512 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



out and burn the old wood as soon as 

 possible after the crop is harvested Then 

 the plant food obtained by the roots can all 

 be applied to new growth, and none of it 

 goes to mature the old wood and leaves. 

 By removing the old wood we prevent fur- 

 ther maturing of blight, parasites, and also 

 get rid of insect foes of all kinds. Much 

 more can be done by preventing the spread 

 of disease than by applying remedies to cure 

 it. The old wood out of the way, the new 

 has a chance to grow without being crowded 

 out of shape, and is not pushed over into the 

 row. The new^ growth at this time does net 

 take the room it does later, and the horse 

 and cultivator can be run closer to the row. 

 Immediately after cutting out the old canes — 

 in August in this section — we usually have 



hot weather, and the cultivation will kill 

 most of the weeds without much hand labor, 

 and one day then will accomplish more than 

 three in the spring. 



When set in rows both ways, even at 

 three feet, the narrow way, one can get 

 through with horse and cultivator at this 

 time, reducing the time required to work 

 out the weeds to a minimum, because the 

 new growth is small. The rapid growth 

 resulting from the cultivation given usually 

 brings the side branches to the ground, and 

 the tips can be set in for plants. The sale 

 of these will sometimes pay the whole ex- 

 pense of caring for the patch. If no plants 

 are wanted, after the leaves drop trim back 

 to the bend, which will leave them stiff and 

 unbreakable. — N. Y. Tribune Fanner. 



AGE OF THE ORANGE TREE. 



Major D. F. Allan, Grimsby, kindly 

 sends us the following which may interest 

 some of the the Canadian Horticulturist 

 readers : 



In the orangery at Versailles is an 

 orange tree raised from seed sown in. 142 1. 



There is another in the yard of the convent 

 of St. Salvina, at Rome, said to have been 



planted by St. Dominic in 1200. 



In the neighborhood of Finale is an or- 

 ange tree which bears nearly 8,000 oranges 

 in a single year. 



There are in Holland many orange trees 

 which have been in the family 200 and 300 

 years ; one at Versailles has on it this in- 

 scription, " Serre en 1421." 



THE WEALTHY APPLE. 



Sir, — The Wealthy is a good deal grown 

 here for local use and is only an October 

 apple. It will keep in a sort of way till 

 Christmas but gets very soft and tasteless, 

 and is really past its best by the first part of 

 November. The Mcintosh seems to take 

 better than the Fameuse and keeps a little 

 better, keeping all right till March, while the 



Fameuse loses flavor after January; but 

 the Pewaukee will keep till the new crop, 

 and is good from ist December. It is not 

 quite up to Mcintosh or Fameuse but is 

 not far behind as a dessert apple. I have 

 kept it in first class shape with just 

 ordinary care in a dry cellar, till the middle 

 of June. A. Harkness. 



