REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST 



(John Craig.) 



Wm. Saunders, Esq., 



Director, Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit a report of some of the work carried on in the 

 Horticultural Division of the Central Experimental Farm for the year 1894. 



The fruit year as a whole may be looked upon as successful and satisfactory, 

 although the meteorological conditions governing spring and early summer were, in some 

 of the best fruit growing regions, notably the Niagara Peninsula, quite abnormal. In 

 that district the apple crop more than any other suffered from the heavy rains of May 

 and June, while the severe drought of midsummer had the effect of decreasing the size 

 of early peaches, pears and apples, as well as ripening them prematurely. 



The early and simultaneous ripening of such large quantities had a deleterious effect 

 upon domestic markets, resulting in exceedingly low prices being realized for early 

 peaches and pears. The lack of rainfall emphasized the value of thorough and frequent 

 shallow cultivation, as a means of conserving the moisture of the soil. 



In the province of Quebec the necessity of a better system of fertilizing and culti- 

 vating the orchard than has been practised in the past is becoming recognized. Apples 

 of greater export value than the varieties now composing the older orchards are being 

 selected where new planting is being done. Nova Scotia has marked an era in her 

 horticultural progress by the establishment of a School of Horticulture, under the con- 

 trol of the Provincial Fruit Growers' Association, and the directorship of Prof. E. E. 

 Faville. This is the only school of its kind in Canada, if not in America. 



COLD STORAGE OF FRUITS. 



The great success scored by Canada in her exhibit of fruits at the opening of the 

 "World's Columbian Exposition, in May, 1893, was, in a large measure, due to the cold 

 storage facilities afforded by the World's Fair authorities, and but for the unfortunate 

 burning of the storage building and with it a great deal of Canadian fruit, the display 

 would have been much more extensive and varied. The fact, however, that summer and 

 autumn apples, like Duchess of Oldenburg, St. Lawrence and Wealthy, were placed in 

 good condition upon the tables during the months of May and June, gave food for 

 thought to the thinking mind, and raised the question of the usefulness of the system 

 to the commercial grower and the shipper of fruit. 



It is well known that cold storage and refrigerator cars have played an important 

 part for some years in the economy of marketing the great Californian fruit product. It 

 is also well known that large dealers in great fruit markets, like Chicago and New York, 

 have used in common with produce and commission men cold storage warehouses, in 

 which to hold perishable fruit during periods of low prices owing to over-stocked markets 

 Our information on these lines has, however, been rather vague and unsatisfactory. 



With the object of ascertaining some facts based upon personal experience, pre- 

 liminary experiments were instituted on this line during the present season. 



Arrangements were made with the Montreal Cold Storage Company for storing 

 packages of the different fruits as they matured. In this connection I beg to acknow- 



