were few and far between. The export to Europe was not introduced or practised to any 

 great extent. The question was raised by not a few, will it pay to increase our orchards 1 

 The people were looking for an equal crop to follow the next year, but in vain, for a 

 similar result was not experienced for six years. In 1880 a similar productive year 

 returned. People having learned by past experience, were induced to erect large evapo- 

 rating, jelly and canning establishments for the purpose of saving the surplus as much as 

 possible. Where, I ask you, is that surplus to-day 1 Considerable competition has been 

 observed between buyers of fruit this season. Some for export, but more for manufac- 

 turing. An estimate has been made after a thorough trial, and the result was, that a 

 barrel of Northern Spy apples when canned was worth $8.00. Parings and cores when 

 dried sold for five cents per pound, for the purpose of making jelly, and thus they paid 

 largely towards the expenses of manufacturing. In as much then, as a universal crop 

 does not occur more than once in five years, and the fruit growers are being educated to 

 their business, is there any danger of a glut in the markets like those of 1874: and 1880 

 ever being repeated 1 



How are the fruit growers being educated 1 You are scattering every year through 

 your report an amount of information that cannot be obtained in any other way, so reli- 

 able. Many able papers are being prepared by skilful hands, setting forth the result of 

 practical experience and scientific truth that are being read at your meetings which are 

 held in ditterent sections of this fair Ontario of ours. 



Again, the Canadian Horticulturist, published by you is ever full of reliable and 

 useful information, the result of years of experience, gained through research, experiment 

 and practice. 



Allow me to congratulate you, that there is the disposition and ability in our mem- 

 bership to send out so much useful information upon such an important branch of indus- 

 try, and a readiness on the part of our Government to provide the means for its dissemina- 

 tion. The results of your labours are being seen in the abundance of fine fruits now on 

 exhibition at every fair and for sale in our markets, and those labours will be appreciated, 

 I hope, by generations that are to follow you. 



NEW FRUITS. 



A good deal has been done within the last twenty years to produce new fruits. Wm, 

 Saunders, Esq., of London, has surprised the world by his hybrid gooseberries, currants, 

 raspberries and grapes. Charles Arnold, Esq., of Paris, has accomplished wondei's in his 

 new American Wonder pea and several other vegetables, besides strawberries, raspberries, 

 grapes and apples. His Ontario apple bids fair to become one of our best market varieties. 

 Messrs. Haskins and Mills, of Hamilton, have produced some very fine hybrid grapes, 

 some of which I think must eventually create an excitement among the fruit growers of 

 America. 



There are many others that are engaged in this, one of the most pleasing of enter- 

 prises — I mean the producing of new fruits, vegetables and flowers by artificially crossing 

 in the blossoms — whose names should be mentioned if it would not become wearisome to 

 you. I wish that more of our young men would commence experimenting in this field. 

 I cannot recommend too strongly an effort yet to improve the apple. Not but that we 

 have varieties that are very good, and those that are vigorous, productive and hardy ; 

 those that possess good shipping, desert, and cooking qualities. But while the Baldwin 

 possesses nearly all the good points for shipping, the tree is not sufficiently hardy in all 

 sections of our Province. The Northern Spy seems to possess all the characteristics of a good 

 fruit, but it is a long time coming into bearing, and when it does, the tree becomes tender 

 and is liable to fail in a very few years. What we want is an apple that has as many of 

 the desirable points as possible. At the present time the trees are propagated by graft- 

 ing or budding the best varieties we have. Formerly nearly every family had a little 

 nursery of seedling trees that has given to the world the immense collection of varieties we 

 now have. Why can we not each plant a small orchard with seedlings from seeds saved 

 from our best varieties, for by this means we may obtain some that will be superior to 



