Qf(B^ Ltittdi^s, 



Grapes in Nova Scotia. 



Grapes do not grow very rapidly. I have 

 two varieties, the Early Amber and the 

 Green Mountain, set two years. They have 

 made a very poor growth. We have a 

 g-reat deal of fog during- the summer. The 

 soil is very shallow here, not more than ten 

 or twelve inches, and is very heavy ; holds 

 water. The ground at present in our fields 

 is about as soft as when frost first left the 

 ground. Have had a g-reat quantity of 

 rain. Very little seeding done as yet ; some 

 have not any seed in ground. Have a lot 

 of gooseberry and raspberry bushes. They 

 seem to do well, with the exception of 

 gooseberries, which break down badly in 

 growing season, owing to rapid growth and 

 being wet. — Yours truly, 



Arthur C. Sabean. 



Rossway, DigbyCo. , N. S. 



Fall Planting. 



(SEE QUESTION II56.) 



Sir, — I have just received the June number of 

 " Horticulturist." and wish to congratulate you 

 on the constant impravement taking place in 

 your valuable journal. This is certainly a very 

 good number. 



I, however, notice one great mistake, which I 

 think would not be made if a little thought were 

 given. 



A gentleman writes, asking whether it would 

 be best to buy his trees in the Fall, and bury, or 

 wait until Spring. You simply say that it means 

 extra work to get them in the Fall, and he should 

 buy in the Spring. No nurseryman would give 

 such advice, and we believe a nurseryman's 

 advice on this point is better than the average 

 planter's. 



If it were possible to get trees just the moment 

 you were ready for them, in the Spring, then it 

 would be all right, but such is not the case with 

 any nursery doing business of any amount. 

 Especially is this the case with such seasons as 

 the last. Frost held in the ground until 

 nearly the middle of April, then it came 

 very hot, buds were forced, and it was almost 

 impossible to get stock out in good condition. 

 Even working a big force from daylight until 

 sundown, it will take at least three weeks to dig, 

 pack and ship orders from any responsible 

 nursery concern doing a good business. Then 

 another week is sometimes added before stock 



can reach destination, varying of course accord- 

 ing to distance. This brought, this year, the 

 delivery of trees in May instead of April. 



Trees obtained in the Fall, as I know, when 

 properly handled, either when buried or planted 

 out permanently, were almost in full leaf before 

 trees ordered for the Spring could possibly be 

 delivered. 



Even if a little extra work is necessary, if a 

 man has his trees on hand in the Fall, he can 

 plant just as early as the season will admit in the 

 Spring, and he certainly has an advantage over 

 the man who orders stock in the Spring, as a rule. 



Then another point regarding the buying of 

 stock in the Fall. Very few nurseries run out of 

 varieties in the Fall, as the bulk of the business 

 is done in the Spring. Those who buy in the 

 Fall can always be sure of obtaining the varieties 

 they desire, whereas in the Spring we are obliged 

 to stop the sale of many varieties because they 

 are sold out. It is impossible, always, to tell 

 what varieties will be in demand. You cannot 

 plant so as to always have the required number 

 of each variety on stock, consequently if there is 

 any shortage it comes on Spring sales. 



I have watched this matter carefully for twenty 

 years, and I find that getting stock in the Fall is 

 more satisfactory to everyone in the long run. 



There is less stock lost in the Fall, according to 

 the number planted, than there is with Spring- 

 planted stock. 



There has been an unreasonable prejudice by 

 many against getting stock in the Fall, mainly, 

 no doubt, because they have to pay for the stock 

 a few months before it begins to grow, but there 

 are advantages that will certainlv over-balance 

 any objections that can be raised against buying 

 stock in the Fall. 



I believe, in most sections, stock can be planted 

 out in the Fall, a little extra care being given to 

 plant deeply and bank the trees six inches to a 

 foot in height. This banking can be drawn away 

 in the Spring as soon as the frost is out. 



Very few people will take the pains to mulch 

 in the Spring, and unless Spring-planted stock 

 is heavily mulched there is much loss, especially 

 when we get a dry season, as we have had this 

 Spring. Trees will start, but the ground soon 

 gets so dry that the young fibres cannot obtain 

 nourishment and the trees go back. 



The grumbler's rule is : "If trees fail in the 

 Fall, blame the Winter ; if they fail in the 

 Spring, blame the nurseryman." The very oppo- 

 site should be the case, if failure is ascribed to 

 these causes. 



In the Fall the nurseryman can send out stock 

 in a perfectly dormant condition, and if it is at 

 all properly handled I will guarantee that there 

 is 50% less loss obtaining stock in the Fall than 

 there is buying it in the Spring. 



As nurserymen, we try our best to get the 

 stock out at the earliest possible moment in the 

 Spring. We are anxious to do this for several 

 reasons, one of which is, we have our own plant- 



