126 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



i^OEiTI®!^ BI^AWEK, 



The Stark. 



1137. Sir, — Where do you rank the Stark 

 among our apples ? 



In(^i:irer, Strathroy. 



The Stark is a larg-e sized apple, rather 

 coarse in texture, of a dull red color, but on 

 the whole of g"ood appearance, and g"ood 

 shipping- and keeping qualities. We should 

 rank it second to Baldwin as a commercial 

 apple ; though with our friend Mr. Demp- 

 sey, of Trenton, it is a favorite shipping 

 variety. 



Plum Rot. 



1 138, Sir, — Has anything been discovered that 

 will cure plum rot? Does Curculio increase rot? 



G. F., Waikerville. 



The plum rot (Monilia fructigena) is 

 propagated by minute spores, which are 

 produced on the outside of rotten specimens 

 of the plum, and are easily distributed by 

 the wind. When these light on a healthy 

 plum, where moisture is present, they quick- 

 ly start fresh rot. The rotten plums hang 

 upon the tree and soon become dry and 

 mummified. These mummied plums hold 

 some spores until spring, at which time they 

 seem to produce still more of them, and so 

 continue the evil into a new vear. It is there- 



fore evident that all rotten and mummified 

 plums should be gathered and burned as 

 soon as discovered, as a precaution against 

 plum rot ; and secondh', that spraying 

 should be carefully done with Bordeaux just 

 before the blossoms open, then as soon as 

 the fruit is well formed, and again about 

 two weeks later. This is the only treat- 

 ment we know of to prevent this evil, and 

 this will only do so in part, not completely. 



Qrafting. 



1 139. Sir, — If one were grafting Spy or King 

 on Talman Sweet, at what age of the young tree 

 should the grafting be done ? and which is the 

 best mode of grafting ? 



In(,)UIRek, Strathroy. 



The grafting of an apple tree may be done 

 at any age, but the mode would differ with 

 the age. Two year old seedling apple trees 

 may splice grafted at the collar in doors in 

 the winter, and set out in nursery rows in 

 the spring. Four or five year old trees are 

 whip grafted four or five feet from the ground 

 in spring as they stand ; while older trees 

 are cleft grafted, usually cutting limbs 

 about two inches, more or less, in diameter, 

 or they may be crown grafted on large 

 branches. 



©IpdO^ L^W^D-^ 



Dishonest Packing. 



Sir, — I have from time to time followed with 

 much interest your articles on dishonest apple 

 packing, and when I saw on page 28 of the last 

 Horticulturist that the "great indignation" 

 of the fruit growers, in session assembled at 

 Whitby, had culminated in a series of resolutions 

 asking for legislation to carry out their proposed 

 regulations, I earnestly hoped that a great step in 

 advance had been taken to remedy this crying 

 evil. 



Is the proposed step really in advance ? Is it 

 not rather a backward one ? 



Sec. 3 of these proposed regulations reads: 

 "That all apples or pears packed in closed pack- 



ages be subject to inspection by the Government 

 Inspector, and, in case of ten per cent, of the 

 packages of any one grade being found fraudu- 

 lently packed, the shipper be liable to a fine not 

 exceeding 50 cents a barrel for all packages of 

 that grade." 



Briefly stated this section would allow a dis- 

 honest shipper to cheat you in nine barrels out of 

 every 100 ; but if you were smart enough with the 

 aid of the Government Inspector to catch him try- 

 ing to palm off more than these permitted nine 

 barrels, then he would simply have to discount 50 

 cents each from the market value of such fraudu- 

 lent barrels, which he could well afford to do, as 

 each one that he was able to palm off uncaught 

 would net him from f i to #3 more than its value. 



