Part 4

I should be glad if in the next number of the HORTICULTURIST the editor would say whether he has seen or heard of a sort of blight or mildew which here has fallen on the black currants, and which, if it spreads, will put an end to the culture of that fruit. I have some beautiful black Naples bushes from which I have never had any perfect fruit; although a man who knows something about it said the other day, I ought to have half a bushel of currants from each tree. Soon after the foliage is fully developed, I observe here and there that the leaves begin to assume an upright tendency around the edges; underneath I find an almost invisible film, which however is so slight that I can assure myself of its presence only by passing my fingers over the under side of the leaves, after which there is a perceptible “stickiness,” which contact with healthy leaves does not produce. This continues to increase till the film becomes white, and passes over on to the upper side of the leaf in the form of mildew. This subsequently becomes brown, and the leaf, or part of it, will crumble as if scorched with fire. The power of the leaf is evidently destroyed before this stage; the fruit is arrested in its growth, and even that which is tolerably matured is dry and almost useless. I can detect no trace of insect life, nor could a well-known entomologist, who looked at them last summer, suggest the cause. I treated them with whale-oil soap in strong solution, and though I fancied that it retarded the growth of the evil it had no ultimately good effect. I have cut them back rather closely and propose to try salt on one row and sulphur on another. The land is light and warm, but well enriched; but land equally poor, not far off, had good fruit on it, while mine yielded nothing.

Not only in my own interest, but in that of others, I should be glad if some of our skilled fruit growers could give their attention to this matter.

[NOTE.—Not having noticed this mildew, the editor requests any members who have been troubled with it to give their method of treatment.]

—————

ASPARAGUS.

There is an increasing inquiry for plants of this most excellent vegetable, which indicates that it is becoming better appreciated, and that our people are increasing the variety of vegetables upon their tables. For a long time the only variety of vegetable enjoyed by the great proportion of our people was the potato. Very little attention was paid to the garden by our farmers, many of them had none at all; the only green peas were the poor, wretched things which were taken from the field—plundered from the swine, to which they properly belonged; and perhaps a few ears of green corn, in their season, from the corn-field. Rich, marrowfat peas, and sweet corn, were things almost unknown. It is very pleasant indeed, to notice a growing inquiry for better vegetables, and more of them.

One of the earliest that we have, much like rich green peas, coming with the sunny days of early spring, glad harbinger of other delights, is the Asparagus. As soon as the snows are gone, and the soil becomes warmed by the sun, the buds of the Asparagus begin to shew themselves above ground, and as soon as they have attained a few inches in height, may be broken off at the surface and cooked for the table. Many use them as they would green peas, cutting the sprouts into small pieces, cooking and serving them in the same manner. Others boil them whole until they become soft, spread them upon some toasted bread, and pour melted butter over the whole. Others again treat them as greens, dressing them with vinegar.

This little cut, which was obtained from Mr. Vick, of Rochester, shews the root with the buds growing up from it, and will give to many who are not familiar with the plant a good idea of its appearance. These roots can be purchased of nurserymen and market gardeners at very moderate cost, and planted out in a bed in the garden where they will continue for many years. The bed should be prepared by deep spading, and be well enriched and thoroughly pulverized. Trenches may be cut across the bed about six inches deep, and eighteen inches apart, and the plants set in the trenches nine inches from each other, and covered with two or three inches of soil. The best time for setting them out is in the Spring, from, say the middle of April to the middle of May.

Salt is a special manure which may be applied to our Asparagus beds with great benefit in this inland region. It should be spread over the surface of the ground only in the Spring, before the buds appear, at the rate of three pounds of salt to the square yard. Asparagus is a marine plant, hence an application of salt in sufficient quantity to destroy weeds, only supplies that, which in our inland country, is needed for the health and vigor of the plant.

A word about cutting the buds for use. In most of our works on gardening we are directed to cut them two or three inches below the surface, exercising great care not to cut off, in the operation, the buds which are coming up, but yet unseen. But why we should be at so much pains, and run so much risk of injuring the buds that lie hid under ground, merely for the sake of securing a portion of the stalk, which though it looks white and tender, is really tough and useless, is not easily understood. We prefer to cut them off just at the surface, thereby securing all that is eatable, and avoiding all risk of injuring the buds below. A young bed should not be cut over but a few times, after it has been well established the cutting may be continued for several weeks.

=VOL. I.]= =MARCH, 1878.= =[NO. 3.=

THE HASTINGS APPLE.

At the Winter meeting some specimens of this apple were exhibited by P. C. Dempsey, Albury, Ont. Such was the attractive appearance of the fruit, and so many its apparent good qualities, that we have obtained from Mr. Dempsey all that he was able to learn of its history, and procured an outline of the apple for the information of the members. The outline was taken from a medium sized specimen, and gives a fair representation of the form of the fruit and average size. The apple originated in the eastern part of the County of Hastings. The tree is a very pretty, rapid and upright grower, the wood is dark brown, the leaves large, and of a dark green color. The fruit is borne on spurs upon the old wood, and the terminal points of the previous season’s growth. The tree produces a good crop every year. Mr. Dempsey states that his tree has been fruiting for five years, and the crop has proportionately increased every year. The apple varies from medium to large; somewhat conical in form; the color is bright red, splashed and mottled with dark red. The stem is long, slender, set in a deep, narrow, funnel-shaped cavity; calix closed, and set in a shallow, strongly ribbed basin, flesh a little coarse grained, white, tender, breaking and juicy, flavor very mild sub-acid, pleasant, and slightly aromatic. The fruit sells readily, commanding the highest rates. We think it is worthy of the attention of those who find it necessary to plant the hardier varieties on account of the severity of their climate.

—————

THE SEASON FOR TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS.

BY S. B. SMALE, WROXETER.

When should Evergreens be transplanted, is a question which has been very often asked and as frequently answered. There is not a month in the year which has not been, from time to time, advocated as the proper season in which to perform this important work. But I believe the majority of those who have either written or spoken on this subject have stated the preferable time to be, in their judgment, from the middle of May to the middle or end of June in each year. I have known many to go so far as to say that this is the only time that it can be done with anything like safety. To this rule I wish to take exception, because the period named is that of the plant’s greatest activity; consequently, a greater shock will be given to it by its removal at this particular period than at any other. It is now admitted by all who have given attention to the subject, and it is in accordance with both theory and practice, that the best time to transplant deciduous trees is when they are dormant, that is, not growing; some time between the falling of the leaf in Autumn and the bursting of the bud in Spring. In this severe climate it is usually done in the Spring of the year, as soon as the ground has become sufficiently dry and settled to work easily. There is nothing in the nature of Evergreens to prevent this rule from applying with equal, or even greater force to them. They, in common with other trees, have their period of growth and their period of torpidity in each year, although no living tree can be said to be in a state of absolute torpidity at any time; they exhale moisture to some extent from their buds and small branches, and Evergreens from their leaflets also, even in the depth of Winter. In order to supply this waste they must absorb by the roots, so that a circulation, however sluggish, is maintained even at this period of the year. To transplant in the Fall or Winter would be to cut off a great many of the roots that run to the greatest depth into the soil out of the reach of frost, so that the tree would be prevented from obtaining the moisture requisite to maintain life. Therefore I would not recommend Fall or Winter as the season most suitable for transplanting Evergreens. The comparative leisure of the season might induce planters to perform the work in the Fall in milder climates than ours. I have found the first Winter to be a trying time in some years for Evergreens that were transplanted the previous Spring. In May and June the plant is putting forth its utmost efforts to produce the annual growth of wood; absorption, exhalation, and circulation are in their states of greatest activity, and the plant receives a rude shock when these are suddenly interrupted. By transplanting in the early Spring the earth will have time to settle about the roots; young fibrous roots will have commenced to grow, and the plant will not attempt to produce the same amount of annual growth that it would if not removed until June. The sap of Evergreens is resinous, and if the plant be long exposed out of the ground the watery portion of the sap evaporates, allowing the resin to harden, and no amount of water afterwards applied to the roots will soften it, as it is insoluble in water at ordinary temperature, the circulation consequently can never be restored, and the plant of necessity must die. Now this state of affairs is more likely to be brought about in Summer than in the Spring, when we have cooler weather and a greater number of cloudy days. I would recommend early Spring as the best time to transplant Evergreens. It is not contended that Evergreens cannot be transplanted with success at other seasons, but all other things considered, I believe the transplanting of them in early Spring reduces the chances of failure to a minimum. If they are taken up with a large ball of earth adhering to the roots, large trees even may be safely transplanted at any season; this however is too slow and expensive a process for large plantations. I have planted some hundreds of Evergreens, and my experience agrees with what I have stated above, as to time. The planting of shelter belts by the orchardist is now thought to be necessary before he can be said to have completed his arrangements for the successful growth of fruit, and the planting of two or three rows of Evergreens will have more effect in protecting an orchard from the cold winter winds than many rows of deciduous trees, which have nothing but their naked stems and branches to offer as a resistance; hence the importance of the subject that I have thus briefly discussed. Tree planting is one of unsurpassed importance to the fruit grower of the present day; and the free discussion of such questions in a periodical such as the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, must be mutually instructive and beneficial.

I wish to say, before closing, that I was much surprised and highly gratified on receiving, one day this week, the first number of the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. It will supply a long felt want, it being the first publication of the kind in Canada, so far as I know. The one mysterious thing to me is, how the Fruit Growers’ Association of Ontario can supply so much, for the member’s annual fee of one dollar. The Directors are entitled to the lasting gratitude of the members; and I trust their laudable efforts to promote the interests of fruit growing in Ontario may be crowned with unbounded success.

—————

THE CABBAGE BUTTERFLY.

A member of the Association writing from Garafraxa, wishes us “to give some information as to the best way of getting rid of the green cabbage worm; it is a great pest in this quarter.” We have much pleasure in referring him to the entomological part of the Report for 1877, at page 7, where it is stated by P. C. Dempsey, of Albury, that hot water had been successfully used to destroy the worms; that the cabbage would bear an application of water heated to 200° of Fahrenheit without injury, while even at a somewhat lower temperature it would kill the worms. The hot water can be applied through the rose of a common garden watering-pot. He also stated that a cold infusion of Quassia, in the proportion of three pounds to a barrel of water, had been found to be effectual in killing the worms, and more conveniently applied than hot water. The Quassia might give a slightly bitter taste to the cabbage unless thoroughly washed before cooking, but it is perfectly harmless to the human system.

At page 5 of the same Report, he will find that the President of the Entomological Society gives him the cheering information that the little parasite, _Pteromalus puparum_, is on the increase here, hence there is a good time coming, when the ravages of this pest to our cabbages will be very much lessened. And this hope was previously held out to us at page 40, of the entomological part of the Report for 1876. Some methods of lessening the numbers of this butterfly are suggested at page 32 of the entomological part of the Report for 1875, and a full description of the insect, with engravings of male and female butterfly, of the worm and of the chrysalis, are also given.

—————

A PLEA FOR FLOWERS.

BY AN OLD DIGGER, HAMILTON, ONT.

Among other useful magazines of the month, I wish to greet in terms of welcome that particular one which the Directors of the Fruit Growers’ Association of Ontario have put forth, not unlike what Noah did when he loosed the dove from the ark, to secure for the lovers of fruits and flowers so desirable a medium for exchanging horticultural thoughts and experiences. May the CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST prove a welcome visitor each month to those who seek the festive regions of Pomona and Flora. I take its humble beginning as a pledge of future greatness, and am convinced that the numbers of the F. G. A. will make it a credit to our Province by frequent contributions of useful matter.

Farmers’ wives and daughters, among whom, I am happy to say, is growing up a most worthy and refined taste for flowers and fruits, will find it to their advantage to ask questions through this convenient medium, as to the finest, best, and most suitable flowers with which to deck their lawns and ornament the garden-plot attached to their rural homes. What can add more to the charms of these quiet homes than nicely kept borders of blooming flowers, unless indeed it be the ruddy glow of health on the cheeks of the maidens who tend and care for these lovely pets of Summer. They are the true Canadian daughters who thus labor to make home attractive, and secure the love of father, the approval of mother, the affection of brother, and finally gain for themselves, as a just reward, the deep and lasting love of the appreciative man, who has been watching and waiting to take as his wife to his own home, the girl who knows so well how to strew life’s thorny path with beautiful flowers. He knows, without further instruction, that she will make that home an Eden.

Many a time, weary with the day’s hard digging, have the pains of my own toils vanished when looking over and admiring the well-kept borders of petunia, phlox, pansy, heliotrope, and asters, placed in front of my humble cottage by the loving hands of those who know so well the attractive force of flowers; there have I sat, in the quiet glow of golden sunset, enjoying to the full their brilliant tints and grateful fragrance; the hard lines of life’s toil for the time quite forgotten, in delightful communion with these smiling daughters of Flora. Let us then cultivate flowers, and have all the talk we can touching these pledges of love from the full hand of nature.

—————

CYCLAMEN PERSICUM.

We wish to call attention to this beautiful and easily grown flower, both on account of the ease with which it can be cultivated, especially as a window plant in a cool room, and the abundance of flowers which it will yield in the months of January and February, when flowers are greatly appreciated. Probably many of our readers are not familiar with it, and therefore in order that they may have a better idea of its general appearance than can be given by any description, we have obtained, through the courtesy of Mr. Jas. Vick, of Rochester, N. Y., the accompanying engraving, which is a very accurate representation of the plant in flower.

The Cyclamen can be propagated successfully only from seed, but as that is a somewhat tedious process, requiring two, and sometimes three years to produce corms of sufficient size to flower, the process of raising them will not now he dwelt upon. The corms, already grown to sufficient size for flowering, can be purchased of the nurserymen and florists for fifty cents apiece, and when once procured, with proper treatment, will last many years. They are called corms because they are solid and not formed, as bulbs are, of imbricated scales.

Most persons will purchase their Cyclamens when in flower, and therefore we commence our hints on their culture at this point. When you have brought them home, place them in the window, as close to the glass as possible, where they will have abundance of light; they do not require much heat, even when in flower; indeed they flourish better and hold their flowers longer where the temperature is not raised higher than sixty-five. They should be watered with care, not allowing the soil to become dry, nor, on the other hand, to be kept soaked with water. When they have finished flowering, they should be slowly ripened off, withholding water gradually, and exposing them fully to the sun and air. After they are thoroughly ripened, it is the writers practice to plunge the pots into a bed on the north side of a building or tight board fence, where they will be sheltered from the full power of the sun. The pots are plunged deep enough to cover the corms with soil to the depth of a couple of inches. Here they can be safely left until September, unless mice find them, if they do they will surely devour them. About the first of September they should be taken up, knocked out of the pots, and repotted in fresh soil. Do not use large pots, one that will receive the corm nicely is large enough, the same pot often answering for two or more years. A soil composed of well-rotted turf, decayed leaves, and sand, in about equal parts, will be found well adapted to them. The addition of a little pounded charcoal, or soot from the chimney, is thought to add to the depth of color of both leaves and flowers. In potting, put plenty of broken crock or bits of charcoal in the bottom of the pot, so as to give it good drainage, then fill with soil and plant the corm so that the top of it will be level with the rim of the pot, and one third of it above the surface of the soil; now water sufficiently to settle the soil, place them in a cool, shady place, where they can be protected from frosts, if frosty nights should come, and water very sparingly, only giving sufficient to keep the soil damp. When the weather becomes so cool that it is prudent to take them in, put them in the window where they can have plenty of air and light, but where the thermometer will not indicate a temperature above fifty degrees, and continue to water them sparingly. In watering do not pour the water over the corm, but on to the soil below. Some place the pots in saucers, and give water when needed by pouring it into the saucers. The great secret of success lies in keeping the plants in a cool temperature until they begin to bloom, and not allowing the soil to become overcharged with water. When they begin to bloom they may be allowed a temperature as high as sixty-five°, and will require to be watered more freely.

The leaves of Cyclamen Persicum are heart shaped, toothed on the edge, dark green in color with marblings of gray. The flowers are raised above the foliage on long foot stalks, as shown in the engraving, and are either white, with a rosy purple centre, or rosy lilac throughout, with a deepened shade at the centre. They are very free bloomers, the individual blooms continue a long time, and the succession is kept up for months. Mr. Vick says of them, very truly, in his catalogue, “They are particularly adapted for window culture, and will give more flowers with less trouble than almost any plant with which we are acquainted.”

—————

CONOVER’S COLOSSAL ASPARAGUS.

We have not been able to see any marked superiority in the Conover’s Colossal Asparagus over that in use long before Conover was born. Some of the best samples of this new sort were sent to the exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society a few years ago, but they were badly beaten by the common sort, which was both larger and heavier, though it laid no claim to being colossal. Cultivation will make colossal buds, neglect will make but pigmies, in this as in everything else.

—————

APPLE TREES IN THE COUNTY OF DUNDAS.

BY JOHN CROIL, AULTSVILLE.

The following suggestions by one of the Directors of the Fruit Growers’ Association, are taken from the _Morrisburg Courier_, and deserve careful attention from all fruit growers who have to contend with a climate similarly severe: