December, 1909 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



269 



dener, who is an intensive grower, is the 

 iittest man to grow small fruits. 



GARDEN INSECTS 



Mr. C. W. Nash's address on "Insects 

 that Affect Market Gardens," was very 

 interesting and instructive. He stated 

 that Toronto is the breeding ground of 

 scale insects and other injurious pests. 

 Ihe worst class of insect pests are those 

 below the surface of the ground. Cut- 

 worms do an immense lot of harm. They 

 are hatched from eggs laid by small 

 moths. The white grub also does great 

 mischief. They come from eggs of the 

 June bug or May beetle. The larva stays 

 in the ground for two years. The rose 

 beetle is another injurious insect, as is 

 the striped cucumber beetle. It is diffi- 

 cult to destroy these underground in- 

 sects. By driving holes into the ground 

 with a blunt stick and pouring into them 

 bisulphide of carbon, which is heavier 

 than air, and works down, they can be 



ground and using soap along rows. The 

 radish fly is troublesome. Dust them 

 with fine wood ashes early in the morn- 

 ing. Insects which feed with jaws, as 

 potato bugs and larvae of white cabbage 

 butterly can be killed with arsenate of 

 lead sprayed on, and there is no danger 

 of burning the foliage with the poison. 

 Use two pounds to fifty gallons of water. 

 As an alternative, use four ounces pyre- 

 thrum to one pound of phenyle powder. 

 The slug is destroyed by dusting over 

 the ground while they are feeding, or 

 early in morning, with salt or quicklime. 

 tor wireworms dress the ground with 

 Kainit or nitrate of soda, and rotate crops 

 as frequently as possible. For aspara- 

 gus beetle spray with arsenate of lead. 



THE MINISTER OP AGEIOULTXIEB 



At the evening session an address was 

 given by Hon. James S. Duff, Minister 

 of Agriculture, who received a splendid 

 reception. In his remarks he dwelt on 



was school trustee, where they were 

 greatly valued. 



General Callection* of Vegetables at the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition 



In these collections there were some speci 

 grettable that more growers did not enter the c 

 entries In this section instead of three as was 



killed. For cutworms, take bran, mix 

 with molasses and water, and to every 

 fifty parts put one part of Paris green, 

 and drop the mixture along the rows in 

 the infected bed. They prefer this to 

 green food. Two varieties of stem bor- 

 ers give trouble. 



Insects that attack foliage are count- 

 less. Some suck, others bite. Among 

 the former are green plant lice. To kill 

 them use whale oil soap, or even com- 

 mon soap. This closes the spiracles 

 through which they breathe. Do not 

 use kerosene emulsion. Continual use 

 of this injures the plant owing to the 

 mineral oil in it. Larvae of onion or cab- 

 bage fly are killed by cultivating the 



men vegetables that were perfect. It is re- 

 ompetition. There should be at least one dozen 

 the case this year. 



the importance of conventions where 

 vegetable growers can come together and 

 discuss the work of the year with bene- 

 fit to all concerned. He referred to the 

 excellent reports sent out by the depart- 

 ment in recent years, which have been in 

 such demand, and thought that copies of 

 these should be sent to teachers in the 

 public and separate schools in the prov- 

 ince to help to instruct the childnn in 

 the various phases of agriculture, and 

 thus cultivate a love for it. 



Mr. W. C. McCalla, St. Catharines, 

 in moving a vote of thanks to the Minis- 

 ter, said that he made it his business to 

 have these agricultural reports in the 

 library of the public schools of which he 



Soil for Ginseng 



What kind of soil is best for ginseng? 

 How should the roots he planted? — T.M.A.. 

 St. John, N.B. 



A rich deep and mellow loam is the 

 ideal soil for ginseng. If the ground is a 

 heavy clay, it may be used by spreading 

 an inch of sharp sand over it a few times 

 and mixing the sand well through the 

 clay ; such soils are generally rich and 

 the sand gives it a mellow, loose tex- 

 ture. If the soil is of light, sandy na- 

 ture but deep, put on a liberal supply 

 of well rotted manure and swamp muck 

 and mix this well with the soil. Good 

 drainage and thorough preparation of 

 the beds also are of the utmost impor- 

 tance. The ground must remain for four 

 or five years without any further culti- 

 vation o*r until the roots are dug for 

 market. The bud or crown of the roots 

 should be about two inches below the 

 surface. The root grows to a length of 

 five to eight inches and some of the 

 feeding rootlets penetrate to a depth of 

 ten inches or more. This shows the ne- 

 cessity of making the ground rich all 

 through. ~Wm. Gilgore. 



Preparing Land for Trees 



J. 0. Duke, Ruthven, Ont. 



I always begin to prepare the land for 

 planting an orchard of peach trees the 

 year before the trees are set, by planting 

 the field to some hoe crop, usually corn 

 or tobacco, plowing deeply, and giving 

 very thorough cultivation. No grass or 

 weeds should be allowed to be in the 

 soil in the fall. 



In the spring, I always plant the trees 

 before plowing the field. I strike out the 

 tree rows one way with a plow, throw- 

 ing a good furrow each way, when very 

 little digging will be required to make a 

 hole large enough for any tree. As soon 

 as the trees are set and a little earth well 

 firmed around the roots, I plow two fur- 

 rows around each row with one hor.se and 

 complete the lands with a two-horse 

 team. 



As soon as possible and before the soil 

 has an opportunity to dry out, I cultivate 

 with one horse cultivator close to trees 

 and drag the avenues both ways with 

 harrows, and I have very little trouble 

 in making even the poor stock we some- 

 times get from nurserymen grow and do 

 well. 



The stock I got last year was excep- 

 tionally poor. I would not have planted 

 it at all, but the nurseryman had my 

 money, so I set the trees giving them the 

 same care I would have had they been 

 the quality I ordered, and though it was 

 many weeks before many of them show- 

 ed signs of life, I found on looking them 

 over that I have lost very few. 



Make the garden pay better next year. 



