118 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE OATALPA. 



I am afraid the "Catalpa" will not be 

 found hardy enough for many parts of 

 this Province. I have had one here 

 (Cobourg) for twelve years, it grew to 

 be five or six inches in diameter, form- 

 ing a handsome tree, but the young 

 shoots were often winter killed, and the 

 beautiful blossoms did not even attempt 

 to form any seed pods, as if they were 

 only pistillates. Two years ago more 

 than half of the top died and had to be 

 cut off. A friend, who saw it in this 

 mutilated condition last summer, told 

 me of one he had in his grounds near 

 Chicago, 111., one twice as large as mine, 

 that had been killed last winter. 



My "Ailanthus" is also too tender 

 for this climate, growing too fast to 

 ripen the new shoots, which are thus 

 killed by the frost. It never blossoms 

 either. It has had leaves, the mid rib 

 of which measured fifty-four inches. 



Oobourg, Ont. X. 



Note by the Editor. — Your tree 

 was not the Catalpa speciosa, which is 

 more hardy than C. bignonoides. 



JAPAN QUINCE. 



Mr. Editor, — As it appears to me 

 no one ever answers any questions put 

 in the Horticulturist not replied to by 

 yourself, allow me to answer : 1st to 

 " A Subscriber." The Japan Quince 

 is nearly hardy at Ottawa. I have 

 seen it both in flower and fruit. It is 

 one of our handsomest shrubs and 

 should be more commonly cultivated. 

 It would be a nice thing to send out 

 for test by the '' F. G. Ass." As a 

 hedge plant, I do not see what object 

 would be gained by planting it, as it 

 only grows two or three feet high. As 

 a single plant it is very beautiful ; its 

 habit is rather spreading than upright. 



PLUM TREES IN HEN YARDS. 



No. 2. Plum trees grown in hen 

 yards are usually very productive ; the 

 hen manure highly enriches the soil. 

 The birds will not allow any sod to 

 grow in their yards, so that the roots 

 of the trees are not dried up by the 

 absorption of the grass roots, besides 

 which, the hens are a terror to any 

 curculio which come in their way. 

 Birds should be kept which do not 

 fly, such as Dark and Light Bramahs, 

 Plymouth Rocks, &c. 



NANNIBERRY. 



3rd. The common name for the 

 shrub spoken of by Mr. Cotter, Barrie, 

 is the Nanniberry. I think it is one 

 of the Viburnum family. After frost, 

 the berries which hang in bunches, are 

 sweet, juicy, and pleasant. I fancy it 

 could be much improved by cultivation. 

 If Mr. Cotter will furnish me with 

 some of the flowers in spring, I will be 

 glad to give him the botanical name. 



PLUMS FOR ALGOMA. 



4th. I would strongly advise Mr. D. 

 Dunn, of St. Joseph's Island, Algoma, 

 to procure Pond's Seedling plum, and 

 the Glass Seedling, especially the for- 

 mer ; it is the hardiest cultivated plum 

 we have and is of large size, red, turn- 

 ing to purple on one side when fully 

 ripe. Unfortunately, it is rather a shy 

 bearer. 



PARIS GREEN ON CABBAGE. 



5th. The application of Paris Green 

 to cabbage and cauliflower for the 

 destruction of the larva of the Pieris 

 rapise is, to say the least of it, a highly 

 dangerous experiment. A gentleman 

 of this city was very badly poisoned 

 by eating vegetables on which it had 

 been used, perhaps incautiously ; he 

 did not recover his health for months 

 afterwards. The use of such active 

 poisons as Paris Green should not be 

 recommended, or used, on any plant of 

 which anything but the root is eaten. 

 P. E. BUCKE. 



