THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



71 



must be obstructed, and consequently 

 the vine must die. In case of such 

 winters as the present one with us with 

 little or no snow, and more or less sud- 

 den and severe freezing, and just as 

 rapid thaws, any trees, wind-breaks or 

 obstructions to prevent snow from 

 blowing off are of little account, and 

 we must resort to covering our vines, 

 or be in danger of losing many of our 

 choice varieties. And at the same 

 time we find by experience on all heavy 

 lands other advantages from such cover- 

 ing, such as in the case of rye, as spoken 

 of above, when ploughed under in the 

 spring tends to keep the soil in an open 

 and porous condition, as well as to add 

 its fertilizing properties as a manure to 

 the soil. It also tends to keep the ripe 

 fruit, es[)ecially grapes, from becoming 

 dashed with mud in case of heavy 

 sJiowers in the fall. And when manure 

 is used it also gives the two first advan- 

 tages as the rye, and helps to lessen the 

 work of the first digging or hoeing in 

 the spring by keeping the soil from 

 baking. Deep planting is also another 

 remedy for grape root freezing, where it 

 can be done without being subject to 

 standing water in the soil. And, of 

 course, no tree or vine can be expected 

 to live and prosper in wet soil. If you 

 til ink the above of any use to your 

 ic^aders, use it, and if not, let the waste 

 l)asket take it. 



I am, yours respectfully, 



J. TWEDDLE. 

 Stoney Creek, Ont., Jan. 18, 1886. 



GOOSEBERRIES. 



Dear Sir, — When I purchased the 

 property on which I now reside I found 

 '|uite a number of what is known as 

 I'iUglish gooseberry bushes. I also 

 found I could get no fruit off them ; 

 Miildew tliey would in spite of sulphur, 

 ilted hay, etc. So two years ago I 

 iimipfMl :il)out a bushel of ashes from 



the coal stove around one of said 

 bushes and was rewarded with a full 

 crop of fine berries from it. Last 

 winter I served half a dozen more 

 bushes the same with like results, and 

 this winter shall continue the practice. 



GLADIOLUS. 



A few years since I procured half a 

 dozen of the more costly and finer 

 kinds of Gladiolus, such as Africana, 

 B. B. Coutts, Cameleon, etc., but they 

 would not increase as the more com- 

 mon sorts, and after three years plant- 

 ing I just had the same quantity I 

 commenced with. So last spring I 

 cut them in two, with an eye in each 

 half. I found they bloomed just as 

 strong and I doubled my stock. 



I have the best success with the fol- 

 lowing mode of culture. I may say 

 that my soil is sandy with gravel sub- 

 soil so that it is perfectly self-draining. 

 First, I prepare a sufficient quantity of 

 compost, fully one-half well rotted 

 manure, then dig a bed of required 

 size to accommodate what bulbs I 

 have, a foot deep, filling the same 8 

 inches with the compost and press 

 moderately firm, then set the bulbs on 

 top of the filling about 6 inches apart, 

 then cover the bulbs with 3 inches of 

 pure, clean sand, and fill the remaining 

 inch with some of the top soil dug out, 

 scatter the balance over the garden. 

 I have raised bulbs 5 inches in diame- 

 ter perfectly free and clear of blotches, 

 scabs, etc., with bloom to correspond. 

 I am, yours, J- S. 



St. Thomas, Jan. 1886. 



BURNET GRAPE— CORRECTION. 



In the account given liy me of giapes 

 grown in Muskoka, in January num- 

 ber, 1886, i)age 9, I gave the wrong 

 name to the vine received from the 

 Fruit (Growers' Association, it should 

 have read Burnet^ not Moore's Earlv, 



F. W. COATE. ' 



