THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



175 



SMALL FRUITS. 



Kindly inform me in next issue if 

 convenient : — 



1. Should I cut away the old wood 

 from raspberry and blackberry bushes 

 as soon as fruiting is over to enable the 

 young wood to ripen. 



2. Is it true that the first plant from 

 strawberry runners will not bear fruit, 

 and that the second must be allowed to 

 grow for that purpose. I wish to grow 

 some potted plants for setting out early, 

 so they may get a good hold before 

 winter. 



3. I enclose you a leaf from a black 

 currant buslj. I have had a very pro- 

 mising crop of fruit almost totally des- 

 troyed by the pests which you will 

 notice on the under side of the leaf, the 

 leaves shrivel up, and then the fruit 

 naturally follows suit. I have used a 

 mixture of hellebore and sulphur, two 

 parts sulphur to one of hellebore in a 

 strong solution, but my bushes seemed 

 to be woi-se after it. My crop for this 

 year is gone, but can you tell me how 

 to fight them another time. I have 

 been told that a strong solution of soap, 

 with a handful of salt to each gallon of 

 water, is good, but I am afraid the salt 

 may kill the bush. This is my first 

 year in fruit raising, which may account 

 for my ignorance on the above ques- 

 tions. 



Yours, &c., 



C. H. Dunning. 



Reply. — 1. It is a good practice to 

 cut out the old canes when the fruit 

 has been all gathered. 



2. We have no faith in that state- 

 ment, but would take the first strong 

 plant. Try it for yourself, and report 

 to the Canadian Horticulturist next 

 summer. 



3. Your insects are aphides or green 

 flies. Syringe with tobacco- water. The 



hellebore will be of no use, they can 

 not eat it. 



BLACK APHIS— LADY BIRD. 



Dear Sir, — With this letter I send 

 you, by parcel post, a package contain- 

 ing specimens of insects taken from a 

 cherry tree and a black currant bush. 

 Those from the cherry tree, small brown 

 insects, have but lately appeared and 

 are doing great damage. Would the 

 kerosene emulsion be of any use against 

 them] As for the insects from the 

 black currants, I could not tell whether 

 they were injurious or not, as the 

 bushes had been badly injured by the 

 green flies, before I observed them. 



If they are injurious, please tell me 

 of some remedy, and also one for the 

 green fly. If this is too late for the 

 July number of Horticulturist, please 

 answer by mail. I have enclosed stamp 

 for answer. 



I remain, yours obediently, 



John S. Warren. 



Brooklyn, Ont., P.O. Box 5. 



Note by the Editor. — The insects 

 on the cherry leaves are the black 

 aphis. They are unusually abundant 

 this season over a very large extent of 

 country. The remedy is an applica- 

 tion of tobacco water with a garden 

 syringe upon the underside of the 

 leaves. Steep some tobacco in water 

 until the liquid is of the color of strong 

 cofiee, and apply it abundantly every 

 three or four days until the insects are 

 killed. Those insects on the black 

 currant leaves are the larvse of one of 

 the Lady-birds which feed on the green 

 fly. Do not do them any harm, they 

 are your friends ; they are fattening on 

 the green fly that has been so abun- 

 dant on the leaves of your black cur- 

 rants this season. 



