62 



THE CANADIAA HORTICULTURIST. 



NOTES ON SMALL FRUIT CULTURE. 



CURRANTS. 



Cherry. — Is the largest and most showy of 

 all red currants, but with me it has been a 

 failure. The bushes grow very heavy soft wood, 

 with soft pithy heart. The currant borer eats 

 all the centre out, causing the wood to die. 

 Shoots that escape the borer bear well. 



White Grape. — With me has always been a 

 success for the last twenty-five years, giving me 

 an average crop even in frosty seasons when 

 other kinds has been a failure. The bushes 

 grow somewhat dwarf and are covered with a 

 very heavy coat of leaves, and the limbs droop 

 over each other so that they protect the fruit 

 from late spring frosts almost entirely. Fruit 

 and bunches large. Excellent for table use, not 

 so acid as the red varieties. Will hang on the 

 bushes till October. 



Fay's Prolific. — Is a fine free grower, bear- 

 ing large, showy fruit of good quality, but on 

 my soil seldom produces an average crop. 



Raby Castle (or Victoria). — Is a very 

 rapid strong grower and a very heavy bearer of 

 long bunches of medium size fruit of good qual- 

 ity. Some of my bushes are eight feet across 

 and yield from thirty to forty quarts each. It 

 is decidedly the most profitable of the red sorts. 

 Hangs on the bushes till late in the season 

 without spoiling. 



Black Currants of all kinds are a failure 

 on my soil. The bushes grow well, but never 

 produce a paying crop. I believe the cause of 

 failure to be too dry a sub-soil, my land being 



at the depth of from two to three feet underland 

 with dry, loose gravei. 



STRAWBERRIES. . 



Bubach. — I received from our F. G. A. some 

 years ago, but I did not make a success of it. 

 It bore well when I could get good young plants ; 

 some seasons I failed to get good young plants 

 almost entirely. 



Marshall. — Is a large, fine showy berry. 

 Quality very good. Gives here only a moderate 

 crop. Makes plenty of strong young plants 

 every season. I find it somewhat tender in 

 winter. 



Brandy Wine — PVuit large and handsome. 

 Quality good and a fair bearer. It sets plants 

 well and winters well. It ripens late. 



Parker Earle. — Is a late variety, medium 

 size, excellent flavor and very firm. Not pro- 

 ductive enough with me to be profitable. 



James Vick.— Has been the best and most 

 profitable berry on my soil that I have yet tried. 

 The plants are very strong and vigorous. It 

 sets plenty of young plants that winter well. 

 Blossoms late, so that it is seldom hurt by spring 

 frosts. Fruit large. If plants are given plenty 

 of room it sets such a quantity of fruit that un- 

 less plants are well thinned the fruit will be 

 small, The fruit stems are strong and hold the 

 fruit well up from the ground. Berries are firm, 

 quality very good and will keep longer on the 

 vine than most sorts. 



St. Mary's, Ont. 



S. H. Mitchell 



THE BEN DAVIS IN N. S. AND P. E. I. 



:HILE Rev. Father Burke, of Prince 

 Edward Island, and Mr. S. C. Parker, 

 Secretary of the F. G. A. of Nova 

 Scotia, agree perfectly as to the thrifty character 

 of the Ben Davis in Nova Scotia and Prince 

 Edward Island as elsewhere, there would appear 



to be some grounds for Senator Ferguson's re- 

 marks commented on by those two gentlemen. 

 The Hon. Senator had been attending exhibi- 

 tions and possibly conventions in Nova Scotia, 

 Where no doubt several speakers held the views 

 he took up. The esteemed Secretary of the 



