THE CANADIAN HOKTICL'LTUKIST. 



<0 



buy i*efuse salt by the car load at the 

 Salt Works. We hope some of them 

 will (jive this a thorough trial and re- 

 port their experience through the col- 

 umns of the Canadian Horticulturist. 

 Mr. Robert N. Ball, of Niagara, thinks 

 he has found the application of lime to 

 his peach trees to be vt^ry beneficial in 

 arresting what seemed to be the first 

 stages of the yellows. 



HARDY FRUITS FOR MANITOBA AND 

 MUSKOKA. 



The following taken from the Win- 

 nijjeg Daily San is of especial inter- 

 nist to those of our readers who live 

 in the colder sections of the Province : 



•' While reading an interesting and 

 valuable letter from the pen oF the in- 

 domitable investigator into apple cul- 

 ture, Mr. Charles Gibb, of Abbotsford, 

 P. Q., addressed to our department of 

 agriculture, we are again reminded of 

 the wonderful enthusiasm which char- 

 HCterizes the efforts of fruit-gi'owers. 

 W;th many it seems to be an infatua- 

 tion, and a most fortunate one it is, in 

 view of the inestimable benefits thereby 

 conferred upon the world. When the 

 impartial Judge .shall write down a list 

 of earth's heroes we expect to find near 

 the top the names of many such quiet, 

 Giirnest workers as Mr. Wilder, o the 

 U. S., Mr. Beadle, Mr. Saunders and 

 Mr. Gibb, of our own Dominion, whose 

 life's labors have been devoted to the 

 invention and development of blessings, 

 among the richest mankind can employ. 

 ^ We do not propose in this connection 

 to speak of the value of fruit as a 

 luxury, its health-giving pro|)erties, or 

 its influence upon the morals of the 

 community, although we are naturally 

 led in that direction. We simply in- 

 tend to refer to the contents of Mr. 

 Gibb's letter, draw attention to its im- 

 portance and acknowledge the kind in- 

 terest he manifests for our good. 



Mr. Gibb has spent very much time 

 of late years in travelling and investi- 

 gating the character and value of the 

 fruit of different countries and climates. 

 His experience is especially valuable to 

 North-west people because much of it 

 has been gained in Russia, in the same 

 latitude as our own country, where large 

 quantities of fruit are grown, not only 

 for home consumption, but for exj)ort. 

 The opinion has })een commonly and 

 popularly expressed, that whatever 

 might be expected of this country, the 

 cultivation of other than strawberries, 

 raspberries, currants and other small 

 fruits in the fruit line, was out of the 

 question. Mr Gibb, whose opinion am 

 fairly be set against an army of novices 

 and casual observei"s, is not so impres- 

 sed. He says : ' I look forward in hope 

 to the time when Manitoba shall have, 

 in specially favorable and sheltered 

 places, her commercial orchards supply- 

 ing her markets with home-grown fruit, 

 and also less favorable soils and situa- 

 tions growing fruit in an amateur way 

 with more or less success.' And, in 

 this reference, he speaks particularly of 

 apples. 



** After leaving here a couple of 

 months ago, Mr. Gibb spent some tin>e 

 in Minnesota inquiring into the history 

 of all efforts there made in fruit cul- 

 ture. It is the result of this research 

 that he makes the excuse for the letter 

 we refer to, and very full of value, it 

 appears to be for North-westers. He 

 says : ' The question of hardine.ss is of 

 primary importance to Manitoba, for 

 we are not now in search of fruits for 

 the future sheltered city gardens of 

 Brandon and Portage la Prairie, but for 

 open prairie exposure, trees expected to 

 live and thrive without shelter belts.* 



"The opinions given by Northern 

 Minnesf)ta fruit-growers, whose experi- 

 ence is the truest guide to experimental 

 work in Manitoba, would lead to trials 

 of the following varieties of apples : 



