CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM NOTES— II. 



i iG. 1682 — Strawberry Plantation, Central Experimental Farm. 



THE first frost to seriously 

 check vegetation occurred 

 at Ottawa on the 23rd of 

 September, when the to- 

 matoes, cucumbers, mel- 

 ons, squash and other tender things 

 were killed. This frost was followed on 

 the 2nd of October by one much more 

 severe. The thermometer only showed 

 four and a half degrees of frost, but the 

 ground was frozen about three fourths of 

 an inch deep ; the leaves on the grape 

 vines were killed, and the fruit, of which 

 there was a large quantity unpicked, 

 was much injured. While it was 

 thought that not more than twenty-five 

 varieties of grapes would ripen thorough- 

 ly, more than 50 sorts have matured. 

 The Moyer grape, of which mention is 



made in the October number of The 

 Canadian Horticulturist, is cer- 

 tainly a very desirable variety to plant 

 for home use in the colder parts of the 

 country. This year, it ripened on the 

 23rd of September, while Delaware, one 

 of its parents, was not ripe until the 

 5th of October, and then unevenly. Of 

 white grapes, the first to ripen was 

 Golden Drop, on the 17th of September. 

 This is a small sweet grape, lacking in 

 character, but a sure ripener here. 

 Moore's Diamond, a grape of high 

 quality, is, however, probably the best 

 white variety to plant. It usually ripens 

 early, but owing to the unfavorable 

 season this year it did not mature until 

 the 5th of October. It was interesting 

 to note the order of ripening of the dif- 



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