96 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Open 



£ett 



' VALUE OF THE JOURNAL. 



Sir, — Your paper is of great value to the 

 Horticulturist on account of its fine cuts of 

 new fruits and flowers and the very practical 

 character of its contents. 



The Vergennes Grape I received last year 

 grew rapidly till the summer frost cut it 

 down, but it made a fine growth afterward. 

 All the other plants I have received did well, 

 except the Boussock Pear, which died. 



J. J. Brown, Siouffville, Out. 



THE MINNESOTA STATE HORTI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The late meeting of the Minnesota State 

 Horticultural Society, held at Excelsior, 

 January 2 1 st and 24th, was very well attended , 

 and I think will rank as the best and most 

 profitable meeting yet held by the Society. 

 Wyman Elliot, of Minneapolis, was re-elected 

 President, and Prof. Samuel B Green, Hor- 

 ticulturist of the State Experiment Station, 

 St. Anthony Park, was elected Secretary. 

 Very truly yours, 



J. S. Harris. La Crescent, Minn. 



THE ONTARIO FRUIT LIST. 



From the following letter addressed to 

 Mr. Thos. Beall, which is only one of several 

 of a similar nature, it is evident that the work 

 of our Association in preparing on Catalogue 

 of Ontario fruits with values, and in making 

 up special lists for various sections, will be 

 appreciated by the public : 



Sir, — It affords me much pleasure to see 

 an effort being made to reduce the large 

 number of useless apples now grown in our 

 country. I believe the foreign market value 

 will help to show us the kinds to grow for 

 export. Our section will grow any of the 

 kinds mentioned on your list, but of some the 

 trees are poor growers, and of others the fruit 

 falls too early. The Ben Davis is a heavy 

 bearer, but dwindles with age, and is very 

 coarse. — Thos. Burden, Bowmanville , Ont. 



PLANTING IN SIMCOE COUNTY. 



Sir : — I planted an orchard on a northern 

 exposure, of seventy-nine apple trees, twenty- 

 nine varieties, last spring ; also three kinds 

 of plum and two of pear, and a lot of small 

 stuff on a sandy ridge between Matchedash 

 Bay and Sturgeon Bay, about a mile from the 

 Bay and 150 or 200 feet above it. If I sue- 



ep^ 



ceed I intend to plant ten acres or more. I 

 made a map of orchard. I thus know what 

 I put in if true to name, and where it came 

 from. I have some idea of how they grow 

 fruit about Oakville and vicinity. I may 

 correspond with you in the near future if you 

 don't object. 



I do not believe in so many varieties, but 

 want to find out kinds that will succed here. 

 Planted a number of favorite kinds which I 

 do not expect to stand the climate. There is 

 a ridge above me on the west. I intend to 

 leave or plant a belt of timber on the north 

 and west. I bought a new place, our old pine 

 slash, with a great wild berry patch, and I 

 am clearing it up and planting on the new 

 soil. When I get over the squeeze of clearing 

 and building, I hope to be able to buy books 

 and make a study and a success of fruit- 

 growing. Yours sincerely, R. C. Stewart, 

 Fesscrton, Ont. 



PLANTS TESTED IN GREY CO.— THE 

 ONTARIO FRUIT LIST, Etc. 



The Russian apple tree (sent out, I think 

 in 1885, and of which I have lost the name), 

 was killed the second winter down nearly to 

 the ground and has not grown much since, 

 but I have a couple of grafts growing on other 

 trees, also a couple of small trees grafted 

 from it, so that I have a chance to get fruit 

 from it some day. 



The Lucretia Dewberry grows plenty of 

 vine, but very little fruit as yet. The Vladi- 

 mir Cherry is doing fairly well, but I don't 

 know whether to train it in tree or bush form, 



I think the classifying of the different 

 varieties of fruit, as described in the January 

 number of the Horticulturist is a good 

 plan, as is also that of prominent fruit 

 growers attending and speaking at farmer's 

 institutes, in the interest of fruit growing. 



I attended the meeting of the South Grey 

 Farmer's Institute, held on the 4th of January, 

 in Victoria Hall, Dundalk. The speakers 

 were James Mills, President of Ontario 

 Agricultural College, J. McMillan. M.P.,and 

 T. A. Race, also R. Cornell, a local cheese 

 maker and dealer. Mr. Race spoke on the 

 pruning of fruit trees, and also about the 

 proper time to buy them. He said it was no 

 advantage to do as some nursery men recom- 

 mend and buy trees in the fall, bury them 

 through winter and plant them in the spring ; 

 as it is like putting a person in a warm bath 

 and then exposing him to the cold wind. He 

 also spoke on the growing of strawberries 

 and other small fruits. — Robert Scott, 

 Hopeville, P.O., Grey Co., Ont. 



