THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



251 



CAN THE APPLE BE RAISED WITH 

 PROFIT ? 



The impoi"tant question which our 

 northern fruit growers have now to de- 

 cide is in regard to the Apple. Can it 

 be raised with profit 1 We cannot, at 

 present, examine the question in detail, 

 but it may be said that the planting of 

 Apple orchards has greatly fallen off 

 for a few years past ; many have been 

 nesrlected and left a i>rev to insects, 

 mainly for the reason, perhaps, that 

 some seasons of unfortunate weather 

 have prevailed for awhile, and left us 

 without a crop until last year ; and for 

 the same cause some have even cut down 

 their orchards. This course is wrong, 

 and a few years more will make it plain. 

 "We shall always need the Apple in 

 abundance ; no other fruit can wholly 

 take its place. With the present low 

 rate of orchard planting the demand 

 for good Apples will soon exceed the 

 supply, no matter what other fruits 

 are in the market. — Vick's Magazine. 



THE TRIUMPH GOOSEBERRY. 



A new Gooseberry is now being in- 

 troduced by Mr. Geo. Achelis under 

 the above name. It is said to be re- 

 markable for the size of the berries, they 

 being in actual measurement seven 

 eighths of an inch in diameter, which 

 would make them about two and 

 a half inches in circumference. It is 

 an American seedling, but of what par- 

 entage we are not informed. The 

 introducer claims for it that dui'ing the 

 dozen years in which it has borne fruit 

 it has not shewn the slightest sign of 

 mildew ; also that it is exceedingly 

 jn'oductive, one branch a foot long 

 having on it sixty five berries which 

 were, on an average, one inch in dia- 

 metei". 



We shall eventually get gooseberries 

 that will thrive in our peculiar climate 

 which will rival in size and excel in 

 flavour tlie famous ({ooseberries of EiiLr- 



land ; for our more sunny skies impart 

 to all fruits a richer coloring, and to 

 most of them a higher flavor than they 

 can acquire in the moi"e moist atmos- 

 phere and under the more cloudy skies 

 of the British Isles. Our Canadian 

 hybridizers are at work upon this fruit, 

 and we believe that Mr. Dempsey has 

 already i-aised some seedlings of great 

 promise. They have not been brought 

 to public notice, for it is his practice to 

 test thoroiighly all his productions and 

 ascertain by years of trial whether they 

 are worthy of attention Vjefore he speaks 

 of them in public. Should they prove 

 to be adapted to our climate, to be of 

 fine flavor, good size and rod uctive, 

 the public will hear more of them ; if 

 not, they will be consigned to the land of 

 forwetfulness. 



SUMMER PRUNING OF GRAPE VINES. 



Professor Budd writes to the Prairie 

 Farmer on this subject as follows : — In 

 our hot diy air of the West very little 

 trimming is needed in summer, if the 

 vines are properly pruned when laid 

 down in November. In this connection 

 I will say that vines left on the trellis 

 have been generally killed at the West 

 the past winter. We find it best in 

 laying down to cover the tops with 

 earth when bent over to the ground, 

 and to throw a small mound of earth 

 over the crowns. The bow, formed in 

 bendingover the canes, is left uncovered. 

 The object in view is merely to lessen 

 evaporation from the canes when the 

 roots are locked in frost. Again, tens 

 of thousands of recently planted vines 

 have been I'oot killed. In all cases 

 where the vines have been planted two 

 feet in depth — filling the holes gradu- 

 ally as the canes made growth, they 

 have come through in perfect condi- 

 tion. On dry porous soils our i)eople 

 must leai-n to j)lant deeply if they 

 would be successful. 



