THE V SA V. 



243 



have not been grown for the main crop, and consequently 

 will cut no figure in the aggregate. The Crescent and 

 Michel's Early are in fine condition, and with favorable 

 weather until fruiting season will yield abundant crops. 

 The latter is a new early variety which originated here, 

 and in my opinion will supplant all the old leading va- 

 rieties, it being at least ten days earlier than the Crescent 

 and of much better flavor ; it is a perfect bloomer and will 

 yield more fruit if the season is dry, as it roots deeper 

 and the drouth does not effect it so much. It has been 

 blooming some, but on close examination I find new 

 crowns on all plants that have bloomed. The Hoffman 

 Seedling is in good condition and is highly prized here, 

 being quite early and one of the best shippers I have 

 ever found. But it is not as' good a bearer nor so well 

 flavored as the Michel. Blackberries, raspberries and 

 grapes are in fine condition and the prospects are good 

 for an enormous crop, as the canes are extremely large 

 and the wood thoroughly ripened. — Z. /!/. P)'/t-s, in Fruit 

 Growers' Journal. 



Too Much Thinning of Apple Trees. — Many pruners 

 of trees err exceedingly by cutting away all the small 

 branches in the middle of the tree-top. It is a common 

 practice to see long branches, ten to sixteen feet in length, 

 thoroughly denuded of every twig and fruit-spur This 

 is bad practice. The vital action of the tree rebels against 

 such a practice by sending out numerous shoots and fruit- 

 spurs on all the exposed portions of such bare limbs. 

 The center of a tree top should be well filled with small 

 branches bearing fruit-spurs. — Ess E. Tee. 



Spray for Apple-Scab. — Professor Goff finds carbon- 

 ate of copper the best material to check the apple scab 

 The formula is an ounce of carbonate of copper dissoh'ed 

 in a quart of ammonia and diluted 100 times with water. 

 Spraying the trees with this solution practically pre- 

 vented the scab. Fruit produced on trees thus sprayed 

 was so free from scab that 75 per cent, of it was market- 

 able, while that on trees not sprayed gave but a small 

 proportion of marketable fruit. The spraying should 

 commence about the time the blossoms fall, and be re- 

 peated once in two weeks until six or seven applications 

 have been made. To do this properly would not cost 

 more than 15 cents per tree, to spray both for scab and 

 the codling moth, both mixtures, the above and London 

 purple, being applied at once. 



McMahan's White Apple. — Prairie Fnniu-r savs 

 that the apple that attracted the most attention, among 

 the multitude of fine varieties at the late horticultural 

 convention in Madison, 'Wis., was McMahan's "White. 

 Mr. A. L. Hatch, of Richland Co., Wis., raised 300 

 bushels of this variety last year, and pronounces it the 

 most profitable of apples, in the long run. During the 

 late series of severe winters he has not lost a single tree 

 by severity of weather. It is said to be of Wisconsin 

 origin, a lady having brought the seed from Ohio and 

 planted it in Richland county. How it come to be named 

 McMahan's White we did not learn. Mr. Hatch intro- 

 duced the apple, and has disseminated it somewhat. The 

 apple list of the American Pomological Society for i8Sg, 



double-stars it for Wisconsin and Iowa. The apple is 

 described as large, round-obovate, color yellowish-white, 

 quality good, flavor pleasant sub-acid, flesh white and 

 very tender. 



Zinnia tenuiflora. — A remarkably pretty variety of 

 the zinnia family, and deserves recognition in every gar- 

 den. The flower-heads are on long cylindrical pedun- 

 cles ; stems erect. 

 Dwarf in habit, a 

 good grower, requir- 

 i n g only ordinary 

 culture, and pecu- 

 liarly desirable as a 

 border plant. Sown 

 where they are to 

 bloom with other 

 dwarf varieties, the 

 effect is harmonious 

 and beautiful. The 

 dwarf species are a 

 decided improve- 

 ment over the old 

 straggling varieties, 

 and tenuiflora is one 

 of the best. With 

 this variety and 

 dwarf white asters, a 

 combination double 

 border may be 

 formed which will 

 outrival many of the 

 more expensive 

 greenhouse plants, 

 both in beauty and 

 brightness of color- 

 ing. For earlier ef- 

 fects, the seed may be sown earlier under glass and 

 transplanted to the open ground. — G. R. K. 



The Oonshiu Orange is receiving extravagant praise 

 just now. On the nth of last November the steamship 

 Gaelic brought a large consignment of these oranges from 

 Japan, and nurserymen have taken advantage of the ad- 

 vertising which this shipment has given to spread the 

 wonders of the fruit and the tree. The Oonshiu is 

 undoubtedly a very fine orange, but it is not the best, 

 neither is it new to the country. Mr. Van Deman, Na- 

 tional I'omologist, says that it is the same as the Satsuma, 

 which was introduced into Florida as long ago as 1S76. 



Dewberries should be mulched with straw or some 

 coarse and clean litter, in order to keep the berries off 

 the ground. 



Young Grape Vines, those set last year, should be cut 

 back to three or four buds This makes the root strong- 

 er than the top, and gives vigorous shoots for the form- 

 ation of the main arms. 



Taste for Fine Fruit is increasing in proportion as« 

 education and culture increase In some places it even 

 now pays to grow fruits for their intrinsic merits, rather 

 than for their appearance. But in general neither the 



