16 THE CANADIAN IIOUTICULTUKIST. 



■will command the market. But in the mere northern latitudes, where 

 the Hartford Prolific suffers from the severity of the climate, and the 

 heat of summer is not of sufficient duration to ripen the Concord 

 perfectly, then the Champion may be grown with profit. Yet it seems 

 to us that there are now coming into cultivation other early ripening 

 sorts which are of better quality, and give promise of being equally 

 hardy. Should these prove sufficiently hardy to endure the cold of 

 northern Canada they will be likely to supersede the Champion, whose 

 chief recommendation is the great hardiness of the vine and early 

 ripening of the fruit, which sells readily in city niarkets when freshly 

 ixatliered. 



ZINNIA CULTURE. 



BY CHARLES JAMES FOX, DELAWARE. 



For upwards of twenty years I have grown Zinnias from seed, 

 which was procured from James Vick, and on reading Mv. Hood's 

 article, was induced to add my experience as a grower of Zinnias. 

 Last year, having laid out a new garden, I had a poor sandy bank frou' 

 which the top soil had been removed. A portion of it was planter 

 with spruce, which I well mulched with good rotted manure, leavini 

 a strip about six feet wide for shrubs. But not having time last spring 

 the strip was left vacant, and having a lot of Zinnia plants over after 

 planting on well prepared soil, my better half said, " Plant the bank 

 with them." I did so, and to my surprise I never had a better show 

 of well formed "flowers, far ahead of those in a good rich border. Where 

 the Zinnias flourished. Dahlias, Balsams, and many other flowers 

 failed. Now the question is, if good strong plants are raised, (mine 

 were twice transplanted,) will they not do better on a poor soil if the 

 aspect is good, rather than on a rich soil? The latter produces growth 

 of plant, the former the extra growth and beauty of the blossoms. 



Here is a suggestion worthy of attention. Doubtless many who 

 have given the Zinnia careful culture and just the richest bed in the 

 flower garden have been dissapointed because the flowers did not come 

 up to their expectations. There is such a thing, it seems, as spoilinor 

 flowers, as well as children, by over indulgence. — Ed. 



