3^ 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



(9yE§TD@Nl P^AWi^' 



Salt for Asparagus. 



1198. SiK,- What amount of salt should be 

 applied per square rod to an Asparagfus bed. or 

 wh it is the greatest amount which can be applied 

 without injury to the plants Is it possible to apply 

 enough to keep down weeds without injuring the 

 Asparagus. 



Georck Wood. 

 Erasmus, Ont. 



Salt may be applied quite heavily to an 

 asparagus bed without injury to the aspara- 

 gus, indeed heavily enough to keep down 

 weeds and grass. Some advise sowing one 

 bushel to the square rod, as a fertilizer ; 

 but whether it has other than a mechanical 

 effect upon plant growth is a disputed ques- 

 tion. In addition to the salt we would 

 recommend an annual top dressing of Nitrate 

 of Soda, say two hundred pounds per acre, 

 in March or April, as a specific for the 

 encouragement of plant growth. 



Apples for Ottawa Valley. 



1199. I would like very much to have your 

 advice as to which of the following varieties of 

 apples you would consider the most profitable to 

 plant : — Ontario, Northern Spy or Canada Red. 

 I am planting an apple orchard in the Ottawa 

 Valley and have set out some McIMahon's White to 

 be top grafted with either one or two of the above 

 sorts. The Canada Red is proving quite hardy 

 in that section, but it is not a .strong grower nor a 

 heavy bearer. Would top working it on a strong 

 grower overcome ;hese defects ? Is the Ontario of 

 as good color as the Spy? Does the Canada Red 

 sell as well as the N. Spy? I have never seen 

 market quotations of this sort. 



I. F. Morrow. 

 Kelton, Ont. 



In our opinion the Spy is the best apple 

 of the three. It has a name in the Chicago 

 market, and Canadian Spys are in consider- 

 able demand ; and it is constantly rising in 

 favor in the English market. 



The Ontario so much resembles the Spy 

 that it might sell as a substitute for it, and 

 it has the advantage of being an earlier and 

 more regular bearer. On this account, if 

 planting young trees, we would choose the 



Ontario as the one most certain of giving 

 returns within the first fifteen or twenty 

 years. 



But for the Ottawa Valley we question 

 whether either one is hardy enough. If our 

 correspondent can satisfy himself in this 

 point, he cannot ^o wrong with either 

 variety. 



Canada Red is not productive enough, as 

 a rule, to be selected for a commercial 

 orchard, although it is a fine color, and a 

 good packer. Very often too, it is under- 

 size, and these days no apple is wanted 

 under 2 V2 inches in diameter. 



1200. In an article on "The Boston Fern"' 

 which appeared in the Horticulturist a short time 

 ago it stated that for treating scale on the leavts. 

 washing was the best cure. Would you recom- 

 mend an}i;hing but clear water to do this or is there 

 any prepn ration which would be best to use? 

 Kindly answer the above and you will confer a 

 favor on, 



F. Davey Diamond. 



Answer by Mr. \V Himt, Hamilton. 



The safest and most efi"ectual method for 



the removal of "scale" from ferns and plants 



of a similar delicate texture, is to wash 



them with water in which a very small 



quantity of common soap has been dissolved. 



Apply the soapy water carefully with a small 



piece of sponge. By rubbing slightly, the 



scale can be removed without injury to the 



plant. Rinse or syringe the plant with 



clear water at once, so as to prevent any of 



the soapy water from clinging 10 the foliage. 



Whale oil soap and similar preparations are 



dangerous to use on ferns for the removal 



of scale. 



1201 • What is the best and most convenient 

 fertilizer for a lawn? When and in what quantity 

 should it be applied? 



(tEOrge Wood. 

 Erasmus. 



Clean stable manure, fine and rotten, is 



