ONTARIO GROWERS IN COUXCIL. 



the prettiest evergreens, both singly and in beds, is the 

 common yew [Taxus haccata, var. Canadensis') or ground 

 hemlock ; good for shady places. One of the finest of 

 all lawn trees is the Colorado blue spruce, and one of 

 the hardiest also. Picea concolor is fine and hardy, but its 

 early growth is sometimes cut off by late frosts. Finns 

 cembra resembles common pine, but is of more compact 

 growth. Finns Mnglnts and F. pnniila, dwarf growths, 

 are suitable for small grounds or rockeries. Red cedar 

 {Juniperus Virginiana), when grown singly and branch- 

 ed to the ground, are very pretty ; but for small beds or 

 rock-work, nothing is better than Jniiipcms sqnainata. 

 The common savin, Jnniperns sabiiia, and its variety 

 Tamariscifolia , are hardy and useful. Some of the 

 retinisporas, ornamental small trees, are not quite hardy 

 here. The umbrella pine of Japan stands the cold 

 winters well. Many of the rarer ornamentals are prop- 

 agated by grafting, but very few of them, especially 

 among the coniferae, ever thrive as well as seedlings do. 

 Nothing is finer in the garden than a collection of lilacs 

 when in bloom. Some of the birches make good lawn 

 trees, the cut-leaved weeping birch being among the 

 finest. Of magnolias, M. Hallii and acnminata prove 

 hardy. Among the failures are mentioned the beech, 

 maiden-hair tree [Salislmi ia adianlifoHa'), Cornus Florida, 

 liquidambar or sweet gum, Japan maples and others- 

 Canadian winters aie too much for them. Prepare the 

 ground well before planting ; have it well trenched that 

 the roots may go down deep, and the trees be enabled 

 to endure the droughts of summer and the cold of win- 

 ter. The more tender things should be well protected 

 for several winters after planting. When the roots 

 have become well established there is little danger of 

 injury. 



COMMERCIAL FRUIT-GROWERs' OUTLOOK. 



D. W. Beadle's paper contains rather more encour- 

 agement for the professional fruit-grower than for the 

 average tree planter or the "speculator" in fruit-grow- 

 ing. Many of the trees planted, he says, will never 

 affect the fruit market a bit simply because they will 

 never bear a crop save that of bitter disappointment. 

 Thousands of trees are planted on low, cold, wet and 

 otherwise utterly unsuitable land. The man who wants 

 to be a successful fruit-grower must have love and en- 

 thusiasm for his chosen calling. The very placing of 

 good fruit on the market increases the demand wonder- 

 fully, and the fruit-eating qualities of our people are not 

 yet fully developed. Altogether the outlook is not bad, 



FRUIT-GROWING OF l88g AND l8gO IN WESTERN 

 NEW YORK. 



The following are some gleanings from Mr. S. D. 

 Willard's report : A new apricot, named the " Harris," 

 has become famous on the shores of Seneca Lake. It 

 ripens about July 20, and has proved a fine thing and 

 very profitable. The grape crop of 1890 was the largest 

 ever grown in Western New York. Yellow Transparent 

 apple is giving more general satisfaction than any other 

 early apple. The Stump and Mcintosh Red apples are 



109 



recommended as good sorts for market. Sutton's Beauty 

 comes out better than Baldwin, and is unsurpassed for 

 beauty. Of peaches we must plant sorts that are 

 especially hardy in fruit bud, such as Hill's Chili, Mor- 

 ris White, Red Cheek, Early Rivers, Horton's Rivers, 

 Hyne's Surprise, Yellow St. John. Garfield or Brigdon 

 promises to become a standard orchard sort. The most 

 profitable pears are Bartlett, Dutchess and Kieffer, the 

 latter excelling all others in an orchard for profit. The 

 following are named as good plums for market, viz : 

 Czar, Prince of Wales, Monarch, Archduke, Grand- 

 duke, among English varieties, and Field, Gueii, Hudson 

 River, Purple Egg, Stanton and Middlebur}- among 

 others. There is money in cherries, especially sour 

 ones. Montmorency, English Morello and Louis Phil- 

 ippe are recommended among the sour class, and Gov. 

 Wood, Rockport and Windsor among the sweet ones. 

 Windsor is the best dark-colored cherry. Mr. Willard 

 notices an increasing demand for cultivated blackberries, 

 and recommends Snyder and Early Barnard. 



PROTECTION TO ORIGINATORS OF NEW FRUITS. 



After some discussion the committee on legislation is 

 instructed to wrestle with the problem of how best to 

 secure to the originator of valuable new fruits, etc. , some 

 benefit from the results of his labors or luck. There is 

 a prospect that the Canadian government will be induced 

 to deal with the question, and the fruit growers on this 

 side of the line will watch with considerable interest the 

 effects of the laws that may be enacted in Canada. 



METHODS OF PROPAGATING FRUIT TREES. 



In a paper on this subject, Mr. John Craig of the Ex- 

 perimental Farm at Ottawa gives some valuable data 

 bearing upon the problem of whole roots <■.?. piece-root 

 stocks. The advantage of whole-rooted trees, whether 

 budded or grafted, lies in the production of a deeper, 

 firmer and more symmetrical root system at first than 

 usually produced by piece-roots. Consequently such 

 trees make a more rapid growth the first two or three 

 years. The advantage of piece-rooted trees are cheaper 

 propagation and the possibility of deep setting. The 

 piece-root seems to be almost indispensable where extra 

 hardiness is desired. The piece-root serves merely as a 

 temporary root for a cutting The cion represents a 

 variety of known hardiness while the seedling root is 

 variable, and in the majority of cases probably not hardy 

 enough to withstand very severe climates. Good trees 

 for all purposes can be obtained by using only the first 

 and second cuts from the root, and these cuts should not 

 be less than 3'i inches long and the cion between 5 and 

 6 inches long. In a series of experiments made at the 

 Experimental Farm seedling roots cut in three pieces 

 were used for stocks. The trees, from grafting upon the 

 first two cuts were about equally good, while the third 

 cut (the root end) made an inferior tree. 



For cherry stocks Mr. Craig has used Mahaleb and 

 Mazzard with nearly equal success, but thinks the latter 

 more satisfactory. Such stocks, planted one year and 

 crown-grafted the spring following made a fine growth. 



