13° The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Mr. Nicol has twenty trees of this variety in his orchard. They are vigorous 

 growers, without the least sign of tenderness, and yield annually a profitable crop 

 of fruit. Although the Larue is by no means equal to the Spy in quality, he finds 

 that it sells more readily in the Kingston market, and at a higher price, than any 

 other apple that he grows. Indeed, he claims that no variety of the same season, 

 that is also hardy enough to be grown in the latitude of Kingston, can nearly 

 equal it for profit. 



In a recent lettter Mr. Nichol writes as follows : As regards the Larue apple, 

 it is not well adapted for starvation culture. It is only on good deep soil, kept 

 fairly rich by frequent manuring, that it can be grown to perfection. That much 

 may, of course, be said of all apples, but it is particularly so with this kind. 

 The tree grows large and is a rank feeder ; hence, needs more room than most 

 other kinds. With good cultivation the Larue is a profitable apple, but whoever 

 would plant an orchard on poor land to be poorly fed should not include it in 

 his selection, because it would be less profitable than some of the small-fruited 

 kinds. 



Well grown fruit of the Larue is generally at its best state in December and 

 January, but when plucked early and stored in a cool place, it keeps well until 

 March, and this year, on the 1 5th of April, small lots in fair condition were seen 

 in several Kingston shop windows and the market. I used to consider the 

 Larue a fall apple, but now I am inclined to designate it a winter apple. 



FRUIT GROWING AT BARRIE. 



T is a far more agreeable task to record success either in fruit growing 

 or any other enterprise, than failure ; still, in the interest of progress, 

 and improvement, our experience in one is perhaps as useful as in the 

 other. 



It need not be a matter of surprise that any individual who may 

 embark in an undertaking, in which he has had no previous experi- 

 ence, should fail to succeed ; indeed, it would be more surprising if, in a calling 

 in which there is so much to be learned, and, depending on success for a living, 

 he should escape failure. In my own case, I have had more of the latter than 

 the former ; but I think I may truthfully say, that had I known as much before 

 I commenced as I did when I finished, the result would have been very different. 

 My first error was in the selection of a soil on which to plant ; in this, fol- 

 lowing the recommendation of all writers on the subject, I was particularly 

 desirous of having a soil that did not require draining ; I succeeded in that, and 

 succeeded too well, for although the soil was a nice sandy loam, the subsoil of 

 about half of it was pure gravel, and the other half pure sand ; consequently, in 

 a dry season, both plants and trees suffered severely. My opinion is that vege- 

 tat'on draws nearly as much of its moisture from the subsoil by capillary attrac- 



