May, 1922. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



117 



European Currant Rust 



WHITE-PINE trees and currant or 

 gooseberry bushes should not be per- 

 mitted to grow near together. This 

 is because the two form a rotation for 

 the white-pine blister rust, a fungous 



disease im- 

 ported from 

 Europe aT)0ut 

 20 years ago. 

 The disease is 

 also called 

 "European cur- 

 rant rust." No 

 case has ever 

 been found 

 where the 

 blister rust 

 organism com- 

 pletes its life 

 cycle on the 

 white pine or 

 the gooseberry 

 or currant 

 bush alone. 



In its first 

 period, the 

 disease ap- 

 pears on the 

 bark of the 

 white pine. 

 The dust 

 spores are car- 

 ried by the 

 wind and if 

 they fall upon 

 a currant leaf the next two periods of de- 

 velopment take place there, to the damage 

 of the currant bush. They may reproduce 

 the Bame kind of spores on the currant or 

 gooseberry bush, but the disease will not 

 be perpetuated unless other spores so bred 

 find their way back to the pine tree. For 

 this reason, as an Important control mea- 

 sure, white-pine trees and currant or goose- 

 berry bushes should be kept from 600 to 

 900 feet apart. 



On March 21, an Order-in-Council was 

 passed at Ottawa dealing with this disease. 

 The importation into Canada of the follow- 

 ing is prohibited: "All species and varieties 

 of currants and gooseberries (Ribes and 

 Grossularia) but not including the fruits of 

 these, from all foreign countries. Provided, 

 however, that the Importation of said vege- 

 tation shall be permitted without any re- 

 striction into the province of Ontario from 

 the state of New York." 



In view of the fact that white pine blister 

 rust has now been discovered In the Pacific 

 Coast area of the U. S., it has been found 

 necessary In the interest of the public to 

 close the Canadian bwder to all importa- 

 tions of vegetation carrying this disease, 

 eicept as above provided. Growers of cur- 

 rants and gooseberries are advised by H. 

 . Gussow, the Dominion Botanist, to pro- 

 agate their own stock. 



White Pine Blister Rust. 

 A young white pine stem on 

 which the spore-filled blis- 

 ters are showing. These 

 appear during the last of 

 April and throughout May. 



! Nitro- Culture Distribution 



XPERlENCE seems to indicate that 

 the application of nitro-cultures to the 

 seed of leguminous plants results In 

 considerably increased yields, besides aid- 

 ing in restoring fertility to the soil. The 

 legumes particularly concerned are: The 

 clover group, Including red, crimson, white, 

 zigzag or alsiko; the alfalfa group, com- 

 prising alfalfa, medick, and sweet clovers, 

 white or yellow; also the pea, vetch and 

 bean. 



To enable farmers to treat their seeds, 

 nitrocultures are prepared and distributed 

 in bottles froe to farmers applying to the 

 iyPlvlslon of Botany, Central Experimental 

 arm, Ottawa. Each bottle contains on an 



average suSicient bacteria to Inoculate 

 about a bushel (60 pounds) of seed of the 

 particular kind specified by the farmer In 

 his application. 



By aid of the contents of the bottle, mil- 

 lions of bacteria are transferred to the 

 seed, giving it more vitality and additional 

 productiveness, and enabling the plant to 

 store nitrogen taken from the air in the 

 nodules which form on its roots. The super- 

 intendents of several of the experimental 

 stations where tests have been made tes- 

 tify to the improvement that has taken 

 place in the resulting crops. 



NIAGARA PENINSULA 

 Bumper Crop Expected 



ENCOURAGING reports were heard from 

 the different sections of the Niagara 

 Peninsula late in April, when enquiries 

 were made regarding the possibilities of 

 the fruit crop this season. There was 

 every Indication of a good crop. The frosts 

 of April did not affect the fruit buds, and 

 the slow development of the latter was 

 working to the advantage of blossoming. 



When the season is not forced, crop pros- 

 pects are much improved, stated T. J. Ma- 

 hony, president of the Niagara Peninsula 

 Growers, Ltd. If May is dry and warm, 

 the "Niagara district may (be expected to 

 produce one of the largest crops for years. 



The Niagara Peninsula Growers, Ltd., and 

 the Niagara District Grape Growers, Ltd., 

 were busy preparing for the season. A 

 large percentage of the growers had con- 

 tracted to sell through these two com- 

 panies. Plans had been made for handling 

 and distributing the fruit and garden crops 

 of the Peninsula to the greatest possible 

 advantage. 



i 



Cabbage Root Maggot 



W. A. Ross, VIneland Station, Ont 



WE would urge all gardeners to acquire 

 the habit of treating their early 

 cabbages and cauliflowers every 

 year with corrosive sublimate, in order to 

 prevent the ravages of the white maggots, 

 which burrow into the roots and only too 

 frequently destroy thousands of plants. The 

 treatment outlined below is a simple one, 

 and in the hands of commercial growers 

 has proved to be almost 100 per cent, 

 effective. 



The roots of the plants should be satur- 

 ated with corrosive sublimate solution — 1 

 oz .to 10 gals. iVi to % cupful to every 

 plant). The solution may be applied bj 

 means of a watering can with a long spout, 

 the end of which should be plugged to 

 allow only a small stream to Issue; or by 

 means of a wooden pail and ripper or cup; 

 or, in the case oi, large fields, by means of 

 a wooden barrel with two lines of thin rub- 

 ber hose. 



It the plants are set out before European 

 plums blossom, the first application should 

 be postponed until the plums are almost In 

 full bloom. If the plants are set out later, 

 the first application should be made four 

 days after planting. Two more applications 

 should then be made at intervals of a week. 



Corrosive sublimate may be procured 

 from any druggist. Some men who grow 

 seedlings, make a practice of buying suffi- 

 cient corrosive sublimate from wholesale 

 druggists to supply the need of their cus- 

 tomers. 



Corrosive sublimate is deadly poisonous 

 to man and animals, and for this reason. 



great care should be exercised in using it. 

 It should be dissolved and kept in glass 

 or wooden containers, as it will corrode 

 metal. 



In cases where only a few plants have to 

 be treated, it would be advisable to buy the 

 corrosive sublimate in tablet form, and use 

 one tablet to every pint of water. 



Plant Breeding Problems 



E. F. Palmer, Vineland Station, Ont 



IN a previous circular letter, we asked for 

 suggestions for new experimental work 

 which we might undertake to advantage. 

 Similarly, we would appreciate the views of 

 fruit and vegetable growers as to plant 

 breeding projects, which should be worked 

 on. By plant breeding projects, we refer 

 to the production of new and improved war- 

 ieties of fruits, such as are indicated in the 

 list below. Briefly, the improvements that 

 we are now striving for, and on which the 

 work is more or less advanced, are as 

 follows: 



1. A late-keeping red winter apple. 



2. Blight-resistant varieties of pears. 



3. Hardier varieties of yellow-fleshed 

 apples. 



4. Better quality early and late varieties 

 of peaches of the Elberta type. 



5. In grapes, earlier and better quality 

 varieties, and particularly main season 

 varieties of red Rogers type, but self- 

 fertile and of good shipping quality. 



6. Drought-resistant gooseberries; varie- 

 ties which will hold their foliage 

 throughout our hot dry summers. 



7. General improvement in strawberries 

 and raspberries, particularly in early 

 and late varieties, and in varieties of 

 improved shipping quality. 



8. Earlier and smoother early tomatoes. 



9. Early and large cob yellow sweet 

 corn. 



10. Free-setting varieties of tomatoes and 

 cucumbers for greenhouse culture. 



In addition, a considerable amount of 

 work of lesser importance is under way 

 with other fruits and vegetables. "The 

 above, however, constitute the main breed- 

 ing projects. On some, little progress has 

 been made as yet, and in fact little progress 

 can be expected for many years, due to 

 the time it takes for seedlings to reach 

 bearing age. In other lines, progress has 

 been more rapid, and definite results have 

 been achieved, notably with strawberries, 

 raspberries, peaches and greenhouse cu- 

 cumbers. 



We would appreciate careful study of the 

 projects nnder way, and advise as to 

 other projects which should be undertaken. 

 We ask for advice at this time so that new 

 work can be started with the present blos- 

 som season. 



N.D. Grape Growers, Ltd. 



<(| fERETOFORE the Niagara District 

 l~~l Grape Growers, Ltd., has only taken 

 from the growers contracts for 

 each season, but this year we have changed 

 our policy," said R. J. Montgomery, the 

 manager, to The Canadian Horticulturist 

 recently. "Beginning Jan. 1, we started 

 making a new canvass of the whole terri- 

 tory, getting the growers' signatures on a 

 permanent contract, which goes on automa- 

 tically from year to year with a cancella- 

 tion clause giving the grower the privilege 

 to cancel the contract In any year within a 

 certain period. 



"Since Jan. 1, we have signed, up to May 

 1, 603 growers on the new permanent con- 

 tract, controlling 3,417 Vi acres of grapes. 



