$ ©pet? Letters. $ 



Notes from St. Joseph's Island. 



Sir, — I thought perhaps it might be inter- 

 esting to you to know just how our fruit 

 trees came through a winter here in Algoma, 

 when the thermometer got down to 44 below 

 zero. We know that in Manitoba that de- 

 gree of frost means not only no fruit, but no 

 fruit trees, with perhaps the exception of 

 that one tree that appeared in a late number 

 of the Horticulturist. Without attempt- 

 ing any explanation, it is a fact that we ex- 

 perienced that degree of cold, and that the 

 loss by trees being killed to the ground would 

 not exceed one per cent, among apples, and 

 ten per cent, in pears. I saw a statement in 

 an American paper the other day, that Japan 

 plums would not stand more than 15 to 20 

 below zero, without being killed root and 

 branch ; but this summer I have examined 

 several trees of Abundance, and cannot see 

 that they have sustained the slightest injury, 

 one tree in particular with a north and west 

 exposure clear through to Lake Superior, 

 although like other trees in the small orchard 

 — leaning away frcm the cold — was making 

 good growth. Of course, we had little fruit 

 on cherries or plums ; the trees bloomed, but 

 the fruit never set, owing, I think, more to 

 the long continued rain when the trees were 

 in bloom in the spring In my own orchard, 

 the only tree that f can say sustained any 

 injury from the cold, was a Yellow Spanish 

 cherry, part of last year's growth being killed 

 and all the fruit buds. 



We have had considerable rain during the 

 summer, which perhaps will account for our 

 apples being not so highly colored as usual, 

 still the specimens to be seen at the different 

 Fall shows would be hard to beat even in 

 your highly favored district for anything 

 except size. Fall apples were good, trees of 

 Duchess and Wealthy had in most instances 

 to be propped up as usual. Of long keeping 

 winter apples we have a poor crop, in fact we 

 are yet looking for a long keeper. Scotts 

 Winter is perhaps the best so far, but is too 

 small and too much of the cast metal order. 

 Give us something better if you can. 



Our summer boarders, the Forest tent 

 caterpillars, have come and gone. Next year 



we will have few or none, at least they them- 

 selves have made no arrangements for next 

 summer. A neighbor of mine says they ate 

 off every, green leaf before they were full 

 grown, and died of starvation before they 

 could spin their cocoons. 



I believe their visit has done us some good. 

 You see it is hard for a man who makes the 

 growing of fruit a kind of side show, to 

 understand the first injunction on your spray- 

 ing calendar, spray before the buds open, but 

 when he sees the young caterpillars, he sees 

 an urgent necessity for killing them quick. 

 Chas. Young. 



Richard's Landing, Ont. 



Japan Plums. 



Sir, — In your October issue I note the let- 

 ter of S. Speedwell under the heading of 

 " Japan Plums in Simcoe County ; " now 

 " Simcoe " is a very large county, and there 

 may be doubtless some favored portions of it 

 where the Abundance plum tree will do well 

 and bear fruit ; but it is not anywhere about 

 this locality. It would add much interest to 

 Mr. Speedwell's letter to know from what 

 section of the county he writes, say his near- 

 est post office, I have twice procured Abun- 

 dance and other Japanese plum trees and 

 given them the best of care ; at most they 

 lingered for three or four years, blossomed 

 once or twice and then died without ever 

 having yielded any fruit. 



C- L. Stephens. 



Orillia. 



The Church and Horticulture. 



Sir, — Will you permit me to say to the 

 readers of The Horticulturist that I am 

 not responsible for the errors abounding in 

 my contribution to the October number. 

 Apart from the use made of that article, the 

 clauses omitted from it and the errors left in 

 it, the October number is an exceptionally fine 

 number. 



T. H. Race. 

 Mitchell, Oct. 9. 



At Covent Garden Market the first 

 arrival of Canadian apples and pears 

 were sold on Wednesday (yesterday) by 

 Messrs. W. N. White & Co. (Limited). 

 The Howell pears made 5s. 3d. to 5s. 

 9d. per case, and Bartletts from 2s. 6d. 



to 7s. 6d. Messrs. Elder, Dempster & 

 Co., are dealing with these Canadian 

 supplies at Bristol, and the North of 

 England Fruit Brokers (Limited) at 

 Manchester. — Fruit Grower, Sept. 21st. 



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