68 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



for ventilation, and even if there had been none of those delays 

 so common to sailing vessels, it would have been a difficult 

 matter to have landed apples in London to do justice to Nova 

 Scotia. Steamers sailing from Boston were then induced to 

 come to Halifax for a part cargo of apples, and this helped the 

 situation considerably. Later, of course, Halifax secured a direct 

 line of steamers that has served the needs of the trade more 

 or less satisfactorily up to the present time. The exports in 

 1880 were only 24,000 barrels, and in 1886, 177,500 barrels. The 

 phenomenal crop of 1896 gave a surplus of something like 500,- 

 000 barrels and the 191 1 crop gave an output for export and 

 long distance shipments of 1,500,000 barrels, representing a total 

 yield of about 2,000,000 barrels. Briefly this is the history of 

 the apple industry, both in Ontario and Nova Scotia, the only 

 provinces in Canada that have yielded a large surplus for export. 



The phenomenal increase in the crop of Nova Scotia has been 

 the result partly of increased plantings, but partly also of the 

 better care which is taken of the orchards. 



The increase in the acreage of new orchards in Ontario in 

 the last ten years has probably been as great as in Nova Scotia, 

 but these new orchards are not concentrated to the same extent. 

 Nevertheless, they are by no means as widely distributed as the 

 older orchards. As a matter of fact the decrease in the number 

 of trees in the older smaller orchards in this province has been 

 quite equal to the increase in the number of new trees planted 

 in larger areas, and, perhaps, in more favorable situations. 

 Modern orchard culture is also the rule in these new Ontario 

 orchards. The outcome in both Nova Scotia and Ontario is a 

 very large increase in the exportable surplus. 



Recently there has been a marked change with reference to 

 apple growing, brought about for the most part by cooperation. 

 It is doubtful, indeed, whether orcharding can be recommended 

 at all, unless it be for home use or for the local market, except 

 where cooperative methods are used. Under the stimulus of 

 such methods., growers are turning their attention to orcharding 

 as a main source of income, where formerly it was only a side- 

 line. The efTect is to group the orchards in particular districts 

 and to increase their size. It means, too, the application of 

 business methods to this branch of horticulture. In modern 

 phrase, orcharding is becoming "commercialized." The change 



