October, 191 1 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



233 



Fameuse, Macintosh, and Wealthy 

 I apple trees. Also before buying, plan- 

 ning an orchard or ordering trees, study 

 'the facts relating to the pollination of 

 blossoms. Much of the unsatisfactory 

 fruiting of orchards all over the country 

 ' is due to self-sterility. A tree is self 

 sterile if it cannot set fruit unless plant- 

 ed near other varieties. An indication 

 of self-sterility is the continued drop- 

 ping of young fruit from isolated trees 

 or solid blocks of one variety ; also, 

 fruit from a self-sterile tree is apt to be 

 imperfectly formed. Self-sterility is not 

 a constant character with any variety. 



The loss of fruit from self-sterility 

 may be prevented by planting other var- 

 ieties among self-sterile trees. Duchess, 

 Fameuse, Scott Winter and Tetofsky 

 are early bloomers, while Alexander, 

 Ben Davis, Fallawater, American 

 Golden Russet, Macintosh, Peach, Pe- 

 waukee, Greening, St. Lawrence, 

 Salom, Stark, Wealthy, Winter St. 

 Lawrence, Wolfe River, and Yellow- 

 Transparent blossom relatively at a later 

 period. Therefore, we must avoid plant- 

 ing large blocks of the one variety. But 

 on the other hand, remember that large 

 uniform lots can be sold to better ad- 

 vantage than an assortment of many 

 varieties. "Carload lots" always com- 

 mand attention. The carload lot of 

 Jonathan apples was the attraction at 

 the Canadian National Apple Show at 

 Vancouver. 



Getting the ground ready for the tree 



setting is another important part of 

 "starting an orchard." If possible, 

 plow it deeply in the fall. At least, it 

 should be plowed previous to planting. 

 Harrow it until the field is fine and level. 



If the ground was in sod last year, it is 

 better to grow potatoes and subdue the 

 grass previous to setting the trees. If 

 necessary, spread barn manure over 

 your field before plowing. 



Floral Notes for October 



Wm. Hunt, O. A. C, Guelph, Out. 



PLANTS of geraniums that have 

 been doing duty as decorative 

 plants in flower beds or borders 

 can by proper treatment be kept over 

 the winter very easily. The plants 

 should be dug up befoie the stems have 

 been frozen. A slight freezing of the 

 leaves only does not injure them. Dig 

 the plants with as much root as possible. 

 Cut the roots well back, removing about 

 half their length. Then cut back the 

 top growth well to where the main stems 

 are of medium or rather hard texture. 



Usually, each large stem can be cut 

 back to within a few inches of its base 

 where it springs from the main stem 

 near the root. All of the leaves may be 

 removed from the plant. The plants can 

 be potted singly in sand or sandy soil — 

 half sand and half soil — in small pots. 

 Three and a half or four inch pots are 

 usually large enough. The plants can 

 be put rather thickly in larger pots, or 

 in small well-drained shallow boxes in 

 sand or sandy soil. A small box about 

 ten by twelve inches, and four inches in 

 depth, will hold ten or twelve good-sized 

 plants. 



A Portion of the Exhibit of Ontario Fruit at the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, La(t Month 



The sand or soil should be well water- 

 ed once and the pot or box stood in a cool 

 window, temperature about fifty de- 

 grees, or they can be stood away 

 in a light basement or cellar until spring. 

 The sand or soil should be kept barely 

 moist, not too wet, during winter. To- 

 ward spring, or whenever convenient 

 during the winter, after the plants have 

 developed new roots and some top 

 growth, they can be potted singly into 

 good potting soil in four inch pots and 

 placed in a warmer window, temperature 

 about sixty to sixty-five degrees. Old 

 geranium plants treated m this way 

 make splendid plants for growing on as 

 pot plants for early spring flowering, or 

 for window boxes or flower beds for the 

 following summer. By cutting the 

 plants back in the manner described and 

 placing them in sand, new roots and a 

 new top growth are developed and the 

 whole plant practically renewed. 

 A POOE PEAOTISE 

 If the plants are dug out of the bor- 

 der in the fall and potted just as they 

 are dug up, without being cut back, very 

 poor results are usually obtained. 



Gene rally 

 speaking, 

 when geran- 

 ium plants 

 are dug up in 

 the way last 

 mentioned , 

 the leaves 

 commence to 

 drop, leaving 

 an unsightly 

 looking plant 

 in a very 

 large pot, 

 with only a 

 few leaves to- 

 ward the top 

 of the stem, 

 a great dis- 

 appointment 

 to its owner, 

 and a plant 

 that is of no 

 d e corati ve 

 value what- 

 ever. By ren- 

 ovating the 

 plant as first 

 d e scribed, 

 good sturdy, 

 bushy plants 

 can be ob- 

 tained by 

 spring, much 



