<D(j£stior) Sciclge'P 



(Will readers please answer.) 



26. Sir, — Has apple pomace any manurial value ? If so, would it pay to haul it 

 a quarter of a mile, if it could be had free of charge ? Also, when should it be applied ? 



L. S. Morgan, Port Dover. 



27. Sir,— How would I go to work to renew the bark on old apple trees ; it having 

 come off in]patches ? L- G-. M. 



2§. Sir,— Which is the earliest and which is the latest plum to grow for market ? 



Wm. Switzer. Kirkton, Ont. 



3ft ©pc'? defter 8 *?. % 



Apples Near Montreal. 



Sir, — I had a medium crop of apples last year. Two-thirds of mine were Fameuse, 

 the rest were summer and fall apples ; I sold $950 worth of apples, but of this only $32o 

 was for Fameuse, which were so spotted. I tried fungicides for the apple scab, but, 

 unfortunately, it rained immediately after each application. 



|T I shipped a trial lot of Wealthy, Alexander, and Plumb's Cider to Scotland. They 

 carried well, and the receivers were delighted with the Wealthy ; the Alexander was too 

 ripe, and the Plumb's Cider had not enough color. The Wealthy sold for 16/ a barrel, the 

 Alexander for 15/ and the Plumb's Cider for 12/ to 14/. They were put on board ship the 

 day after they were picked. 



r_ How does the Beurre d' Anjou compare in hardiness with the Flemish Beauty ? It 

 has done very well for three seasons, but, before going more extensively into them, I 

 would be glad if some of your subscribers who have tested them in a climate the same as 

 this would give their experience through your valuable paper. The Flemish Beauty pear 

 appears to be as hardy here as the Fameuse apple and it has the same fault of spotting in 

 unfavorable seasons. In a sheltered spot in my garden I can grow Bartletts for home use. 



R. Brodie, St. Henri, Montreal, Que. 



Care Plum Trees. 



Sir,— There is a great deal of talk about the black knot on plums, a disease which 

 deters many people from engaging in plum growing. I do not wonder that plum trees die 

 with the treatment they get. They are planted in a hole, about a foot across, in which 

 the roots are cramped like a wisp of straw, and two or three shovelfuls of earth are thrown 

 in and tramped with the foot, removing some of the bark at the same time. Neither root 

 nor top are ever pruned and they are left to grow in grass or poor land that would not 

 grow thistles, and then the planter expects the tree to grow and yield $12 or $15 worth of 

 plums, the second or third year. More than half the trees die the first year, and the 

 remainder will live a year or two and then die from black knot. These people then want 

 a black knot law put in force. 



Now, I will give you my plan of caring for my plum trees. First, my land must be 

 well enriched with barn manure and wood ashes, the year before. I dig a hole two or 

 three feet in diameter and ten or twelve inches deep, and then taking the tree in my left 

 hand, with the roots towards me, I cut off, with a sharp pruning knife, all the broken and 

 damaged roots, turning the tree around as I cut, and drawing the knife toward ma to 

 make a clean shave. Then standing the roots of the tree on the ground, I cut off all side 

 branches, except three or four nicely balanced ones around the top ; then cut off one third 

 from each of these, and the tree is ready to plant. Then I set the tree in the centre of the 

 hole, perhaps one-half an inch deeper than it was in the nursery, and spread out the roots 

 evenly, covering them with fine earth which I press down firmly with my foot. I continue 



