THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



167 



any of the risks from unfavorable 

 chances of the weather. 



REPLIES TO PREVIOUS INQUIRIES. 



Ants. — The Popular Gardening gives 

 the following methods of destroying 

 them : " Trapping with sptonge. Ob- 

 tain pieces of large coarse sponge. Dip 

 them in sweetened water and place on 

 old black dishes where the ants abound. 

 When they are black with ants throw 

 them into boiling water, afterwards 

 washing them out and i-enewing the 

 process till the colony is destroyed. 



Poisoning. Place a dish containing a 

 mixture of molasses and Paris green or 

 London purple where the ants have 

 access to it." 



Sea-Kale. — I gi-ow it and have lots of 

 it in winter, and I can assure you it is 

 a capita] vegetable. I i-aise it from 

 seed sown in spring, or from pieces of 

 the root, and planted in the same 

 way as horse-radish. In November I 

 dig up the roots and winter them in a 

 cool cellar. And as I want some Kale, 

 fill a box with roots — tops up — and 

 set another box on top to blanch the 

 young growth which are the parts to 

 be used, and bring them into warm 

 quarters anywhere. They are very 

 sensitive to heat, and start into growth 

 quickly. — Wm. Falconer in P.G. 



Sea-Kale. — Sir : In a recent number 

 of the Canadian Horticulturist, I saw 

 an enquiry if sea-kale could be grown 

 in Canada. Yes, it does grow here 

 most luxuriantly, is of easy culture, and 

 quite repays the slight tax on time and 

 patience. The plan adopted to raise 

 plants was as follows : The seeds were 

 sown early in autumn (about Septem- 

 bex'), when the young plants appear in 

 spring put them out into their perman- 

 ent places, three plants in a hill, the 

 hills not less than three feet each way. 

 When the plants are a year old (from 

 the seed sowing) prepare them for 



winter in the following manner : cut 

 the large leaves, not too close to the 

 centre, then enrich the surrounding 

 earth with good strawy stable manure 

 (not too close to the stalks), with a 

 liberal portion of salt, sift fine coal 

 ashes or sand over the plants, let them 

 remain undisturbed till spring, when 

 the breaking of the top of the cones of 

 sand or coal, will show the plants are 

 ready to be cut for the table. The 

 kale can be forced by placing barrels 

 over them, the manure outside and the 

 sand inside. When the crop has been 

 used, spread the ashes manure with a 

 liberal supply of salt around the hills, 

 mix well with the surrounding earth, 

 keep free fi-om weeds, this constitutes 

 the summer treatment. By this 

 method you have a most acceptable 

 vegetable which, with asparagus, gives 

 a variety until others are ready. 



An Amateu^r. 



We tvill gladly give our candid opinion of any books, 

 magazines or catalogues received, especially if they 

 are likely to interest or benefit Canadian fruit 

 growers, but iirill not insert cut and dried reading 

 notices in fav\,r of any publication lohatever. 



The Dominion Exhibition. — We have 

 received a copy of the Prize List, just 

 issued, for the Dominion Exhibition, 

 which is this year to be held at Toronto 

 in conjunction with the Annual In- 

 dustrial Fair, from the fifth to the 1 7th 

 September next. Any of our readers 

 who may desire a copy can obtain one 

 by dropping a post card to Mr. H. J. 

 Hill, the Secretary, Toronto. 



Arborictdture and Agriculture, or Fore.st 

 ry and Farming in Ontario, Toronto, 

 1886. 



A pamphlet written by T. B. White, 

 of Clarksburg, Ont. It is the substance 

 of a paper read at the Centre Grey 

 Farmers' Institute at Thornbury, and 

 boldly calls into question the position 



