io6 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



May, 1909 



bages). If manure is put on the year 

 previous crop year, the plants will get a 

 much earlier start, and a better crop will 

 result, but there is danger of some loss 

 through leaching. 



"If large quantities of nitrate of soda 

 are used," said the professor, "there is a 

 danger of the soil becoming sticky. As 

 a means of counteracting this, I should 

 advise the use of acid phosphate. Super- 

 phosphate is recommended for all soils 

 except acid soils. In soils of this nature, 

 the Thomas phosphate is recommended." 



The speaker advocated the use of pot- 

 ash for all crops. Muriate of potash, 

 however, should not be used for pota- 

 toes, beets or tobacco. Chlorine prevents 

 the sugar in the beets from crystallizing 

 and makes potatoes more waxy. Use 

 the sulphate of potash. 



Anthracnose of Beans 



Prof. W. Lochhead, Macdonald College, Que. 



Wherever beans are grown a disease 

 called "Anthracnose" usually appears as 

 large dark brown spots on the pods. Oc- 

 casionally the damage is considerable, 

 on account of the injury to the seeds 

 within the pods, and the rapid spread 

 of the disesase to healthy plants. 



The cause of the disease is a fungus 

 which lives in the tissues of the bean and 

 sends out slender threads among the 

 cells for the purpose of getting food for 

 its own growth. It also produces spores 

 on the surface of the "spot", by means 

 of which the disease spreads from plant 

 to plant during the growing season. This 

 fungus winters over in the bean seed. 

 This fact accounts for the early appear- 

 ance of the disease on the stems and 

 leaves of young seedlings which are often 

 killed. From the leaves and stems of 

 the seedling plants the fungus threads 

 make their way to the large leaves and 

 to the pods. 



For many years the only treatment 

 consisted in spraying the plants at in- 

 tervals with Bordeaux mixture. It was 

 admitted, however, that this treatment 

 was unsatisfactory, for the disease ap- 

 peared in spite of careful spraying. Later 

 it was thought that spraying of the seeds 

 before planting, with formalin solution or 

 other fungicide, would be effective in pre- 

 venting this disease, but this treatment 

 also was not successful. 



Later still several growers hand-picked 

 the beans that showed no signs of "spot" 

 for planting, hoping thereby to get plants 

 free from disease, but this method like 

 the others did not keep away the An- 

 thracnose. 



As a result of these failures, and of a 

 microscopical study of diseased pods and 

 seeds, it was concluded that diseased 

 pods contained diseased beans, whether 

 the disease was visible or not, and that 

 the fungus rested within the seed at time 

 of planting. Thereupon, experiments 

 were conducted at Cornell University by 



Prof. Whetzel to test if beans taken from 

 clean pods would develop healthy plants. 

 So far as the experiments have gone, 

 very satisfactory results have been se- 

 cured, but it is necessary to spray with 

 Bordeaux during the season to prevent 

 infection from spores blown into the gar- 

 den or field from adjoining infected areas. 

 The best method, therefore, of grow- 

 ing beans free from Anthracnose is to 

 .select the seed beans from pods that show 

 no signs of disease, and to spray with 

 Bordeaux at intervals during the grow- 

 ing season. 



How to Grow Spinach 



One of the most popular greens for 

 table use in spring and early summer is 

 spinach. It is easily grown and should 

 be found in every farm garden. The 

 seed may be sown in hotbeds or cold 

 frames early in spring or outdoors as 

 soon as the ground can be worked. It 

 is also a profitable crop to grow for mar- 

 ket. The earliest spinach of all may be 

 had by sowing the .seed in the fall. A 

 market gardener near Peterboro, Mr. 

 Charles Kitney, who grows about half an 

 acre of this crop each year, and who re- 

 cently called on The Canadian Horti- 



must be chosen. It will grow best on 

 the southern side of a hedge or fence 

 where it will be protected. The snow 

 should drift and lie on it. Spinach will 

 stand about the same extremes of tem- 

 peraturt as fall wheat." 



Separating Seed from Tomatoes 



A. McMeant, Ontario Agricultural College 



The usual method of separating seeds 

 from the pulp of tomatoes, where good 

 sized or large quantities are to be done, 

 is to place the tomatoes in a water-tight 

 barrel and cover them with water. In a 

 few days, it will ferment and the pulp 

 will come to the top, and the seeds go to 

 the bottom. If it is stirred thoroughly, 

 it will assist materially in separating the 

 seeds. 



Some growers prefer to squeeze the 

 seeds and seed pulp in the barrel, throw- 

 ing away the skin and outside flesh of 

 the tomato. This seems a desirable way 

 as, in washing the seed after the separa- 

 tion has been made, the seed pulp will 

 all pass through the screen. The screen 

 for washing the seed can be made from 

 ordinary window wire screen, by making 

 a box with sides, four or five inches high, 



An Asparagus Btmcher That May Be Made Easily at Home 



This illustrates a handy device. Both hands may be used to arrange the Asparagus quiekly. Any sized 

 bu»ch may be tied. The cutting knife never has to be looked for and the twine always is at hand. The diagram 

 was furnished by Mr. W. J. Justice, Barrie, Ont.. who describes it as follows : 1. Base board, 14 inches thick, 

 14 X 18 inches square. 2. Head board or header, i inch thick, f x 7 inches square. 3. Receiver, same size as 

 header, hollowed well to hold Asparagus. 4. Twine holder, (empty baking powder can) fastened to base by 

 screw through bottom. 5. Butting knife, (second-hand hash knife, we 1 sharpened). 6. Butting knife, guide and 

 receiver, 1 inch thick, 6 by 7 inches, with slot ripped to receive and guide butting knife. Butting knife is placed 

 fi inches from header. Nos. 2. 'S and (i are mortised into base board. Buncher may be placed on table or bench 

 when in use and hung on wall when not. 



cuLTURiST, gives his experience with 

 spinach as follows : 



"I sow the seed broadcast about the 

 last week in August. The best variety 

 is Large Flanders. The ground should 

 be niulciied with straw or coarse manure. 

 This helps to protect the plants and to 

 drain off the surface water. In spring it 

 is not necessary to weed or cultivate this 

 crop. It grows rapidly. The first lot 

 for m.arket usually is cut about the first 

 of May. The crop will last about one 

 month. Spring-sown spinach comes in 

 when this is done and lasts until early 

 cabbage. The early spinach sells from 

 seventy-five cents to one dollar a bushel. 

 The spring-sown crop brings less money 

 but is more plentiful. 



"To grow spinach successfully," con- 

 cluded Mr. Kitney, "a suitable location 



and using the wire for the bottom. If 

 you have a hose and force pump or other 

 water supply, place the pulp and seeds 

 in the screen, use the hose, and it will 

 wash the seeds thoroughly clean. After 

 cleaning, they should be dried promptly 

 and thoroughly, and stood in a cool dry 

 place. 



A little nitrate of soda will stimulate 

 vegetable crops into rapid growth In 

 short time. It is available for absorp- 

 tion as soon as it comes in contact with 

 the roots. 



While sandy soils produce the earliest 

 and smoothest vegetables, and are easily 

 tilled, they are extremely leachy and re- 

 quire liberal applications of manure to 

 maintain fertility. 



