THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



151 



them from breaking clown with their 

 load of fruit. In the spring of 1883 I 

 grafted a young native tree with this 

 variety, and last season picked there- 

 from nearly half a bushel of beautiful 

 plums, many of which would not have 

 suffered by comparison with those I 

 saw at the Industrial and Provincial 

 Exhibitions. I would strongly recom- 

 mend this variety to all who may wish 

 to grow fine fruit in spite of Jack 

 Frost. 



The Weaver is doubtless a near rela- 

 tive of our common wild plum, being 

 as hardy, equally as prolific, and com- 

 mences to bear quite as young. A 

 small tree of this variety planted in 

 April, 1882, bore its first crop last 

 summer — somewhat over a peck of 

 choice plums — which were delicious 

 eaten from the hand. None of this 

 variety were canned so that I am un- 

 able to speak of its cooking qualities, 

 but I see no reason to regard it with 

 suspicion in this respect. It must 

 prove a profitable market plum as soon 

 >is buyers learn to distinguish it from 

 the ordinary wild variety, to which it 

 bears a striking resemblance. I also 

 grow a blue plum, (a seedling) which 

 for canning purposes is not excelled 

 Ijy any with which I am acquainted. 

 It is a regular bearer, and quite hardy. 

 The Imperial Gage, Huling's Superb, 

 Smith's Orleans, and the German Prune 

 also appear to thrive. The Lombard, 

 which we are so often urged by tree 

 pedlars to try has not proved hardy, 

 <lying back to snow line each season. 

 To those in the East about to plant I 

 would recommend Pond's Seedling for 

 size and beauty, the Weaver for i)rofit, 

 and the Imperial Gage or Huling's 

 Superb for quality. I cannot under- 

 stand why the people of Eastern On- 

 tario should grow those astringent 

 little red plums, which are two-thirds 

 pit, one-fourth skin, with just enough 

 nutriment between to support a cur- 



culio during the earlier stages of its 

 existence, when such varieties as I 

 have mentioned above might be grown 

 with little more care, and but a trifling 

 additional expense. 



GRAPES. 



The excellence of the grapes grown 

 in this section is well known to the 

 horticulturists of the Dominion, and 

 while the quantity produced, especially 

 of the earlier varieties, does not equal 

 the demand, causing us to import from 

 points farther west, the day is not far 

 distant when all this will be changed, 

 and the fruit of the vines now being 

 planted in the Ottawa Yalley will not 

 only monopolize the home market, but 

 largely assist in supplying the require- 

 ments of a great and growing North- 

 west. Nearly all the earlier varieties 

 are being cultivated. Such a diversity 

 of opinion exists respecting the merits 

 of the various kinds, that one can 

 scarcely decide which is the best for 

 general cultivation. Yery much de- 

 pends upon the soil, culture, &c. Then 

 tastes, like doctors, differ, and when 

 this is the case each must judge for 

 himself. While on the whole I prefer 

 the Concord, there are many who think 

 the Brighton and some of the Roger's 

 should occupy the first place. Any 

 kind ripening after the Concord would 

 be almost worthless to us here. I am 

 cultivating over thirty varieties, many 

 of which come into bearing for the 

 fii-st time this year, and about whicli I 

 shall have something to say in a future 

 article. 



The Russian Mulberry, about which 

 so much has been said and written, 

 fruited (?) with me for the firet time 

 last season — that is, if the tiny berry 

 is worthy of the ajjpellation. It was 

 too small to see without the aid of a 

 magnifying glass, and as sour as a 

 Champion grape iu August. The tree 

 was planted three years since, and was 

 then about the size of a lead pencil. 



