258 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTCEIST. 



more easily done than in the tree form. 

 A second reason why I prefer the bush 

 form is that tlie currant like all other 

 good fruits, has its insect enemies, which 

 if not promptly destroyed, themselves 

 will destroy its vigor. Nothing can be 

 more weakening to any plant than to 

 have its foliage suddenly stripped off, 

 as so often happens to the currant when 

 the worm is neglected. I find a perfect 

 remedy for this in mulching heavily 

 with coal ashes, after loosening the earth 

 in the fall, or as soon as frost is out in 

 the spring. Another — but most insidi- 

 ous because concealed — enemy of the 

 currant, is the borer, which perforates 

 the stem its entire length, and soon des- 

 troys its vigor. The only remedy I 

 know for this is to cut away the 

 branch below where it is punctured, and 

 burn all such to destroy the borer with- 

 in. 



Having wandered so far from the sub- 

 ject of pruning currrants, in giving my 

 own ex])erience in raising them, I 

 repeat that whichever form is adopted, 

 the tree or bush, a portion of the old 

 growth must be cut away yearly to give 

 place to new and thrifty shoots. — S. C. 

 Harlow, in Home Farm. 



APPLES FOR NORTHERN NEW ENG-. 

 LAND, AND GOOD FOR NORT- 

 HERN ONTARIO. 



Here is a list for northern New Eng- 

 gland, which does not include a single 

 variety now grown in southei-n New 

 England and New York, yet every one 

 of them is the equal, in its season and 

 use of the best fruits of like season and 

 use in that section. 



Summer — Yellow Transparent, Grand 

 Sultan, Chai'lottenthaler, Tetofsky. 



Autumn — Switzer, Peach of Mont- 

 treal, St. Peter's Prolific Sweeting, 

 Duchess of Oldenburg, Golden White. 



Winter — Wealthy, Scott's Winter, 

 Newport Winter Sweet, Mcintosh Red, 

 Giant Swan (of Minnesota). 



In addition, we have on trial the fol- 

 lowing most promising Winter Russians 

 from the importations of the Iowa Ag- 

 i-icultural College : — Longfield, Anton- 

 ovka, Anis, Titovka, Arabskoe and 

 Bogdanoff. These Russian and " iron- 

 clad " Apples have tlieir place, and a 

 big one, in these United States. — Dr. 

 T. H. HosKiNS, i7i American Garden. 



THE BLACK WALNUT. 



One of the most valuable ti*ees of the 

 North American forests is the Black 

 Walnut (Juglans nigra). It is a hardy 

 tree, with pinnates leaves and deeply 

 fuiTOwed bark. The flowers are monoe- 

 cious, that is, the staminate and pistil- 

 late grow on the same tree. The male 

 or staminate flowers are produced in 

 rather short catkins, while the fertile 

 or pistillate are in terminal pairs. The 

 species is widely disti-ibuted, its native 

 habitat extending from western Massa- 

 chusetts to eastern Nebraska and Kan- 

 sas, and from Ontario, Canada, to north- 

 ern Florida and Texas. But the greatest 

 aboriginal growth, both in numbers and 

 magnitude, was found in the forests 

 which covei-ed the river bottoms and 

 hillsides in the region lying between 

 the great lakes and the Ohio River. 

 Some specimens found there wei'e truly 

 forest giants. On the shore of Lake 

 Erie, near the mouth of Walnut Creek, 

 in Western New York, a Black Walnut 

 tree was cut, some 50 years ago, which 

 attained much celebrity as the " big 

 tree." The hollow lower section of 15 

 feet, after being exhibited in this coun- 

 try, was carried to England, and there 

 converted into a gin-shop. No authentic 

 data of its actual dimensions are at 

 hand, but tradition gives its diameter 

 as between 12 and 15 feet. Near where 

 that grew, a freshet, a few years since, 

 revealed a buried Black Walnut trunk 

 which was afterwards unearthed. The 

 " butt cut " was nearly eight feet in 



