294 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



spring. In the year 1898 a consignment of 

 trees was shipped to Belleville, and during 

 inspection it was found that this carload 

 had some scale in it. A list of all the 

 places where the trees had been sent was se- 

 cured, and everything on which scale could 

 be found was destroyed. This spring the 

 growers of that section became alarmed and 

 sent in a petition to Hon. Mr. Monteith, the 

 Minister of Agriculture, asking for an ex- 



amination, and I was ordered to go down. 

 I made a careful examination of those 

 places most convenient to Belleville in which 

 the scale was found in 1898. Although it 

 is now seven years since those trees were 

 destroyed, which would give the scale time 

 enough to make an appearance, still I could 

 not find a single scale. The fact, however, 

 remains that there is more San Jose scale 

 in Ontario than ever before. 



New Heads for Cherry Trees 



J. I.. IlILBOKN, LEAMINGTON, ONT. 



What is the best plan to deal with my lot of 

 25 cherry trees ? They are thrifty and 'measure 

 one and a half inches through the trunk. I pro- 

 cured them two years ago from the corners of 

 the fences. They grew from the common 

 cherry. I would like to grow new tops of the 

 latest and best varieties. Shall I do It by bud- 

 ding or grafting, and at what time, and should 

 the work be done in a different way from apples? 

 — (J. G. Wait, Wicklow, Ont. 



The cherry cannot be grafted so far as I 

 know. The tops might possibly be changed 

 by budding in early August, but I do not 

 think it advisable to try it^ I would grow 

 them as they are, as that is a good variety. 

 The Montmorency is considerably larger, 

 finer and later, but I do not think it practi- 

 cal to change such large trees. They are 

 always budded the first season of their 

 srrowth. 



Picking and Handling Apples 



W. II. DEMPSEV. TRENTON, ONT. 



APPLES require great care in gather- 

 ing and handling if the most is to be 

 made of them. 1 hey should never be 

 picked until they are matured, well colored, 

 and of full growth yet firm. They should, 

 however, be picked before they have com- 

 menced to decay or fall from the tree ripe. 



I have found that apples picked under the 

 conditions described, and placed in the fruit 

 house the same day, will keep better than 

 when green or over ripe. AMien green they 

 are subject to scald in the barrel or box if 



the temperature is warm, and if there is any 

 fungous on them it will continue to develop. 

 1 have seen hundreds of barrels thrown out 

 from this cause. If over ripe a great many 

 will be found to have decayed by shipping 

 time and many more will decay before they 

 reach the market, and arrive in a wet, wasty 

 condition. 



I Have 1,200 Plum Trees in bearing, in- 

 cluding 60 or 70 varieties. There are two 

 distinct classes of plums, the Domestic and 

 Japanese. The Japan class has a positive 

 brilliant color with a certain pineapple fla- 

 voring. It is also claimed to be more 

 exempt from plum rot and the attacks of 

 the curculio. In the domestic class the 

 best varieties are Lombard, Reine Claude, 

 Glass Seedling, Bradshaw, Niagara and Im- 

 perial Gage. Of the Japan class the lead- 

 ing varieties are Abundance, Burbank, Wil- 

 lard, Chabot and Satsuma. — (A. W. Peart, 

 Burlington, Ont. 



If Trees Are Overloaded so that they can- 

 not bear fruit to maturity it is better to thin 

 the fruit in August than put props under 

 each limb. The prop I prefer is the remo- 

 val of the fruit. If the tree has such a load 

 that it cannot hold it up without splitting, 

 by all means remove enough to bring the 

 tree through without injury, so that it will 

 be in a condition to fruit the following sea- 

 son instead of having to wait a year or two 

 to recover from the overload. — (AV. H. 

 Dempsey, Trenton, Ont. 



