THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



201 



the attacks of fungus, and the bunches 

 ai'e safe. This remedy is of easy ap- 

 plication, and it is perfectly 



SAFE FROM POISONING 



either our fruit or ourselves. Although 

 at one time we had much ti-ouble from 

 the various forms of fungus on the 

 leaf and in the fruit, yet since our 

 present practice they have almost en- 

 tirely disappeared, to our great satis- 

 faction. 



Now, with respect to 



THE SURPLUS LEAVES AND BRANCHES, 



and their destruction, I would rather 

 advise to leave them lying where they 

 fall. Early in the season, after the 

 vines are put up on the trellises from 

 their winter quarters, we start the one 

 horse orchard plow in the vineyard, 

 and cover all, both leaves and branches, 

 securely up, to decompose quietly in 

 the soil, and help our future crops. We 

 find great benefit from this practice in 

 the future quality of our vines and the 

 future beautiful perfect fruit. This 

 method is far preferable to the waste- 

 ful practice of burning the refuse, and 

 pays us, we think, much better. I 

 may say, too, as you all know that this 

 country is a very poor locality to 

 practice waste of any kind, it rather 

 efiectually makes us economical and 



SAVING OF EVERY MATERIAL 



that may be useful to our fai'ms or to 

 our gardens or orchards or vineyards. 

 Although these above remarks on this 

 subject may be now altogether too late 

 for practical value this season, and I 

 am very sorry for this, yet they may 

 possibly be of some service to some 

 young vineyardist in the seasons which 

 are to come. I would just say in 

 closing that our prospects for a large 

 and handsome showing of the finest 

 grapes ever seen, were never better, 

 and could not be desired better in all 

 sorts and colours. 

 Arkona, Aug. 10, 1887. 



STRAWBERRY NOTES FOR 1887. 



BV P. M. AUGUR, CONNECTICUT STATE POMOLOGIST. 



The strawberry season has been a 

 very peculiar one. In this locality the 

 month of May showed a rainfall of only 

 .22 inch, which is less than in twenty- 

 nine years before. Hence the crop was 

 considerably lighter than was expected, 

 although better than we feared. Our 



LEADING VARIETY 



is the Jewell, and each year's experience 

 adds to our faith in it as the very best 

 for our market. Weddings, festivals 

 and all public feasts call for the Jewell. 

 Our dealers crowds other good varieties 

 into second grade. Its strong points 

 ai'e large average size, a perfect lustrous 

 crimson color, good quality, and un- 

 equalled productiveness ; but, being 

 pistillate, every third, forth or fifth row 

 should be some bi-sexual vai-iety, such 

 as Sharpless, Ontario or Belmont, etc. 

 Yet the pistillate varieties, as a rule, 

 exceed the bi-sexual in productiveness, 

 and in raising seedlings we choose seed 

 from pistillate varieties as the mother 

 plants. As we grow plants for market 

 we have a long list of varieties, which 

 we make shorter year by year, and the 

 list is now twice too long. 



The Wilson, the grand old Wilson, is, 

 by us, believed to be superannuated ; 

 the fruit runs too small after the first 

 picking. Charles Downing is still fairly 

 good when it does not rust, and for a 

 medium-sized berry answers. 



Crescent and Ironclad are early but 

 too small. 



Gipsy is also early and of excellent 

 quality, but not sutficiently productive 

 as a market berry. 



Miner is good, but displaced by the 

 Jewell where beauty, size and carrying 

 qualities are desired. 



The Belmont is a choice variety and 

 attracts considerable attention. It is 

 later than Jewell, longer in form, is 

 bi-sexual, slightly better in quality, but 

 not as attractive in form or color and 



