THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



153 



The plants were of fair size and bushy, 

 and had been fruiting steadily since the 

 beginning of January, but I was unable 

 to tind a single runner anywhere. On 

 enquiry, I was told that strawberry 

 plants do not put out runners in that 

 climate luitil May or June, that the 

 fruiting season lasts about live months, 

 beginning with January, and that to- 

 wards the close of tliis period the i)lants 

 produce runners in great abundance. 



On the return journey, short visits 

 were paid to Savannah and Charleston, 

 where we greatly admired the magnifi- 

 cent camelias and azaleas blooming out 

 of doors. Before reaching Washington 

 snow was encountered again, with un- 

 pleasantly cold winds ; and we found 

 winter still reigning on our return 

 home. 



HOME MADE WINES. 



As many of your readers may not 

 know how easily they can procure a 

 cheap and wholesome wine, with a good 

 body — nay, in spite of the Scott Act, 

 home-made wines like these will harm 

 no one — the following will make a good 

 wine from either black currants or 

 bilberries, or as some call them, huckle- 

 berries : To every gallon of fruit put 

 1 gallon water (soft water is best) ; let 

 it stand in a tub a week or nine days, 

 stirring it daily, and keep covered with 

 a cloth ; then strain it through a cloth, 

 and to every gallon of liquor thus pro- 

 cured, add 3 lbs. sugar ; mix well, and 

 till np your cask. No boiling is here 

 required. If you are making wine from 

 the bilberries or hearts, tis some call 

 them in the old country, add a few 

 cloves ; but not to the currants — it is 

 said black currants have medical ]>ro- 

 l)erties. 



The hucklebei-ry or bilberry (Vacci- 

 ivim iniirtilluss grows plentifully in 

 Sui-rey, in England, and never sells for 

 less then three half-crowns per bushel. 



wholesale ; they are gathered by the 

 poor country folks on the waste lands 

 for the markets. T. A. H. 



Medora, Muskoka, 



THE ROSE AND THE GERANIUM. 



We were greatly delighted with tlie 

 valuable paper, in the Ai)ril number, 

 from the pen of Mr. Mitchell, of Inner- 

 kip, on " Certain Koses." 



Your very flowery correspondent had 

 almost led us away from our honest 

 convictions long entertained, and simply 

 by the bai-e Ibice of his masterly 

 description. With all due and becom- 

 ing respect foi- the Hose and its prou<l 

 ])Osition in our hoi'ticulture, we must 

 beg leave to conscientiously demur from 

 tlie common belief of its pre-eminence 

 among popular favorite flowers for the 

 masses. We may say further that we 

 have scarcely ever known but one or 

 two successful Rose growers in our 

 limited observation. In the winter of 

 1882-3, while on a tempoi-ary visit to 

 the city of Rochester, N.Y., we were 

 kindly introduced to the magnificent 

 Rose-houses of Ellvvanger jfc Bariy, and 

 also those of the late lamented H. Iv 

 Hooker, Esq. In these grand houses 

 and under these tine conditions we saw 

 the rose in all its grandeur, beauty and 

 variety in successful cultivation, and on 

 the largest scale. Such a profusion of 

 attractive and beautiful Rose plants in 

 all stages of growth, we had never seen 

 before, and were astonished beyond 

 measure. Could we have lieen possibly 

 guilty of so gormandizing a covetous- 

 ness in one individual, we could have 

 fain desii-ed the possession of the whole 

 lot in our collection. But then the con- 

 ditions, ah ! there's the point ! Large 

 and thoroughly adajited houses, tho- 

 roughly equipped with benches and 

 modern appendages, and the conditions 

 of heat and moisture, gaged exactly to 

 suit the Rose, and the whole under the 



