OPEN LETTERS. 



for two days wilting in the ami. A friend 

 calling to see me, I showed him the state they 

 were in, he sufjgested that I might give tlieni 

 a trial, which 1 did. I cut oil' the old wood 

 along with the roots up to the first young 

 branch leaving the leaves on, 1 planted them 

 in a slanting pjsition up to near the tips, I 

 choose a spot tor shelter the north side of a 

 grapevine ; they soon began to show they had 

 taken kindly to their new surroundings. I 

 tried at intervals, by cutting the bark to see 

 if my patients were progressing and can now 

 say they are in perfect health. So this nega- 

 tives .\lr. 8pillets' theory. 



Although the Industry and Lancashire Lad 

 can be grown from cuttings, it is too slow a 

 progress for them, it is slow even with layer- 

 ing. Mr. -Jocelin, a well-know ufruit-grower, 

 writes, that he has nevei" come across the 

 man in America who can start the Industry, 

 and says they have all to be st.irted in Eng- 

 land. If he takes in the method of layering 

 and the less successful one by cuttings then 

 the statement don't hold good in Canada. I 

 may in the near future give a few points on 

 starting (i B. cuttings. In the meantime I 

 wish to make a few remarks on the article by 

 C L. .Stevens, which I consider is misleading 

 to the uninformed His remarks on " Straw- 

 berry Culture " is the s ime as we read all the 

 time, only he has not got out of the rut of 

 growing the old \\'ilson and Cresent when 

 others much better every way, are for sale. 

 He states that it seldom pays to grow the 

 second cro]). Now although they are not so 

 large as the first crop, still taking weight for 

 weight the second outweighs the first ; then 

 there is the labor of planting the second to 

 be taken into account. He asserts that SO per 

 cent, of the plants after the first crop is over 

 will be found dead. I think it will be hard 

 to find fruit growers t > endorse the statement. 

 The same plant will grow year after year by 

 simjjly setting it an inch below the crown. 



The principal reason w hy so many in towns 

 and villages give up growing this delicious 

 fruit is that they are confiDed to a small plot 

 of ground and cannot change their patch to 

 new ground, no matter how much stable 

 manure is used, as that won't contain all the 

 mineral which has been extracted from the 

 soil for a few years. One has only to consider 

 the tine Havor and richness of this fruit to be 

 convinced that it must have a heavy drain on 

 the elements of the soil, if virgin soil was 

 applied every two or three years along with 

 wood ashes it » ould remedy the soil. 



The writer in his remarks on raspberry 

 says the (iolden Queen requires protection in 

 winter. It is quite hardy here in Xorth 

 Wellington. I hold a different opinion as to 

 its fine quality, but " taste differs." I dug 

 mine all out this fall for its being so badly 

 affected with the grub which attacks it at the 

 crown of the plant. Very few of my other 

 varieties are affected hy it. I may state here 

 for the benefit of those who grow it that I 

 tried an ex])eriment with sulphur, lime and 

 salt boiled, lime .SO, sul. 20. salt 1.5, together 

 taking a ]iint to a pailful of water, and 



sprinkling on the crowns about twice a woek, 

 it was effectual to at least DO per cent. Mr. 

 .Stevens says the Dewberry is of high quality. 

 This is new to me, for what I have tasted of 

 them, I would prefer a turnip, but here again 

 " t.a8te differs.'' 



On the subject of currants he prefers the 

 Victoria to all others, because the others 

 have a sprawling habit. Kay's Prolific is the 

 only one among the red out of the many I 

 know that has that habit. The White grape 

 in the white class has also this habit. It is 

 a heavy bearer and of good size, but of poor 

 (|uality. I dug up all my Kays last fall, as I 

 could fill their j)laces with much better varie- 

 ties that did not require so much 8])ace. It 

 scarcely ever sends u)) a shoot, consequently 

 there is only old wood to rely on, but a worse 

 objection to it is that the fruit made into 

 preserves is very insipid. As for his remarks 

 on gooseberries, the growers of this palatable 

 fruit will be behind the tinjes by adopting his 

 choice, which is the old Houghton, now very 

 little grown on account of its small size and 

 poor quality. If I had no better to grow I 

 would gi\e it up. 



Now, Mr. Editor, my article is lengthy for 

 you to find space in your valuable Journal, 

 but my object is to ))ut the inex))erienced on 

 ir guard. 



It gave nie much pleasure to read of the 

 highly interesting meeting lately held at 

 Kingston by the Fruit Growers' Association. 

 Long may j'ou go on in your way of well 

 doing, so as the country will reap the benefit 

 of your good work. 



F. W. PoRTKR, Mt. Forest. 



MR. S. SPILLETTS REPLY. 



.Sir, — Upon the testimony of the 

 teaching of the C.anadi.\n Horti- 

 culturist for some time, upon the 

 testimony of a large correspondence 

 upon this subject with many of the 

 leading gooseberry growers of Can- 

 ada and the United States, and upon 

 testimony of my own e.\perience for 

 fifteen years, I emphatically repeat my 

 statement in " Daily News," that practi- 

 cally the gooseberry can't be propagated 

 from cuttings. I would not say that if 

 the soil were kept very damp, and the 

 part of the cutting above ground were 

 shielded entirely from the drying effects 

 of sun and wind, that the cuttings would 

 not catch. But layering is so certain 

 and simple that it would not be worth 

 the trouble. A gentleman of Mount 

 Forest reported to me that he could not 



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