XOTES AND COMMENTS. 



indiucd to spray five times as is advised. 

 Indeed very few will ever do it more 

 than two or three times, unless the 

 clearest jiroof is given that more applica- 

 tions will pay in dollars and cents ; viz., 

 once before the leaf buds open, once he- 

 fore bloom, and once after. 



The Industrial Fair at Toronto 

 this year promises to surpass that of any 

 previous year, as indeed it should. The 

 poster is a credit to the management, 

 and is quite artistic. It is headed " Can- 

 ada's Great Victorian Era Exposition, 

 and Industrial Fair," and shows fine 

 pictures of Her Majesty in 1837 and in 

 1897 ; also of the Premier in 1837 (Sir 

 John A. McDonald) and in 1897 (Sir 

 Wilfred Laurier). P'ortunately the Presi- 

 dent of our Association is on the Board 

 of Management, and is doing every- 

 thing in his power to give prominence 

 to both fruits and flowers. 



About three hundred named vari- 

 eties of apples where shown by the 

 Fonthill Nurseries last year at the In- 

 dustrial, the largest collection ever ex- 

 hibited in Canada. The largest named 

 collection of fruits of various kinds ever 

 shown was made by our Experiment 

 Stations, and their exhibit will increase 

 in interest year after year. 



The Habits, Food and Economic 

 Value of the Toad, forms the sub- 

 ject of bulletin 46, Mass., A. C. It 

 is shown that only eleven per cent, of 

 the food of the toad is composed of 

 spiders and insects in any way helpful, 

 and eighty per cent, of those which 

 are injurious, such, for example, as 

 sow-bugs, myreapods, grass-hoppers, 

 crickets, may-beetles, tent cater- 

 pillars, gypsy moths, cut worms, 

 army worms, etc., etc. Gardeners, 

 therefore, should encourage the pres- 

 ence of this animal ; artificial shelters 



may be made by digging out shallow 

 holes in the ground, and partially 

 covering them with a board. 



Double Apple Blossoms. — Mr. W. 

 J. Kerr, of Renfrew, wTites of a freak in 

 the way of a double apple blossom which 

 he found on a I )uchess apple tree in the 

 County of Renfrew. Mr. Kerr says he 

 will take note of this from year to year 

 and report concerning its constancy. 

 Possibly a double-flowering apple tree 

 might be propagated from this branch, 

 which would make a fine ornamental 

 tree. Mr. Kerr compares the blossom 

 to that of a double white rose. 



Cook's Hard Soap Emulsion is con- 

 venient because it may be used with 

 either hard or soft water. It is made by 

 dissolving ^ pound of hard soap in two 

 quarts of boiling water, and while still 

 hot add one pint of kerosene, and stir 

 rapidly. This will emulsify at once and 

 when needed for use is diluted with twice 

 its bulk of water. The Riley- Hubbord 

 formula is y^ lb. hard soap dissolved in 

 I gallon boiling water, to which is added 

 two gallons of kerosene. ^\'hen wanted 

 for use, dilute with 9 times the quantity 

 of soft water. 



One of the finest Peach Orchards 

 in the Niagara District is that of Mr. 

 E. McCardle, near St. Catharines. We 

 visited it on the loth inst. and cannot 

 speak too highly of its excellent condi- 

 tion. First the cultivation was almost 

 perfect, not a weed or spear of grass to 

 be seen, and constantly worked up; — 

 Secondly the fertilizing was liberal, 

 chiefly with wood ashes ; Thirdly the 

 pruning was an example for imitation, 

 not only the dead wood well thinned 

 out, but the growth well shortened back 

 every spring. The only ap]Mrent evil 

 is the Peach Curl, which affects the 

 best orchards as well as the worst in wet 



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