224 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



come, it is doubtful whether sufficient boat accommodation could be secured 

 for the immense number of baskets which would be shipped. 



Among the gentlemen who received us cordially, and showed us 

 through their gardens, were Mr. Pafford, the Mayor, and Archdeacon 

 McMurray. The latter, though he has attained the honorable age of four score 

 years, is still an enthusiastic member of our Association, and a most success- 

 ful gardener. In his garden he has about a half acre of grapes, many being 

 foreign varieties, such as are usually grown under glass, which yielded him 

 last year the sum of $150.00. He gives them protection in the winter by 

 laying them down and putting a few shovels of earth over the young wood. 

 Mr. Paflford has also had success with such varieties as the Black Hamburg, 

 Golden Chasselas, etc., and even grows figs by giving them winter protection, 

 cutting down to the ground each stem as soon as it becomes too stiff to 

 bend over in the autumn. His fig trees had on many figs in all stages of 

 growth. 



One important work accomplished at this meeting was the Ontario Fruit 

 List, which was referred to as in progress at our winter meeting. This has 

 now been completed, as well as another of equal importance, viz : District 

 Fruit Lists, giving the varieties of apples suitable for planting in the 

 various agricultural districts of Ontario. These will be published in our 

 next annual report, and also, if possible, copies will be sent to all the 

 agricultural societies in Ontario, in advance of the publication of that report. 



Mr. Billups, a well informed entomologist, residing at present at Niagara, 

 exhibited a very fine collection of the Beetles, composing the family of 

 Curculionidae, both Canadian and foreign. It surprises an uninitiated 

 person to be told that there are hundreds of species of Beetles belonging to 

 this one family. Mr. Billups gave us a life history of the plum curculio, 

 and demonstrated that this insect continues its work of depositing its eggs 

 during a large part of the summer, and therefore vigilance against its attacks 

 should not be too soon relaxed. He was of the opinion that the effective- 

 ness of Paris green against the curculio was mechanical, the parent beetle 

 having a dislike for dust. He thought that road dust even might 

 be effective in preventing the placing of the eggs upon the young fruit. 

 "The writer remarked that he had found hellebore even more jDcneficial than 

 Paris green on the plum trees, those trees sprayed with the latter having 

 ■dropped all their fruit, and those with the former having a fine crop still 

 hanging. Mr. Billups maintained that the secret of its usefulness was 

 probably the presence of a dried powder upon the fruit, and not its poison- 

 ous nature. 



Many other interesting subjects were taken up, such as ** How to make 

 the best of ten acres of ground," " How to handle apples best for the 

 British market," " Peach culture," " The Pear, its history and culture," 

 *' Humbugs in horticulture," " How to treat gooseberry mildew," " Profits 



