The Canadian Horticulturist. 



31 



THE SUMMER FROST. 



Sir, — In my letter of Dec. 4th last year, I 

 gave you in brief detail a statement of all the 

 plants I had received from the Ontario Fruit 

 Growers'Association to date, and the results 

 of my experience with them, and hoped to 

 have been able to give you a correspondingly 

 satisfactory account of the results of the 

 past summer; but am sorry to have to report 

 a very different state of affairs. The frost 

 of the 28th of May last did a serious amount 

 of damage to the fruit crops of Ontario. 

 Few, if any, localities escaped harmless, 

 while to the Province generally the effect of 

 it was most disastrous. Doubtless it was 

 felt more severely in many places than in 

 our favorsd Toronto ; but, even here, in most 

 cases, it was ruinous to orchards and gar- 

 dens. I lost of my grapes four-fifths, straw- 

 berries two-thirds, raspberries three-fourths, 

 apples two-thirds, all my plums — though I 

 believe the curculio had something to do 

 with this, and the portions I did save were 

 inferior in quality and deficient in quantity. 

 I had good yields of gooseberries, currants 

 — red, white and especially black. Of these 

 the quality was exceptionally fine; also black- 

 berries. 



In Canada, early springs are inevitably 

 injurious to most of the products of the soil, 

 and I sincerely hope it will be long before 

 we have another spring like that of the pre- 

 sent year. — Believe me, yours very truly, J. 

 L. Thompson, Toronto. 



apples, and a strong grower. — S. Green- 

 field, Archville, Nepean, Carlton Co. 



GOOSEBERRY MILDEW— JOHN 

 HOPPER ROSE. 



Sir, — I notice complaints about mildew on 

 gooseberries. I have "Downing" and 

 ' ' Crown Bob," and have never seen a speck 

 of mildew during the last ten years. I 

 always plant them where they can get plenty 

 of sun and air, and never apply any manure 

 except the house ashes from hard wood. 



I have had " John Hopper" rose for several 

 years. It is a splendid rose and flowers all 

 the summer. I first saw it on a garden wall 

 in Scotland. 



Wishing you the compliments of the merry 

 season, I am, yours faithfully, A. D. Fer- 

 RiER, FergUH, Ont. 



THE SWITZER APPLE. 



Sir, — The Switzer apple that I received 

 has had fruit on it two years. The fruit is 

 very good and a good size. It has the flavor 

 of a peach when ripe. If it islet remain on, 

 it changes its flavor. It is as hardy as the 

 Duchess, and ripens the same time. It does 

 well on clay and i*- one of the best summer 



THE GOOSEBERRY MILDEW. 



Sir, — I am deeply interested in the goose- 

 berry discussion. Will not the fact that the 

 wild gooseberry mildews here, even worse 

 than the cultivated varieties, and worst, in 

 the bush, give some light on the cause of 

 the disease — and this was unknown only a 

 few years ago. I have no doubt, therefore, 

 that heat and dampness does aggravate the 

 disease, but doesn't seem to cause it. In- 

 dustry with me, not only have the fruit de- 

 stroyed, but the bushes are killed. Shall 

 remove what are left in the spring to a high 

 clay ridge. — S. Spillett, Nantye. 



A FEW LINES FROM MR. GARFIELD 



Sir, — It was with sincere regret that I 

 found it necessary to take so sudden a leave 

 from your meeting at Windsor. I was 

 greatly interested in your discussion, and 

 it would have given me great pleasure to 

 have remained until the close of the con- 

 vention ; but this is a busy world, and I am 

 one of the busy people in it. Yesterday our 

 local Horticultural Society met at my house, 

 and, although a rainy day, filled us up to 

 our utmost capacity. We have fifty-one 

 families represented in the organization, 

 and the families attend. One of the most 

 delightful talks yesterday was given by a 

 lady in encouragement of children's horti- 

 culture. She explained how seeds, plants 

 and bulbs will increase from the smallest 

 beginning, and illustrated by a case in hand. 

 She took a single bulb of a popular variety 

 of Gladiolus and in the five years, closing 

 with this year, her stock had grown to 5,000 

 salable bulbs, and 45,000 bulblets. I hope 

 we c^n, by agitation and example, awaken a 

 thorough interest in this subject. I thank 

 you and your associates most heartily for 

 the cordial reception you gave us Michigan 

 brethren, and trust we may, in the near 

 future, be enabled to reciprocate. — Chas. 

 W. Garfield. 



WINE THAT DOES NOT INTOXI- 

 CATE. 



Sir, — As a director of the Ontario Fruit 

 Growers' Association, inquiries have been 

 made of me as to whether there is manufac- 

 tured and kept in stock by any grape grower 

 in Ontario, a purely unfermented wine, suit- 

 able for sacramental purposes. Knowing that 

 Mr. P. E. Bucke, of Ottawa, has had some 

 experience with purely unfermented native 

 wines, we would be pleased to hear from him 

 through the columns of the Horticulturist 

 on the subject, — Director, London, Dec. 13. 



