The Canadian Horticulturist. 113 



usual plan is to dig them thickly in a bed of earth in the fall — so that the freez- 

 ing may assist in cracking the shells. Then in spring-time they are dug up and 

 the cracking completed, one by one, with a hammer and block. The seeds are 

 then sown in prepared ground about the time of planting Indian corn, or some- 

 what earlier. 



Ashes for Strawbeppies. 



705. Sir, — Would you please tell me, in the Hortictjlturl<t, if ashes is a good 

 fertilizer for strawberries ? 



G. S. Spafford, Warkicorth. 



Yes, especially on sandy soil. The potash of wood ashes is an excellent 

 fertilizer for all fruit trees and fruit plants. 



Kentish Fillbasket. 



706. Sir, — Could you t«ll me anything about the Kentish Fillbasket ? What are 

 its good points ? 



Isaac Graham, Ta-botville, Elgin Co. 



This is an old English fall apple, of great size, and considerable value for 

 cooking purposes. It is a good market apple, and the tree is fairly productive. 

 We do not think, however, it is generally considered as valuable as Gravenstein 

 or Blenheim Orange, of about the same season. In our reports of apples adapted 

 to the various sections of Ontario, no one seems to recommend this apple for 

 the commercial orchard We should be glad to hear the opinions of our readers 

 upon its merits. 



Time of Pruning Maples. 



707. Sir, — Your Journal should be in the hands of every fruit grower — for to grow 

 fruit properly we need all the information we can get. When is the best time to prune 

 sugar maples ? I propose to do it when the buds are bursting, and then paint the wounds 

 with hot coal-tar. 



W, L. Skarle, Clinton. 



Probably a better plan would be to prune soon after the fall of the leaf in 



autumn. The cut surface would then dry up before spring, so that little if any 

 bleeding would follow. A coat of paint should be applied to all large wounds. 



Care of Fruit Spurs. 



708. Sib, — I notice apples are often gathered before they are ripe, and the fruit 

 spurs for another year, broken off with them. In such a case how can the fruit grower 

 expect a full crop till new fruit spurs have grown ? W. L. S. 



There is no doubt that most fruit growers are very thoughtless in this 

 respect, and many do not even observe that the spurs along the branches have 

 fruit-bearing buds for next yeai, and they often destroy them by careless pruning. 



