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Hardy Cherries. 



9C'i. SiK,— Please give me the names of 

 the liest market cherries that would succeed 

 at Oranguville. 



K. C, OmiKjtviU'. 



Of sweet cherries, we think that Early 

 Purple and Windsor should succeed : of 

 the sour cherry class, nearly all the 

 Kentisii and Morellos should do well, 

 e. g., Montmorency, W'ragg, English 

 iMorello, Ostheim, etc. All these are 

 good market varieties. 



Strawberrifts. 



963. Sir, — Please mention the names of 

 some of the best strawberries for this locality. 

 R. C, Oraiuj^rillt. 



Clyde, Bubach, Haverland, Green- 

 ville, Williams. 



Smith's Improved Method of 

 Grafting. 



964. .Sir, — Could you give instructions 

 for the Smith's Improved Method of (Jraft- 

 ing ? C. MoRKTTi, ilontnal. 



Pruning Norway Spruce Hedge 



96'5> .Sir, -Please tell me how to care 

 for a Norway Spruce Hedge, including prun- 

 ing. When and at what point should the 

 long shoot on the top of each tree be cut oli'. 

 W. S., Toronlo. 

 The first essential in growing a Nor- 

 way Spruce hedge is to induce good 

 healthy vigorous growth. Very often 

 exposure of the roots in transplanting 

 stunts an evergreen so that it is very 

 long in recovering its vigor. If it is 

 light colored in foliage and shows poor 

 growth, it will need cultivation, and en- 

 riching of the soil, and little or no cut- 

 ting of the top, except in fall or spring, 

 when growth is dormant. But as soon 

 as vigor is evident, summer pruning 

 should be practised, and that as fre- 

 3 355 



quently during the season as may seem 

 necessary to preserve the form desired, 

 and render the weaker parts more dense. 

 The leading shoots may be cut back at 

 the option of the owner, without any 

 special rule, the only object being to 

 keep the height down to a certain line. 

 To do this, it is well to stretch a line on 

 some stakes at a certain height and 

 prune accordingly. Each year of course 

 this may be raised until the desired 

 height has been gained. As to form, it 

 is usual to prune to a square top, as with 

 the one shown on page 327, but we our- 

 selves prefer the conical form, and this 

 also requires less labor in pruning. The 

 Norway Spruce is one of the most vigor- 

 ous growers of the evergreens, and there- 

 fore will require more pruning than any 

 other to keep it within bounds as a 

 hedge ; but fortunately it endures the 

 shears well, and the more it is sheared 

 the thicker it will grow. 



The American Arbor Vitsc (or White 

 Cedar) is much slower of growth, and 

 therefore more desirable as a hedge than 

 the Norway Spruce. 



Blight on Apple Trees. 



966. Sir,— At present I am troubled by 

 some kind of blight affecting my orchard, 

 and thinking you might recrgnize the trouble 

 and be able to advise me, I take the liberty 

 of asking your opinion. 



In the early spring, after the fruit ha<l 

 well set, small dark patches appeared on 

 some of the trees, Alexander and Yellow 

 Transparent chiefly, other kinds being only 

 slightly touched. The fruit spurs of the 

 present season were killed completely, fruit 

 and leaves browned up to the bough from 

 which they sprung. Also young tender 

 shoots of the season's growth were killed 

 down for 12 or 1") inches of their length. 

 The damage was to be noticed on all sides 

 and parts of the trees. Duchess, Wealthy 

 and other kinds, though intermingled as to 

 position, had only a very few diseased spurs. 



I cut off every dead shoot as carefully as 

 possible, but in three weeks the dead spurs 

 seemed to be as manifest as before. On close 



