1883.] TRANSACTIONS. 9 



liable to serious infectioji from our latest national idiocy: — the 

 cant and rot of Pedigree. The old dung-hill fowl is worthless, — 

 since she only lays eggs and is not bred to a feather ! The old 

 Nancys and Mollies of the barn-yard are good for nothing, for 

 they yield naught but milk and butter ! They are not devel- 

 oped to the latter-day perfection, whereby the animal is made to 

 confound the old rule of the gambler that — " the more you put 

 down, the less you take up !" And thus it will inevitably result 

 with Pomology, except it is kept sedulously in mind that what is 

 new is not, for that reason, necessarily better than the old. That 

 the Market may be, usually is, ignorant of what is best; yet is 

 apt to learn. And finally, that a Horticultural Society, occu- 

 pying the watch-tower, is so posted, to sound the alarm when the 

 mischief becomes apparent: or when evil advice or wrong 

 tendencies threaten to subvert its better influences ; and corrupt 

 or |)ervert the public judgment. 



Curious advice is often given to those who, in their inexperi- 

 ence, would fain be directed how best to grow a particular fruit. 

 Thus, — with reference to the Currant; — a writer in a leading 

 journal does not quite ignore the fact that the bush, and not the 

 tree-trunk, is the natural and onl}' proper form in which to 

 develop that most excellent summer fruit — the common English 

 distortion to the contrary, notwithstanding. But he goes on to 

 say : " if the bushes have raised, so that the roots can be seen 

 above ground, whatever the method of trimming may be, the 

 best way is to set new bushes." Which is exceeding nonsense. 

 In the experience of a life-time, your Secretary has found no 

 occasion for setting new bushes, unless a larger plantation 

 became desirable. He has the same, now, that he had when the 

 Currant worm first commenced the work of defoliation ; and 

 their yield, A. D. 1883, attracted general attention. Usually, 

 too many canes, or stalks, are suffered to remain ; six good 

 strong ones are enough. And they will be much more thrifty 

 than a larger number ; while the peril to the stalk from borers is 

 diminished in just the proportion that it is dispersed. Of course, 

 severe pruning, or thinning out, is implied ; and the root-growth 

 is apt to become excessive. But the regular use of a long spade 

 remedies all trouble from any such cause : the excision beneath 



