264 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



LUMS and peaches may taste better when they are allowed to ripen 

 perfectly on the trees before being plucked, but apples or pears 

 don't : they should be gathered before they are ripe and brought 

 indoors into a cool, dark room or cellar and there allowed to mellow 

 at leisure. Among pears we now have Doyenne d' Ete, Osband's 

 Summer and Giffard, in using condition, and some Margaret and 

 ^ "^ Clapp's Favorite plucked and in store. When gathered eight to 

 twelve days before they are ripe they don't assume that dry, insipid condition 

 that pears that ripen on the tree are apt to have, they are juicy, refreshing and 

 well flavored, and they keep longer. Early fruit when stored in the house or 

 cellar is apt to be kept too warm and dry, avoid this as much as practicable, heat 

 hastens maturity and decay, and dryness causes it to shrivel. While we can 

 stow winter apples in bins or barrels with perfect safety, keeping fruit in any 

 such bulk at this time of year is to invite decay. 



It is now time to set out strawberry plants. The ground should be deep, 

 rich, and moist if possible. The best sorts to plant are the ones that thrive best 

 in your locality, for no strawberry is good in allplaces. We recommend for trial 

 Sharpless, Bubach, Parker Earle, Marshall, Timbrell and Brandywine. Some 

 one of these is almost certain to suit your ground. What are called potted plants, 

 are runners that have been rooted into little pots plunged under the brim in the 

 ground ; when the pots are filled with roots the runners are severed from the 

 parent plant, and are fit for planting out. Before setting them shake the ball 

 of earth and roots a little to unravel the roots somewhat, and plant firmly. 

 Strawberry plants set now or for six weeks to come should yield a fine crop of 

 big berries next June. While as potted plants is an excellent way to get young 

 stock from the nurseryman, it isn't at all necessary in the case of saving runners 

 from our own beds, when they are well rooted lift them with a trowel and plant 

 them out at once. Our rows are two feet apart, and hills about 20 inches 

 asunder in the row, three plants in each hill. We also have a good many rows 

 where the plants are set six to eight inches apart in the row and not in hills at 

 all. But this system is only for the garden, in the field the rows should be three 

 feet apart. 



As soon as red raspberry bushes have finished bearing cut out the old canes 

 and the most slender and supernumerary of the young ones, but don't shorten 

 back any of the young canes retained for next year's crop, it would cause them 

 to sprout again, hence become more tender than if left uncut, hence more apt to 

 winter kill. 



Thin out old, scraggy, and worthless wood from the currant bushes to allow 

 of the young stems remaining ripening up their wood better. — Gardening. 



