136 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



the horticultural societies take a special in- 

 terest in the horticultural exhibit, and make 

 it as decorative as possible. In no way could 

 they do this better than by encouraging the 

 school children's exhibits. Plants and seeds 

 might be distributed in spring time to the 

 schools and special prizes offered for the best 

 exhibits made in autumn. Nothing would 

 interest the community more than the chil- 

 dren's competition. 



Mr. H. B. Cowan, of Ottawa, strongly 

 supported this latter department of work, in- 

 stancing the recent model fair in Carleton 

 county, at which the school children's collec- 

 tions of weeds, insects, seeds, flowers, etc., 

 formed the most interesting feature of the 

 whole fair. 



The Model Kitchen was another most in- 

 teresting feature of the Carleton county fair, 

 with a competent woman to give a lecture 

 and a cooking demonstration. Another was 

 the athletic contest, which was made the oc- 

 casion of competition for the county league 

 championship. 



OWEN'S PROCESS. 



IT is strange how many nostrums are be- 

 ing offered to our farmers and fruit 

 growers in order to get their money. 

 Mr. G. W. R. Rennie, gardener for the Asy- 

 lum for the Insane, London, encloses to us a 

 circular in which the above process is said 

 to be a discovery of immense practical value 

 in protecting fruit trees against insects and 

 fungi. What the process is remains a deep 

 mystery, nor does the circular say for which 

 of the many fungus diseases it is effective, 

 nor how it can reach the insects. Owen's 

 process, the circular reads, consists of ad- 

 ministering into the growing tree certain in- 

 gredients which the inventor has proved to 

 be effective for the purpose above mentioned. 

 Under the head of " How it Operates," we 

 read as follows : 



" Water within the tree, containing acid, 



carbon-dioxide, etc., dissolves and takes up 

 in solution the ingredients discovered by the 

 inventor (when applied according to his pro- 

 cess), by means of the natural process in 

 tree and plant life known as osmosis in con- 

 junction with the processes commonly 

 known as root pressure and leaf transpira- 

 tion, and these ingredients are, by the circu- 

 latory system of the wood cells, etc., ab- 

 sorbed, and, by filtration, carried in solution 

 throughout the entire tree and into the foli- 

 age thereof, into which it is easily traced.^' 

 And under the head of " What it Does," we 

 read that it prevents damage by, and de- 

 stroys, the insect pests and fungus growths 

 injurious to the tree. It protects the trees 

 and fruit against damage by borers, codling 

 moths, caterpillars, San Jose scale, black 

 knot, leafcurl, yellows, scab, and other in- 

 sect, parasite and fungous enemies to trees." 

 Mr. Rennie wants to know if this " pro- 

 cess " is either reasonable or practicable. A 

 simple word of two letters, viz.. No, is per- 

 haps reply enough. The plan reminds us of 

 the old one of boring a hole in the tree and 

 filling it with sulphur to cure black knot ; or 

 the old remedy among our boy companions 

 of stooping down and spitting under a stone 

 to cure side ache. 



NEW YORK STATE FRUIT GROWERS. 



WHILE our Ontario Association 

 has the largest membership of 

 any horticultural society in the 

 world, owing largely to its monthly journal, 

 which is a bond of union between the various 

 smaller organizations and a means of com- 

 munication between the individual members, 

 the Western New York Horticultural So- 

 ciety has the largest meetings. They are al- 

 ways held in Rochester, the fruit centre of 

 the state, and toward the end of January, 

 when fruit growers have the most leisure. 

 The first president was Mr. Patrick Barry, 

 founder of the Ellwanger & Barry nurseries. 



