116 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



with this mode of pruning, currant 

 culture can be made to give as good a 

 profit for the capital invested as any 

 other fruit now orrown for market. 



Stoney Creek. 



J. TWEDDLE. 



FRUIT GROWING AT AXE LAKE. 



Fruit culture is only in its infancy 

 here, we are struggling against- the 

 forest as yet. Small fruits, wild varie- 

 ties, and what few that have been 

 planted of improved kinds do well. I 

 am intending to try some small fruits 

 this spring. There would be a great 

 opening here for the sale of apple trees, 

 provided they would not winter kill. 

 John (.lapton. 



Axe Lake, Monteitli. Muskoka. 



THE CANKER WORM. 



Dear Sir, — I think from your des- 

 cription of the habits of this pest there 

 should be no difficulty in fighting it 

 successfully by barring the passage of 

 the moth up the tree, and this can be 

 most conveniently and successfully 

 secured by tying loosely with a single 

 stout cord a width, of say four inches, 

 of cotton batting around the trunk of 

 the tree. 



I have, at any rate, found this effec- 

 tive in preventing caterpillars ascending 

 my trees. The wool entangles them so 

 that they can make no progress, and I 

 presume the moth could not crawl over 

 it either. The wool requires to be 

 examined occasionally, especially on the 

 lower side for larvae, but it is the most 

 convenient method of protecting trees 

 from " crawlers " that I know. 



H. Primrose. 



Pictou, Nova Scotia. 



SCALE INSECTS. 



Enclosed is "sample" of a supposed 

 coccus, very injurious in my green- 

 house and orchard house. These speci- 

 mens were taken from a weeping ash in 



my garden, where it is very abundant; 

 also in orchard house on grape vines 

 and peach trees, and in greenhouse on 

 Marechall Neil and Gloire de Dijon 

 Rose trees. Henry Youle Hind. 

 Windsor, Nova Scotia. 



Note by the Editor — Alkaline 

 washes are the most efficient remedies 

 for these scale insects. A pound of 

 potash dissolved in three gallons of 

 water, and applied either by spraying 

 the tree or by washing the trunk and 

 limbs thoroughly, will kill these insects. 

 It is better to apply it warm, if possi- 

 ble, say at a temperature of 130° F. 

 When the young insects are running 

 about, add to the above solution flour 

 of sulphur, at the rate of half a pound 

 to each gallon. For descriptions and 

 drawings of many of these scale insects, 

 and of their natural enemies, and arti- 

 ficial remedies, see Saunders' Insects 

 injurious to fruits, i)ages 390 to 423. 



BLACK SPOTS ON THE APPLE. 



It is now generally understood that 

 the black spots on certain varieties of 

 our once {)opular varieties of the apple 

 are of fungus growth, which, however, 

 have not as yet assumed the form of an 

 epidemic, but only confined to those 

 that have been long in cultivation, such 

 as Fameuse, Early Harvest, Swaar, &c., 

 whilst those of more recent introduction 

 seem to be entirely exempt. 



The reason appears to be obvious, 

 the varieties alluded to have passed the 

 meridian of the period of existence 

 nature has assigned them, their loss of 

 vitality in order to produce healthy fruit 

 make them fit subjects for the attacks 

 of these parasites. 



A seedling apple tree in this country 

 rarely exceeds in life more than a cen- 

 tury, consequently only admits of arti- 



