$ ©pet? Letters. $ 



Caterpillars. 



Sir, — I find my orchard is badly infested 

 with caterpillars. They are as yet very small 

 but working industriously and I see have 

 done a good deal of damage to leaves and 

 blossoms which are pretty for adornment. 

 Have sprayed all my trees twice thoroughly 

 so far, first spray with blue stone, second 

 blue stone, Paris green and lime. What an 

 effect it has on other things it does not appear 

 to bother the caterpillar. We had them last 

 year but scraped them off and killed them on 

 the trunks and big branches and burnt the 

 ones higher up with coal oil torch. We had a 

 good deal of work doing it but got rid of them 

 in that way. This year however, they are 

 apparently going to be even worse than last, 

 at least their ravages are showing up worse 

 than so far last year. Is there nothing can 

 stop them ? Was thinking of kerosene but am 

 afraid it will hurt the leaves and blossoms. 

 If I knev/ the formula of mixiug it I would 

 try it. If we cannot get rid of them in some 

 way they will ruin our orchards up here any- 

 way. 



W. B. Stephens, Owen Sound. 



EDITOR : See article on this subject, page 

 120 We would advise a thorough spraying 

 with Paris green water, 4 ounces to 40 gallons 

 of water, separate from the Bordeaux mixture. 



That Fumigation Business. 



Sir, — In the April number you publish the 

 recent amendment of the San Jose Scale Act. 



Clauses 3 and 4 prohibit the removal or gale 

 of any plant from any nursery without fumi- 

 gation in a manner prescribed. The last 

 clause prohibits the removal of any plants 

 from any nursery where the inspector finds 

 scale, " until the inspector reports to the 

 minister that it is safe in the public interest 

 to permit the said nursery stock to be re- 

 moved after fumigation." How is this? 

 Why restrict the nursery business to those 

 able to furnish fumigating plants, if it is in- 

 efficient ? I am also curious to know how the 

 possibly scaley stock of the last clause is ren- 

 dered harmless if fumigation won't do it. 



Adam Russell, Malvern, Ont. 



A Seedling Apple. 



Sir, — I sent you last week by mail a seed- 

 ling apple of our own production to see what 

 you thought of it ; I believe it will turn out 

 to be fine winter apple. 



It is a good keeper. I had about six last fall 

 and I just put them on a plate in the cellar 

 and they kept fine. I tried one or two at 

 different times through the winter and I find 

 they are not fit to use till toward spring. 



I had about a peck the fall of '97 ; the tree 

 bears early and is a very rapid grower, and 

 to all appearances is going to be a good bearer. 

 John Stewart, 

 Per G. Stewart, 



Benmiller. 



Apple Inspection. 



Sir : — I have followed with very much 

 interest your articles in the May and June 

 numbers of the "Horticulturist," with 

 regard to dishonest apple packing in which 

 you certainly are on the right track in advo- 

 cating that the apples be subject to inspection, 

 and also to coDfiscarion when not up to grade. 

 That this evil has grown to such enormous 

 dimensions as to require legislative interfer- 

 ence is evident, but why limit the inspection 

 to apples for export only ? Is the Canadian 

 consumer of no account ? 



I bought a barrel of exceeding fine looking 

 Northern Spy apples from a dealer in Mont- 

 real about the beginning of April last, paying 

 him $4.75 for them. The top two or three 

 layers were as fine Spys as you could wish to 

 see ; below that the barrel was simply filled 

 with rubbish, I kept the head of the barrel 

 which I send you by prepaid express to- 

 night along with the paper cover over the 

 apples, and four of the apples which I have 

 managed to keep from decaying. You will 

 see by the packer's name and address being 

 upon the head and thus certifying the apples 

 to be " choice Canadian apples " " Gilt Edge " 

 and "XXX," that the intention was well 

 calculated to deceive. The apples in this 

 barrel were not worth over $1.00 to any one 

 who would have bought them at all. 



I assure you in all seriousness that if the 

 Ontario apple growers do not speedily devise 

 some means to remedy such contemptible 

 theiving, that their pockets will very soon 

 suffer. I, for one, intend to boycott all 

 Ontario apples in future unless some reason- 

 able system of inspection is devised to protect 

 the Canadian as well as the British consumer ; 

 do you think I will be the only one to do so ? 



Now, I am not a fruit grower, but it seems 

 to me that a thoroughly efficient system of 

 inspection could be instituted which would 

 render such detestable work practically im- 

 possible, but I think the scheme should first 

 be formulated by the apple growers and 

 packers themselves rather than wait for the 

 Government to do so. 



What would you think of forming an 

 " Ontario Apple Growers' and Packers' 

 Association," to be incorporated with exten- 

 sive powers ? The character of such associa- 

 tion to be granted to say 10 or 20 of your best 

 growers and packers, whose reputation is 

 unquestioned. Admission to the Association 

 to be secured by filling up a form of applica- 

 tion, agreeing to abide by the rules and regu 



