68 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



from seed of the largest and best I 

 have never obtained offspring worthy 

 of the parents. 



Crossing and hybridizing might give 

 better results. J. Cuppage. 



CRAB APPLES. 



Mr. EditgRj-^TMs last two years 

 past you have been silent on our some- 

 what despised Grab Apple. Have you 

 no plea for them. They are among 

 apples our truest friends here in the 

 cold north. Can you not name five 

 or six good dessert kinds, and good 

 keepers. I feel that we are losing 

 time to neglect those valuable fruits. 

 Why not improve those that do so well 

 in the north, for, at most, all I know 

 of the Russians they are not of first 

 quality and not good keepers % Now, 

 Mr. Editor, are they too mean a fruit 

 for your notice ; have you nothing in 

 their favour 1 They have proved the 

 hardiest apples we have ; though hardy, 

 they want care and looking after. I 

 find all over the borers are at work, 

 and many wonder they die. I have 

 dressed my trees as per receipt in the 

 July number, 1885, and believe it will 

 answer admirably if done once or twice 

 each year. For grafting, I find it 

 advisable to take the cuttings off in 

 the fall and partly bury them, because 

 they are often so badly hurt by our 

 severe winters as to be doubtful to 

 grow when grafted, if cut in the 

 spring. I find this so, even with the 

 Duchess of Oldenburg ; last year I find 

 it is with me, as it was with J. P. Wil- 

 liams, in July number, 1885. It will 

 not grow well when top-grafted ; in fact, 

 I could never make a tree of the 

 Duchess when top-grafted. Now, dear 

 sir, is it the same with all the Rus- 

 sians *? Will the Yellow Transparent 

 do well when top-grafted % Can you 

 tell me this, as I do not wish to lose or 

 waste time % 



Muskoka. T. A. H. 



SOME NEW BERRIES. 



(For the Canadian Horticulturist.) 



Dear Mr. Editor, — With your per- 

 mission I would give the readers of 

 your excellent monthly a notice of 

 some of the new fruits that will be 

 eagerly sought for by some and made 

 little of by others this coming spring. 

 As your are aware, sir, the strawberry 

 is my favorite of the small fruits. 

 Hence it will be the first I notice. 



The Jewell. It has been before the 

 public for some time and the only one 

 that has been sent out for testing in 

 different localities, and has given satis- 

 faction wherever sent. No lover of 

 the strawberry need be afraid to in- 

 vest in a few dozen at the price asked 

 for it. This variety is from Connecti- 

 cut. 



It is reported of the Jewell that from 

 l-22d of an acre 687 quarts of berries 

 were picked besides what was picked 

 by visitors. It is supposed it would 

 yield 500 bushels per acre. 



It is an old saying, sir, " when it 

 rains it pours." 



2nd. The Belmont. Origin Massa- 

 chusetts. This variety, unlike the 

 former, has come like the lightning 

 flash, unannounced, and fruitmen are 

 led to ask when will this production of 

 new fruits end. 



The following notice of the Belmont 

 I had from the introducer. He says 

 as a cropper we cannot say too much 

 in its favor. From scarcely a quarter 

 of an acre we realized the net sum of 

 $596 or $2,384 per acre. What does 

 my friend of Lakefield think of that, 

 for I presume neither of these men 

 followed the slip-shod plan of growing 

 the strawberry. 



Then, sir, the next wonder comes 

 from Illinois. ButacKs No. 5. This 

 is only $5 per dozen, and if all that is 

 said about this " wonderful " (may be 

 it is the " Big Bob ") berry is only half 

 true, nothing I have yet grown can 



