THE CANADIAN HORTlCULTCRlST. 41 



applp: trees in the county of dundas. 



BY JOHX CROIL, AULTSVILLE. 



The following suggestions by one of the Directors of the Fruit 

 Growers' Association, are taken from the Morriahunj Vourier, and 

 deserve careful attention from all fruit growers who have to contend 

 with a climate similarly severe : 



" To any one of common observation, I think it must be evident 

 that the cultivation of the orchard has not been a success among us. 

 Old orchards, with few exceptions, are comparatively worthless, and 

 their place is not being well supplied. Appearances are that our 

 farmers will soon have to procure from a distance, and at unnecessary 

 expense, their supply of that most healthy and favorite of all fruits, 

 the apple, which they should have in abundance, and at little cost, at 

 home. The fault does not lie in that trees enough have not been 

 planted ; nurserymen and tree planters can vouch for that. The natu- 

 ral question comes to be, wherein lies the cause of failure ? Many 

 reasons are advanced, such as poor trees, our severe winters, &c. No 

 doubt tliese have much to do with it, but much can be done to help us 

 out of these difficulties. I suggest first, that we want hardy trees, 

 ■find if I succeed in naming to jqhit readers trees really hardy for this 

 lieighl)orhood, I think I will have gained one point. Any little know- 

 ledge I may have in the matter 1 have learned from observation, and 

 rather dear bought experience. When I planted my first orchard, I 

 thought I had so well posted myself up in the opinion of good autho- 

 rities, that success was a certainty, but soon discovered my mistake. 

 As to varieties, Downing names hundreds that will thrive w^ell in his 

 favored climate on the banks of the Hudson, that are of no value to us 

 here. The same may be said of many of our large growers in the 

 West, and other milder climates. Some trees succeed here that are 

 worthless in the Ottawa valley. Many trees are classed in the cata- 

 logues as hardy that will not stand our Winters; of these I'll name a 

 few I am convinced will never be profitable with me, nor do I think 

 they will thrive hi our neighborhood, viz: Rhode Island Greening, Wag- 

 ner, Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Spitzenburg. I have tried them all 

 repeatedly, and they will not answer; I wish they would, as they are 

 all first class apples. Time, they are all hardy kinds, but not hai-dy 



