^UEiTDOM P^AUEK' 



Dwarf Apple Trees. 



1215. Sir, — Are dwarf apple trees as hardy as 

 standards ? Are they as successful in Ontario ? 

 Newbury. J. Gandikr, 



The apple tree is dwarfed by being grafted 

 or budded on a small growing species, 

 usually either the Paradise stock, a small 

 variety, never reaching over three or four 

 feet in height, or the Doucin, a medium 

 size tree, producing small sweet fruit. The 

 object of dwarfing apple trees is to adapt 

 them to a small garden, and on the Paradise 

 stock they make beautiful little miniature 

 trees, say four feet in breadth and height, 

 which, when loaded with bloom, are very 

 attractive. 



We do not know that this stock is any 

 hardier than the free grown seedling stocks 

 usually employed for standards, some of 

 which are more hardy than others. Al- 

 though the fact that so many orchards of 

 Fameuse are grown about Montreal on dwarf 

 stock would give one the impression that 

 they are at least equally hardy, if not more 

 so. 



We should be pleased to hear from any 

 of our readers who have experience in the 

 colder sections. 



As to the success in growing them, if our 

 correspondent means, are they as profitable 

 as standards, we would say certainly not. 

 They would not give nearly as many apples 

 per acre, and are chiefly intended for the 

 small garden. 



We must, however, give testimony to the 

 excellent size and color of the Astracan, 

 which we have been growing at Maplehurst 

 now for nearly forty years on Doucin stock. 



Qillett's Lye. 



1216. Sir, — I want to spray my snowball 

 (opulis sterilis?) and roses for the aphedes eggs at 

 once and Gillett's Lye has been strongly recom- 

 mended for the purpose. Could you give me any 

 idea what strength should be used before the buds 



burst and after ; also if it will injure the lawn 

 about the shrubs? If the lye be used safely and 

 effectively for such purposes it will prove a boon 

 to me who has found kercsene emulsion and tob- 

 acco water dirty and very troubltsome to prepare. 

 I wrote Gillett's people, having seen the recom- 

 mendiition in the Horticulturist, and they referred 

 me to you. I am of opinion that many busy men 

 are deterred from growing plants to the extent 

 they would because spraying has now become in 

 many cases essential to success, and the spraying 

 mixtures have to be experimented with before they 

 can be u.sed, and are dirty besides. 



A. B. Ord, IngersoU 



We have never yet fully satisfied ourselves 

 as to the strength in which this should be 

 used, and so far as we know our experi- 

 mental farms have not fully tested it. We 

 found it effective in killing cherry aphis used 

 in the proportion of one 10 cent package to 

 5 gallons of water, but destructive to the 

 foliage. Dr. Fletcher says he has not yet 

 found it very satisfactory in killing oyster 

 shell bark louse, for though it kills the very 

 young scales, it is not sufficiently effective to 

 warrant its use. The samples he has ex- 

 amined have turned out to be simply caustic 

 soda, which even at a strength of one pound 

 to three gallons did no permanent harm to 

 the foliage. Prof. Shutt writes that he sup- 

 posed the formula for lye wash for dormant 

 wood, was one pound to three gallons of 

 water, and for use after the foliage has ap- 

 peared, one pound to forty gallons of water. 

 Prof. Shutt is now engaged on the analysis 

 of a number of Canadian and other lyes and 

 will report later on. 



Nut Trees For Ontario. 



1217. Sir. — Could you please tell me what nut 

 trees are hardy and bear nuts around Toronto, and 

 especially whether I can grow the American sweet 

 chestnut, also whether anybody has succeeded with 

 the Salisburia. 



Todmorden, Ont. W.m. Kidd. 



In reply to your question regarding nut 

 trees which are hardy and would bear nuts 

 at Toronto, I beg to give the following 

 list : — black walnut, butter nut, Japanese 



