32 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



promise for the special purpose of grow- 

 ing pears. There is not the least possi- 

 ble doubt but that it could be done. Up 

 to the present the most beautiful 

 and charming Bartletts and Flemish 

 Beauty have been produced here, where 

 scarcely anything else could prosper or 

 grow. We have known pears to be 

 planted on the most desirable acres 

 of strong rich alluvial soils that were 

 thought to be ''just the thing," but 

 before the trees came into profitable 

 bearing they were overtaken with blight 

 and their soft, sappy immature wood fell 

 an untimely and disappointing prey. 

 This makes us to look to "the hills^' 

 from whence cometh our hope. But 

 we know that this region is not 

 the only one of promise in the bor- 

 ders of our proud Ontario. There 

 are doubtless many others as accessible 

 and equally as good for the successful 

 growth of pears were they properly 

 looked up and utilized. I would beg 

 simply to throw out this idea affecting | 

 our cherished pears by way of kindly 

 suggestion, and hope that it may be the 

 means of drawing out the observations 

 of others better qualified, for further 

 light and further knowledge. 



Very truly yours, 



B. GOTT. 

 Arkona Nurseries, Nov. 20th., 1885. 



REPORT ON PREMIUM SEEDS. 



Dear Sir, — The three packets of 

 flower seeds duly reached me ; and 

 were sown in a small piece of prepared 

 land carefully attended to, and I have 

 derived the utmost satisfaction from 

 them. The Salpiglossis were exceeding 

 beautiful and were very much admired, 

 they produced a long succession of fine 

 flowers of great variety of color, the 

 veins and markings of which were 

 lovely. The Pinks also were a success, 

 though not such showy flowers as the 

 Salpiglossis, and the Striped Petunias, 

 also, supplied me with a great variety of 



brilliant hued flowers ; and these, like 

 the two former, remained in full bloom 

 until cut down by the frost. I shall 

 be glad to report you a similar experi- 

 ence on another occasion. 



J. L. Thompson. 



GRAPES AT COLLINGWOOD. 



Dear Sir, — In the last number of the 

 Canadian Horticulturist an enquiry 

 was made by one of your correspondents 

 as to the history, etc., of a white grape 

 which was exhibited at the Northern 

 Exhibition held in this town last fall. 

 I can give him the information reqiiired. 



A few years ago I weeded out of my 

 vinery all vines which I judgpd to be 

 of inferior quality, and having at the 

 time a man employed building another 

 vinery I gave him one of the vines, a 

 Chasselas Fontainebleu which I procured 

 from your nursery. Having no vinery 

 he planted it in the open air and has 

 succeeded in getting from it good clus- 

 ters of grapes, I believe every year. I 

 saw them at tlie Exhibition and they 

 are really very fine and I quite under- 

 stand how the judges were staggered at 

 finding them among the outdoor grapes. 

 About the same time I gave to a boy em- 

 ployed in my garden a West St. Peter's 

 which he also planted in the open air 

 and which has produced good crops. It 

 does certainly seem strange that in this 

 northern region we can grow grapes in 

 the open air which can only be grown 

 under glass elsewhere, but this locality 

 seems especially favorable for grape 

 growing ; this year our out-door grajies 

 produced most luxuriantly and the crop 

 ripened well. Moore's Early is gen- 

 erally the first to ripen, then Salem, 

 Creveling, Delaware, Wilder, Agawam, 

 in the order named, Jessica about the 

 same time as Delaware, Niagara has not 

 yet fruited with me but is a very strong 

 rampant grower, Prentiss promises well, 

 Pocklington a very poor grower, Lin- 



