Thp: Canadian Horticulturist. 277 



THE PROXINCIAL APPPLE CROP REPORT. 



Prof. James, of the P.ureau of Industries, Toronto, has just issued a repoit of the 

 apple crop, based upon replies from very numerous inquiries, sent out hy the Department. 

 This corresponds very nearly with the report already given our readers, through these 

 columns. He says that the crop is almost a failure along the lakes from Sarnia to Toronto. 

 The prospects are better eastward through Ontario, Durham, Northumberland, Hastings, 

 Lennox, and I'rince Edward counties ; better still in the 8t. Lawrence and Ottawa dis- 

 tricts, and heavy in the Georgian Bay and adjacent counties south, as Huron, Bruce, Grey, 

 Simcoe, Perth, Wellington, Waterloo. 



He estimates the total production of Ontario for this season at 3,.384,179 lbs., and 

 most correspondents place the whole apple crop of Ontario at less than one-half a full yield. 

 .Apples really suitable for export are likely to be few. 



Exports of Canadian apples are valued at about one-half those of the United States : 

 our total apple exports for the last three years amounting to $3,969,05.5, while those of our 

 American cousins amounted to $6,597,065. 



The variety of apples most grown in Ontario are as follows : Six autumn — Oldenburg, 

 Fameuse, Colvert, St. Lawrence, Fall Pippin and Alexander. Six xvinter — Spy, Baldwin, 

 Greening, Golden Russet, Roxbury, King. 



The Market for Winter Apples promises to be good. As will be seen from our 

 various reports, the American crop is short, and our apples will be wanted at high prices 

 by our neighbors to the south of us. Any one who has a crop of clean apples will do well 

 to wait for a good offer before selling. 



Pinching Bi.acki!Errie.s. — A subscriber recently made some inquiry about 

 pruning small fruits. Mr. Thayer, a member of the Minnesota Hort. Society, 

 speaking of pinching blackberries, says, that he performs this operation for 

 the most part, when the canes are about ten inches high. Formerly he had 

 left them until they were ten or fifteen inches high. He was led to make a 

 change from noting the effect of a severe frost cutting off the new shoots, when 

 they were six or eight inches high. He found that the stubs, thus made, threw 

 out new branches, and these formed the best canes he had ever had. The 

 result of his nipping them at ten inches was a finer growth of canes than he 

 ever had before. He is also careful to remove the surplus canes as soon as 

 possible, with the pruning knife, treating all suckers as weeds. He finds that 

 a blackberry plantation will, if cared for, last twenty or thirty years. The 

 varieties which he grows are, the Briton for the main crop, with a few Snyder's 

 to begin with. With good culture he finds the Snyder fairly productive, giving 

 him from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five bushels to the acre, but 

 the Briton has averaged one hundred and fifty, and in some cases, two hundred 

 bushels. 



To keep the curculio from the plum trees, stir one c[uart of lime thoroughly 

 in two gallons of water, strain through a cloth and add an ounce of sulphur. 

 Spray the trees with this solution about a week after the blossoms are off and 

 when the fruit is formed : repeat the operation in two weeks, and again in three 

 or four weeks more, and you will have plenty of fruit. About four or five times 

 is all that is needed, and the two gallons will answer for three trees. The cur- 

 culio can be kept off by corn cobs boiled in sweet water and hung on the trees. 

 —A. T. S., Clearfield, Pa. 



