104: 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



over them to prevent drying, then take 

 out but one plant at a time, make the 

 hole deep enough -vvith trowel or dibble 

 to allow the roots to go straight down, 

 spread them out fan-shaped, and press 

 the soil among the roots very firm, so 

 that by giving a quick jerk on a leaf it 

 will break ofl' before moving the plant ; 

 do not cover the crown of the plant or 

 they will die. With a little practice 

 the work can be done very rapidly. 



Plant about six to eight varieties, as 

 you can thus have the crop to extend 

 over a much longer season, and the 

 more you lengthen it at either end the 

 greater will be your returns, as the ear- 

 liest and latest fruit always bring the 

 best prices. 



I plant none extensively except varie- 

 ties that do well in the matted low sys- 

 tem. I also pi-efer those that bloom 

 rather late in the spring. There is also 

 a great difference in varieties with- 

 standing frost while yet in bud. 



I made a thorough examination of 

 the blossoms and buds last spring, 

 after the frost of May 29th (we had 

 four degrees of frost. ) On refering to 

 notes taken at that time, I find that 

 Jersey Queen had not yet opened any 

 bloom, but more than one-half of the 

 buds were killed. Primo and Mrs. 

 Garfield were just beginning to open 

 with a very large percentage of the 

 unopened buds killed, while Daniel 

 Boone, James Yick and Manchester, 

 growing by the side of them were un- 

 injured. Crescent Seedling and Cap- 

 tain Jack are also safe ones to plant. 



Pistillate varieties usually produce 

 the largest crops, but should have every 

 fifth or sixth row planted with a per- 

 fect flowering sort. 



I find none better to fertilize the 

 Crescent than Wilson : it begins to 

 bloom several days earlier than Cres- 

 cent, although it does not lipen its 

 fruit so earlv. 



Some people claim that the variety 

 used to fertilize with has a great in- 

 fluence on size, form, and quality of the 

 fruit thus fertilized ! I have had Cres- 

 cent fertilized with Wilson, Captain 

 Jack, Kentucky, Sharpless, New Do- 

 minion, Duncan, Cumberland Triumph, 

 James Vick, Warren, and many others 

 on different soils, and have watched them 

 very closely for several years, and find 

 that wherever I plant Crescent I always 

 get Crescent fruit, no matter what they 

 have been fertilized with. The seasons, 

 wet and dry ; soils, manner of cultiva- 

 tion, etc., have a great influence on 

 size, quality and firmness of the fruit. 

 I have also tested many other pistillate 

 varieties on a more limited scale and 

 find the above to hold good with all of 

 them. 



The best vai-ieties for both sand and 

 clay loam, so far as I have tested them, 

 are Crescent Seedling, Daniel Boone, 

 Manchester, James Vick, and Wilson, 

 with Captain Jack and Mt. Vernon 

 added for clay loam. Early Canada is 

 very profitable when it escapes the 

 spring frost; it blooms first of any, 

 hence more apt to be injured, but is 

 healthy, hardy, and productive, and is 

 the earliest of all ; requires strong 

 soil. 



I always make the most out of late 

 soi-ts by planting such kinds as Man- 

 chester, Captain Jack, Mt. Vernon, and 

 James Vick on a moist clay loam, and 

 mulch well with straw. The most of 

 the crop comes into market when prices 

 begin to come up and good fruit get- 

 ting scarce, hence have no trouble find- 

 ing: 20od markets. 



Cornelia is a new variety that gives 

 promise of being one of the most profit- 

 able late market sorts, but has not been 

 sufliciently tested to be sure that it is 

 such. 



W. W. HiLBORX. 

 Arkona, March 7th, 1885. 



