208 



VHK OA.NA.DIAN HORriCULTURIST. 



flowers, but not what might have been 

 expected from a city of the dimensions 

 of Toronto, with its wealth and luxury. 

 A fine Palm, raised on a platform, 

 spread its branches over a considerable 

 portion of the centre of the pavilion. 

 The conservatory portion of the build- 

 ing was empty, if we may except a 

 few miserable looking plants in pots, 

 placed around to hide the nakedness of 

 the place. 



The exhibit of fruit would not have 

 been worthy of a township exhibition, 

 and this in the height of the fruit sea- 

 son ; just a few small plates containing 

 faii'ly good specimens of the different 

 varieties, sufficient in number to rake 

 in the prizes. 



At the meeting of the Ontario Fruit 

 Growers' Ass'n., recently held in Col- 

 lingwood, great stress was laid upon the 

 fact that the show of fruit, at the Inter- 

 colonial Exhibition, was so grand that 

 the people of the old country could 

 scarcely believe Canada was able to pro- 

 duce such fruits. If any travellers 

 passing through Toronto witnessed the 

 meagre display made by the Horticul' 

 tural society, they would certainly not 

 receive a very favorable impression. 



The Horticultural Society sadly wants 

 waking up. New blood will have to 

 be infused into it. There is too much 

 " old fogyism" connected with it. 



A LEAF MINER AT THE BEET 

 LEAVES. 



J. Pettit, Entomologist, says he 

 has found a leaf miner at work in a 

 garden near Grimsby upon the beet 

 leaves. Noticing the peculiar blotched 

 appearance of the leaves he had observed 

 them carefully, and discovered a small 

 fly near the edge of one. Having cap- 

 tured the fly with the leaf, he observed 

 that the fly had just deposited a couple 



of minute eggs, more of which were 

 found upon further investigation. In 

 process of time the larvje of these flies 

 issued from the eggs and entering the 

 parenchyma, or substance of the leaf 

 between the upper and under skin, 

 began mining away good sized patches 

 of it. 



One peculiai'ity was that instead of 

 each larva making for himself a new 

 path, all would enter by the opening 

 made by the leader, and then they 

 would diverge. 



Mr. Pettit says he fui'ther observed 

 that a beetle of the genus Carabidae, a 

 Bembidium, preyed upon the larva of 

 this fly, and may perhaps so keep it in 

 check as to prevent any great damage. 



According to Mr. D. W. Beadle, of 

 St. Catharines, the English Sparrow 

 has also been seen pecking out the larvte 

 of this leaf miner from the beet leaves. 



©pen fetters. 



FALL vs. SPRING PLANTING. 



Sir : Now that the nui'sery agent is 

 about, pressing for fall orders, a few 

 remarks on the purchase of fruit trees 

 in the fall might not be out of season. 

 Many reliable nurserymen, with ap- 

 parent sincerity, strongly recommend 

 the purchase of fruit trees in the fall 

 in preference to the spring time. My 

 experience has led me to advocate the 

 very opposite practice. For example, 

 during the past five or six years I have 

 planted on my half acre lot twenty-six 

 pear trees. Out of the lot I have but 

 two fall purchased trees growing, and 

 have only lost one or two that were pur- 

 chased in the spring. The fall stock 

 was " heeled in " up to the branches, 

 and allowed to remain till the spring 

 was well opened. They were then 

 taken out, flushed with sap, with buds 

 full to bursting, and planted. In a few 

 days the buds had opened, and, to all 



