244 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE SAUNDERS PLUM. 



We received about the first of Sept- 

 ember last from Messrs. Stone and 

 Wellington a sample of this plum, which 

 the Fruit Growers' Association of Ont- 

 tario has named the " Saunders " in 

 honor of their much esteemed President. 

 The samples received were of medium 

 size, yellow in color, and in flavor 

 strongly suggestive of the Imperial 

 Gage, and wlien we say this we cannot 

 say more in favor of its quality, for the 

 Imperial Gage is considered to rank 

 as " best." 



We are informed that the tree is ex- 

 ceedingly hardy and has never been af- 

 fected with the black-knot, although 

 other trees surrounding the Saunders 

 are literally covered with black-knots. 

 It is a heavy annual bearer, always 

 yielding fruit even when other varieties 

 in the neighborhood fail. The tree is a 

 chance seedling found growing in the 

 eastern part of Ontario. 



CANADA BALDWIN. 



The following description of this 

 hardy variety is kindly furnished by 

 Mr. George Leslie, jun : Fruit medium 

 size, roundish oblong, slightly larger 

 on one side than on the other, hand- 

 some, stalk thin, 1 to 1^ inch long, set 

 in a deep open basin, eye closed in a 

 rather shallow open corrugated de- 

 pression. Skin, thick, smooth, yellow, 

 deepening on the sunny side into a 

 deep dark red, striped and blotched 

 with cai-mine varying to dark crimson, 

 Avith distinct purplish grey dots, the 

 most of the stem end being clouded 

 with a purplish grey bloom. Flesh, 

 white tinged with pink, sometimes 

 slightly striped with pink, breaking, 

 not very juicy, pleasant, mild subacid 

 flavor, verging on sweetness, some- 

 what resembling the Fameuse. Tree, 

 hardy, moderate grower, productive. 



TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 



Will you have the kindness to i-enew 

 your subscriptions before the end of 

 the year so that we may know how 

 many copies will be required. It is a 

 waste of funds to print more than will 

 supply our readers, yet even those who 

 do not renew until after the new year 

 want to get the whole year complete. 

 It may be impossible to supply the 

 whole volume to those whose subscrip- 

 tions are not received until after the 

 January number goes to press, which 

 is about the 15th of December. 



QUESTION DRAWER. 



REMOV^ING GRAPE LEAVES. 



Dear Sir, — Would you kindly let 

 me know if it is pi'oper to remove the 

 leaves, or I should say foliage, from 

 over the grapes to hasten their growth 

 and ripening. I hold that it is not 

 proper to do so, and I never do it with 

 my own. R. H. S. 



Penetangiiishene. 



Reply. — The leaves are the organs 

 in which the sap is elaborated so that 

 it will nourish the plant and continue 

 its growth, which involves the fruit as 

 well. They also are the organs in 

 which the process of assimilation takes 

 place ; carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and 

 nitrogen being taken from the air and 

 converted into organic compounds. 

 How can these processes go on if the 

 leaves are taken away? It is not the 

 action of the sun or of the air direct- 

 ly upon the fruit of the vine that 

 causes it to grow and ripen. Indeed 

 the grapes are much finer every way, in 

 color and in flavor, when ripened under 

 the shadow of the foliage than when 

 exposed directly to the sun's rays. But 



