156 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



CHINESE LILY NOT BLOOMING. 



Sir, — The Chinese lily I received from the Association last year has not bloomed. I 

 dried off top, rolled the bulb in paper and laid away in a box until the middle of December 

 when I placed it in water with sand and gravel. 



J. W. , Toronto. 



Reply by Anton Simmers. Toronto, Ont. 



Your experience with the Chinese Sacred Lily, is one that will in some cases 

 be the unsatisfactory result of growing the lily a second season ; but we cannot 

 give any actual reason for their so doing. It is often a similar experience with 

 hyacinths, when they are planted a second season for blooming, and really this 

 is more than the grower should expect ; but, as stated in a previous experience, 

 we have had fairly good results from the bulbs planted the second year. The only 

 conclusion we can arrive at is, that the second season bulb cannot be relied upon 

 to produce a good bloom, unless in the selection of the very strongest specimens. 

 To the grower who has failed to get bloom from, the second year bulbs, I would 

 suggest that he try such again, and then he will be better able to say just what 

 the ultimate result is of such bulbs ; and in his second venture let him select 

 only the strongest bulbs for a second crop of bloom. 



A BUNDLE OF QUERIES. 



Sir, — Is Moore's Ruby as prolific as Fay's currant ; also, is it as hardy and of as good 

 quality ? Does it grow in clusters ? Does the Saunders plum resist curculio and black - 

 knot, and is it a profitable plum to plant for market ? What about the Ritson pear ? How 

 much per acre may be expected from an orange quince orchard, five years planted ? 



W. C. Wilson, Essex Centre. 



Some of our readers please answer. The fact is these varieties are new, and 

 are just being tested. The experience of those growing them is just what we 

 want for publication. We find the Orange quince profitable at Maplehurst, 

 where we have about one acre devoted to them but the amount depends so 

 much upon markets, cultivation, season, etc., that any estimate might be mis- 

 leading. In our opinion they compare favorably with a crop of dwarf pears. 



PLANTING PEARS AND PLUMS. 



Sib, — Is it advisable to pack the roots of pear and plum trees with sand when planting 

 in heavy clay, and what is best method of planting in such soil ! 



Wm. Steele, Hwmherston, Ont. 



An admixture of sandy loam to the clay soil in which pear and plum trees are 

 to be planted would be very useful. It should be well dug in and thoroughly 

 mixed with the clay and thus would render the latter more porous. In some 

 cases we have planted trees directly on the surface of heavy clay, in a pile of 

 sandy loam, and their success has been quite remarkable. 



