CANA DIA N 110 HTICULTU HIST. 



101 



HORTICULTURAL REMINISCENCES. 



BV (IBOROK LKSLIK, TORONTO, 



THINKING it would be of interest 

 to the readers of the Canadian 

 Horticulturist to know sometliing of 

 the beginning of planting and fruit 

 growing in Ontario, when nurserymen 

 and seedsmen were very few and very 

 far between, I take the liberty of jot- 

 ting down and sending you a few re- 

 membrances of those early days. Hav- 

 ing received a few orders from some 

 gentlemen in Toronto for trees and 

 plants, and being requested by them to 

 go to the United States and bring back 

 some nursery stock for sale, I made a 

 journey to New York in October, 18.S8. 

 When I arrived there, I was directed 

 to the Harlem Nursery, owned by Mr. 

 Parmentier. I went there at once, and 

 found he had a good assortment of 

 ornamental trees and shrubs, but no 

 fruit trees of any kind, except some 

 dwarf penrs. I bought some orna- 

 mental trees and shrubs, and then wont 

 to Win. Reid's nursery, Murray Mill, 

 N.Y., where I purchased some apple 

 and cherry trees. I then went to Wm. 

 Smith's seed store on Broadway, New 

 York, where I purchased a modest 

 stock of seeds and a few Norway 

 Spruce, rtfteen inches in pots, the first 

 Spruce that had been imported from 

 the Old Country for sale. I next 

 visited the nursery of Buell & Wilson, 

 at Albany, N.Y. It was a small con- 

 cern, they just beginning business. 

 They had a good stock of plums and 

 moss roses, of which I purchased a few. 

 I then went to Rochester, where there 



were no nurseries at that time, except 

 a very small one about one acre, just 

 started by Samuel Moul.son, at Bull's 

 Head. Buftalo street. I went to see 

 his place, but he had nothing that 

 suited rne. Messrs. Board man it Kelly 

 were then commencing a nur-sery busi- 

 ness at Brighton, about three miles 

 east of Rochester, but they had nothing 

 large enough for my purpose. I was 

 informed that Asa liowe had a nursery 

 at Greece, five miles south-west of 

 Rochester. I visited his establishment, 

 and found he had some nice apples and 

 cherries, but no plums or pears. I 

 bought some apples and cherries from 

 Mr. Rowe, who was a tine genial man. 

 I had all my purchases packed and 

 shipped to Rochester. I came with 

 them to the east side of the river, near 

 the bridge where horse tramway ended. 

 Came by tramway to the landing, threo 

 miles from Rochester, where there 

 were 1,000 steps going down to the 

 river. A tramway, worked by horse- 

 power, conveyed pas.sengers down to 

 the landing and up to the street, one 

 car going up while the other went 

 down. There was then no landing at 

 Charlotte. I stayed at the landing a 

 day and a-iialf, waiting the arrival of 

 Capt. VoUers schooner, the only vessel 

 then plying between Rochester and 

 Toronto. 1 got my packages on board 

 the schooner, and after twenty hours' 

 sail arrived in Toronto. The next 

 spring I made another trip in search of 

 nursery stock, of which I will give you 

 an account a''ain. 



GIRDLED TREES. 



E"^ VERY now and then somebody 

 _^ tells, through the press, how 

 to repair this injury. Diagrams are 

 given showing how to insert the 

 bowed " twigs " or " sprouts," see fig- 

 ures 1 and 2), looking when done like 



SB, MILTON. 



the curved meatless ribs of something 

 already dead or of some strange fossil 

 not yet cla.ssitied. Many years ago I 

 abandoned this clumsy mode for the 

 following reasons : — 1st. Tlie slips in- 

 serted to conduct the sap from being 



