The Canadian Horticulturist. 323 



PERFECTLY HARDY. 



;T has long been a common practice with some nurserymen and dealers to 

 send out new trees and plants designated as perfectly hardy. There 

 seems to be a gross misunderstanding as to what is really meant by the 

 designation. It is very often misleading; I have frequently been deceived 

 by it, and I know of thousands of others who have been deceived in the 

 same way. 



Peach trees cannot be grown north of Toronto, therefore they cannot be 

 said to be hardy. The so called Russian Apricots are said to be hardy ; but 

 they are not, because they cannot endure very hard frost. 



The fact that a tree is grown and may have originated in Russia does 

 not by any means prove that it is perfectly hardy. Peaches and many 

 varieties of apricots thrive well on the north shore of the Caspian Sea, 

 which could not be grown on the Baltic; and even in that part of Russia 

 trees are grown which would not endure the climate of the northern part of 

 Ontario. 



In Russia, as well as in China, there is grown an endless variety of 

 apricots, which are not hardier than peaches. In Transalpine Dauria, in 

 the empire of Russia, there is found growing a double flowering kind of 

 apricot, which is said to be hardier than any of the fruit-bearing kinds ; but 

 along with it is found growing on the same mountains the Rhododendron 

 Dauricum. Now, we know quite well that none of the large flowering 

 Rhododendrons can endure intense frost ; so, to suppose that all the native 

 trees and shrubs of that part of Russia are hardy enough for the northern 

 part of Ontario would be a great mistake, and trees which will not endure 

 that climate should not be designated as perfectly hardy. 



The Russian Mulberry is not perfectly hardy, yet thousands of farmers 

 have purchased it, supposing it to be so because it is grown in Russia, and 

 I daresay many of the same dupes will readily invest in the next Russian 

 novelty — for, just as Mr. Dempsey says, some farmers seem to like to be 

 humbugged. 



Cataraqui, Out. D. NICOL. 



A HANDY FORCING HOUSE. 



THE annexed illustration, reduced from Home and Farm, represents a 

 fire hotbed or forcing house, described as follows : The sashes are 

 3x8 feet, the beds built with i^-inch oak, three feet deep on the 

 higher side, and 30 inches deep on the lower side, giving a six-inch slope to 

 the south. Oak posts were used every eight feet. Then a scantling was 

 nailed eighteen inches from the top on each side to hold up the floor. The 



