ii60 



THE CANADIAN H0BTICULTURI8T. 



the skin of the fruit. When the skin 

 was broken or removed they would lap 

 and suck the juices exposed, but would 

 not attack the skin, even of the ten- 

 derest grapes. If the grapes were 

 cracked the bees would suck the juices 

 from the exposed segments until they 

 came to the film separating the broken 

 and exposed segments from those un- 

 broken, beyond which they appeared 

 unable to penetrate. After a 30 days' 

 test, another colony of Italians and 20 

 more difierent varieties of grapes in all 

 stages of ripeness were introduced, the 

 conditions natural to a severe drouth 

 were produced, and the test continued 

 for 25 days longer. The bees showed 

 no more capacity or disposition to offer 

 violence to one variety of grapes than 

 another. No more attention was given 

 the thin-skinned varieties than the 

 thick-skinned. As long as the skin re- 

 mained whole, they did not harm the 

 grapes. When the skins were broken 

 by violence, the juices exposed were 

 appropriated. 



SEEDLING PEAR. 



Mr. W. C.Reid,of Enterprise, County 

 of Addington, has sent me a couple of 

 pears grown at Newcastle, as a sample 

 of a seedling, with the request that I 

 would report on it through the Horti- 

 culturist. 



They were small pears, about three 

 inches in length and six in circumfer- 

 once at the largest place, pyriform, yel- 

 lowish-green, stem about two inches 

 long, slightly curved. The flesh was 

 fine grained, gritty at the core, juicy 

 and sweet, without any marked flavor. 

 Your obedient servant, 



1). W. Beadle. 



time not one of these trees had borne 

 any fruit, except the four year planted 

 ones a few straggling pears. In the 

 fall of the year this man wheeled from 

 his foundry two or three birrow loads 

 of iron filinofs, and dug into the soil 

 about each tree a pailful of the filings. 

 The following year the four year, the 

 three year and the two year trees all 

 bare fruit, and have continued to bear 

 every year since. The proprietor of 

 those trees makes no pretentions as a 

 horticulturist, but he succeeds in grow- 

 ing larger crops and taking the prizes 

 away from many of us that do. I 

 examined his trees a week or two ago, 

 and found them looking unusually 

 thrifty and bearing heavily. Had the 

 iron filings anything to do with it 1 

 Kespectfully, 



T. H. Race. 

 Mitchell, Perth Co., Sept. 20th, 1886. 



[The use of iron filings about pear 

 trees is not new. In our Reports you 

 will find some discussions on the sub- 

 ject. I think the evidence on the 

 whole is in favor of their use as im- 

 proving the health and vigor of the 

 trees. — Wm. Saunders.] See also 

 Reply by Prof. Panton on p. 257 of 

 this volume. 



IRON FILINGS FOR PEAR TREES. 



Sir, — There is in this town a man 



who six years ago had several pear 



trees. Some four, some three, and 



others two years planted. Up to that 



THE SHIAWASSEE BEAUTY. 



Not nearly enough attention has been 

 given in the East to that fine Michigan 

 seedling of the Fameuse which bears 

 this name. It has borne with me for 

 two seasons, and the terribly severe 

 test winter of 1884-85 has shown that 

 it is, if anything, hardier than its parent. 

 Its great merit is that it is a non- 

 spotting Fameuse. In many seasons 

 from one-third to one-half of the crop of 

 Fameuse is rendered unmarketable by 

 the black fungus sjjots which disguise, 

 dwarf and deform its fruit. From this 

 grave defect the Shiawassee Beauty is 

 free. 



