'76 THE CANALIAN HOETICULTUPJST. 



trees coming in to bearing. The old trees are affected with the rot, black- 

 knot, the borer, and curculio. Pear trees are somewhat affected with the 

 blight, a good many being destroyed. The peach trees have also been badly 

 attacked by the borer, and parties do not seem to know anything about 

 remedying this as they do not attend to them. Some medium peaches 

 were raised last season in Goderich township, near Lake Huron ; peaches 

 near the water seem to grow better than those further inland. Apple trees 

 are also affected by the bark insect, codlin moth, tent caterpillar, leaf 

 ■curler, and also the one that lays its eggs in a cluster, but not so bad as they 

 have been before. Large quantities of apples have been sent from this 

 section to the east, west and north-west. The common cherries do well, 

 but the caterpillar and leaf slug affect them. I notice in numbers of gardens 

 that the red and white currants are neglected, and consequ^ently dying out, 

 they are afflicted by the saw-fly and pith worm. What is good to destroy 

 the green aphis on the black currant 1 I have tried the tree form, but the 

 snow breaks them. The borer is busy in the maple and locust street shade 

 trees. The raspberry bush I received last year from the Association is 

 growing fine, as is also the Ontario apple. Last year my Burnet grape 

 had on a peck of grapes, but most were mildewed ; T used sulpher, bvit it 

 was no use. The quality of the grape was not bad. I kept some till 14th 

 February. The Flemish Beauty and Clapp's Favorite pears both fruited 

 two seasons ; the Grimes Golden Pippin apple has twice fruited ; the 

 Salem grape has fruited twice, also Downing gooseberry and Glass' Seedling 

 plum, but I lost some of the latter before maturity. I have 12 varieties 

 of the large English gooseberry, imported, which I am testing ; those 

 already fruited are subject to mildew. To prevent gooseberry and currant 

 bushes breaking down with the snow I grow them in bush form, with three 

 stakes dipped in tar, round the large bush, wired through the stakes for 

 bushes to rest on. The small bushes I tie up with wire in the fall. I have 

 over twenty kinds of grapes fruiting, some bunches of which weighed 12 

 ounces. T prune them in the fall, lay down, and cover with leaves, straw 

 and earth. When up they are protected from the north winds by an eight 

 foot fence. Very few varieties will Hve and fruit with the general culture 

 given them here. I trim my cui-rant bushes by cutting them down to the 

 roots with a chisel. Many tree pedlars are no better than swindlers, in 

 selling trees adapted only to a warmer climate, and offering rewards for 

 the best fruit grown therefrom, when there is no chance whatever for the 

 fruit to properly mature in a northern climate. I am testing seven kinds 

 of raspberries. I think that the Fruit Growers' Association should go in 

 for cheaper freights ; it cost me f 1.00 to get a bushel of peaches from St. 

 Catharines or to send a bushel of plums there. Many mistakes are made 

 in reference to the names of different fruits, by nurserymen at different 

 places using different names for the same kind of fruit. I noticed recently 

 that a nurseryman giving evidence before the Agricultural Commission 

 stated that black currants were worth $4 per bushel. If the statement 

 refers to country places he is wrong, because all they can generally be sold 

 at is 5 cents per quart. I have found bees and wasps injurious to grapes, 

 and also saw them destroying early peaches. Should fruit growers encourage 



