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Black Currants Do Not Bear. 



9T8. Sir, — Could you kindly give me a 

 reason why Black Currants are such a poor 

 crop here, large bushes not giving over one 

 quart each, and often not over a cupful al- 

 though they are well cultivated and manured, 

 and any old wood cut out but still there is 

 plenty of two and three year old wood left 

 to bear, as I also thin out all weak one year 

 old shoots. As to kinds, the Black Naples is 

 as good as any although Lee's Prolific had a 

 very fair crop last year, but the one you sent 

 out, one of Sanderson's seedlings has bourne 

 well and is of great promise. 



A. J. Collin. 



The experience of Mr. Collins is but 

 a repetition of that of each of us, who 

 has tried growing black currants for 

 profit. Can any one tell how to make 

 them productive ? 



Roekport Bigrarreau, 



979. Sir, — We have a large cherry tree 

 of Roekport IBigarreau that we gathered 150 

 quarts off last season, but from some cause 

 the fruit did not ripen properly, and nearly 

 the whole of them begun to rot badly so that 

 really we had none that was good. The tree 

 is shaded from the morning sun, if the whole 

 of them had ripened all right we should have 

 had over 200 quarts, generally they are a fine 

 large meaty cuerry, once before there was 

 quite a lot rotted on the same tree, other trees 

 of the same kind were very fine. We were 

 thinking it would be a good plan to give this 

 tree several sprayings next spring and sum- 

 mer with copper sulphate and Bordeaux mix 

 ture. Wouhl you advise us to do so, and do 

 you think it would save the fruit. 



Walter Hick, Goderich. 



Probably no variety of cherry is so 

 subject to rot as Roekport. We have 

 had it in bearing at Maplehurst for 

 twenty five years, and though it loads 

 tremendously, not one-half the fruit 

 ever ripens. The rot comes on just 

 before maturity, and rapidly spreads 

 throughout the tree, especially if favored 

 by showery weather. Spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture about three times, 

 once before blooming, once after, and 

 again when the fruit is half grown, 

 should control this rot. 



Planting" An Orchard. 



980. Sir, — I intend setting an orchard 

 of 300 apple trees, and am at a loss to know 

 the best varieties. As you are in the fruit 

 business, please give me your opinion, naming 

 six good kinds for the English market, 

 many speak high of the Ontario. 



R. T). Pickering. 

 Varieties that succeed in the Niagara 

 peninsula might not succeed well north 

 of lake Ontario, yet speaking generally, 

 the following six varieties may be planted 

 with confidence, viz : Duchess, Graven- 

 stein, Blenheim, Wealthy, Ontario and 

 Ben Davis. 



Canning vs Evaporating" Factory. 



981. Sir, — Please say if you think there 

 is a good chance of making a success of our 

 evaporating factory on the co-operative plan ; 

 or would an evaporator be more likely to suc- 

 ceed ? 



E. E. H. Oakville. 



A first class canning factory needs a 

 large investment of capital, and must be 

 most carefully managed to avoid a finan- 

 cial failure ; but an evaporator requires 

 much less capital, and is therefore more 

 certain of proving a safe investment. 



Ground Cherries. 



982. Sir, — Kindly furnish me with such 

 information you may have on hand regarding 

 the culture and different kinds of ground 

 cherries and prices usually obtained per lb. or 

 bushel and were the best market is for the 

 same. Can you furnish the seeds ? If not 

 where can they be obtained and what is the 

 price per lb. 



E. S. Brown, Parma, Ont. 



Reply by Prof. Toft, Michigan Agricul- 

 tural College. 



The ground cherry requires about the 

 same care as the tomato. The seed 

 may be sown in a hotbed, or in a box 

 in the house, and transplanted when 

 danger of frost is over ; or may be sown 



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