NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



this fall by the Picton Horticultural 

 Society constitute quite a formidable 

 list, as follows : — i Kentia Belmoreana 

 Palm ; 3 Hyacinth bulbs ; 5 single Tu- 

 lip bulbs ; 5 double Tulip bulbs, early ; 

 5 double Tulp bulbs, late ; 5 Crocus 

 bulbs ; 5 Freesia bulbs. 



The Cherry in Delaware is the sub- 

 ject of the Del. Expt. St. Bulletin 

 No. 35'. Regarding the pruning we 

 make the following extract : " The prun- 

 ing of the cherry orchard should be 

 done during the first two or three years 

 of its existence, after which only the 

 dead and interlacing branches will need 

 be removed. In general, the sweet 

 cherry should be so formed as to give it 

 a spreading habit. When the sweet 

 cherry is allowed to grow without pay- 

 ing attention to its form, it assumes a 

 spire-like shape, but if the head is started 

 3 to 3}4 ft. from the ground, and the 

 three or four main arms are pruned in 

 for two or three years, the trees assume 

 more of the spreading apple-tree form. 

 The spreading form of tree has many 

 essential advantages ; it facilitates the 

 operation of spraying, materially reduces 

 the cost of gathering the fruit, and of 

 greater importance, it shades the trunk 

 and lessens the danger to it from sun 

 scald and from the bursting of the bark. 



S.\N Josfc Scale Fungus. — Professor 

 Rolfs of the Florida Experiment Station 

 reports that he has discovered a fungus 

 that promises to be of incalculable value, 

 by destroying the San Jose Scale. He 

 first noticed in 1895 a seeming mortal- 

 ity among these insects, and in 1896 

 specimens of diseased insects were trans- 

 ferred to an orchard two miles away, 

 where the insects were flourishing, and 

 in six weeks the same mortality became 

 evident in that orchard also. Let us 



hope that this news is not too good to 

 be true. 



The Fruit Exhibit at the Indus- 

 trial was very good. The bottled fruit 

 as usual attracted a great deal of atten- 

 tion. 



Mr. W. M. Orr was constantly at his 

 post during the Industrial, showing in- 

 terested observers his specimens of the 

 .San Jose Scale for the purpose of put- 

 ting the public on their guard against 

 this dreadful insect. 



The Condition of the Far:\iers' 

 WEI. I. has been made a special study by 

 Prof. Shutt, Chemist at the Central Ex- 

 perimental Farm, Ottawa. In the an- 

 alysis of samples of well water sent in 

 to him, he has found many injurious 

 elements which would favor the devel- 

 opment of malarial fever, typhoid fever, 

 diarrhcea, sick headache and the like. 

 Our readers should see that their wells 

 are at a safe distance from contamina- 

 tion, and if at all doubtful, they should 

 send samples to Prof Shutt. 



The Fruit Farms of Canada is 

 the subject of a very interesting article 

 in the London Daily News, by Mr. 

 \Vm. Senior, one of the staff, who passed 

 through the fruit district last September. 



Mr. J E. Starr of Nova Scotia, has 

 been appointed by the Dominion, as 

 agent to visit England and report upon 

 the British market for Canadian apples. 



Credit is due to Mr. John Craig for 

 the excellent photographs engraved on 

 pages 370 and 372, showing Beebe Plain 

 and doctor Hoskins orchard. Credit is 

 also due him for the report accompany- 

 ing the pictures. 



VVoODAi.L & Co.'s Annual Diagram 

 American and Canadian Baldwins sold 



428 



