OPEN LETTERS. 



Feptilizer for the Apple. 



922. Sir, — What fertilizers should I use 

 for the apple ? O. N. B. 



The same as above for cherry, only 

 about twice the quantity in each case. 



The Alg-oma District. 



923. Sir,— Would you or some of the 

 members give me some idea of Algoma Dis- 

 trict as a fruit growing place ? 



D. N. Anderson, 



Wyomiwj, Out. 



Raspberry Root Gall. 



924. Sir, — Does the raspberry root gall 

 affect the crop very much, when bad '.' I have 



been told it does not, and that all raspberry 

 canes have it. A Grimsby Subscriber. «« 



Hand Irrigation. 



93.5. Sir, — W^ould an ordinary hand force 

 punii) be the best thing to irrigate a half-acre 

 garden with ? If so, how long would it take 

 to pump enough water to soak that amount 

 of land ? A (Jrimsby Subscriber. 



So far as our experience goes, water- 

 ing a half acre of ground by hand force 

 is an utter failure. The amount of water 

 required to cover half an acre one inch 

 deep is 450 barrels ! A windmill pump 

 might be made to serve a good purpose. 



% ©pet7 L)ettep<?. % 



Planting Grapes. 



Sir, — I would like to give you my experi- 

 ence with planting out grapes in the fall of 

 the year. I had my land in good condition, 

 and in the fall of 1895 I set out 1000 (loncord, 

 900 Worden, 300 Niagara, all 2-year old vines, 

 and; I don't think I lost three out of the whole 

 lot every vine did well and is likely to have 

 a nice crop this coming year. 1 just mention 

 this, as many of my neighbors thought I would 

 lose my vines and my time as well. 



My fruit farm is nicely situated on the 

 shores of Lake Ontario, about 2i miles east of 

 Port Dalhousie, which is very much adapted 

 to the growing of vines and tender fruit. 



My Abundance plum is looking fine and I 

 expect a nice crop this year : the tree has 

 only been out since the spring of 1896. 



William Campbell, 

 St. Catharines, Out. 



Outfits for Spraying Gooseberries 



Sir, — I congratulate you and the Associa- 

 tion uj)on the improvement in the organ of 

 the Association. 



I desire to call attention to a few facts in 

 connectiim with sulphate of potassium as a 

 fungicide, through its medium. 



I am informed by a wholesale dealer in 

 Toronto, Mr. Alfred Boyd, that it is impos- 

 sible to get it in connnercial quantities in 

 Canada, at any price. He is therefore getting 

 me $5 worth from (iermany, with other goods 

 he is importing. 



Now if sulphate of potassium (liver of sul- 

 phur) is as efficacious as the Bordeaux for 

 gooseberry mildew, it is preferable in that it 

 is less trouble to make and apply. mmll; 



But of course, if it has been proved defi- 

 cient to the least degree, that would settle 

 the matter. 



The advantages of the sulphate are : — 



(1) No lime needed 



(2) Therefore no slaking, decanting and 

 straining. 



(3) No burnt hands and clothes 



(4) No clogging of the nozzle. 



(5) No stained fruit. 



(6) No grinding of the valves of the pump. 



(7) Small, quantities are easily made in 

 proportion. 



The following are the implements I have 

 provided, as a perfect outfit, for the manu- 

 facture of Bordeaux : — 



(1) A large porcelain-lined kettle. 



(2) A 48-gallon barrel. 



(3) A 4S-gallon barrel .sawed across, this 

 makes two large tubs. 



(4) A large piece of burlap, with a hoo]> 

 to fasten the burlap over the mouth of the 

 barrel. 



The kettle aids in dissolving the bluestone. 

 by keeping the water hot. 



The tubs are used for slaking the lime, and 

 decanting serves to eliminate the sand, which 

 all lime contains and which is har<l on the 

 pump, and nuikes the cleaning easier. 



Some brother may have a better outfit, if 

 HO, it would be a charity to describe it, for 

 the benefit of the less fortunate. 



