186 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



1)0 benefited by a knowledge of leaf 

 physiology, the essayist spoke of the 

 protection against drought derived from 

 the leaves of the forest, which protect 

 the ground from the parching effect of 

 the sunlight and from drying winds, 

 making the forest soil reservoirs for 

 water, which in times of drought keep 

 the streams well fed. But in the 

 opinion of the essayist the moistui'e 

 transpired from the leaves aifoixls a 

 stronger reason why tliese leaf trea- 

 suries, as forests might he termed, 

 should be carefully guardojl. Accord- 

 ing to Johnston, the English agricul- 

 tural chemist, a field in grain or gi-ass 

 will transpire from three to five million 

 ])Ounds of water in a season's growth, 

 and if all this evaporated water could 

 1)6 returned in the shape of rain, it 

 would amount to an inch and a half or 

 two inches. If one acre of land in 

 grass can give such a wonderful result, 

 what will be the efiect of large tracts 

 devoted to forestry 1 The leaves of 

 aquatic plants in no small degree con- 

 tribute to the purification of the waters 

 where they grow. 



The carbon, or charcoal, derived from 

 the decay of plants is of the highest 

 Titility to vegetation, as an absorbent 

 of water and fertilizing matter. It also 

 by its dark color absorbs heat from the 

 air. The decay of vegetable matter 

 always evolves heat, which the rootlets 

 of growing plants realize and respond 

 to, though it may not be sensible to 

 our feelings. 



The gi-asses of the world — more than 

 six thousand species — or nearly one- 

 sixth of all the flowering plants, come 

 legitimately within the subject of this 

 paper. The grass crop is the leading 

 crop in New England, and all that per- 

 tains to it should be carefully considered. 

 The leading point is that the leaf, when 

 grown, never changes its form or size, 

 and that when quickly grown its size is 

 far lai'ger than when its formation is 



slower. Hence, would we have large 

 grass we must grow it quickly, produc- 

 ing a large leaf, valuable not alone for 

 itself, but because it also adds to the 

 value of the stem. 



The fruit culturist will thoroughly 

 consider the subject of pruning in its 

 relation to the proportionate capacity 

 of the leaf to the plant and the fruit, 

 and will guard his knife accoixlingly. 



THE ONION MAGGOT. 



Miss E. A. Ormerod, an English lad}' 

 of considerable note as an entomologist? 

 says of this pest : — 



" The amount of damage to onion 

 crops from the maggot is frequently so 

 groat that for some years I have been 

 experimenting on the subject. I found 

 that the fly (wlien it could) laid its eggs 

 on some exposed part of the bulb, often 

 almost beneath it, which in common 

 onion ]:)ractice the exposed state of the 

 bulb allows. On noticing this, about 

 three years ago, I covered a plant u]) 

 to the neck of the bulbs, and next 

 morning found fly eggs deposited on 

 the onion leaves, and dropped at hap- 

 hazard on the ground — where they 

 perished, and the onions, being saved 

 from attack, did well. The following 

 year I had some part of the crop in 

 rows earthed up with success. The 

 onions were firm and sweet, and though 

 not as thoroughly protected by the 

 rough earthing up as by my own hand 

 dressing, it answered to some extent, 

 and the onions in many cases were not 

 injured, or grew past attack from being 

 in favorable condition. This year 1 

 had a trench prepared as if for celery, 

 and had the onions sown along the 

 bottom, and as they grew the sides of 

 the trench were filled in on the bulbs. 

 They grew extremely well, notably 

 better than those in the bed alongside, 

 and on raising them to-day I find them 

 sound and fine bulbs, very free from 



