19a 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUEIST. 



of the Henderson combined with the 

 other merits of the Jewell. 



Bonanza is uniq ue. Of all harlequin- 

 shaped berries, this takes the prize. 

 The plants are marvels of vigor, the 

 berries often of remarkable size, but no 

 two alike, except as to a swan-like neck, 

 a characteristic of all. The berries are 

 furrowed, coxcomed, winged, upside- 

 down, wrinkled, round, square, paralle- 

 logramatic, rhomboidal, and every other 

 shape we have ever seen in a strawberry, 

 except a regular heart shape. The 

 plants are quite fruitful, the berries of 

 good quality but generally hollow and 

 mushy in the middle. Iron-clad is this 

 year the earliest berry we have. The 

 plants are thrifty and healthy. The 

 berries are of medium size, about the 

 shape of Crescent, firm and of good 

 quality. We know of no better berry 

 that is as early. Amateur is a variety 

 with pronounced virtues and pronounc- 

 ed failings. The quality is better than 

 that of Jewell. It is almost as produc- 

 tive, but the berries average smaller 

 and softer. The plants are as vigorous 

 as need be, but the leaves so o'ertop 

 the berries, borne on slender peduncles, 

 that the berries ripen, as it were, in a 

 dense shade. The foliage of Connecti- 

 cut Queen burns — the berries shrivel. 

 Vineland Seedling is of little promise. 

 Wonderful is of fair quality, medium- 

 early, bright red, quite firm, variable in 

 shape and size. Plants vigorous, but 

 not remarkably productive. Queen of 

 the Peninsula bears rather small ber- 

 ries, and is not worthy of introductioii. 

 Dimondale, also, had better be confined 

 to the originator's grounds. Gardener's 

 Colossal seems worthy of future trial. 

 The berries are of fine shape, firm and 

 good. Bubach No, 5 is promising. 

 The berries average very large, bright 

 red in color, variable in shape, firm and 

 of fair quality. Iroquois we nuist not 

 speak of yet. Bomba resembles Lida, 

 but is not so prolific. Later in the sea- 



son we shall again refer to the above 

 berries, and to many others being tried 

 this season for the first. Illustrations 

 will accompany the best of them. — Ru- 

 ral New-Yorker. 



BONES DISSOLVED WITH ASHES. 



In dissolving bones with ashes, there 

 are several things to be considered 

 to prove successful. The ashes must 

 be good ; those of oak and hickory I 

 find the best. Some say that wood 

 grown on low land will not make soap, 

 consequently will not dissolve bones. 

 As I have always burned wood from 

 ofi" ridge land, I cannot answer for 

 this. The ashes must be kept moist, 

 just so they will not drain. They 

 should be kept from freezing. If 

 suffered to freeze, the process ceases. 

 The smaller the bones, the quicker they 

 will dissolve. 



This is the way I have managed my 

 bones for the last two years. As fast 

 as ashes can be had, they are put in 

 barrels, the bottom is covered with 

 about six inches deep in ashes, then a 

 layer of bones, then a layer of ashes, 

 then a layer of bones, and so on, until 

 nearly full, and then finished with a 

 layer of ashes. I use two-thirds ashes 

 to one of bone. The ashes are kept wet 

 all the time with soap-suds or chamber 

 lye. When one vessel is filled, I then 

 put in another until I have all the bones 

 used. If I still have ashes, they are 

 barrelled away until near spring, then 

 they are put in a hopper as if used in 

 making soap. When I wish to use the 

 bones, and I find them not sufficiently 

 dissolved, I put ashes and bones in a 

 large kettle ; the ashes in the hopper 

 are leached and the lye put on the 

 bones and ashes, and the whole mass 

 boiled until the bones are entirely con- 

 sumed. The mass is now in a doughy 

 state ; this is mixed with loam enough to 

 make it dry as wanted. It is now ready 

 for use. 



