THR CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



77 



couraged to express their opinions. We 

 had flatttered ouraelves that the change 

 had been for the better ; that by obtain- 

 ing the experience of different cultiva- 

 tors in different localities and using 

 different methods, we were making the 

 magazine more valuable to our readers. 

 Perhaps we are mistaken, but we 

 thought that as it is not given to any 

 one person to know everything, nor even 

 to three or four, so we were increasing 

 the amount of knowledge imparted, by 

 an increase in the number of those who 

 contributed of their personal experience 

 to its pages. 



BARK LICE, ETC. 



To THE Editor. — (I) I have lately 

 tried several different remedies recom- 

 mended to kill bark lice in apple trees. 

 The appearance of the lice remains the 

 same. How can I tell if they are dead 

 or alive] (2) The trunks of some of 

 my pear trees are considerably cracked, 

 what had I better do to them ] (3) 

 What, if any, injury does "ringing" 

 do to a fruit tree ] ( 4) In propagating 

 the grape vine will it do to take the 

 cuttings off the old vine in the spring 

 and planting them at once. 



Toronto. R. 



Reply. — (1) Usually the scale be- 

 comes of a light grey color, almost white, 

 when dead. If you will lift a few of 

 the scales with the point of your knife, 

 you will be able to ascertain whether 

 there is any living substance beneath. 

 If alive at this time of the year there 

 will be a mass of eggs under each scale, 

 which will hatch about the firet of June. 



(2) Wash the pear trees with some 

 alkaline solution, such as soft soap di- 



luted with washing soda dissolved in 

 water to the consistence of a thick paint. 

 (3) It will usually cause that part of 

 the tree or branch beyond the place 

 where the bark is removed to die pre- 

 maturely. (4) Yes it will do. But the 

 cuttings are more sure to grow, and to 

 make more vigorous growth if they are 

 taken off immediately after the leaves 

 fall in autumn. 



PRUNING SHADE TREES. 

 Dear Sir, — Will you kindly inform 

 me through your valuable journal the 

 suitable or best time to prune shade trees, 

 more particularly maples and much 

 Yours respectfully, 

 Jno. Mulligan. 

 Port Hope. 



oblige. 



Reply. — If maples are pruned at all 

 severely in the spring the sap will flow 

 from the wounds, hence we prefer to 

 prune them in the fall, or else after the 

 leaves are about half grown. 



Dear Sir, — I purpose raising onions 

 cabbages, tomatoes, &c., manuring with 

 ashes. ( I ) Will salt answer put on the 

 land with the ashes 1 Is there any 

 chemical objection to using the two at 

 or near the same time of application % 

 (2) Is there any chemical objection to 

 using salt and superphosphate ? 



Jno. p. W. 



Homing's Mills. 



We sent the above inquiry to the 

 professor of agricultural chemistry in 

 Cornell University, and received the 

 following 



reply : 



(1) In some cases salt would be an advan- 

 tage used with woo<l ashes. When salt is 

 applied with ashes, it causes the potash to 

 penetrate deeply into the soil, and for deep 

 rooted crops it would be desirable, but ob- 



