S02 



THE CANADIAN nORTICULTUKIST, 



ver, tliey find a ready market, at from 

 50c. to 60c. per lb., but to obtain tliese 

 liigli prices they must be hatched early, 

 February, March and April being the 

 best months. As hens are not setting 

 by instinct that earl^y, you must \ise 

 incubatoi's. They will hatch a larger 

 per cent, of chicks than hens, and the 

 chicks are very health}^, being entirely 

 free from lice. I have two inciibators 

 that I made myself. They cost me $5 

 each, and hold 480 eggs. Any one can 

 get directions for making an incubator 

 like mine by writing to J. Bave, New 

 Concord, Ohio, inclosing stamps for 

 postage. My incubators are a complete 

 success, and being so cheap are within 

 the reach of all, and any lady can run 

 them. I have 212 hens, and since 

 March I have sold from these 212 hens 

 and my two incubators $1,427 worth 

 of chicks and eggs. Now is the time 

 to pi-epare for the winter and spring 

 trade. Make your incubators at once 

 and give them one trial this fall. Then 

 you will be read}^ to go to woi'k intelli- 

 gently. I run my incubators the year 

 round, and think there is no business 

 requiring so little capital that yields 

 such large profits. I will soon write 

 you an article on " Which are the most 

 profitable varieties of poultry to raise," 

 and on other poultry topics, if you 



wish. POULTRYMAN. 



W. G. 



LETTER FROM NOVA SCOTIA. 



My Dear Sir, — We are having a 

 tropical rainy season. Rain nearl}' 

 every day since the 1st July, and no 

 prospect of any change. Hay makers 

 are in despair ; a great many have only 

 began to cut their crops, and the quality 

 will be greatly deteriorated, being long- 

 since past its prime. Fruit bloom was 

 abundant and the season favorable for 

 setting the fruit, but I observe a lai'ge 

 yrt'oportion is falling during the pro- 

 tracted season of wet weather. The 



strawberry crop was much damaged by 

 the rain, at least one-fourth of the fruit 

 rotting or failing to matui'e. Local 

 prices kept up well under Ihe dimin- 

 ished supply, not falling below fifteen 

 cents per pound at retail. Wilson is 

 grown chiefly, but all varieties that 

 succeed anywhere, do well here, except 

 Sharpless, which is too large to ripen 

 all tlirough. It is like a very stout old 

 Scotchwoman who replied to a ques- 

 tion as to her health, " That there was 

 ower muckle o' her to be a' well at ae 

 time." 



I am still in (juest of a reliable Onta- 

 rio fruit grower. I find there is a very 

 great difference in the quality of apples 

 from the different counties. A barrel 

 of specimens from Meaford and another 

 from Cobourg were no better in quality 

 than Nova Scotia apples, and much 

 inferior in size. From Gait came the 

 best in cpiality I have had yet in most 

 kinds. T have never seen a second lot 

 of Ribston Pippins anywhere approach- 

 ing in quality a lot of, I think, twenty 

 barrels you shipped me from St. Cath- 

 arines. 



Last season the crop was i»oor every- 

 where. I got some pretty good from 

 C. J. Miller, of Viigil, aiKf from A. 

 M. Pettit, of Grimsby ; but a friend of 

 mine dealing in fruit got a carload from 

 Linus Woolvcrton. of Grimsby, whom I 

 had sup}iosed to be as reliable a ship})er 

 as could 1)6 found in Ontario, and a 

 large proportion in the barrels contain- 

 ed utterly worthless fruit. I do not 

 attribute the dishonesty to Mr. Wool- 

 verton, but to the grower who supplied 

 him. 



Mr. Miller generally sends me fiiie 

 apples, but certain varieties do not 

 succeed well Avith him ; the N. Spy is 

 always spotted and more or less mis- 

 shaj)en, not ten perfect apples in a 

 barrel ; E. Spitzenburg from him is 

 tough and too acid, from Gait this 

 variety was fine, indeed most other 



