OPEN LETTRS. 



last year. The plum crop, however, is extra, 

 but pears 8u(fere<l like the a])ples, only in a 

 less extent. 



Small fruits are very abundant anil promise 

 a big yiehl. I visited Linilsay, I'elcrboro' 

 and Port Hope district last week and founil 

 the fruit crop about the same as here, only 

 plums are not so plentiful. 



Nearly all farm crops are lookinj* splendid 

 and promise large yields. A few gentle show- 

 ers would not come amiss just round here. 

 R. L. Hi'iuJARii, HVi/V/,,/, Onl. 



Heating Small Conservatories. 



SiK, — Kindly allow me space for a few 

 words in reply to Prof. Taft's article in the 

 .Tune number, pp. 249-50. 



The tjue.-^tions of Mr. t'. E. liennan, of 

 Strathroy, respecting his conservatory, were 

 intelligently asked and his description of the 

 premises well given — with one exception — and 

 the reply given by Prof. Taft, of the Michigan 

 .•\gricultural College, to the paragraph on ven- 

 tilation was quite satisfactory — to me, at least 

 — but his answers to the three questions on 

 heiting were far otherwise, hence my com- 

 munication in May number. 



I am much pleased to note that the learned 

 Professor has now coreeoted that part of his 

 reply to Que. (a), respecting the temperature. 

 But that pirt respecting the length of pipe in 

 the fire-box is made very much worse. He 

 says, " It is customary in estimating the tire 

 surface required in a heater, to take one- 

 eighth of the radiating surface to be supplied, 

 and I followed that rule." I am aware that 

 this and many other such ruka are given for 

 this purp)se in ditt'erent places ; bnt when a 

 sensible, practical man such as Mr. German 

 appears to be— judging him by his questions 

 — asks certain information, it seemed to me 

 that it woulil be better for him, and probably 

 hundred of others of your readers, to give 

 practical information, rather than quote obso- 

 lete rules ; hence my reason for writing para- 

 graph (10), as seen in May number, page 179. 

 And to show the absurdity of such a rule as 

 quoted by the learned Professor, I would add 

 that the fire surface of the furnace in that 

 house is only one J'orli/xere»/h of the radiating 

 surface supplied. And further, that no plant 

 has been injured by frost either in the house 

 where ]ilants are kept in all the windows day 

 and night all the winter through, or in the 

 conieivatory since its erection some years 

 ago. And also, that the consumption of coal 

 — and there is no other fuel used — has been 

 less than five tons per annum. 



Further on, the Professor says, " The 

 working of pipes docs <lepend on their length, 

 as can readily be ascertained by comparing 

 the circulation of a long run of small pipe 

 with a short run, when both are but slightly 

 above the level of the heater." No practical 

 man will try such an experiment at his own 

 expense. 



In his last paragraph, the learned Professor 

 says he " noticed several questionable state- 



ments' in the latter part of my article, and 

 then adds. " but will only comment on one of 

 them." Here it is: "In paragra])h (8) he 

 recommends 20 gallons of water for heating 

 lOOl) cubic feet." (This sentence is inaccu- 

 rately <|Uoted), aud immediately adds ("which 

 woulil be all rij;ht foe a certain size of pipe 

 and for a house of a certain shape.") Now 

 Mr. (>ermun gave every necessary dimension 

 of the house and said he would use two inch 

 pipe. Will the gentleman say wherein my 

 statement is " questionable ' ': 



The relative efficiency of pipes, for heating 

 l)urpo3es, of diftereut diameters, is not rele- 

 vant to this question ; but should the learned 

 Professor wish to discuss this branch of the 

 subject, at some future time, I shall be pleased 

 to " take a hand." 



TiioM.is Ue.^i.l. 

 Linii^ay, Jiih) Ul , IS'J7. 



The Black Currant, Success. 



Sib, — Last year I wrote you about the Suc- 

 cess Currant (Black) sent out by you several 

 years ago, speaking as to its earliness and 

 excellent (|uality. At present writing, .July 

 3, the fruit of .Success is almost ripe, more 

 nearly so than White Grape, while the Reds 

 are only beginning to turn, and the other 

 Blacks, presumably Black Naples, are green 

 and as hard as bullets. .Success is, to my 

 mind, the best black currant I ever saw, 

 although Mr. Craig told me at Ottawa last 

 summer that he had several other kinds that 

 were very much like it. The early ripening 

 is a valuable quality, and should made it 

 most desirable for market growers. Insect 

 pests of all kinds are very prevalent here this 

 season. My plum trees are completely cov- 

 ered with aphis. 



C. \V. Yors.;, 



('orii)rull. 



Fruit About Goderich. 



■Siu, — .Since writiua; my last there seems to 

 be a change, and not for the better, for fruit 

 growers in this section. I find the few apples 

 there are, are almost all dropping oH", now 

 about the size of hickory nuts, besides there 

 seems to be a blight, the leaves curl up and 

 turn black so it makes the trees look rather 

 sickly, and some trees look like the fall of the 

 year with the .seai- and yellow leaf. Plums 

 also near half size turn yellow and drop. 

 Peaches not much grown here but what there 

 are have the leaf curl bad and some of them 

 are falling Pears a very good croji but some 

 varieties very scabby, had not much lime to 

 spray as we have been very busy with mixed 

 farming, and the season has been very favor- 

 ably for weeds, that we have to keep the hoes 

 going near all the time. Raspberries are a 

 good crop. I think what Mr. Allen said in 

 last month's Hortu^ui.ti-rist is notquite cor- 

 rect, as all I have enquired of say the apple 

 crop is very light. Hay and grain good crops. 

 Wai.tkk Hicks, (.hnierkU. 



322 



