The Canadian Horticulturist. 189 



Hopticultupal and other Institutes. 



SiK, — Allow me to say to jou that I am much pleased with the ground taken by you 

 on page 108 of March number of Canadian Horticclturist anent Institute meetings, 

 namel}', holding them for purposes of study and getting of valuable infonnation. Having 

 attended Farmers' Institutes for a number of winters, I am fully satisfied of the necessity 

 of making a change in the character of the evening meetings in many places. I have 

 expressed to Mr. Hodson my views on this subject in general terms, and asked for an 

 interview when he is in Toronto. You are aware that much has been said of late concern- 

 ing agriculture being taught in the public schools, especially in the rural schools. But the 

 sons of the farmers from 12 to 18 years old do not attend. They are mostly taught by 

 girls, because the\- are cheap, and the lads do not have any respect for such teachers. Ta 

 meet the needs of these young men should be the aim of our Institutes, both of the Horti- 

 cultural and Farmers'. In order to do this they must be made interesting to them. No 

 dry talks about a lot of hard jaw-breaking names will do. No text-book study of anatomy 

 of plants either. Put a plant, say a young wheat on oat plant, or a bean plant, or even a 

 potato tuber into their hands and get them to tell what thej' find there, and having drawn 

 from them all that each has to say about it, then they will Ije in a receptive state of mind 

 to listen to what the person conducting the exercise has to tell them about what they have 

 seen or not seen. In some such way 1 am persuaded the evening meetings can be greatly 

 improved that are now devoted to mere amusement, and a sort of school for instruction in 

 the laws of plant and animal life that lie at the foundation of successful agriculture be 

 eventually worked out. I am requested to go to Lindsay and address their Horticultural 

 Society on the " Cultivation and Care of Flowers in both Garden and House." Here is a, 

 subject that cannot be exhaustively treated in a dozen evenings. All that can be done in 

 one evening is to touch the hem of Flora's robe, enunciate a few general principles, and 

 that in such a general way that but little good can result to the members. They should 

 have a series of meetings, so that after discussing general principles their application and 

 modification to particular cases can be illustrated. 



D. W. Beadle, Toronto. 



Spraying for the Plum Root. 



Sir. — There has been considerable discussiou during several recent meetings of fruit 

 growers, respecting the dreaded approach of the San Jose scale. 



How is it that more is not said, or rather, that more is not done to stamp out the 

 black-knot which we already have in such profuse abundance in this neighborhood. If 

 anyone ma\' see the knots hanging over the fences along the main road to Beamsville, what 

 may we expect in the background ? What are the inspectors doing ? 



It is Mell-known that the blacknot will destroy a large orchard in a very short time, 

 (such was the experience of the plum growers of the Hudson Valley), whereas, the fruit 

 growers in California seem to have found a reliable remedy for the scale. 



We hope that the matter of the eradication of the black-knot will not be thrown into 

 the shade by the fear of the possible advent of the San Jose scale. 



Allax Bros., Grima'ty. 



Box Thorn Hedge. 



Mr. A. G. Heaven, of Oakville, sends us the following clipping from an English news- 



fiper, concerning this plant, and suggests that its adaptability to Ontario be tested at our 

 xperiment Stations : — 



Sir, — Now, as before, people almost exclusively choose the white thorn for laying out 

 hedges. In a fertile, well-cultivated ground, in a well-qualified situation, fine hedges of 

 white thorns may be raised if the\- are attentively cared for and regularly topped. But it 

 is very often impossible to offer the necessary requisites before-mentioned, even if we do 

 not spare either cost or labor. Neither in a dry ground, in gray sand, gravel, heath -coun- 

 try, etc., nor in boggy, cold flat-land, in the bright sunbeams on steep slopes, can a good 

 hedge of white thorn be accomplished ; and much less in the open acres of northern regions. 



