114 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUKI8T 



year. He leaves a vacancy wliicli will 

 not be filled. Neither he nor his 

 brother left any children to perpetuate 

 their memory. Many of the agricultu- 

 i-al and horticultural papers contained 

 notices of obituary, and many societies 

 passed resolutions of regret. 



Thus we have very briefly and im- 

 perfectly, but as fully as our informa- 

 tion would allow, attempted to fulfill 

 your desire to give you a notice of 

 Charles Downing. The industrious in 

 praiseworthy work, as well as the 

 righteous " Shall be held in everlasting 

 I'emembrance." 



THE 



Caimbiaii gorticiiltuiist. 



(X)N Illus- 

 trated 

 I Monthly Journal, de- 

 voted to the interests 

 of Fruit Growers, 

 Gardeners, and Gentle- 

 men owning rural or su- 

 burban homes. 



Subscription price $1.00 

 per year, entitling the subscri- 

 ber to membership of the Fruit Grow- 

 ers' Association of Ontario and all its 

 privileges, including a copy of its 

 valuable Annual Eepox't, and a sbai-e in its 

 annual distribution of plants and trees. 



This Journal is not published in the in- 

 terests, or for the pecuniary advantage of 

 any one, but its pages are devoted wholly to 

 the progress of Horticultural Science and 

 Art in Canada. We aim at the development 

 of the fruit growing industry in our Province ; 

 at the general distribution of knowledge con- 



cerning all the newest and best varieties of 

 fruits ; and at the education of a refined 

 taste in the art of decorative gardening 

 around the homes of our Canadian people. 



With such ends in view we invite the co- 

 operation of the lovers of Horticulture both 

 in extending the membeiship of the Fruit 

 Growers' Association of Ontario, and in con- 

 tributing to these pages such items as may 

 be of general interest and profit. 



Report for 1886. — I am sorry to notice 

 in the Horticulturist, that '86 report is 

 under the usual size. By the way, I 

 would like to see those reports bound 

 by the Ontario Government. I have 

 to pay 70 cents a copy to get them 

 bound. D. E. BLOOMriELD, Scotland. 



It is a matter of general regret that 

 the Report for 1886 should be so unu- 

 sually suiall. The Report for the win- 

 ter meeting at Stratford, in Februaiy, 

 '86, was taken down by an incompetent 

 stenographer, and therefore fully one- 

 half the matter was lost. We can 

 safely promise the members of our 

 Association a large enough Report of 

 this year's papers and discussions to 

 make up for that of '86. 



The Secretary is now mailing the 

 Report of 1886, having waited vainly 

 for that of The Entomological Society. 

 The latter will be sent separately when 

 ready. 



It would indeed be highly apprecia- 

 ted by us if the Ontario Government 

 would contimie binding the Reports, 

 and we hope yet to obtain such a favor. 



Firming the Soil. — In planting trees, 

 vines, plants, or cuttings, es[)ecially in 

 dry weather, it is all important to press 

 down the earth firmly about them. 

 Probably a good many of the com- 

 plaints of failure with plants received 

 from the Association have resulted 

 from neglect of this important item. 

 The planting of a tree seems to be a 

 very simj)le operation, and yet the in- 

 ex2:)erienced planter will often make 

 most egregious blunders. The hole 



