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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Doubtless our own forests are dis- 

 appearing as rapidly as those of our 

 neighbors under the united ravages of 

 the woodman's axe and the devastating 

 forest fires. Already some parts of 

 Ontario are beginning to suffer for want 

 of a due proportion of woodland in the 

 diminishing volume of her springs and 

 streams in protracted summer drouths, 

 and in the unbroken sweep of frost- 

 laden winter winds. It is time, full 

 time, that public attention be turned 

 to this matter ; that something be done 

 to limit the annual cutting of lumber, 

 so that it shall bear a proper relation 

 to our present supply and present needs; 

 that measures be taken to prevent whole- 

 sale destruction by forest fires, and that 

 planting be commenced without delay 

 on lands suitable for the purpose, with 

 a view to keeping up the supply per- 

 petually, and of preserving the proper 

 proportion of woodland, so as to save 

 us from tTiose climatic changjes which 

 are sure to follow the denudation of the 

 country, bringing in their train drouths, 

 excessive floods, sterility, famine and 

 pestilence. 



Ripening Grapes. — ^^JosiahHoopes says 

 in the M. Y, THbune :—'''!^o surer evi- 

 dence ©f Ihe impropriety of defoliation to 

 admi± the -sun's rays can be cited than the 

 results of recent experiments in bagging 

 grapes. We see that the covered clusters 

 ripen more thoroughly, color more beau- 

 tifully and assume that charming bloom 

 which, without artificial aid, in many sec- 

 tions, they rarely attain. The foliage in 

 a great measure acts as the lungs do in the 

 animal creation, and every perfect healthy 

 leaf taken off a plant destroys a portion 

 at least of its power of subsistence, for 

 vegetation extracts from the air a wonder- 

 ful amount of nutriment, which enters 

 into its organism through the myriads of 

 minute apertures which nature has jbo 

 wisely ordained for this express pui^pose. 

 Then why partially cut off its means of 

 supply to gratify the whimithat fruit must 

 receive the direct xays of the sun ?'' 



HORTICULTURAL GOSSIP XIV. 



BY L. WOOLVERTON, GRIMSBY. 



The Horticulturist. — Our magazine 

 is making rapid strides in advance. 

 The beautiful plates which embellish 

 the volume for 1882, will make it an 

 attractive table book, and the large 

 number of practical hints cannot fail to 

 make it popular with fruit growers in 

 general. I have shown some numbera 

 to several growers here, who had become 

 apathetic toward our Association, and 

 I have succeeded in demonstrating that 

 a horticulturist cannot spend a dollar 

 to better advantage than by subscribing 

 for the Canadian Horticulturist, a 

 magazine which is entirely devoted to 

 his interests ; for in addition to this 

 he also gets the Report of the meetings 

 of the Association, nicely bound for 

 preservation, an excellent plant, and 

 the benefit of some very interesting 

 discussions. 



Altogether, I am quite sure that the 

 Ontario Fruit Growers' Association has 

 entered upon a new era of prosperity, 

 when the labors of its Directors will be 

 more than ever appreciated by the 

 public. 



Keeping a Calendar. — For some years 

 I have been in the habit of keeping a 

 calendar in connection with the orchard, 

 and would recommend it to others, as 

 forming in time a useful book of refer- 

 ence. A book of twenty-four pages, 

 foolscap size, is convenient for the pur- 

 pose. Two pages may be devoted to 

 each month, and will answer for six 

 years by dividing each page into three 

 perpendicular columns, one for each 

 year. The number of horizontal lines 

 ruled upon the sheets will correspond 

 with the number of days in each month. 

 This will afford room for a brief note 

 for each day of the month, and will 

 present before one, at a single glance, 

 the same day of the same month for 

 six different years. Comparisons can 



