The Canadian Horticulturist. 423 



even among exhibitors, in all of our local fairs. The old dodge of giving a new 

 name to some old variety of fruit, in order to sell it I suppose, was observed 

 here in one or two cases. Our old Pond's seedling was shown under the name 

 of Saratoga. I had expected to learn something of system, etc., in managing 

 and arranging fruit exhibits, but I was somewhat disappointed. I was requested 

 to be on hand the 6th of September, the day the fair opened, but the fruit was 

 not in readiness for judging till afternoon of the 8th, as entries kept coming in 

 till that time and were received, and some even put up after I had commenced 

 my work. But all drawbacks and inconvenience was amply made up by the 

 courtesy and kindness of the officials, some of whom promised to come to 

 Canada and take lessons in arranging fruit exhibits. 



S^. Catharines. A. M. Smith. 



Currants and Gooseberries, Fall Planting^.— The following is an 



answer to " A Reader." — By all means plant in the fall, and as early as possible, 

 your plants will gain almost a year's growth by it, that is if they are in good, 

 healthy condition when received, and the ground in which you plant them is 

 not low enough to hold water on in winter. Both gooseberries and currants 

 start to grow so early in the spring that it is better to plant them in fall than in 

 spring. In planting, don't cut them hard back, simply tip them, but cut out 

 the branches, leaving from three to five to each plant according to its strength. 

 They do not need covering in winter, but a mulching of manure up about them 

 will help them. We sometimes have it as cold as 25° to 30" below zero here, 

 and I find both gooseberry and currant bushes quite hardy. I would also plant 

 raspberries now. Cut the canes back to eighteen inches or two feet, and before 

 hard frost sets in lay down the plants and cover them with a good coating of 

 soil. Planting these things in the fall has been my practice for years, and I 

 seldom lose a plant. — Gardening. 



Careless Fruit Packing^. — It pays to exercise care in putting up apples 

 for the big markets. A study of the conditions in New York, Boston or Chicago, 

 shows there is much need of repeating the old injunctions about assorting and 

 selecting fruit. It is hard to find a really first class barrel of apples. In almost 

 every package there will be enough small, gnarled or wormy fruit, to reduce 

 materially the price of the package. It is a grievous blunder from every stand- 

 point. Suppose apples worth $2 per bbl. when of high grade. The dull packer 

 argues that if he smuggles in a peck of second or third-rate fruit, he will get the 

 price of first-class fruit for it. But he fails. Instead of selling poor fruit for 

 first-class, it results in his selling his first clas fruit for $1.50, tlu pru h of a lower 

 grade. This has been talked and written about, until it is a " vain repetition," 

 but it is still necessary to repeat it. Keep the poor fruit at home — feed it to 

 stock — or let it rot on the ground. Never ship it to market. — Am. Agricul- 

 turist. 



