174 



THE CANADIAN HOKTIOULTUKISI , 



Horsechestnut, or at least one part of 

 the tree has now for two years per- 

 sisted in producing leaves beautifully 

 variegated with white and green. If 

 this curious growth could be propagat- 

 ed by budding or grafting, it would in- 

 deed be a desirable object upon a lawn. 

 Our Association carries away from 

 the Collingwood friends their hearty 

 good wishes, and an earnest invitation 

 to revisit that towu at as early a date 

 as jjossible. 



KEEPING QUALITIES OF THE WEALTHY 

 APPLE. 



A. nOOD, BARRIB. 



My attention has been called to 

 the keeping and other qualities of the 

 "Wealthy Apple, by reading an article 

 in your July issue from the pen of T. 

 H. Hoskins, of Vermont. 



Although this variety has been 

 steadily gaining in favour since its first 

 inti-oduction, I feel sure that it is not 

 even yet appreciated at its proper value ; 

 for when we take into consideration the 

 hardiness of the tree ; the early age at 

 which it comes into bearing ; its regu- 

 lar annual productiveness; fine size, 

 beauty, and regulai'ity of the fruits ; 

 and its high standing as a dessert as 

 well as a cooking apple ; where, oh 

 ■where ! particularly in the north shall 

 "we turn to find its equal 1 



The distribution of fruit all over the 

 Ift-anches instead of being clustered on 

 spurs is, as remai-ked by Mr. Hoskins, 

 one great point in its favour; and an- 

 other, on which he is silent, but on 

 which I c:jn scarcely set too high a 

 value is that when the apples do fall off 

 the trees, which they are as little likely 

 to do as any other kinds ; they will nob 

 show a bruise, and can be sent to mar- 

 ket along with the hand-picked without 

 fear of complaints ; and as regards 

 keeping qualities I am a little afraid to 

 tell the truth for fear I may not be 

 believed. 



On reading Mr. Hoskin's article, 

 which was of course after 1st July, 

 where he speaks of having them in 

 good condition till 23rd March, I re- 

 member that my wife bi'ought a plate 

 of Wealthys out of the cellar about the 

 1st June, and they were then in good 

 eating condition, so, thinking it pos- 

 sible there might be some left, I 

 bi'ought up a crock in which the 

 remains of my stock of one kind or 

 other had been left to get rotten, 

 emptied out the contents, and found 

 amongst them four or five sound 

 Wealthys, and a number half rotten ; 

 the sound ones were plump as when 

 first picked, the juice of the half rotten 

 ones having swelled the flesh, and in 

 good eatable condition. 



Now will your readers be able to 

 believe that I have sound Wealthy 

 apples on 3rd July, in this jubilee 

 year, that were grown in 1886 ] Per- 

 haps not, but it is a fact nevertheless, 

 for they were picked on the first week 

 in October ; were kept in a cellar that 

 was not frost proof, and were conse- 

 quently frozen ; they remained in that 

 condition a cou]ile of rnonths or so, 

 came out of tlie frozen state uninjured, 

 and have kept as above stated. 



JUDGING FRUITS. 



Pkesident Lyon writes a very sen- 

 sible article in the /?wnt^ about judging 

 fruits, showing that the work of the 

 judges may be very materially lessened 

 and their investigations directed by 

 care in framing premiiim lists, and by 

 certain judicious rules. Speaking of 

 the Michigan State Horticultural 

 Society he writes as follows : — 



"The fruits grown in the State, 

 whether valuable or otherwise, are 

 alphabetically arranged in the society's 

 catalogue, and the comparative values 

 of the varieties are given by means of a 

 scale, varying from 1 to 10; the values 

 for cookiiig, market and dessert being 



