3oo The Canadian Horticulturist. 



or Simon's Plum. He thinks it best planted with plums because of its rather 

 scant supply of pollen. In the past season its fruit was remarkably good in 

 quality for any use. He advises that it should be grown with very low stems 

 and that the tops should be annually cut back one-third of the preceding year's 

 growth. 



Of the apricots he commends the Shense as very promising. It was grown 

 from a pit sent him by a missionary in Mongolia, Asia. The tree is a strong 

 and handsome grower, and is known to a few in Nebraska as "Acme." Of the 

 southern Russian apricots he has ceased to propagate a single variety. All that 

 he has fruited are small in size, low quality and the trees are not hardy. He 

 would bud the Shense on our native Prunus Americana, as foreign stock will 

 bring discredit upon it or any other apricot. 



Some varieties of peaches imported by the college from north-west China 

 and Asia have been fruited on the college grounds, and, in his opinion, they 

 can be profitably grown upon favorable soil at least 40 miles north of the regu- 

 lar peach belt across the continent. Some of the varieties are a fair size and 

 excellent quality. 



Most folks fail to let grapes ripen sufficiently. They want to pick and eat 

 as soon as the color changes. The perfection of flavor and sweetness are only 

 obtained by hanging long on the vines. I have found that grapes pruned in the 

 spring after the sap starts, ripen earlier than if pruned in the fall. — E. N. 

 Spaulding, Hartford County Ct. 



Big Profits for a Small Investment. — A fruit dealer once said that he 

 had rather send his men into the orchard and pack the fruit himself, paying the 

 same price, than have the farmers do it. This does not speak well for the way 

 farmers pack their fruit and ship it to market. There is no reason why this 

 should be so, and if a few practical facts are kept in mind the fruit grower might 

 get the money extra for fruit. Have the fruit equal the sample is one thing to 

 keep in mind. Also remember that windfalls, or fruit that has been bruised in 

 any way has no part with the high grades. Grading is everything in selling fruit 

 and gives big returns for the extra pains. One farmer recently gave his experi- 

 ence. He had 8 bbls. of Baldwins. Of these he sorted four, making three 

 bbls. of higher grade and one bbl. of a lower grade. These were marked lot 

 one. The other four barrels were marked lot two. Four more barrels 

 were bought to be delivered to the depot of a dealer in fruit. All of this fruit 

 was sent to a commission merchant with instructions to sell as if they were 

 samples of car lots. The first lot averaged him $2.20, lot two, of four bbls., 

 $1.85 aiid lot three of four barrels, $1.50. This is a difference of 35c. per bbl. 

 between lot one and two, and of 70c. per bbl. between lot one and three. Can a 

 more forcible argument be given in favor of the greatest care and thought in 

 preparing'fruit and shipping it to market in first-class condition. 



