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OUR QUESTION AND ANSWER DEPARTMENT 



IVeaders of TKe Horticulturist are invited to submit Questions on any phase of Horticultural -worK 



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Harvesting' Rieffer Pears 



At what stage of maturity should Kieffe* 

 pears be picked, and in what manner should 

 they be handled to ensure the best quality, 

 and at the same time to retain their value as 

 keepers? — H.A.R., Ivan, Ont. 



For export we usually pick Kieffer 

 , pears the first and second weeks of 

 October. For home or domestic purposes 

 we allow them to remain on the trees a 

 little longer in order to reach a more 

 advanced stage of maturity. After 

 they are picked their maturity may be 

 accelerated or delayed according as 

 they are kept in a dry warm, or a dry 

 cool place. For canning or preserving, 

 they should be thoroughly matured 

 and cooked a little longer than other 

 pears. They are then hard to excel in 

 sprightly excellent flavor. — Answered 

 by A. W. Peart, Burlington. 



Vine PeacH 



I am sending to The Horticulturlst a 

 specimen of a vine fruit that is a novelty. Iden- 

 tify and mention value.— C.H.C, Fruitland, Ont. 



The fruit submitted is known specif- 

 ically as Cucumis melo chito. It has 

 various common names, such as vine 

 peach, garden lemon, orange melon and 

 vegetable orange. Although scarcely 

 edible in its natural state, it is useful 

 for the making of preserves and pickles. 

 1 1 has no commercial value. A few 

 vines are valuable in the home garden. 

 It can be grown in most parts of the 

 province. 



The W^alnxit Datana 



The Walnut Datana caterpillar has put in 

 an appearance here and is injuring the bitter 

 aiid stag bark hickories and the black walnut. 

 Kindly outline its life history and suggest a 

 remedy. — J.M.F., Abbatsford, Que. 



The Walnut Datana is frequently 

 destructive on walnuts, hickories, ^oak 

 and even apple trees. The female moth 

 lays a large batch of eggs (50-100) on the 

 surface of a leaf. The caterpillars require 

 from four to six weeks to reach full 

 growth. When about to moult, they 

 descend to the trunk of the tree and 

 collect in large numbers; at this time 

 the whole batch is readily destroyed. 

 When ready to pupate the caterpillars 

 descend to the ground (usually at night) 

 and burrow to a depth of two or three 

 inches. There they change into naked 

 brown pupae and remain until the fol- 

 lowing July. There is, therefore, but 

 one brood each season. 



The best method of treatment is to 

 destroy the caterpillars as they congre- 

 gate on the trunk at moulting periods, 

 and to destroy the pupae in the ground 



by allowing hogs to root in the infested 

 area or by putting in poultry. Insecti- 

 cides are hardly practicable. — Answered 

 by Prof. W. Lochhead, St. Anne de 

 Bellevue, Que. 



'WHite-Flo-wered FTascKias 



Is there a fuschia with white flowers; if so, 

 where can plants be obtained? — I,.I,.S., Monc- 

 ton, N.B. 



I do not know of a pure white-flow- 

 ered fuchsia. There are several varie- 

 ties with white corollas and colored 

 sepals and vice versa. These can be 

 obtained from the florists and plant men 

 who advertise in the columns of The 

 Horticulturist. — Answered by Thos. 

 Manton, Fghnton, Ont. 



Storing rio-wer Seeds 



How and where should llower seeds be stored ? 

 — R.A.S., Calgary, 



Seeds should be well dried before 

 being stored. vSpread them out thinly 

 whether in or out of the pods, on trays 

 or shelves, or in shallow boxes, in a dry 

 airy room. When quite dry, place them 

 in paper bags and hang the bags up in a 

 dry cool room away from strong fire heat 

 in a temperature of about 40 to 50 de- 

 grees. Dampness and extreme stove or 

 artificial heat are not good for seeds. 

 Pick seeds in dry weather. — Answered 

 by Wm. Plunt, O.A.C., Guelph. 



Fall "WorK ^ritK Asparagus 



I have started a bed of asparagus. Does it 

 require any attention this fall? — T.M.A., Wind- 

 sor, Ont. 



When the tops are sufficiently dried 

 so they can be broken down by the 

 harrow they should be raked together 

 and burned. The surface of the bed 

 should then have a top dressing of well- 

 rotted stable manure which should be 

 worked into the soil this fall. Manure 

 left on the surface until spring will pre- 

 vent early growth. 



Wintering Parsnips 



Is it profitable to leave parsnips in the ground 

 all winter?— W.B.D., Sussex, N.B. 



Digging and storing in well-ventilated 

 bins in a cool cellar is the most profitable 

 way of keeping parsnips. First, digging 

 in the fall saves time in spring when 

 labor is scarce. Second, you have a 

 longer period to market in. Third, no 

 matter how favorable the winter, you 

 are bound to lose a percentage of crop 

 wintered out of doors. Fourth, the best 

 ground to raise parsnips on is a moist 

 black loam which will always heave in 



winter. Parsnips wintered outside have 

 a superior flavor to that of cellar stowed, 

 but all local growers agree that cellar 

 wintering is by far the most profitable. — 

 Answered by Thos. Stokes, Niagara 

 Falls South. " 



Lettuce for CKristmas 



I have a small greenhouse and want to grow 

 lettuce for Christmas. When should the seed 

 be sown, and how should the young plants 

 be cared for? — A. P., Kingston. 



The seed should be sown about Octo- 

 ber 15. Sow in flats. ^Vhen two or 

 three inches high, transplant to the bench 

 four inches apart each way. There it 

 will develop to good-sized heads. Water 

 only on bright days, and apply the water 

 in the forenoon so that it will be dry 

 before night. Apply direct to the soil. 

 Do not sprinkle the plants as it will 

 cause the heart to rot. Watering in 

 dull weather or at night also induces rot. 



Bleaching and PacKing Celery- 

 Kindly describe the best method of bleaching, 

 packing and marketing celery, and suitable 

 crate for shipping. — Wm. McS., Guelph. 



Great care should be exercised in the 

 bleaching of celery. To have nice, 

 crisp, healthy stalks, the celery should 

 be bleached before it reaches maturity. 

 Boards should be used that will not 

 reach to the top of the celery because, 

 if they cover the leaves, the appear- 

 ance will be spoiled. The boards first 

 should be laid down close to the roots 

 of the celery and then drawn up slowly, 

 bringing up the stalks until the board 

 becomes bound in the leaves. This 

 will hold the board firmly and stakes 

 will not be required. 



Celery should be cut before becera- 

 ing too white and allowed to whiten 

 after packing in the crate. Great care 

 should be used in washing. All dirt 

 should be removed and then the stalks 

 thoroughly washed in clean water. 

 Never scrub celery with a stiff brush, 

 because when scraped it will rust and 

 spoil the appearance. 



The best crate for shipping in sum- 

 mer and early fall is a slatted one, simi- 

 lar to the American berry crate. In 

 winter a closed crate is better^ Care 

 should be used in sampling. By mak- 

 ing two or more grades better results 

 may be obtained. The celery should 

 be packed in rows, laying it flat in the 

 crate, and reversing each row until 

 the crate is full. Cover with a wet 

 cloth. Pack firmly and keep from 

 the air.— Answered by Geo. Syme, 

 Jr., Cariton West, Ont. 



