262 



THE CANAHIAN HORTICULTOR18T. 



ries were shipped over the Delaware 

 Railroad. 



Thit department if intended as an open one to enerii 

 reader of the "Horticulturist" to send in either 

 question's or answers. Often a reader will be able to 

 ansnrr a question which, has been left unanswered, 

 or only partially answered by us. For convenience 

 of reference the questions are nunib»red, and any 

 one replying or referring to any question will 

 please mention the number of it. 



71. Bliss' Triumph Potato. — JDo you 

 know anything of Bliss' IViumph po- 

 tato ? Is it earlier or later than the 

 Early Rose? L. F. S. 



REPLY BY J. A. BRUCE. 



Bliss' Triumph may be thus des- 

 cribed : tubers of medium size, round 

 and uniform in shape, with but very 

 few small ones ; eyes slightly depressed ; 

 color a beautiful light red ; flesh fine 

 gi-ain and of excellent flavor. Messrs. 

 Bliss & Sons described and recom- 

 mended it as eai-lier than the Early 

 Rose, but the public preferred the Early 

 Rose. We observe by United States 

 catalogues that it is better adapted for 

 a southern latitude than most other 

 varieties. 



72. Bursting Bark. — For bursting of 

 the bark on apple trees, some grotvers 

 recommend slitting the bark from top 

 to bottom of trunk with a sharj) knife. 

 Is this advisable 1 If so, on which 

 side of the tree should it be done ? And 

 at what season ? G. J. K,., Penetang. 



The bursting of the bark of apple 

 trees is caused by excessive cold in 

 winter. The freezing of the sa{) cau.ses 

 a sudden expansion of the cells which 

 contain it, rupturing their walls, and 

 destroying the bark. Some varieties 

 called " ii'on-clads " withstand a greater 

 amount of cold than others. Slitting 

 the bark would neither prevent nor 

 cure this evil. 



73. Budding and Grafting. — What is the 



best practical work on budding and 

 grafting? G. .j. R. 



Either " Thomas' Fruit Culturist " or 

 "Barry's Fruit Garden"' would probably 

 give you all the information you re- 

 quire, and very much beside. 



74. Clay Loam. — What chemical con- 

 stituents does clay loam, possess tohich 

 are lacking in sandy loam ? G. J. R. 



ANSWER BY J. A. MORTON, WINGHAM. 



Loams are soils, mixtui'es of clay, 

 sand, carbonate of lime and animal or 

 vegetable matter in decay, which derive 

 their distinctive names from the pre- 

 ponderating ingredient — clay loam, 

 when the greater projiortion is clay, 

 calcareous loam, when lime is the chief 

 ingredient and sandy loam, if a greater 

 admixture of sand than either of the 

 ethers. Speaking genei'ally, all loams 

 contain the same elements ; ths differ- 

 ence being one of pi'0])ortion in the 

 elementary constituents. The chemical 

 constituents in fei-tile soils are: Oxygen, 

 carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phos})horus, 

 sulphur, silica, alumina, soda, potash, 

 irod, magnesia, calcium (lime), chlorine, 

 and perhaps iodine, bi-omine, lithia, 

 and fluorine, with maybe other ele- 

 ments, according to the composition of 

 the rocks of which the soil is dis- 

 integrate. 



75. Rogers' Grapes, 9, 15, and 22. — Does 

 the Lindley, the Agawam, and the Salem 

 grape ripen with the Concord, or is each 

 earlier or later, respectively ? Which 

 of the three is the better grape ? Will 

 they ripen in this district before the 



frost comes ? L. F. Selleck, 



^lorrisburg, Ont. 



The Salem and the Agawam ripen 

 very soon after the Concord, and the 

 Lindley a little before it. In quality, 

 the Salem is preferred by many. It is 

 large, show\% rich, and excellent ; but 

 it is vex'y subject to mildew, for which 

 reason it is now seldom planted, except 

 l)y the amateur. The Agawam is also 



