THE CANADIAN UORIICULTUKIST. 



2H3 



fourteen trees which have paid better 

 this year? The Astrachan is a tardy 

 and shy bearer when young, but atones 

 for these faults by yielding heavily 

 when older. 



"We are told also, that D. Gow, of 

 Cobden, sent a trial lot of 100 J-bushel 

 boxes of Red Astrachans to Cleveland, 

 which netted him over $100. These 

 fortunate shipments of Astrachans this 

 summer will induce additional planting 

 of this variety. A young orchard of 

 r)Oi) Astrachan trees in this vicinity 

 bore its first crop this year. — Farmer 

 and Fruit Grower. 



GATHERING PEARS. 



Perha|)s there is no fruit on which 

 the qtiality so much depends on the 

 right time of harvesting as pears, 

 for if gathered too soon they shrivel, 

 and, if eatable at all, they are more 

 or less insipid, whilst if left on the 

 trees till they are eatable, particularly 

 the early varieties, they are mealy 

 and flavourless — at least such has been 

 my experience, and even now, after 

 years of practice, we sometimes fail to 

 hit on the right time to gather some of 

 the kinds ; hence the suggestions I have 

 to offer as to when to gather must not 

 be taken as infallible, but simply as the 

 best I have yet learned. To begin with 

 the earliest and second early varieties, 

 the former under any circumstances are 

 always more or less mealy ; obviously 

 therefore the time of gathering cannot 

 make them firm and buttery in flesh, 

 but they are always best if gathered 

 about a fortnight before being fit for 

 table, and the best criterion as to when 

 they have attained that degree of ma- 

 turity is to gently lift up the fruits, and 

 if they part readily from the tree, then 

 they should be gathered and be placed 

 in a cool, airy room. The same rule is 

 equally api)licable to the second early 

 varieties with this addition, that if a 

 portion of the fruits of the same tree 



be gathered at intervals of a few days 

 or a week, the season when they are fit 

 for use will be greatly extended ; this is 

 particidarly the caso with respect to 

 Williams' Bon Chretien, Beurre dAm- 

 anlis, Brown Beurre, Seckle, and Marie; 

 Louise. I have also noted it to be the 

 case with some few of the latter varie- 

 ties. Winter Nelis, for instance ; we 

 gathered a few of this kind a week ago, 

 others will be gathered this week, and 

 others will be left on the trees as long 

 as it is safe to leave them, and so, as in 

 former years, we shall hope to have ripe 

 fruit of this kind from November to 

 February. Other late kinds, that by 

 following the same rule, may havetheir 

 season of use lengthened are Josephine- 

 de Malines, Beurre Bosc, Delices de- 

 Hardenpont, Passe Colmar, and Beurr^- 

 Diel. With respect to gathering v«ry 

 late kinds, the best rule to follow is^ to- 

 disregard every symptom of maturity,, 

 such as black pips, pecking by birds^ 

 and even ready parting from the tree- 

 when moved by the hand, and only 

 gather them as soon as they begin to- 

 drop from the tree naturally ; there will, 

 then be few if any shrivelled fruit, and. 

 at the season of ripening the quality: 

 may be expected to be all that can be 

 wished. I need scarcely add that all. 

 kinds should be handled with the great- 

 est care, and if space can be ajQTorded' 

 for laying them singly on the fruit 

 shelves, not only will they be more 

 readily inspected to remove decayed 

 fruit, but the percentage of such will be 

 more reduced than if they were laid ini 

 double file. — The Garden. 



MELON AND SQUASH mjGS. 

 I want to say most emphatically^ that. 

 I hereby give the remedy for the melon 

 and squash bug. Had a fine lot of 

 melon and squash this season, up and 

 looking well. All at once the h\\^%. 

 came down on them as tho* gh tiles'" 

 meant business. I took a tigl t barrel,. 



