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We shall be glad to answer all questions relative to Horticulture, Floriculture, and Forestry, in 

 these columns, but cannot undertake to send answers to such questions by mail. 



Apple Growing". 



9§S. Sir, — I am going into the growing 

 of small fruits and apples. I have six acres 

 of high level land for the apple — high level 

 land, sandy loam, sandy subsoil. People tell 

 me trees will do well for three or four years, 

 then gradually die of starvation. Now if 

 well fed from top manure, and sowing peas 

 and clover, and plowing under, I think they 

 should flourish. Kindly give your views. 

 What varieties of winter apples would you 

 advise me to plant ? The thermometer some- 

 times goes down to 20° below zero. 



J. li. Laidlet, Omemee. 



No doubt the local experience is quite 

 correct, that in such a soil, without the 

 addition of much manure, or any special 

 cultivation, apples would soon starve. 

 But if moist and well drained, such soil 

 might be suitable for an apple orchard, 

 under certain treatment. A liberal 

 annual application of wood ashes — about 

 50 bushels to the acre would have an 

 excellent effect, not only supplying the 

 needed potash, but also, tending to give 

 greater compactness to the sand. This 

 with plenty of barn manure, and plough- 

 ing under a leguminous crop should give 

 success in apple growing. 



As to varieties of winter apples, we 

 can only suggest, for actual experiment 

 is the only final means of answering the 

 question. The following are excellent 

 and probably hardy enough : Blenheim, 

 Snow, Macintosh, Wealthy, Ben Davis. 



Ashes. 



»§9. Sir,— Are ashes worth three cents 

 a bushel good as a fertilizer for red and black 

 cap raspberries, and are they good to use 

 around trees and strawberries on sandy loam ' 



J. L. L. 



Yes, they are worth 25 cents a bushel 

 for sandy soil for any kind of fruit crop. 

 At the price mentioned by enquirer, no 



cheaper or better fertilizer could be pur- 

 chased for sandy soil. On clay soils, 

 however, ashes are objectionable, tend- 

 ing to make the soil more tenacious. 



Carnations in Ontario. 



990. Sib, — I am desirous of obtaining in- 

 formation respecting the growing of carna- 

 tions in Ontario more particularly the latest 

 and newest varieties and the amount of glass 

 employed in growing them. For this infor- 

 mation I have been referred to you, and I 

 shall be glad if you can give me this informa- 

 tion. Perhaps you have articles in the past 

 numbers of your journal which deal with the 

 subject. Are the carnations grown here for 

 winter flowering a separate species, or are 

 they allied to the English Tree carnation ? 

 D. Williamson, Montreal. 



Reply by Prof. Hutt, Q. A. C., Guelph. 

 The following are among some of the 

 leading varieties of carnations, grown in 

 commercial establishments : — white — 

 Lizzie McGowan, Silver Spray, Ivory 

 and Storm King; pink — Daybreak, 

 Wm. Scott, Tidal Wave and Bridesmaid ; 

 scarlet— Portia ; yellow— Goldfinch and 

 Dean Hole; pink and white— Hellen 

 Keller, J. J. Harrison. Many new 

 varieties are being introduced every 

 year, some of which will no doubt take 

 the place of those mentioned. It would 

 be impossible to give a close estimate of 

 the amount of glass employed in grow- 

 ing carnations in Ontario. Dale, of 

 Brampton ; Dunlop, of Toronto ; and 

 Miller, of Bracondale, have several acres 

 under glass, a large portion of which is 

 devoted to carnation culture. The 

 English Tree carnation and that grown 

 here belong to the same species (Dian- 

 thus Caryophyllus Somperfiorens). For 

 a book on that subject I would refer 

 the dealers to American Carnation Cul- 

 ture, by I.. L. Lamborn. 



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