February, 1912 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



27 



corrosive sublimate one part to one 

 thousand parts of water (this is a deadly 

 poison), and cover it over well with 



white lead paint free from turpentine. A 

 second painting later in the season will 

 usually be necessary. 



Best Varieties of Small Fruits 



Canker on Peach Branches 



This trouble is due to the so-called Gumiossis disease. 



but further study and failure to get any 

 fungus whatever in the wood beneath 

 fresh gum masses has made me believe 

 that while Brown Rot may have some- 

 thing to do with preventing the healing 

 of some of these cankers, yet it does not 

 account for the origin of all of them. 

 There is also the difficulty of explaining 

 why some orchards such as those at 

 Grimsby should be almost totally free 

 from the disease, though Brown Rot is 

 frequently quite as destructive or even 

 more so there than in the diseased or- 

 chards. It is also hard to explain why 

 in many orchards without any change in 

 methods of spraying there has been al- 

 most no new cases. A good instance of 

 this is the large orchard of A. Onslow, 

 near Xiagara-on-the-Lake. It Is quite 

 possible that very unfavorable weather 

 conditions interfering with the cells of 

 the plants performing their proper func- 

 tion may be the real cause. 



Much gumming of trees is, of course, 

 frequently caused by small black beetles, 

 known as Shot-hole Borers, but it is easy 

 to determine whether these are the 

 offenders by removing the gum masses 

 and seeing whether there is a small hole 

 through the bark made by the beetles. 

 Sometimes the fungus Valsa leucostoma 

 will produce gumming, but, so far as 

 I can see, it seems usually to be a 

 secondary cau.se and to enter at some 

 dead area or wound and then gradually 

 kill the living tissues around this area. 



WHAT TO DO 



With our present lack of knowledge 

 as to the cause of the gumming of peach 

 trees it is difficult to recommend any 

 rational method of treatment. It would 

 be wise, however, where a canker 

 threatens to destroy a large and valu- 

 able limb to cut out all the dead tissues 

 up to the perfectly healthy bark, disin- 

 fect the wound with formalin, one part 

 diluted to about five with water, or with 



Grant S. Peart, 



Soil adaptation is an important point 

 to consider when selecting varieties, 

 of small fruits for cultivation. Cer- 

 tain varieties seem to do better on 

 heavier soils than lighter soils and vice 

 versa. The Williams strawberry, ac- 

 cording to my experience, gives better 

 results on a rich soil inclined to be 

 heavier than that recommended for 

 strawberries by some growers. On thfi 

 other hand Bederwood seems to produce 

 better berries on a well manured, lighter 

 soil. In red currant culture the Fay 

 seems to require a heavier and richer 

 soil than the cherry, while among black 

 varieties the Naples needs a richer and 

 stronger soil than the Lees. The same 

 relationship exists between the Marl- 

 boro and Cuthbert raspberries. The 

 former must be fed more liberally with 

 manure to get the best results. The 

 foregoing includes a few of the many 

 examples which may be brought forward 

 as convincing evidence that soil adapta- 

 tion is an important consideration when 

 setting out a plantation of small fruits. 



MARKET REQUIREMENTS 



What the markets demand in small 

 fruits in Ontario is of little importance 

 to the grower unless he is producing 

 strawberries for the canning factory. 

 Although different qualities are repre- 

 sented among varieties, ordinarily speak- 

 ing, no discrimination is made by the 

 consumer as to quality. Berries are 

 berries, and like prices are realized on 



Burlington, Ont. 



all varieties, with the exception of goose- 

 berries (the English varieties generally 

 command higher prices than American 

 sorts). It is needless to say that white 

 and purple raspberries, white currants, 

 juneberries, and other extraordinary 

 kinds of bush fruits so far have proven 

 to be unsuccessful in a commercial way. 



St^TjECT vigorous STOCK 



Very often after a variety has been 

 grown for many years in a certain local- 

 ity and no new stock of that variety is 

 brought into the locality, the plants or 

 canes become gradually weakened from 

 year to year until that particular strain 

 is unprofitable to grow. Thus the ad- 

 visability of selecting vigorous stock. 

 An example of this trouble is found in 

 the Burlington district and others, where 

 the Marlboro and Cuthbert raspberries 

 do not yield as profitably or grow as 

 vigorously as they did ten years ago. 

 In fact, in some plantations they, are 

 now being entirely supplemented with 

 the Herbert variety. The Herbert is 

 practically a new berry in the district and 

 promises well, but the writer believes 

 that it is not as valuable a variety as the 

 Cuthbert to the grower. 



The culture of the Williams straw- 

 berry also has been given up by many 

 Burlington growers because its stock has 

 lost vigor. During the past few years 

 it has been almost impossible to obtain 

 good rows with this variety. To use a 

 common phrase, the plants will not 

 "run" sufficiently, and thus a ragged 



Spraying With a Spramotor Power Machine in an Ontario Orchard. 



