630 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



[JAN., 



and the suggestion seems worthy of a trial. Such thread can 

 now be obtained from many seed firms. 



. Protection of Trees against Rabbits. — A home-made composi- 

 tion for protecting young trees against rabbits may be prepared 

 by taking approximately equal quantities of blood, cow- manure, 

 and lime, mixing them together, and adding a small quantity 

 of Asafoetida, say 2 or 3 per cent. 



If renewed now and again it will prove fairly effective, and 

 will not injure the trees. 



Seed Control in Canada. — An Act providing for the Inspec- 

 tion and Sale of Seeds in Canada came into force on the 1st of 

 September last. It prohibits the sale of seeds of cereals, grasses, 

 clovers, or forage plants containing any admixture of certain 

 specified weed-seeds, unless the package containing them bears 

 a statement to that effect. 



No package of seeds shall be marked in such a way as to 

 imply that they are of first quality, unless they are free from a 

 number of specified weeds, and contain 99 per cent, of seed of 

 the kind or kinds represented, or seeds of other useful and 

 harmless grasses and clovers, of which 90 per cent, must be 

 germinable. In the case of timothy, alsike, or red clover, or 

 any mixture containing these seeds, the specified weed-seeds 

 are not to be present in a greater proportion than five per 

 thousand. 



The provisions of the Act are not to apply to seed marked 

 " not absolutely clean," and held or sold for export only. 



TJie United States Apple Crop. — According to the American 

 Agriculturist for November 4th lastthe United States apple 

 crop of 1905 has proved the smallest for some years past. An 

 estimate based on returns from leading growers and dealers 

 and on the State reports, places the total crop at 23,500,000 

 barrels, as against nearly 45,500,000 barrels in 1904, 42,600,000 

 barrels in 1903, and 46,600,000 in 1902. It is remarked that 

 the present year's crop may be compared with the small yield of 

 1 90 1, which was approximately 27,000,000 barrels. The largest 

 crop on record was in 1896, when the yield of 70,000,000 barrels, 

 resulted in apples being a drug in the market for several months. 

 This year's crop in the great producing sections of the middle 

 and central States is considerably under 9,000,000 barrels as 



