QUESTION DRAWER. 



253 



quently sent in for identification, which 

 proves how wide spread this insect now is 

 in Ontario. It increases very slowly, but if 

 neglected for years, the trees become so 

 incrusted with them as to become unfruitful. 

 To destroy them the bark should be scraped 

 in early spring" and washed with whale oil 

 soap, two pounds to five gallons of water, 

 or with Gillett's Lye, one ten cent package 

 to five gallons of water ; and then about 

 the first week in June, when the young lice 

 are moving, the trees should be sprayed 

 with kerosene emulsion. 



Value of Fruit Land. 



1225. Sir, — In your March issue you question 

 the correctness of Prof. , Macoun's valuation of 

 bearing orchards at $1,000 per acre. It would be 

 interesting to see published what you consider a 

 conservative estimate of the value of (i) small 

 fruits, and (2) bearing plum, peach, pear and 

 cherry orchards per acre, in say the Niagara fruit 

 district, convenient to shipping points. 



Vancouver. A. W. F. 



A small fruit plantation does not so much 

 increase the value of the land because it is 

 so easily placed or removed. An acre of 

 land to currants would be worth little more 

 than land without these plants, the value 

 of the crop is so little. Planted to straw- 

 berries it would be worth about the net 

 value of one years' crop more than without, 

 say $100 more than the land without, and 

 we would estimate raspberries about the 

 same, so that if the land is worth $100, the 

 crop value would add as much more, making 

 it $200. 



A peach or cherry orchard, and of the 

 best varieties, would mean a much larger 

 productive investment, and much highe 

 value. Two acres of garden land near 

 Grimsby, with peach and plum trees in bear- 

 ing, and raspberry bushes between, have 

 just been sold at $600 per acre, but then 

 the land was counted worth $400 before the 

 trees were planted. 



We think that as as investment, any man 

 who pays more than $500 per acre for the 

 finest orchard of any kind of fruit trees, is 

 paying an outside figure, and, as for an 

 apple orchard, some have valued it so low 

 that they consider it an encumbrance, and 

 begun digging the trees out ; but of course 

 this is under special conditions. 



Vine Weeds. 



1226. Sir,— What remedy is best to kill that 

 troublesome weed commonly called vine weed or 

 a species of wild convolvulus among raspberries, 

 etc. It resembles a morning glory and has a 

 small flower. 



Oshawa. James A. Rider. 



We know of no simple method of eradi- 

 cating this weed, generally called bind weed. 

 If hoe and rake won't answer, better start a 

 fresh raspberry plantation on cleaner ground. 



Amaryllis. - 



1227. Sir, — Can you tell me how to make my 

 amaryllis regina flower. I have had it 6 years and 

 have had no bloom. Should it be left in one pot 

 all the time or moved ank the earth renewed. It 

 has thrown out offsets till it completely fills the 

 pot. 



Prescott. C. W. Beaven. 



The abundance of offsets that have been 

 allowed to grow is probably the cause of the 

 amaryllis mentioned not flowering. Leave 

 the plant undisturbed and grow it on until 

 its next resting period, then just before 

 active growth commences again, remove all 

 the offsets. Repot the old bulb into rich 

 loamy soil, giving plenty of drainage ; water 

 sparingly until the bulb has well started in- 

 to growth. Remove all offsets as soon as 

 they appear, these can be potted singly and 

 grown on if required. The best time to re- 

 pot amaryllis bulbs is just as growth com- 

 mences after the resting period. Oftentimes 

 a top dressing of rich soil is preferable to re- 

 potting, if the bulb is healthy and the drain- 

 age in the pot perfect. 



W. Hunt. 



