THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



low, distinct basin, slightly wrinkled. 

 Flesh firm, not mature enough to judge 

 of its flavor. Season, winter. 



This apple is very fine in form and 

 color, and should make a fine shipper. 

 Originating in Smith's Falls, it must 

 surely be quite hardy. Dr. McCallum 

 writes concerning the apple, as follows : 



Sir, — 1 send you, per mail, under a sepa- 

 rate enclosure, a sample of a seedling apple 

 growing in my garden. Its uniform large 

 size, good quality, and season (it keeps well 

 until April with ordinary care), together with 

 its good appearance, render it a desirable 

 variety to cultivate, especially in the north- 

 ern parts of Ontario, where it is so difficult 

 to raise winter varieties. 



I think it is a seedling of the Baxter's Red. 

 It looks well on the tree— -the bright color 

 contrasting with the leaves. 



THE OMAHA EXHIBITION. 



'OW that exhibits of Canadian 

 fruit are forwarded each 

 week from various parts to 

 the Omaha exhibition, and 

 placed in charge of a Canadian, Mr. H. 

 C. Knowlton, of the Province of 

 Quebec, it will be of interest to have a 

 few lines devoted to that exhibition. 



These lines will be the more interest- 

 ing because written by Prof. John Craig, 

 so well-known in Canada, and recently 

 appointed to the Chair of Horticulture 

 in the Agricultural College at Ames, 

 Iowa. 



LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 



When one considers the trying cli- 

 mate of the prairie States with their 

 periods of sharp drought, hot winds and 

 sudden changes of temperature, it is 

 easy to realize the difficulty of securing 

 harmonious landscape effects in a very 

 limited space of time. Good judgment 

 in selecting quick growing plants, a 

 well prepared soil and plenty of water 

 have achieved wonderful results. Cot- 

 tonwood, willow and catalpa have been 

 mainly used along the walks and drives. 

 These trees are 1 5 to 20 feet high, and 

 were transplanted during the winter 

 when a large ball of frozen soil could 

 be transported with the roots. The 

 border planting is free and easy and dis- 

 tinctly nature-like in effect. While the 

 result produced is charming, the observer 

 is surprised to find on close examination 



that a comparatively common and posi- 

 tively cheap class of plants have been 

 used. In the foreground verbena, 

 phlox, dwarf nasturtium and asters are 

 prominent, while in the background are 

 found sunflowers, larkspurs, cannas, 

 climbing plants and occasionally groups 

 of castor beans, corn and pampas 

 grasses. One of the most useful shrubs 

 in these borders is undoubtedly the 

 rosemary-leaved willow. The compact 

 yet feathery growth and grey green 

 leaves produce beautiful effects. The 

 whole work emphasizes the superiority 

 of the natural or group system of plant- 

 ing over the geometric and stereotyped 

 plan. One system follows soft curves 

 and irregular outlines ; the other formal 

 patterns and geometric grouping. 



Many farmers vastly increase the 

 labour of caring for the garden plot by 

 following the latter system. In my 

 opinion and experience a garden border 

 is in every way preferable to a garden 

 bed. The border is not fixed in char- 

 acter and may be expanded or contract- 

 ed without damaging its effectiveness, 

 and there is always room for a new 

 plant and a place for it, whether a holly- 

 hock or a harebell. Another advantage 

 of the border is that should a weed ap- 

 pear — and they do occasionally — it is 

 not so painfully apparent as in the 

 formal bed, and may even sometimes 

 contribute to the completeness of the 



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