236 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



ZINC IN EVAPORATED APPLES. 



A SAMPLE of evaporated apples, analysed by Dr. Peter Collier, of the 

 (sh\ New York Experiment Station, was found to contain in every 1,000 

 pounds the equivalent of one and one-half pounds of sulphate of zinc, 

 which is a well-known active poison. Dr. Collier says it is reasonable to 

 suppose that the continued use of these dried apples would lead to very 

 serious consequences. This appears like a rebuke to the flippant, careless 

 manner in which some fruitmen, and even horticultural societies, have tried 

 to pass lightly over the action recently taken by the Hamburg (Germany) 

 authorities against American evaporated apples. Our people most inter- 

 ested in this question have hardly thought it worth their earnest considera- 

 tion, assuming the inconvenient proceeding on the part of our foreign cus- 

 tomers to be merely founded upon spite or unfriendliness, and have been 

 showing an inclination to drop all further inquiry. We mention Dr. Collier's 

 discovery to show the urgent need of further and careful investigation of our 

 present methods of evaporating fruits. This should be attended to without 

 delay', and before another evaporating season arrives. — Popular Gardening. 



POTATO GROWING vs. APPLE GROWING. 



I HAVE been so very busy (as well as absent from home a part of the 

 time), that I had not carefully looked over your June issue until now. 



First, I want to thank you for the good portrait and notice of Mr. Gibb. 

 When, in. the good time coming, true merit is rightly understood, it will be 

 such men, rather than politicians and soldiers, who will have memorial 

 structures erected in their'honor. 



I understand, from what my valued friend Mr. A. A. Wright says, that 

 he thinks I am not just to the apple as a money crop, in placing it no higher 

 than the potato for profit. Of course values vary in different localities and 

 markets, but New England produces many more apples, even of the best 

 grade, than the home market will take, while we import a great many pota- 

 toes in some years even from Europe. Careful growers, even so far from 

 cities as I am (236 miles to Boston), can average $50.00 per acre net profit 

 on their potato crop. This is fully as much as we can do on apples, with the 

 drawback that we get a full crop only on alternate years. Of course we 

 have an occasional failure with the potato, but not nearly so often. I sold 

 all my potatoes last year at fifty cents per bushel at the farm, and although 

 it was also a bad year for apples, I did not average as much, taking all 



