100 



the plant, the probability of its successful growth here, yield per acre, time of sow- 

 ing, etc. 



Answer. Canary seed is produced by a species of grass, Phalaris canariensis, said 

 to be a native of Asia, but found growing wild in various parts of the eastern world. 



But little is known here about its yield or the profits pertaining to its culture. It 

 is stated that the amount entering into consumption annually is about 200,000 

 bushels, and it is chiefly from Turkey and Barbary. 



As cultivated in these countries the seeds are sown early in spring, in drills 6 

 inches apart, and the plants thinned to 2 inches apart in the rows. It is a slow- 

 growing, slender-stemmed plant, requiring frequent hoeing to keep weeds from 

 destroying it. Much care is required in harvesting, as the seeds fall off easily. Birds 

 are fond of it when it is opening. In some countries the seeds are fed to race horses, 

 as they are said to strengthen muscle without being fattening. No doubt the plant 

 will grow well in Maryland. Probably there would be but little profit in its pro- 

 duction. This can only be ascertained from a practical experiment. 



TREE-PLANTING. 



J. R. E., Fairfax County, Virginia, The question as to the best time to plant 

 shade trees, of apple and pear trees, has been discussed at our club meeting. Some 

 prefer fall planting because the soil becomes well settled about the roots before spring 

 and the trees do much better than those planted in the spring ; others maintain that 

 fall planting has no advantages, but, on the contrary, they have lost trees which 

 were set out just before winter set in, and consider spring planting to be more reli- 

 able. Can the Department of Agriculture advise us of the results and conclusions 

 reached on these points ? 



Answer. Fall planting is preferable to spring planting because the conditions of 

 the soil and climate are then more favorable. In propagating plants by cuttings it 

 is found that rooting is most successful when the bed in which the cuttings are 

 inserted is 15 or 20 degrees warmer than the atmosphere surrounding them. The 

 heated soil encourages the formation of roots, while the cool atmosphere prevents 

 bud growths. When these conditions are reversed the cutting will grow for a time 

 without forming roots. 



It is found that during the month of October in this locality the soil averages sev- 

 eral degrees warmer than the atmosphere. This gives a kind of natural hot-bed into 

 which we place a newly removed tree ; the formation of young roots commences at 

 once, and in a few weeks a good system of roots is established, enabling the tree to 

 stand the vicissitudes of winter and make an early and vigorous start the following 

 spring. 



If planting is delayed until spring these physical conditions of soil and atmosphere 

 are to a certain degree reversed; the soil is then cold and accumulates heat slowly, 

 while the air rapidly increases in warmth. Trees planted at this time will have the 

 buds excited to growth, and leaves will be formed in advance of the roots; these ex- 

 tract sap from the branches and the stem of the tree, which as yet has no active roots 

 to supply this demand. If the weather proves to be dry and warm the evaporation 

 will either destroy the tree or greatly check its growth and well-doing. This is the 

 reason why spring-planted trees occasionally come out into leaf, apparently vigorous 

 and healthy, but will suddenly wither and die under the influence of dry weather. 



From the above it will appear evident that fall planting should be performed as 

 soon as the leaves drop. In fact it is most successful when the leaves are stripped 

 from the trees, not later than the middle of October, and planting done at once. If 

 delayed beyond the middle of November in this locality success will be less certain 

 and none of the advantages of fall planting secured. Many failures occur by thus 

 delaying the work, and fall planting is denounced as wrong in practice. 



