THE CANADIAN HOETK3ULTURI8T. 



235 



other varieties, with the exception ot 

 Taylor's Prolific and Snyder, were more 

 or less injured. In northern Ohio it 

 has stood the test of 25 degrees below 

 zero, coming out sound and full of life 

 force to the very tip. 



In vigour of growth the canes excel 

 even the Snyder and Kittatinny. In 

 size it equals the Lawton. The colour 

 of its fruit is jet black and the quality 

 excellent. But a very peculiar and 

 valuable feature of the berry is its round 

 form, which makes it seem still larger 

 than it really is, and lends to a dish of 

 the fruit a most attractive and appetiz- 

 ing appearance. There is little doubt 

 that it must become a favourite in the 

 markets. 



The Erie has not yet been introduced 

 to the general public, but will probably 

 be ofl'ered for sale the coming fall. — 

 Orchard and Garden. 



A NEW MOLE-TRAP. 



Whoever has a garden surrounded 

 as mine, by old sod pastures, wherein 

 the unfortunate proprietor has attempted 

 for many a year to grow the bulbous 

 plants over which the heart yearns with 

 exceeding great desire — as dear to the 

 heart as pleasant to the eye — will under- 

 stand the feelings with which I saw, 

 year after year, my first tulips, hya- 

 cinths and crocuses destroyed ruthlessly' 

 by moles. 



Only by planting in deep, bottomless 

 boxes or crockery were they at all safe. 

 But these, after a time, would rot and 

 crack with continued rains and freez- 

 ing, and again was I left without pro- 

 tection. 



Not only did my bulbs suffer, but my 

 finest roses and lilies were ploughed 

 under and rendered sick and useless, 

 sometimes before I could discover the 

 invasion. My newly-planted sweet 

 corn, when just above the ground, would 

 be left to stand green enough for a day 

 or two, but grainless underneath, until 



soul and spirit were vexed and wroth 

 over continuous planting. I bought a 

 large, old-fashioned, wooden mole-trap 

 of a farmer, home-made and clumsy, 

 which did me no service, since I could 

 not get the thing to work properly, and 

 in the meantime the work of destruc- 

 tion still went on. I used to sit out 

 hours sometimes, under an umbrella, 

 watching for those blind rascals at work, 

 and when I caught one his brains paid 

 the penalty. I had tried field corn 

 soaked in poison and put in the drain, 

 but it was untouched. Then I wrote 

 to a dealer, making arrangements for 

 one of his famous mole-traps, when, lo, 

 in desperation in the meantime, I again 

 placed grains of corn soaked in a strong 

 solution of arsenic in the runways, and 

 succeeded. It seems that the mole has 

 a sweet tooth in his head and prefers 

 sweet corn to the more common field 

 grains I had at first used. 



I submit the preceding for the benefit 

 of any who may, like myself, have a 

 common cause of complaint. It has 

 proved, since I first tried it, again and 

 again successful in destroying them. 

 The corn should be soaked over night 

 in the poison, then placed in the run- 

 ways. — H. K., in Vick^s Magazine. 



CURRANTS FOR HEALTH. 

 I shall not lay stress on the old, well- 

 known uses to which this fruit is put, 

 but I do think its value is but half ap- 

 preciated. People rush around in July 

 in search of health ; let me recommend 

 the currant cure. If any one is languid, 

 depressed in spirits, inclined to head- 

 aches, and generally " out of sorts," let 

 him finish his breakfast daily for a 

 month with a dish of freshly-picked cur- 

 rants. He will soon almost doubt his 

 own identity, and may even think that 

 he is becoming a good man. He will 

 be more gallant to his wife, kinder to 

 his children, friendlier to his neighbors, 

 and more open-handed to every good 



