IIO 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, 



most of them three inches. The average 

 price for these packages in New York, in the 

 month of January, is $2.00, or nearly five 

 cents a pear. 



Among the other pears we noticed P. Barry 

 a winter pear, ripening in May ; a variety 

 which succeeds splendidly in California, but 

 averages rather small in the east ; and 

 Duhamel de Monceaa, which presented a 

 very attractive appearance and is considered 

 a valuable commercial variety. Among the 

 apples shown by the New York Experiment 

 Station were York Imperial, which was of 

 good color, but which averaged barely 2)^ 

 inches in diameter and disappointed us con- 

 siderably after all the reports given us of its 

 value as a commercial apple. Certainly it 

 is away behind the Canadian Spy, in size and 

 in beauty. The samples of Holland Pippin 



were fine, measuring about 3^ inches in 

 diameter and showing a fine waxen yellow 

 color. 



Campbell's Early Grape was shown in the 

 form of a dried bunch, which must have been 

 remarkably fine, for the note attached by 

 Geo. S. Josselyn, the grower, stated that 

 the bunch originally weighed seventeen 

 ounces. 



The Fruit Fly, which infests sour cherries^ 

 was mentioned in Prof. SHngerland's report 

 as one of the most formidable of insect pests. 

 No certain remedy has yet been found for it^ 

 and it threatens to wholly ruin the business 

 of growing sour cherries. The fruit looks 

 fair, but the housewife finds every cherry 

 infested with a maggot, which fortunately 

 do^s not affect the sweet cherries. 



STRAWBERRIES FOR EXHIBITION. 



BY M. A. DIER, OTTAWA. 



ERY few realize the large amount 

 of pleasure and satisfaction there 

 is in growing one kind of fruit, 

 and in producing the very finest 

 that can be grown. And not many are 

 willing to adopt modern methods of culti- 

 vation, which mean more labor and more 

 thought than old methods. 



There are many things to consider in con- 

 nection with the production of fine, extra 

 large, highly flavoured strawberries, beauti- 

 fully colored and glossy ; but I shall treat 

 the subject as briefly as I can. 



The ideal method is, I believe, the annual 

 system. By this I mean the transplanting 

 of runners in August or September — runners 

 grown carefully, being assisted in obtaining 

 a foothold in the soil, instead of blowing 

 about in the wind, and fruiting them the 

 following season, and then immediately 

 plowing or spading the same soil (if 



necessary) for re-planting a month or so 

 later. Early every spring I plant out as 

 many plants of each variety as I wish for 

 propagating purposes only. Every attention 

 is paid to these plants, the soil kept perfectly 

 clean, the first runners only being pinched 

 off". After this the runners are assisted 

 to take root by pegging them down, and a 

 little soil drawn over the parts where roots 

 are emitted. Two plants are grown on each 

 runner, and only four or five runners on each 

 plant. They are kept apart so there is no 

 crowding. 



If the weather is dry, thorough irrigation 

 is necessary. 



The soil for this nursery bed should be in 

 the finest possible condition, as success de- 

 pends on well nurtured plants. 



I do not think I need say much in refer- 

 ence to soil preparation, as the readers of 

 the Horticulturist know all about this. I 



