70 



CA NA DIA N HOB TIC UL TURIST 



Grapes for Export. 



Sir, —I was sorry to hear that the shiimient 

 oi gi-apes to Glasgow had proved so uiireniu- 

 iierative ; this shews us that we must aim for 

 grapes of hi^dicr ([uality and free from foxiness, 

 if we would 1 please the English taste. I hope 

 that object will some day be obtained. We 

 are preparing here to go into extensive tests 

 and experiments in that direction. I have 

 already obtained some good grapes of this 

 character, and by taking these as a starting 

 l)oint and growing seedlings on an extensive 

 scale, I have no doubt but that we shall soon 

 have some good things in this line worth dis- 

 .seminating. Wsi. Saundei!8. 



EXPERIMENT.VL FaRM, OTTAWA. 



The English Sparrow. 



Sir, — In pi-evious numbers of our magazine I 

 have seen discussions (pro and con) on the Eng- 

 lish sparrow ; for my part I think we would be 

 better off without them. I have a Salem gi-ape 

 against the house, and one day when the grapes 

 were ripe, there was quite a flock of the spar- 

 rows on the vine eating the grapes at a great 

 rate ; I have often seen them picking the wheat 

 out of the ear when nearly ripe in the field ; 

 .also on the stooks after cut. Where they are 

 numerous they destroy a great deal. A few 

 weeks ago I saw a beef bone on the street and 

 there the little fellows were picking away at 

 the flesh. 



I think, if you would ^ive us the price of the 

 different kinds of apples in the English markets 

 in the fall numbers of the HoRTicUTURisT, it 

 would be an improvement ; the growers would 

 then have some idea of their worth. We are 

 at the mercy of the buyers or middle men ; 

 they don't pay anything like what the fruit is 

 worth, in this section at least. From seventy- 

 five cents to $1.25 per barrel for the best winter 

 fruit scarce pays for careful handling. I would 

 like to see an improvement in the prices j^aid 

 here. Waltkr Hick. 



GoDERicH. Ont. 



Note. — We hope to be of service to 

 our fellow fruit growers in this respect, 



by giving quotations for fruit in botlt 

 home and foreign markets. 



Folding- Sawing Machine. 



Mr. Thos. Maguirk, of Molesworth, Ont., ' 

 WTites, that unless this machine is different 

 from the one manufactured five or six years ago, 

 he cannot recommend it very highly. He 

 thinks that two men with a common saw would 

 do fully doiible the amount of work in a given 

 time than one man could do with the machine, 

 and w ith just as little backache. 



Moore's Arctic. 



Sir, — I saw a question asked by some person 

 about Moore's Arctic Plum. It fruited with 

 me last year for the first time, three years after 

 planting. I believe it will be a good bearer. 

 The Curculio did not interfere with the fruit, 

 but the tree is not proof against black-knot, as 

 represented. What was furnished to me for Rus- 

 sian Mulberry, will si)rout up each season and 

 be killed again in the winter, I would pro- 

 nounce them a failure here, (about 43". 50' 

 N. Latitude), northern ])art county of Perth, 

 Ont. Thos. Maguire. 



MOLESWOKTH. 



Kind Words. 



Sir,— Your paper, the Canathan Hokticui.- 

 TURIST, has so much improved in matter and 

 appearance that I cannot but comi)liment you 

 on it. If you continue it will fill a place long 

 sought after in this Dominion. A few pages 

 devoted to other branches of horticulture must 

 be very acceptable and instructive to the ama- 

 teur class of its readers. We do not like to live 

 on fruit alone. Give them a mixture of fiowers 

 and other subjects and j'ou will have the hearty 

 apiiroval of a large class of your reader.i. Hor- 

 ticulture being my particular branch I will 

 most willingly assist you at any time, should 

 you think you require it. 



N. Robertson, 



Supt. Gov't (jroundx 



Ottawa, F<h. h'.th, isss. 



REVIEW. 



Reports. 



Transactions of the Maine State Pomo- 

 i.ociiCAL Society for the year 1886. Edited by 

 Samuel L. Boardinan, Secretfiiy. ISO pages. 



This volume has a froiitisiiicci' of the Hon. 

 R. H. Gardiner, the latr pi.>i.l.„t of the so- 

 ciety. Some idea of the suhjcct matter of the 

 book may be gained from the following selec- 

 tion from the list of subjects : Influence of 

 Flowers in the Home, Defects in Orchard 

 Management, Twenty Years Experience and 

 What I have learned. Value of a Knowledge 

 of the Natural Sciences by the Farmer, etc. 



Report OK the Mvcoukust, F. L. Scribner, 



for year 188G. Dept. of Agric, Washington, 

 D.C. 



We highly commend this work to the study 

 of any one of a scientific turn of mind, or who 

 wishes to experiment in the destruction of such 

 fungi and bacteria as are such formidable ob- 

 stacles to success in fruit culture. This volume 

 treats of The Mildew of the (Jrape, The Black 

 Rot, The Potato Rot, The Pear Blight, etc., 

 and is illustrated with eight plates showing 

 their forms of growth, and three maps showing 

 extent of their distribution. 



Bulletin No. 1. Experiment Station of 

 THE College of A(!RicrLTri(E, St. Anthony 



