-^ Q^^^^tior) ^r»d.bo^p. ^ 



Windbreaks. 



971. Sir,— I intend planting a hedge on 

 tlie West and North side of a young orchard. 

 Wliat kind would you aiivise me to plant? 

 .Some say the liorers work in the Spruce and 

 Pine ; would they also trouble the apple 

 orchard ? Would you recommend the Balsam 

 Fir? 



J. A. T. I.SHNGTOS. 



A great many kinds of trees, both 

 deciduous and evergreen, have been 

 utilized to good advantage as wind- 

 breaks, but of the evergreens, there is 

 none known in Soutiiern Ontario so 

 satisfactory as the Norway Spruce. It 

 grows very rapidly, bears cutting well, 

 thickens up closely, and is withal so 

 graceful in form, that it surpasses every 

 other. In 25 or 30 years the tree will 

 attain a height of 30 or 40 feet, and its 

 lower branches will spread out for a dis- 

 tance of at least ten feet, in every direc- 

 tion. 



The Balsam Fir is'not nearly so suit- 

 able, being inclined to thin out around 

 the bottom, while the Norway Spruce 

 always remains close and thick. We 

 have seen the'. Scotch Pine used for the 

 same purpose.'but it is rather inclined 

 to irregular habit, and is, withal, a slow 

 grower. 



When visiting the Fonthill Nurseries 

 last summer,fwe were shown some fine 

 samples of windbreaks, well grown up, 

 and of quite a variety. One was a 

 double row of Inarch and American 

 Arbor Vit?e ; another of Larch and 

 Austrian'Pine mixed ; another a single 

 row of Arbor Vitae, but the finest of all 

 we saw there was a fine hedge of the 

 European Larch, well grown up to be a 

 most e.xcellent windbreak, and an object 

 of beauty as well. This tree is a rapid 

 grower, and in time becomes valuable 

 for timber. 



$ ©per? Is,ertep(?. $ 



Pear Blight. 



Dear Sir, — .As frequent enijuiries are made 

 for the cause of the pear blight that played 

 such havoc with our pear orchards last year, 

 and as no one seems to give a satisfactory 

 answer, permit me to offer a suggestion. It 

 is quite clear to my mind that the severity of 

 the attack in 1896 was indirectly due to the 

 severe frost of May, 18!);j. This frost did 

 much damage to many pear trees as well as 

 other varieties of fruits, and set tliem back at 

 leiist a month, in some ciises six weeks When 

 the following winter set in these trees had not 

 fully matured and hardened their timber ; 

 that is the partitions of the minute cells of 

 which a tree is composed, were tender, and 

 not sufficiently hardened to resist the attacks 

 of " Jack Frost." The cells having yielded 

 or burst the sap could not follow its natural 

 channels. The result was disease and in 

 too many cases, death of the tree. This is 



my theory, but I do not claim to^have abso- 

 lute proof of the same, but experience has 

 taught me that trees whose tiniljer has been 

 fully matured are much less subject to blight 

 and other disease than those whose timber has 

 not become properly hardened. 



ThOS. H.4MM0SD. 

 Ayltntr, Ont. 



The Magoon Strawberry. 



Dear Sir, — Among our variety tests of 

 new strawberries, the Magoon ranks the best ; 

 it is quite easy to see that it is a different 

 type from the usual run of strawberries, as 

 the foliage has a beautiful crinkled appear- 

 ance. This berry is an Oregon seedling ; if sur- 

 passes the sharpless inrank, luxuriant growth ; 

 the fruit is of gig»ntic size, aud what is more, 

 the llavor is equal to that of the finest wild 

 strawberry ; the color is a clear cherry red, 



46s 



