THE HASTINGS APPLE.
Apple cut in half showing core.
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.
—————