QUESTION DRAWER. 



trees. Last year they destroyed some of the 

 fruit. 



J. E. Anderson, Port Dover. 



Ants are not usually counted inju- 

 rious to fruit trees. They often climb 

 the plum trees after the wax secretions, 

 and cherry trees after the honey dew 

 deposited by the aphidae ; indeed they 

 sometimes extract it from the aphis it- 

 self, which are therefore often named 



the ants' cows. However, our corres- 

 pondent can easily rid his orchard of 

 the ants, by dusting air-slaked lime, 

 freely about and over the hills and 

 other places infested. This should be 

 done in warm dry weather. 



Carbolic acid, diluted lo or 12 times 

 in water and sprinkled about, is an ex- 

 cellent destroyer. 



Fruit Pulp. — Mr. \V. Boulter, of 

 Picton, member of the Fruit Pulp Com- 

 mittee, writes : — "I received a letter 

 from Messrs. Anderson «Sc Coltman, 

 acknowledging receipt of our small 

 consignment of raspberry pulp last fall, 

 saying, ' Quality satisfactory ; color 

 good, and flavor good,' only criticism 

 was it was too sweet. As fruit is about 

 6d. a pound and sugar i^d., the greater 

 the quantity of sugar it will absorb the 

 better for the jam maker. The pulp 

 sent over was simply pure fruit, and it 

 sold at about 36 shillings per dozen of 

 7 pound cans ; but with a large crop it 

 might drop to 15/ or 20;. 



Ye Narcissus or Daffodyl, Hvs 

 HiSTORiE AND CULTURE. — Peter Barr 

 & Son, Covent Garden, England. 

 Through courtesy of Mr. Peter Barr, 

 now visiting this continent, we are in 

 receipt of a set of the magnificent cata- 

 logues, issued by this firm, and also of a 

 pamphlet entitled as above, which forms 

 a most interesting monograph on this 

 flower. Speaking of the culture of the 

 daffodil, he says : 



" Even a clump or two of the common old 

 double yellow kind in a cottage garden 

 brightens up all around it ; and planting bold 

 beds or masses of these bulbs along the mar- 

 gins of woods, or even in the grass of lawns 

 or in the home meadows, is a means of add- 

 ing beauty to natural vegetation of such lo- 

 calities, for, as some one has well said, a 

 group of garden daffodils on the young grass 

 is a "sunshine in a shady place." When 

 planted in quantity, one of the results gained 

 is a plentiful supply of flowers for cutting, 

 and of all spring blossoms these are the best 

 for indoor decorations of vase or pitcher." 



L'Art de Greffer, par Charles Bal- 

 let Horticulteur a Troyes, France. 



This is the most complete work on 

 the art of grafting we have ever seen, 

 and well deserves to be translated for 

 public benefit. In the first place he 

 treats of the operation itself showing the 

 various methods ; then he treats of each 

 individual tree, shrub or plant, and 

 points out the method best adapted to it. 



Traite de la Culture Fruitiere, Com- 

 merciale et Bourgeoise, par Charles Bal- 

 let Horticulteur at Troyes, France. 



This is a very complete work on fruit cul- 

 ture in France, and treats in a very complete 

 manner, with the varieties and methods of 

 culture, adopted in that country. Much 

 however is not adapted to our country, as for 

 example, the training on walls of peaches and 

 pears, and the transport of fruit m panniers. 



205 



