OTHER FRUITS. 



Much work has been done with other fruits as plums, pears, 

 cherries, grapes, etc., with a view to discovering by tests the superior 

 kinds suitable for conditions in various parts of Canada. From 

 year to year there are published in the Annual Report varieties 

 of these fruits recommended for the colder sections where it is at all 

 possible to grow these fruits. 



Nearly three hundred varieties of plums have been tried at Ottawa 

 and it has been found that the improved American sorts are the best, 

 the European and Japanese being too tender in flower bud. Of pears, 

 the Flemish Beauty appears from tests made to be the safest to 

 plant in the latitude of Ottawa. 



Nearly three hundred named varieties of grapes have been tested 

 at the Central Farm and more than one hundred have ripened the 

 same season. It has been found necessary to lay the vines down 

 and to cover them with soil before winter sets in. This is chiefly 

 to protect them against spring frosts. As a rule, the vines are raised 

 at Ottawa during the second week in May, when danger of severe 

 frost is usually over. Good results have been obtained from treat- 

 ing raspberry canes in a similar manner, as then they are well pro- 

 tected by the snow. 



VEGETABLES. 



Many experiments have been conducted with a large num- 

 ber of varieties of vegetables, among others the determining of the 

 relative values of varieties from the standpoints of earliness, 

 yield and quality. Potatoes, peas and tomatoes have received more 

 attention, perhaps, than others. Many cultural experiments with 

 potatoes have been tried, including kinds of sets to plant, depth 

 of planting and change of seed. Trial shipments of tomatoes have 

 been made to Great Britain. 



An especial feature of the work at present is the development 

 of early and, it is hoped, better strains of vegetables, including 

 peas, corn, beans, melons and tomatoes. 



