^ Qti^tior; DpaLo^p. £- 



Fertilizers f op] Specific Purposes. 



1038. Sir,— What kind of manure, 

 either natural or artificial is best for bringing 

 out in perfection, the distinctively blue colour 

 of the Colorado Blue Spruce. 



John M. McAiNsh, Belton, Ont. 



Reply by Frank T. Shutt, Chemist, 



Dom. Expl. Farms. 



In answer to the above question, I 

 would say that in all probability the 

 striking and beautiful colour of certain 

 Colorado Blue Spruce trees is not caused 

 byany peculiarities in the composition of 

 the soil. Since in the same plantation 

 and upon the same soil, only a few 

 of these trees may develop this re- 

 markable sheen, it cannot be considered 

 as due to the predominance of any one 

 •element of plant food. 



We, however, know very well that an 

 abundance of nitrogen in the soil, as 

 furnished by barnyard manure, nitrate 

 of soda or sulphate of ammonia, in- 

 tensifies and darkens the green colour- 

 ing matter in the foliage of many flower- 

 ing plants and farm crops. There is 

 also good evidence to show that the pre- 

 sence in the soil of soluble iron, as, for 

 instance, supplied by sulphate of iron 

 ^green vitriol), has a marked effect of a 

 similar character. 



Whether any change in the colour of 

 the Colorado Blue Spruce can be in- 

 duced by any such means is extremely 

 doubtful to the writer, but it would be 

 an interesting experiment for your cor- 

 respondent to apply to the soil about a 

 tree, say, i pound of nitrate of soda, 

 and in another case half a pound of 

 sulphate of iron, and note if any change 

 in the colour of the foliage results. 

 Evenness of distribution would be 

 effected if the materials were powdered 

 and mixed with five times their weight 

 of dry loam and sand. 



It may be well to point out that these 



intensely blue spruce trees cannot with 

 certainty be reproduced from seed, but 

 may be propagated by cuttings. 



Cyclamen. 



1039. Sir, — I noticed in the November 

 number a reference to a new style of Cycla- 

 mens, and I should be glad to know from your 

 contributor where the seed for this strain is 

 to be obtained, and under what name it is 

 known. 



J. A. Robertson, 

 Chateauquay Basin, Que. 



Reply by Wm. Bacon, Orillia. 

 The Cyclamen giganteum grandi- 

 florum can at present be obtained of 

 almost all first-class seedsmen, but if the 

 subscriber should write to Wm. Ewing 

 & Co., of Montreal, Que., and mention 

 my name he would be likely to get the 

 very best that the European, Canadian 

 or American growers have produced. I 

 sold him seeds of my choicest blooming 

 plants at i \ cts. per seed. Usually they 

 get 27 to 35 seeds in a 25 cent packet. 



Hardy Fruits. 



IOIO. S T R, — What are the names of 

 some of the hardiest varieties of apples, pears 

 and plums, that might stand 40 w below 

 freezing. 



Lewis Weigand, 



Upper Thome Centre. 



We have not yet completed our list 

 of the best hardy varieties of fruits for 

 the north ; and therefore can only make 

 our correspondent a partial reply. Of 

 apples he should try Transparent, Du- 

 chess, Alexander, Wolf River, Wealthy, 

 Gideon and Scott's Winter. Of pears, 

 Flemish Beauty and Sapieganka. Of 

 plums, Moore's Arctic, Miner and 

 Kingston. 



Ornithogalum Arabicum. 



104 1. Sir. — Some of the members of the 

 Hamilton Horticultural Society would like to 

 know if any of your readers have forced the 

 above named plant with success. 



J. M. Dickson, Hamilton. 



39 



