THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 107 



such parasites often attack perfectly strong and liealthy plants, yet 

 their attacks are more common and more deadly on such as are weakly 

 and out of condition. Hence the more rational mode of treating all 

 sucli enemies is to tone and strengtlion the system of the plant, so as 

 to enable its sap to resist the decomposing action of the ferment. Now 

 the potash which wood ashes contain is well adapted to do this. In 

 fact the exhaustion of available potash in tlie soil is in my belief one 

 cause of the failure of old orchards, if constantly cropped, to keep up 

 to their former standard of yield ; and here, by the way, lies one of the 

 ])hysiological objections to the constant cropping of orchards as 

 practiced in Canada and the States, But I cannot enter now upon 

 this point. 



I should be very glad to hear further from Eusticus, or any other 

 of your subscribers, in reference to this topic. I sliould like to hear 

 of others who have tried ashes. After the winter rains and snows are 

 over, the ground is too dry on the surface and the rains too occasional 

 in most seasons to leach the ashes and carry the potash far enough 

 into the ground to accomplish its purpose. Moreover, tlie fire-bliglit 

 shows itself and does its mischief very early in tlie season. It is 

 consequently too late now to expect much from Eusticus' remedy this 

 year, but if any of your subscribers will go to the small trouble and 

 expense of watering some of their best trees with saltpetre dissolved 

 in water at the rate of one pound to a gallon, and put about three 

 gallons to every tree, washing it in with as much more water as they 

 think necessaty, I should be glad to hear from them during the summer 

 Mhat effect if any they have observed. 



PEEPAEATION OF NUTS FOE PLAKTING. 



BY THOMAS COATES, MILTON. 



In the February number of the Horticulturist you ask some of 

 your correspondents to answer Mr. Hoover's question as td the best 

 way in which to prepare nuts for planting. The answer is very 

 ,simple, — they need no preparation. Take the Canadian walnut for 

 instance. As soon as the nuts fall from the tree gather them up just 

 us they are with the hulls on, and plant in a trench three or four 

 inches deep, about four or five inches apart, and cover them up. If 



