The Canadian Horticulturist. 149 



THE "BEN DAVIS" APPLE. 



THE Maine Fanner has the following to say of this apple: — " A small 

 orchard of eight acres in Greencastle, Ind., is reported to have pro- 

 duced 6,500 bushels of " Ben Davis " apples which sold at sixty cents 

 a bushel. Think of the misery entailed on mankind in the effort to consume 

 that quantity of "Ben Davis" apples! This seems to us to be a short- 

 sighted criticism. The " Ben Davis " is not an apple of very high quality — 

 indeed, unless well-grown in a favorite climate, it is decidely poor for eating 

 uncooked. Nevertheless, it is the leading market apple of the great Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, and notwithstanding the hardiness, early bearing and 

 productive habit of the tree, the market is rarely over-stocked with them. 

 Grown where it is at home, it is large, handsome, an excellent keeper, a good 

 cooking apple, and sells<freely, even to the hundreds of thousands who know 

 it well, for eating out of hand. We consider it quite as good for that use as 

 the Roxbury Russett, a variety largely grown in Maine for export. 



APPLICATION OF NITRATE OF SODA. 



G~|OSEPH HARRIS gives some valuable hints, based on his own 

 ^ j experience with Nitrate of Soda as a fertilizer for fruits and vegetables. 

 He says: — " If we put on half the quantity of ordinary manure and 

 sow broadcast 200 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre in addition, this will be 

 fully equal to a good dressing of the very richest composts, and a great deal 

 cheaper. I say nitrate of soda, because it is not only a cheaper source of 

 nitrogen than sulphate of ammonia or the organic nitrogen in our different 

 fertilizers, but the nitrogen is in just the condition necessary for absorption 

 by the plants. I have used it with great advantage on peaches, strawberries, 

 roses, currants, raspberries, asparagus, celery plants, potatoes, onions, beets, 

 and nearly all garden crops. For several years we could not raise peaches. 

 The leaves curled up and turned yellow in June and frequently fell oft, and 

 in a year or two the tree was dead. For two years the trees that have had 

 nitrate have shown little or no symptoms of the disease, if disease it is. The 

 leaves had that dark green, luxuriant color that is the characteristic effect 

 of liberal manuring, and, better than all, we have had fine crops of peaches." 



Coal ashes, if not too coarse, is one of the best materials to use in loosen- 

 ing up and making more friable a stiff hard soil. They can also be used to 

 a good advantage as a mulch around the currant bushes, and also around 

 peach trees. 



