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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



^hc danaiiian portirultorist. 



)N Illus- 

 trated 

 ! Monthly Journal, de- 

 I voted to the interests 

 of Fruit Growers, 

 Gardeners, and Gentle- 

 men owning rural or su- 

 burljan homes, 



Subscription price $1.00 

 per year, entitling the subscri- 

 ber to membership of the Fruit Grow- 

 ers' Association of Ontario and all its 

 privileges, including a copy of its 

 valuable Annual Report, and a share in its 

 annual distribution of plants and trees. 



This Journal is not published in the in- 

 terests, or for the pecuniaiy advantage of 

 any one, but its pages are devoted wholly to 

 the progress of Horticultural Science and 

 Art in Canada. 



The Horticultural Show at the Industrial 

 Exhibition, Toronto, was in some 

 respects most creditaVjle. The Floral 

 Hall was lighted with electric lights in 

 the evening, and the display of green- 

 house plants was profuse and ari'anged in 

 good taste. But the fruits, especially 

 the apples and pears, were put aside in 

 canvas tents, which wex'e miserably 

 lighted in the evening. 



One great fault in this de])artment 

 was the lack of proper labels for the 

 different varieties of fruits] and flowers 

 shown. To make a show of fruits pro- 

 fitable to the visitor it is all-important 

 that the names should be clearly seen, 

 and thus a knowledge of excellent varie- 

 ties widely diffused thi'oiighout the 

 country. A few plates of fruits were 



properly labelled by means of the wire 

 support which lifted the label above the 

 fruit so that it could be easily seen, and 

 where printed in large typs the name was 

 easily rea<l, without stooping. But, in 

 most cases, the labels were either pasted 

 on the fruit, or written ina most illegible 

 style, on a sli[) which was di-op])ed on 

 the plate, and hidden beneath the speci- 

 mens. 



The same defect was observable in 

 the exhibit of flowers. It was only by 

 searcliing that the amateur could suc- 

 ceed in finding the specific names, nor 

 would the search be in every case suc- 

 cessful. Now it is surely not too high 

 an aim for such exhibitions to endeavor 

 to educate the public concerning the 

 names and groupings of choice plants, 

 and we would suggf-st the use of plainly 

 printed labels of the varieties shown, 

 and these conspicuously placed for the 

 benefit of all. These should be pro- 

 vided by the Directors, all uniform in 

 style, and each exhibitor obliged to use 

 them. 



Prof. C. H. Bessy, in American Agri- 

 c'dturlst, says we should put the study 

 of soils, plants, animals, air and clouds, 

 &c., into our schools. The farmer's 

 profession is about the only one for 

 which the man is not specially prepared 

 by study or training ; hence when he 

 meets with grasses, poisonous weeds, 

 smuts, rusts, insect foes, &c., &c., he is 

 wholly ignorant of the objects before 

 him. Certainly the Professor has the 

 right of it, and we are glad to notice 

 that Prof. Mills, of Guelph Agricul- 

 tural College, advocates an improve- 

 ment in this particular in our Canadian 

 schools. 



Don't allow the weeds to ripen their 

 seeds. Just now the ugly ragweed 

 (Ambrosia bidentata) and the Common 

 Burdock (Lappa major) arc maturing 



