THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



115 



Then it stole in by way of the San- 

 Culottes, the degenerate "Fence Corner" 

 varieties. After thus establishing it- 

 self, it, like the cholera, seized what- 

 ever was nearest of the higher classes. 



Though we have such comparative 

 immunity from diseases, the insects 

 sufficiently reinforce them to bring us 

 down to average in regard to quantity. 



The Tent caterpillar came, did much 

 mischief, but is rarely seen now. The 

 fall web and canker worm are here, but 

 not yet troublesome. The curculio dis- 

 figures some of the thin-skinned apples, 

 and is equal to the whole crop of plum 

 and cherry. Thorough jarring saves 

 the fruit. I have not tried poisons. 



The codlin moth sometimes, and of 

 some varieties, takes, with the owner, 

 about "share and share alike." If the 

 Yankees sent the moth here to secure 

 a supply of champagne cider apples, 

 they succeeded. Car-loads are yearly 

 sold them. Those who have turned 

 their orchards into sheep and swine 

 pastures have nearly driven out the 

 moth, while the pork and mutton seem 

 none the worse for the mixed diet. 



S. P. Morse. 



Oakville, Halton Co. 



HOW rO PRUNE THE CURRANT AND 

 GOOSEBERRY FOR PROFIT. 

 The method I use in pruning the 

 currant, and which will apply to the 

 gooseberry as well, differs in one respect 

 from the usual advice given in the 

 columns of the horticultural journals 

 of the day, viz.: that of cutting back 

 ' lie new growth of the terminal branches 

 I Wont one half, which will give all the 

 lollowing advantages over the old sys- 

 tem of pruning, which was simply to 

 cut out old UvSeless wood, and thin out 

 that which remained. 



THESK ADVANTAGES ARE : 



1st. Strong, healthy growth at the 

 top of the bush, where we want it, and 



not in an increased number of suckers 

 or sprouts at the bottom. 



2nd. Rank foliage, that will remain 

 all season to protect the fruit from sun 

 scalding, and also prolonging the pick- 

 ing and marketing season. 



3rd. Larger fruit and longer bunches, 

 for the reason that all the short bunched 

 smalj currants are produced at or near 

 the terminal buds, and these being 

 pruned off, leave only the best to be 

 developed, and as it is a well known 

 fact that the production of seed is the 

 cause of exhaustion of the plant, there- 

 fore small currants produce just as 

 much seed as large, and these being 

 pruned off, relieve the bush of its great- 

 est burden or cause of exhaustion. 



4th. Eegular bearing, for a strong, 

 healthy bush is always able to bear its 

 load of fruit, because, with this mode 

 of pruning and its advantages, the bush 

 grows stronger every year, and with 

 these come 



5th. Other advantages, such as very 

 large bushes with fruit further from the 

 ground, and consequently not liable to 

 get splashed with dirt, and being able 

 to grow very large plants less plants 

 are required to the acre, and will do 

 best planted not less than 5x5 feet, 

 or 6 X 6 feet, when horse cultivation 

 can be used both ways, and thus save 

 a great deal of hand labor. 



6th. By this mode of pruning, all 

 the medium sized varieties may be 

 made to produce almost as large fruit 

 as the cherry curi'ant. 



7th. C^urrant plantations will last 20 

 years or more, because the vitality and 

 vigor are always kept up. 



And while I could name other ad- 

 vantages for this method of pruning, I 

 have only to say that I have tried it 

 on an acre of different varieties, and 

 othei-s have tried the same, and we 

 have all had results more satisfactory 

 than was anticipated. I believe that 



