HOW TO GROW THE RUBBER PLANT. 



55 



ever — Spys never. Such varieties as 

 American Pippin, Baldwin, Canada Red, 

 Canada Baldwin, Spitzenburg-, La Salle, and 

 some of the Newman seedlings. The 

 Russets and the Fallawater shrivelled but 

 retained their flavor and soundness. The 

 only juicy fine fleshed apples that kept well 

 were the Spys and the Ontarios. 



The only other exhibit ot fresh fruit be- 

 sides the Canadian, that calls for mention, 

 was that from the United States, but it did 

 not, at any time, contain as large a number 

 of varieties, Their Jonathans, York Im- 

 perials, Winesaps, Newtons, Ben Davis, 

 Ingrams and some others were magnificent 

 specimens, well colored and highly flavored. 



The Russians on two occasions in early 

 summer showed some very fine apples, but 

 with the exception of the Synaps, of which 

 they had three or four varieties, the rest 

 were ordinary French varieties ; they were 

 from the Crimea. 



The French at two or three of the earliest 

 concours showed a few specimens of apples. 

 The chief variety was the Reinette du 

 Canada. They had a good deal better 

 success in keeping grapes, some very fine 

 clusters of the Chasselas de Fontainebleau 

 were still in good condition in May, and I 

 think in June. 



The French exhibit of new apples on the 

 26th September and loth October were both 

 very large and fine, especially the latter, 

 when they had 14 tables of apples and pears, 

 each table holding from 340 to 495 plates of 

 fruit. Of course, there was endless repeti- 

 tion even in the same collections, but they 

 did not seem to take any notice of it. 



On the loth October the Germans, 

 Russians, Swedes, and other European 

 countries sent large collections of fruit, 

 apples, pears, g-rapes, nuts, &c. That from 

 Germany was very distinct and fine, but was 

 very limited in number of varieties. The 

 varieties were very choice, however, and 

 looked as if they might all be good keepers, 

 and some that we sampled were of the 

 hig-hest class in flavor, texture, and appear- 

 ance. The finest in quality was Winter 

 Gold Pearmain with Landsberg Reinette 

 and Belle de Boscoop close upon it. Those 

 same varieties when grown in the Crimea 

 were of much higher flavor. The same fact 

 is stated with reg"ard to the pears and 

 g-rapes, and as far as I have been able to 

 test them my own testimony corroborates 

 this. 



Robert Hamilton. 



Grenville. Que. 



How TO Grow the Rubber Plant. — 

 " Keep the rubber plant clean by giving it a 

 soap bath," writes Eben E. Rexford in the 

 Ladies' Home Journal "Tall plants can be 

 made to branch by cutting off" the tops. 

 But young plants grovang to the height of 

 three or four feet in one straight stock will 

 generally be found more satisfactory as they 

 will have larger, finer foliage than old branch- 

 ing plants ever have. When growth is taking 

 place use a fertilizer, as its demands on the 

 soil are great, and ordinary soils are not rich 

 enough to supply all its needs. The secret of 



the successful culture of the rubber plant con- 

 sists in always feeding it well at the times 

 when a good deal of food is needed — and by 

 this it will be understood that I refer to its 

 periods of growth — and never allowing it to 

 become rootbound. Keep the plant always 

 going ahead, and avoid any treatment that 

 will check its development if you would have 

 a vigorous and healthy specimen. The rub- 

 ber plant requires a much stronger light than 

 the palm, therefore it is not as well adapted 

 to room decoration in places some distance 

 from the window as the palm is." 



