 birsk on the Volga, as an ornamental 

 tree, where the soil is dry, the summer 

 sun hot, the air excessively dry, and the 

 winters very cold, because it maintain- 

 ed a dark green, glossy, healthy foliage 

 l)etter than any other. The pears were 

 of two forms, one like a Bergamot in 

 shape, small, and very variable in 

 quality ; the other pyriform, small and 

 Tisually too astringent evea for cooking. 

 The most hardy variety which he found 

 yielding fruit that is eatable, is the 

 Tonkovietka ; next to it in endurance 

 is the Bessemianka, which is considered 

 the best that is grown in the severer 

 parts of Russia. 



The Cherky. This also apj)ears to 

 consist chiefly of two fauiilies, the 

 Vladimir and the Ostheiui. Of these 

 the most important is the Vladimir, 

 which is probably so name! fr-om the 

 district where it is most extensively 

 grown, there being over a hundred 



orchards, each containing fifteen thou- 

 sand trees. The Ostheim is supposed to 

 be a native of the Sierra Nevada moun- 

 tains of Spain, much resembling the 

 Vladimir in foliage and habit of growth. 



The Plum. This fruit was found by 

 Mr. Gibb in Vladimir and Kazan, 

 some red, some yellow, but most were 

 blue, much resembling the prunes of 

 Germany. He thinks some of these 

 Russian plums may prove to be valu- 

 able for us. It is doubtful whetlier 

 they are any more hardy than the 

 Chickasaw plums of northwest America, 

 but they may be of better quality. Mr. 

 Gibb mentions a dwarf variety of the 

 Prunus Spinosa which is very ornamen- 

 tal wlien laden with its small blue fruit, 

 and advises its introduction as an at- 

 tractive plant for our lawns. 



The Apricot. There is a variety of 

 this fruit <:rowinfr in eastern Turkestan 

 in great quantity, which though small 

 in size is sweet and of fair quality. 

 Also in the Province of Mautcliuria 

 there is yet another variety really good, 

 which is brought in considerable quan- 

 tity to the Pekin market. Mr. Gibb 

 thinks we should give these a trial. 



The Rose. Mr. Gibb learned that 

 the Japanese Rosa Rugosa was perfectly 

 hardy at St. Petersburg and Moscow, 

 hence we may be sure that it will thrive 

 in our climate. Both the single and 

 double forms are beautiful. 



NATIONAL SCHOOL OF FOREST KY. 



It is intended by the promo tei-s of 

 the exhibition, which it is proposed to 

 hold in Edinburgh, Scotland, next stmi- 

 mer, to make it the starting point of a 

 National School of Forestry, an insti- 

 tution much needed in Great Britain. 

 At present students have to go to 

 schools on the continent for instruction, 

 while there is ample scope for study at 

 home. 



