THE FARMER'S FRUIT GARDEN. 



HT the meeting of the Quebec 

 Pomological Society last Janu- 

 ary, Mr. R. B. Whyte, of Otta- 

 wa, read a paper on the above subject, 

 and his remarks will be of special inter- 

 est to our readers living in the northern 

 sections. After showing the great im- 

 portance of having the table well sup- 

 plied with fresh fruit, and the compara- 

 tively small outlay necessary to grow the 

 finest varieties, he said that half acre 

 was garden enough to furnish any family 

 with fruit both for canning and for using 

 fresh. He would lay it out 105 x 210 

 feet, and fence it with a wire fence ; and 

 just one path down the centre from end 

 to end, wide enough to admit a horse 

 and cart. Along this he would devote 

 a few feet to flower growing, interesting 

 the boys and girls in their care. 



He advised planting about 6 hills of 

 rhubarb — Linneus for early, Stott's 

 Mammoth for late ; of strawberries, 200 

 plants ; of raspberries, he would plant 

 a good large plot, in the autumn, cut 

 back to five feet in height, mulch and 

 manure, and bend the canes to the 

 ground, holding in place with pieces of 

 cordwood, or other weights ; this is all 

 the winter protection necessary, even at 

 Ottawa. Currants and gooseberries 

 were also included ; for the latter a 

 heavier soil is necessary. He says : — 



Among over forty varieties of goose- 

 berries that I have grown, the White- 

 smith has been the most satisfactory, 

 being perfectly hardy, and free from 

 mildew, large size, good quality and a 

 heavy cropper. Among the native sorts 

 the Downing stands at the head for 

 vigor, size and quality : among the 

 standard varieties there are many new 

 kinds offered by the dealers that are 

 said to be superior to it, but none of 

 them have been sufficiently well tested 



yet to establish their claim. It is unfor- 

 tunate for the reputation of the goose- 

 berry that it has been the custom in this 

 country to pick them green for cooking 

 purposes, before they have acquired 

 their proper flavor and sweetness ; few 

 are aware , even among those who have 

 grown them, how delicious and whole- 

 some a thoroughly ripe gooseberry is. 

 Plant six each, Downing and White- 

 smith, and you will be surprised how 

 many of them you will use raw. 



I doubt if it is wise for the average 

 farmer to attempt growing grapes in this 

 part of the country, or in any but the 

 most favored parts of this province. If 

 you have the proper location, a warm, 

 gravelly soil, a southern slope exposed 

 to the sun all day, and are willing to 

 give them the necessary attention, by all 

 means try a few, but be sure to plant 

 only early ripening kinds, or some sea- 

 sons you will lose a large part of your 

 crop by early frosts. I have found the 

 following very satisfactory kinds at Ot- 

 tawa : In black, Worden and Wilder 

 or Rogers 4. Moore's Early is consid- 

 erably earlier than Worden, but it is too 

 shy a bearer to be profitable. Among 

 the large number of good red grapes, 

 first place must be given to Rogers 3, 

 Delaware and Brighton, the latter the 

 finest in quality of all American grapes. 

 There are not many really desirable 

 green sorts. Moore's Diamond and 

 Green Mountain are the best I have 

 seen. All of these will ripen their fruit 

 in any ordinary season. 



The finer varieties of plums, such as 

 can be grown in Western Ontario, are 

 not hardy enough to stand our severe 

 winters, and it is only a waste of time 

 and money to attempt growing them in 

 this district, except in very favored 

 localities. Up to a few years ago we 



