2o6 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



been watched for years by the essayist, who had seen hundred of nests of robins 

 and other small birds destroyed, the eggs eaten and the young carried away. 

 Hence the robin seeks shelter by building its nest near to houses. He would 

 recommend that all crows' nests near to farm houses be destroyed, and that this 

 State offer a small bounty on his head. He was sorry to believe that the beau- 

 tiful jay is often guilty of this mean business. Cats are useful animals if well 

 treated and well trained, but a superfluity of uncared for, hungl-y cats, are a 

 nuisance, and often destructive of small birds, hence they should be kept at a 

 distance. The red squirrel is destructive of many species of young birds. The 

 improvement in firearms and reduction in cost has proved a temptation to many 

 a man and boy, who, for a few dollars, can buy an improved breech-loading gun. 

 Unless educated to the contrary thousands of school-boys will thoughtlessly be 

 led to destroy vast numbers of our most useful birds. But, saddest of all is that 

 in this enlightened Christian age thousands of beautiful singing birds should be 

 slaughtered to ornament ladies' hats and dresses ! What a blot upon our times 

 for the future historian to record ! The essayist was glad to learn that the Prin- 

 cess of Wales had issued orders " that nothing need be submitted for her inspec- 

 tion or that of her daughters, in which birds are used as trimming," and hoped 

 that her noble example might be followed everywhere, and especially in our own 

 country. 



Support for Garden Plants. — I am using this year i,ooo lineal feet of 

 galvanized wire netting, four feet wide. This cost, delivered, a little more than 

 one half cent per square foot, and will last indefinitely if cared for. It is the 

 cheapest of all material for peas, beans and tomatoes. Last year I made a com- 

 parison between this and brush for peas. The only expense of the brush was 

 the cutting, hauHng and setting. Allowing for the time of two men and a pair of 

 mules and wagon getting the brush, the cost of the brush, good only for one 

 year, exceeded the first cost of the wire, good for ten. This wire throws no 

 appreciable shade, and for training tomatoes is admirable, since there is always 

 a place to tie to. In fact, but little tying is needed after the plants get well up, 

 as a little attention to directing the shoots to and fro in the meshes supports them 

 perfectly. Climbing beans fairly riot over it, and there will be no bother about 

 Limas failing to catch to poles. Light stakes, well set, about ten or twelve feet 

 apart, are all that is needed to support it, and short pieces of wire are better than 

 the more permanent attachment of staples. — Professor Massey in Orchard and 

 Garden. 



The apple buccalatrix is easily recognized by all fruit growers, from the small 

 white cocoons thickly plastered over the branches. A heavy spraying of soap 

 and kerosene emulsion will destroy many of them when done before the foliage 

 starts ; after they hatch and begin to eat the foliage in June, Paris green spray 

 will check their work. A parasite often follows them. 



