THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



The crown imperial is \ery handsome 

 also if grown in clumps. Oi roses we think 

 rosa rug-osa the most satisfactory for gen- 

 eral culture. 



Another way in which we might have bet- 

 ter gardens is to have gardens phmted with 

 evergreens, and trees witli ornamental bark 

 or berries to make the place bright in win- 

 ter. This subject we dealt with fully in the 



January number oi the Horticulturist for 

 I goo, and we refer our readers to it. 



We hope all members of Horticultural 

 Societies will try to rouse the interest of 

 their friends and neighbors in gardening, so 

 that the home grounds throughout the coun- 

 try may become a much greater source of 

 pleasure and profit to their owners. 



Toronto. A. E. Mickle. 



CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM NOTES-XIL 



!Wi'*^;lBr ' ' I'- 1^' f*-""^"" inches of snow fell on 

 41 M / \ /'' No\ ember 14th, it was thought 

 vl '/ / ' '^'^'^^ ^^ would soon go away again 

 I — t^^i^^j '1!^ that date was much earlier 

 than winter is usually expected at Ottawa. 

 The snow, however, kept increasing, and 

 by Christmas there was fully a foot and a 

 half on the level. The snow which fell in 

 December had fallen on unfrozen ground, 

 and the former kept it in this condition until 

 December 17th, and even up to Christmas 

 there was c^nly about three inches oi frost 

 there. There has been very little soft 

 weather since the first snow fell and Dec- 

 ember has been quite cold. The coldest 

 day was of December loth, when the temp- 

 erature fell to 18.8° Fahr. below zero. 



There have been some very fine winter 

 scenes this year at the Central Experimental 

 Farm, there being more hoarfrost and snow 

 which clings to the trees than usual. The 

 winter scene shown in this number is 

 from a photo taken by Mr. F. T. Shutt, and 

 gives some idea of the beauty of the land- 

 scape. The bright fruit of the high-bush 

 cranberry, of which reference was made in 

 the last notes, looked fine this month in con- 

 trast with the fresh snow. 



The question of cover crops is an import- 

 ant one for the fruit grower to think about 

 during the winter, and the following quota- 

 tion from my report for 1899, giving the 



results of our experiments, should prove 

 both helpful to those who propose planting 

 a cover crop next year, and suggestive to 

 those who have not yet decided to do so : — 



"Since 1895, orchard cover crops have 

 received much attention at the Central Ex- 

 perimental Farm, and in the reports of the 

 Horticulturist for 1896, 1897 and 1898, con- 

 siderable space has been devoted to this sub- 

 ject ; but the importance of cover crops in 

 the orchard cannot be too often nor too 

 strongly impressed upon the fruit growers 

 of Canada. After the disastrous effects ot 

 the winter of 1898-99 on fruit trees in some 

 parts of Ontario, the fruit growers living in 

 those districts must realize more than ever 

 before, perhaps, how necessar}- it is to have 

 some protection for the roots of their trees. 



" It is now quite generally conceded that 

 cultivation chould cease in orchards in 

 Eastern Canada about the middle of July. 

 At this time the season's growth is well 

 advanced and the ripening of the wood soon 

 begins. The seed which is to produce the 

 future cover crop should now be sown. In 

 P2astern Ontario, the common red or mam- 

 moth red clover, sown broadcast at the rate 

 of twelve pounds to the acre, will probably 

 make the most satisfactory cover crop. It will 

 reach a height ot from ten to twelve inches 

 by winter, and will form a dense mat of 

 foliage which will make a thick mulch, thus 



