The Canadian Horticulturist. 203 



rows should be as long as convenient, that most of the labor of cultivation may 

 be performed with a horse. The plants should be set eighteen inches apart in 

 rows which are about four feet apart. Thus placed, a little more than seven 

 thousand plants will be required for an acre. During the first season thorough 

 culture should be practiced. It is also well to keep the runners cut back till 

 the parent plants are Strong and well developed. 



Winter protection of the plants is always advisable. The value of such 

 treatment is two-fold : Not only are the plants protected from injury, but the 

 fruit is kept clean and bright. The best material for the purpose is coarse 

 meadow hay cut before the seeds have ripened. We have sometimes used 

 " shingle edgings " with very satisfactory results. In the vicinity of large mills 

 this material may often be obtained much more cheaply than the hay. 



On light gravelly soils we have sometimes resorted to the use of boards on 

 each side of the row of plants as illustrated below : 



This device is found a very satisfactory means of conserving moisture and 

 will permit the growth of plants in locations which would otherwise Ibe unsuit- 

 able. Naturally this device is recommended only for the home garden. 



The question of varieties, although of great importance, is one which must 

 be settled largely by individual growers ; for the success of any variety will 

 frequently depend on local conditions. It is always a good plan to have a trial 

 ground for the newer sorts, as varieties of much promise at the Experiment 

 Station may prove worthless in some localities. 



In selecting varieties for planting it is well to bear in mind the distinction 

 between the perfect flowering and the pistillate sorts. Many of our most valuable 

 sorts are pistillate and must have some perfect flowering variety interspersed in 

 order to secure the best results. 



The best of the older varieties are : Bubach, Crescent, Haverland, Sharpless 

 and Warfield, with possibly Beder Wood or Michel's as very early perfect- 

 flowering sorts. 



Of the newer varieties the following deserve special mention : Beverly, 

 Dayton, Epping, Gillespie, Greenville, Parker Earle, Princess, Smeltzer. — W. 

 M. MuNSON, in Bulletin 21, Me. Experimental Station. 



Smilax does not require direct sunlight, and may be employed to decorate 

 a shaded window, and may also be used to run over picture frames, etc. The 

 tuberous roots may be obtained from florists, or the plants may be raised from 

 seeds. Sometimes three or more weeks elapse before the seedlings are seen. 

 Pot these off as soon as they can be handled, and when the vines begin to run, 

 supply them with strings that they may cling. — Floral Instructor. 



