RAMBLING NOTES. 



From St. Thomas, Ont. 



£^ p^HE past season, taken all in all, 

 was a fairly good one for fruit 

 growers in this section of the 

 country-. The quality of the 

 strawberries grown here was poor after 

 the first picking. More than half the 

 crop being what I call nubbins, caused I 

 think by the extremely dry weather just 

 when the fruit was setting. I like the 

 Williams, the Woolverton and Bubach. 

 Crescent and Wilson are too small for 

 this market. 



Early raspberries were scarce and high 

 in price. Late berries were a good crop 

 and prices dropped to $i.oo per crate of 

 24 bo.xes. I fruited Conrath and Loudon 

 this year for the first time and I like 

 them both, they have come to stay. 

 The first is a black cap, hardier, larger, 

 as good a cropper and a better table berry 

 than Gregg. The latter, a hardy stocky 

 red berry, larger than Cuthbert and of 

 fine color and flavor. 



Pears were a good crop, choice Bart- 

 letts and Clapps brought $1.00 per 

 bushel on the local market, but late 

 pears appeared to be a drug at 50 cents 

 and 75 cents. Apples were only a fair 

 crop, but prices were good, and many 

 farmers received as much from an acre 



of orchard as from the rent of fifty 

 acres. 



Plums were a good crop and brought 

 good prices. This section produces 

 now nearly all the plums that the city 

 requires, where only a few years ago 

 there were scarcely any grown ; the plum 

 belt and peach belt is becoming broader 

 every year. Every Abundance plum 

 tree in this section was loaded all they 

 would carry, and every one is delighted 

 with the fruit, both as to appearance and 

 quality. It is a great acquisition to the 

 list of plums. I sprayed thoroughly 

 this year for the first time, and had fifty 

 bushels of clear fruit from young plum 

 trees. I 'am pleased with my experi- 

 ence, and shall spray again. 



In my experience Japan plum trees 

 will not stand the same strength of Bor- 

 deaux mixture as other plums. Neither 

 will peach trees. Why don't those 

 Government sprayers tell us these things 

 so we would not have to learn by dear 

 exf>erience ? I wish some one would 

 tell me the best way to get borers out 

 of plum trees and keep them out. 



A. \V. Gr.aham. 



St. Thomas 



PROTECTING STREET TREES. 

 Shade trees along 

 '• a village or city street 



are liable to damage 

 from the gnawing of 

 horses that are stop- 

 ped near them, and 

 sometimes even hitch- 

 ed to them. A high 

 protection of stakes 

 and wooden slats is 

 not attractive. The 



Fig.— 1551. 



illustration shows how shade trees can be 

 wound with the narrow lengths of wirenet- 

 ting, and thus protected at little expense 

 of money or labor, while the result is not 

 distressing to the eye. Very narrow wire 

 nettjng is now to be had, and this is 

 capable of such stretching as to make it 

 lie very flat and close to the bark of a 

 tree. The upper end of the strip should 

 be beveled when in place, so as to leave 

 the top of the wire even all the way 

 around. 



95 



