68 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUKIST. 



you recommend root pruning in the 

 spring ? [E., Toronto.] 



The only reason for planting them 

 under a tree that we know of is for 

 lack of any open ground ; for, grown 

 under a tree, the fruit will likely be 

 small and mouldy. The gooseberry 

 likes moist soil and plenty of manure 

 with high cultivation. 



As to pruning, it is necessary to thin 

 out the toj) every fall or spring to 

 nearly one-half, especially the old wood, 

 but we see no use of root pruning. 



20. Grafting. — Please state the time for 

 cutting scions, time for grafting, and 

 way to make best grafting wax. 



[A. C. McDonald, Dunlop.] 



Scions grow better if cut a good while 

 before they are wanted, because they 

 should be in a dormant conditoin when 

 used. They may be cut early in spring, 

 or they may be cut in the autumn, and 

 packed away in fine dry soil or saw- 

 dust until needed. It is not good to 

 cut them when frozen. 



The gi*afting may be performed until 

 quite late in the spring. Indeed, a 

 neighbour of ours was top -grafting last 

 spring until the leaves came out, and 

 yet succeeded. 



Grafting wax is usually made by 

 melting together equal i^arts of tallow, 

 beeswax and resin ; or a little more of 

 the tallow to make it easier worked. 



Another good mixture is ; Linseed 

 oil, 1 pint ; beeswax, 1 pound, and 

 resin, 6 pounds. 



21. Wind-Break. — How far from an or- 

 chard should a tviiul-break of Spruce or 

 Lombardy Pojilar be planted ? 



[F. F.] 

 Mr. Thos. Beall i-eplies : — "If spruce 

 trees are planted at the same time as 

 the orchard, they should be planted as 

 far from the nearest row of trees as the 

 rows are from each other. No injury 

 will result for forty or fifty yeai-s. 

 Lombardy Poplar is the worst tree I 



know of for that purpose, and therefore 

 should never be used." 



[The Catalpa Speciosa is highly 

 spoken of for tliis purpose, and is quite 

 hardy. — Ed.] 



22. Half-Standard Apples. — Would trees 

 branching about two Jeet high be better 

 than Standards for this section ? 



[H. E., Napanee.] 

 Yes, if you can manage the cultiva- 

 tion. A low head is a great protection 

 to the trunk from the scorching rays of 

 the sun. No doubt the best way to 

 obtain them would be by topping off 

 two-year-olds at the desii'ed height. 



23. Spot-Free Apples. — Please give me a 

 list. [H. E.] 



Yellow Transparent, Red Astracan, 

 Duchess of Oldenburgh, Gi*avenstein, 

 Wealthy, Ribston, King, Mann, Golden 

 Russet, and others. Of these the Trans- 

 ])arent, Duchess, Ribston, Mann and 

 Russet are, we believe, absolutely free. 



)rkntifii:. 



CANADIAN PHOSPHATES. 



p. O. BUCKB, OTTAWA. 



The following paper is principally 

 taken from a most exhaustive and 

 admirable essay on the phosphate beds 

 of the world, read by H. B. Small, 

 Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, 

 before the Hamilton Association last 

 summer : — 



A short review of the phosphate fields 

 of Canada may not be uninteresting to 

 the readers of the Horticulturist, espe- 

 cially when we consider that the above 

 ingredient is essential to all living tis- 

 sues, whether vegetable or animal. 

 This substance is repeatedly passing 

 through its three great changes ; it is 

 found in the soil, from which it enters 

 into the composition of plants, from 

 them it is absorbed into animals, and 

 again deposited in the soil to pass 



