The Canadian Horticulturist. 



305 



appearance. The wild plum and cherry 

 trees, black with fungus, which often line the 

 road sides in Ontario, are a public disgrace. 



PRUNING CURRANTS. 



89. Sir,— What rules should be observed 

 in the pruning of black, red and white 

 currants, and young apple trees, respectively ? 

 — A Subscriber. 



By referring to page 124, some information 

 concerning the pruning of your trees will be 

 found. With regard to currants, the work 

 of pruning may be done at any time between 

 now and spring. If done later than the ist 

 of April, the bushes will bleed freely, which, 

 if no very great injury, is certainly no benefit. 

 The method is simple, consisting, chiefly, in 

 the removal of about half the new growth 

 each season, and in the removal of all old 

 and sickly canej. By this means there will 

 always be an abundance of bearing wood, 

 and very little opportunity will be offered for 

 the work of the borer. Where, however, the 

 old canes are seldom cut out, the borer will 

 soon become very abundant and destructive, 

 and the whole plantation sickly and barren. 

 It is therefore evidently wise not to grow the 

 currant in tree form in this country, but 

 rather to follow the renewal system, and to 

 encourage new shoots from the ground year 

 after year. 



BOOK ON FRUIT GARDENING. 



90. Sir, — Would you please recommend 

 me a good work on small fruits and garden- 

 ing in general ? — H. A. Ardagh, Toronto. 

 Ont 



You can find no better work on general 

 fruit culture than the " American Fruit 

 Culturist," by J. J. Thomas. 



TIME TO APPLY ASHES. 



91. Sir, — Which is the best time to put 

 ashes on land — spring or fall ? — John Gib- 

 bard, Napanee, Ont. 



In the case of leached ashes there is little 

 to choose between fall and spring for its 

 application, but unleached ashes are better 

 applied about the growing season in the 

 spring ; because, if applied in the fall, the 

 heavy rains might carry the potash beyond 

 th3 reach of the roots of the plants. 



EXTERMINATING PURSLANE. 



92. Sir, — Could you, or any of your read- 

 ers, tell me if there is any known way to 

 exterminate purslane, and if it does much 

 injury to the soil and crops ? I think it is 

 the worst weed a gardener or fruit grower 

 has to contend with. The first two or three 

 years it was on my place, I tried to fight it 

 by gathering all I could find, roots and all, 

 and carrying it off the land. I have also 

 poured boiling salt and water on it, but it 

 gets worse in spite of everything. — G. J. R., 

 Penetanguishenc , Ont. 



We know of no better method of extermin- 

 ating this weed than that adopted by our 

 correspondent of carrying it of the ground 

 entirely, for if pulled out and left lying, it is 

 sure to grow again. Will some of our 

 gardening friends please give their experi- 

 ence ? 



CLOUD'S SEEDLING AND MRS. 

 CLEVELAND. 



93. Sir, — I would like to know if the 

 Cloud's Seedling and the Mrs Cleveland are 

 very productive ? — Geo. Savage, Burnham- 

 thorpe, Ont. 



Reply by John Little, Granton. 

 There are few varieties as productive as 

 those you mention. Cloud is similar to the 

 Crescent, a few days earlier, as large, and of 

 a better color. It is the leading variety in 

 the south. Michel's Early is ahead of 

 anything yet introduced for earliness, pro- 

 ductiveness and vigor of plant. Mrs. Cleve- 

 land is mid-season, one of the largest in 

 plant and fruit, and productive. On the 

 fruit stand you would pass many varieties by 

 and choose it. If people were acquainted 

 with Mrs. Cleveland it would be in every 

 garden. It is pistillate, and so is the Cloud- 



PLANTING YOUNG FOREST TREES. 



94. Sir, — I wish to plant a quantity of 

 young pine, balsam, maple, birch and oak 

 around this place. There are plenty of them 

 growing in the bush around here. Will you 

 please say in your next issue if you think that, 

 with care in transplanting, I might have a 

 chance of success ; also, whether fall or 

 spring would be best for the work, with a few 

 hints how to proceed. — W. B. McLean, 

 Stanley House, Musk. 



There is no doubt that, with care, you may 

 succeed in removing young forest trees for 



