106 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



E. D. Smith and Murray Pettit ; and 

 in the negative by Mr. Montgomery, 

 Mr. Morden, Mr. Wilson and others. 

 A long and animated discussion on the | 

 probable effect upon grape culture if ; 

 the Scott Act is generally adopted next 

 ensued, but no conclusion was arrived 

 at ; in fact most of the speakers argued 

 a different question, namely. Is wine- \ 

 drinking jjroductive of temperance or | 

 intemperance I one party contending 

 that in countries where wine is a com- 

 mon beverage no drunkards are seen, 

 and the others contending that it is 

 simply putting the alcohol in a more 

 seductive form to conceal it in the wine 

 glass. 



Mr. A. M. Smith's paper on " Small 

 Fruits," a synopsis of which appeared 

 in the March number of the Horticul- \ 

 turist, was next read by the Secretary. 

 Mr. Morden, of Drummondville, then 

 addressed the meeting on the small 

 fruit question. Mr. Morden evidently j 

 understands small fruit growing, and I 

 can also tell his hearers in a very clear ! 

 and practical way how it is done sue- ' 

 cessfully. Mr. Morden would approve 

 of Mr. Smith's list of black caps, but 

 would only recommend one red rasp- 

 bei-ry, and that the Cuthbert. Also 

 thinks the Wilson strawberry most 

 profitable for general culture. Where [ 

 Kittatiny blackberries are too tender : 

 would grow Taylor's Prolific. Had i 

 found Raby Castle the best red currant. '. 

 Black raspberries and blackberries 

 should be watched in June for rust, ] 

 and any affected plants dug out and 

 burned at once. 'The larva of the rasp- 

 berry saw-fly should also be watched 

 and treated to a shower bath of helli- 

 bore or Paris green in solution. 



A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. 

 Morden, of Drummondville. and Mr. 

 A. M. Smith, of St. Catharines. This 

 is a bi'ief outline of the most important 

 and interesting meeting of fruit grow- ; 

 ers ever held in Saltfieet. 



STOCKS FOR FRUIT TREES. 

 There is wide scope for the considera- 

 tion of stocks for our fruits. The influ- 

 ence is great in many ways, and is not 

 well understood by fruit growers them- 

 selves — and it concerns them the most. 

 Fruit growing cannot be learned in half 

 a dozen years, and the idea entertained 

 at the end of that time may be reversed 

 at the termination of the next six 

 years. Then the opinions of the old 

 and experienced in such matters are 

 those to be depended on, for experi 

 ments with fruit trees cannot be proved 

 in a short time to give a correct opin- 

 ion • but I cannot see in any way that 

 trees are made hardier by any par- 

 ticular stock. It only enables us to 

 adapt our choice fruit trees to various 

 kinds of soils, or to dwarf or bring into 

 eai'ly bearing, as we gi'ow the pear on 

 the quince to dwarf and bi'ing it into 

 early bearing. But the quince will not 

 do well on all soils — not on a dry 

 sandy one. The quince is raised by 

 cuttings for this purpose. More long- 

 lived standard pears are wanted, the 

 pear stock is the one, and best raised 

 from seed ; and also for the standard 

 orchard apples, apple stocks. Then 

 there is a marked difference in the 

 seedling stocks — some robust, others of 

 weakly growth — all having some influ- 

 ence on the graft. Pears can be grown 

 on other stocks, as thorns and the 

 mountain ash. The mountain ash may 

 overcome the difl3.culty of growing 

 pears on damp wet soils ; what influ- 

 ence it may have on the fruit I cannot 

 say. Some pears will not grow on any 

 foreign stock, not even the quince. In 

 that case, where it is desirable, resort 

 must be had to double grafting. The 

 varieties most likely to do on those for- 

 eign stocks are Maria Louise, Passe 

 Colraar and Josephine • de Malines. 

 Plums can be grafted on cherries, and 

 vice versa — even the wild native chei'ry 

 that grows all over the Province ; but 



