The Canadian Horticli.turist. 15 



In vincyardism, and all that pertains to the cultivation ot tiic jirapc and the 

 production of wine, the ancients of Italy and Scicily were umiuesuonably in 

 advance of the inhabitants of this continent of America to day. But wnatever 

 those two countries mentioned may do in the grape in this age, it is quite certam 

 they cannot compete with America, and especially this part of it which we call 

 our Canada, in that king of staple fruits, the apple. \'irgil speaks of the varieties 

 of the apple ripened and mellowed by the frost of winter, but the winter varieties 

 of these Mediterranean countries are very inferior to the winter lists now given m 

 the catalogues of this country. And even their summer varieties are menaced 

 by blights and ravished by insect i)ests beyond remedy. They have no Baldwin, 

 no Northern Spy, no King, nor many other of the choice winter varieties we 

 pride ourselves as Canadians in possessing. The pear which, according to Vir- 

 gil, flourished in profusion and splendor before the Christian era, has likewise 

 deteriorated, though in that delicious fruit the Mediterranean coasts have 

 excelled in all ages. 



But 1 am now reminded that in my last contribution I promised to tell you 

 about the native home of the Saunders plum, which I believe I discovered dur- 

 ing my summer visit east of Toronto. If 1 am correct in my belief, I will take 

 back all that I have said about there being no plum tree proof against black- 

 knot. About mid-way between the towns of Port Hope and Cobourg, there is a 

 farm, owned twenty-five or thirty years ago by a Mr. Jeckel, conjointly with Mr. 

 John Wade, father of the present Secretary of the Ontario Agricultural and Arts 

 Association. Mr. Jeckel was an English gentleman, advanced in agricultural 

 and horticultural science, and giving his attention chiefly to the latter. The 

 farm, being situated in the Township of Hamilton, was commonly known as the 

 Hamilton Gardens. On this farm the plum now known as the Saunders, came 

 into existence nearly thirty years ago. The parent tree suckered freely, and Mr. 

 Jeckel gave the young shoots to friends both east and west, some of them going 

 down near Belleville, but none going west farther than Port Hope, that I could 

 get trace of. I saw trees in September at least twenty years old, and ate fruit 

 from them. In one place there were old cherry trees growing among them full 

 of and partly dying from black-knot, but the plum trees grew and bore on with- 

 out a sign of black-knot on them. The trees grow to a large size and bear when 

 (juite young, but do not bear regularly. If this one defect could be overcome, 

 the Saunders plum — or at least the ])lum which I believe to be the Saunders — 

 is the plum for this country, and cannot be too extensively desseminated. It is 

 of good size, yellow in color and excellent in flavor. 



Mitchell, Out. __^ T. H. Race. 



CAF.BA<;fc:.s can be kept nicely in a barrel, packed in cut straw or even hay 

 well dampened. Trim the heads all ready for cooking, and pack in a layer of 

 straw, one of cabbage, and so on, until the barrel is full. Remember, the straw 

 mijst be wet when the cabbage is put in, but no water is needed afterward. 

 Keep in the kitchen or outhouse. Thev may freeze, but that will not hurt them 

 in the least. — Weekly Star. 



