158 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



In a day by one person, and costing 

 from I to 1 cent per pound of fruit. 



The advantiges of bagging grapes 

 may be summed up as follows : Free- 

 dom from the aUacks of beetles, grass- 

 hoppers, fowls, birds, etc. ; prevention 

 of mildew and I'ot ; protection against 

 frosts ; improved appearance and de- 

 velopment, the bloom more perfect, the 

 beri'ies larger and uniformly line, and 

 the general appearance more attractive. 

 While the color of red and white gi-apes 

 may be somewhat lighter for the bag- 

 ging, black grapes are said to be fully 

 as black and covered with a heavy 

 bloom. There is said to be no material 

 difference in the ripening of bagged or 

 unbagged clusters. 



The time to bag the fruit is early in 

 the summer, as soon in fact as it is well 

 set. If it be done before the berries 

 are as large as peas, they will be saved 

 the depredations from the little beetles 

 which some years begin very early 

 their attacks on the fruit. 



For family use especially, the satis- 

 faction of having the fruit turn out so 

 much better in general should lead to 

 this course being adopted by all who 

 have vines. Thei'e will be ample com- 

 pensation for the small trouble and 

 expense involved. To what extent 

 bagging will come into use with market 

 growers remains to be seen ; perhaps in 

 the more favorable localities for the 

 graj^e it would be looked upon as a 

 needless outlay, but without question 

 in many ethers the improvement in the 

 fruit would easily outweigh the cost 

 and trouble of the bagging. — Ex. 



back to within five or six feet of the 

 ground. 



Hardiness of the Champion. — Rev. Francis 

 Coleman, of Hamilton, says his Cham- 

 pion gi-ape vine, the fruit of which he 

 values for the manufacture of home 

 made wine, has not proved as hardy 

 with him as some other kinds. It had 

 grown up twenty-five feet over a large 

 -trellis, and this spring he finds it killed 



A NEW HAND CULTIVATOR. 



We are always glad to notice any new 

 Canadian invention, especially when it 

 is designed for the use of the gardener, 

 or the fruit grower. And now when 

 many of our readers are very busily 

 engaged in keeping down the weeds in 

 their patches of onions, carrots ifec, in 

 th 'ir garden, we give place for a cut of 

 a new combined weeder and cultivator 

 invented by Mr. S. H. Mitchell, of St. 

 Mary's, Ont. 



The inventor describes his instru- 

 ment thus : — 



" It has double-edged knife with sides 

 bent inward so as to let the knife yjass 

 close to large plants without injuring 

 leaves or stems. 



" The double-edged kni.e will cut 

 backwards as well as forward, so that 

 by successive strokes backward and 

 forwai'd the soil can be moved two or 

 three inches deep if required ; or should 

 there be any obstruction in the ground, 

 causing the knife to jump out, the 

 operator can in a moment draw a 

 stroke backward, and cut every weed 

 clean. 



"It has cultivator teeth that can be 

 set to cultivate between two rows that 

 ai-e from eight to fifteen inches apart, 

 and by running twice between rows 

 two feet can be cultivated. They are 

 designed for deep cultivation, where 

 soil has become hard or crusted. The 

 teeth are curved, and have sharp chisel 

 points that cut eveiy thing that they 

 pass, the shanks being brought to a 

 knife elge, so that while all the soil is 

 moved, none of it is thrown on the 

 plants or misplaced. 



" Teeth can be used with or without 

 knife, or knife and ])art of teeth can 

 be used, as seen in cut. 



" Knife and teeth are all solid steel, 



