-^©(j^^fioQ Dpdlo^r*. ^ 



Sag-e. 



i>-)8. Sir, 1 wouM lie pluasud if some 

 rciiiliM- would give in tliis .lournal some hints 

 on growing sage for njtiiket. 



.1. 15. Briik, Vei-iioit. B.C. 



Insect on Currants and Goose- 

 berries. 



!».>«». SiK. liciii^ iiineli illl(■^.•^.t^•.l iii 

 llortiiultuie ainl Kniil (irowing on a small 

 seale, I would lie glad to learn from what 

 cansc it is, and what it is, that ha-f so hjHied 

 my cH'orts this season in attempting to grow 

 I'Urrants and gooseherries. This season I was 

 expecting some returns for past labor. I have 

 grown small fruits for several years, hut never 

 with ."iuch a discouraging feature as this sea- 

 son. The hushes were well euriched, well 

 mulched and were all that could he desired ; 

 all leafed out and showed healthy habits, were 

 coveied with blossom and looked very prom- 

 ising, when a tiny insect maile its appearance 

 about the size of a pin's nob, in color brown 

 aiul black, and literally infested the new 

 growth and attacked the fruit by the myriads 

 when it was just setting, sapping the vitality 

 of the bushes, causing the leaves to turn 

 brown and in some instance to kill the bushes. 

 I tried a weak solution of Paris green, which 

 I have always used with success for the rav- 

 ages of the currant worm, but in this invasion 

 |)rotited nil ; the black currant bushes were 

 attacked perhaps worse than any. The result 

 is that, from .some forty Hve bushes, there will 

 not be more than a handful of fruit. This pest 

 on small fruits is new in my experience, and 

 that while apple trees growing on the same 

 lot have this season been free of any ravages 

 of in.sects, which is the first time I remember 

 the like. Would you kindly inform me how 

 I. may prevent a repetition of the evil, whe- 

 ther it is a sort of blight, or what? 



Rkv. W. a. Aihhuk, 



Snyder Blackberry Blights. 



OfiO. Sir, — S mie months ago I asked 

 the HiiRTicfi.Ti"Hl.sT why my blackberries 

 dry up, when they ought to grow. I enclose 

 twig, out l.'ith July. It sets fruit, but seems 

 to wither all at once. Last year the whole 

 crop was afl'ected, now only a snuiU part. 

 The soil is moist and fertile. 



T. M. G ROVER, Noni'ooJ. 



Reply by Mr. John Craig, E.xperimenia! 

 Faun, Ottawa. 



In Eastern Ontario and throughout 

 the I'rovince of (,)uebec, blackberries 

 fre(|uently set fruit which they fail to 

 mature. This failure is due mainly to 

 three causes : 



(i) Winter injury; (2) dry weather; 

 (3) diseases. The specimens received 

 show a certain amount of injury by 

 winter at the ti[)S. In order that fruit 

 may be matured, blackberris canes 

 must be supplied and must carry a rea- 



sonable amount of foliage to the ends of 

 the tips, otherwise the fruit-bearing spurs 

 have nothing to support them. The lips 

 received lack in this respect. This is a 

 proHfic cause of failure in the colder por- 

 tions of Ontario and (,)uebec. Again, 

 on cultivated ground e.xtremely hot 

 weather during ripening time, freijuently 

 shortens the blackberry, as it does the 

 strawberry and raspberry crop, and the 

 extraordinary high thermometer of the 

 last three weeks was sufficient to cause 

 blackberries to shrivel prematurely. 

 Blackberries are also affected by the 

 mycelial form of orange rust (gloe- 

 osporium). This disease occasionally 

 does not make its presence apparent by 

 the orange rust form on leaves, but is at 

 the same time quite injurious. I believe 

 as a general rule that blackberries may 

 be grown with greater success in West- 

 ern Ontario if a system of mulching is 

 practiced instead of that of clean culti- 

 vation. 



Pie Cherries. 



1>6I. Sir, — I mail you to-day .sample of 

 cherries, kindly let rue know true name. 

 What are the best kinds to plant in Kssex 

 Co., one for early, one medium, and one late, 

 that is hardy and will yield a good crop every 

 year, and if the three you will mention will 

 fertilize each other if planted in blocks, or 

 would they require other kinds planted be- 

 tween ? Is theie an early kind that will yield 

 as well as Early Richmond and ripen a week 

 or 10 days earlier ? By sending me particulars 

 yo\i will oblige. 



fi. FiNDLAY, Wa/Herrille, Onl. 



The sample sent is apparently the 

 large fruited Montmorency. This variety 

 is not so tart as the Early Richmond, or 

 the Late Kentish, larger, and the tree 

 is more productive. However, none of 

 the Kentish can be called very produc- 

 tive, not averaging more than half the 

 quantity yielded by the Hearts or Bigar- 

 reaus. The three hardiest and most 

 regularly productive pie cherries are 

 ICarly Richmond, Large Montmorency 

 and English Morello. These three 

 ripen in succession and would cover the 

 season fairly well. 



The Early Purple is fully ten days and 

 more earlier than Richmond, but is of 

 an entirely different class. No doubt it 

 would succeed in Esse.x. 



3'9 



