PRUNING 



L. 



PETER PRUNING KNIFE used to 

 say, " Prune when your knife is 

 sharp," meaning, we suppose, that it mat- 

 tered httle as to the season, so long as the 

 work is done some time. The month of 

 June, however, has one especial advantage 

 over other months, in that it is the chief 

 growing season of the year, and wounds 

 made this month begin at once to heal. The 

 tendency to fruit bearing is also increased 

 bv summer pruning, because the removal of 



IN JUNE 



w. 



the branches of foliage, gorged with elabo- 

 rated sap, is a check upon the wood growth 

 of the tree. 



Very little attention is given in Ontario 

 to summer training of the grape vines, and, 

 as a rule, the vineyards are a hopeless tangle 

 before fruit season. Could our growers 

 give a little more attention to directing the 

 growth in June and July, lopping off a 

 great deal of needless wood, we believe bet- 

 ter fruit would result. 



COMMERCIAL BULB GROWING 



JOHN A. CAMPBELL, STMCOE, ONT. 



IN growing Gladiolus bulbs for commer- 

 cial purposes the object is to secure 

 good strong bulbs, little attention being paid 

 to flowers. 



A good coat of barnyard manure is ap- 

 plied and plowed under in the fall. In the 

 spring, as soon as the soil is dry, the land is 

 again plowed, and it is then time to plant. 



Shallow furrows are thrown out with the 

 plow about 2 feet 9 inches apart. Men fol- 

 low with hoes, the object being to make an 

 even drill, 4 inches wide and about 4 inches 

 deep for the larger bulbs, and somewhat 

 shallower for younger stock. The bulbs 

 are strewn quite thickly in the drill and boys 

 follow and place them, keeping then an inch 

 or two apart, and covering them with hoes. 

 A few days before the new growth appears 

 I run over the drills with the rake, which 

 breaks any crust that may have formed, mel- 

 lows the soil and keeps the weeds in check. 



CULTIVATION DURING THE SUMMER. 



Summer cultivation consists simply in 

 keeping ,the soil well stirred and the plants 

 free from weeds. I first use a harrow tooth 

 cultivator, and when the soil becomes firmer 

 an ordinary one. - his year a new two-row 

 pivot wheel cultivator, drawn by two horses, 

 and completing two rows at a single pas- 

 sage, will be used. As soon as the flowers 

 appear the spikes are cut. This is done m 



order to throw the whole strength of the 

 plant into the bulb. 



Large growers in the United States de- 

 rive considerable revenue from the sale of 

 the flowers, shipping them to the big cities, 

 but in Canada the demand is limited. 



PLANT EARLY. 



The commercial grower plants as early as 

 he can in order to have a long season to ma- 

 ture the bulb. I generally have most of 

 mine planted in April. A Canadian seeds- 

 man's catalogue states that bulbs may be 

 planted from early in May until the end of 

 June. This is all right if some late flowers 

 are wanted, but well ripened bulbs cannot 

 be expected from late planting. 



It is interesting to note, from a grower's 

 standpoint, how the improvement in any 

 flower tends to increase consumption, es- 

 pecially in this case. It is to a Canadian, 

 Mr. H. H. Groff, of Simcoe, that we are in- 

 debted for the greatest advance made in the 

 Gladiolus. 



Last year Mr. Cowee, who grows Groff 

 hybrids in the United States, had 70 acres, 

 and this year he will have 80 acres closely 

 planted. Some five acres or more were 

 grown last year al Simcoe, and instead of 

 importing most of our bulbs as formerly, 

 considerable quantities were exported. 



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