iSi 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



November, 1910 



The Californian fruit is very uniformly 

 graded as to degree of maturity, size and 

 color, consequently it ripens uniformly in 

 the package. The Ontario fruit is not so 

 carefully graded, if at all, as to degree of 

 maturity, color or size, hence its ripening 

 in the package is not so unform, and con- 

 sequently it does not appear to advan- 

 tage beside the better graded Califor- 

 nian fruit. Too often over-ripe fruit, in 

 the case of plums, peaches and pears, is 

 found in the same basket with quite im- 

 mature fruit. This causes damage to the 

 ripe or over-ripe fruit. 



One advantage claimed, and rightly 

 claimed for the Californian fruit, is its 

 long keeping qualities, which allows it 

 to reach Montreal after a ten days' trip, 

 and then "stand up" from a week to two 

 weeks in a retail store. It is generally 

 supposed the Ontario fruits, especially 

 the peach and plum, will not "stand up" 

 or keep nearly so long as the Californian 

 fruits ; yet the Niagara peach growers 

 are shipping 5,000 baskets of their best 

 peaches through Montreal and three 

 thousand miles beyond, and then expect 

 them to "stand up' 'on their arrival in 

 England. These same growers will tell 

 you that Montreal will not take their best 

 peaches, and pay a fancy price for them, 

 that they have tried it and failed. The 

 reason for this is that their fruit has not 

 created the best impression in the past 

 and a small shipment of no matter how 

 good quality will not make much im- 

 pression on the market. It will be neces- 

 sary to teach the Montrealer that the best 

 peaches come from Ontario and this can- 

 not be done in a day or even in a year. 

 The Montrealers are all "from Missouri" 

 in this respect. 



ONTARIO FRUIT CROWDED OUT 



There were thousands of cases of Cali- 

 fornian peaches sold in Montreal through- 

 out the latter part of August, through 

 -September, and into October, at from 

 30C to 60c per dozen retail, of very in- 

 ferior quality compared with Ontario's 

 best peaches, and every one of these 

 peaches took the place of an Ontario 

 peach. How long will the Ontario peach 

 grower allow this state of affairs to con- 

 tinue, these high prices to be paid to a 

 foreign grower, when they have the mar- 

 ket so close at hand, and can grow the 

 fruit to supply that market? 



It is true that Ontario fruit will not 

 keep or stand up ?o long as Californian 

 fruit of the same kind ; but if it is as uni- 

 formly graded and put up as carefully 

 comparatively it will stand up long 

 enough on the Montreal market, or any 

 other Canadian market, to afford ample 

 time for its disposal in the ordinary 

 course of trade, while it is still in good 

 condition. Recently I kept a case of El- 

 berta peaches in a warm living room, 

 and it was on the tenth day after arrival, 

 or twelfth day after shipping, that the 



last peach was u.sed, and not a single 

 peach showed signs of decay until after 

 the seventh day after arrival. 



THE CAUSES 



In looking over the Montreal market 

 the trouble seems to be due to a number 

 of causes. 



1. A wrong impression in regard to the 

 keeping quality of the Ontario fruits, es- 

 pecially peaches and plums, due to im- 

 proper degree of maturity of many speci- 

 mens, improper grading and packing, 

 and careless handling in many cases. 



2. The basket does not lend itself to as 

 attractive a display of the fruit as does the 

 box. 



3. The Ontario fruit does not come up 

 to the high standard of perfection found 

 in the Californian fruit. 



4. A wrong impression among Ontario 

 fruit growers that Montreal will not take 

 the best grades of fruits (peaches and 

 plums) and pay a high price for them. 



At the base of all this is the fact, and 

 it is the fact, that the great majority of 

 fruit growers in Ontario are producing 

 too high a percentage of poor fruit. That 

 they can produce a much higher percent- 

 age of No. I fruit is easily demonstrated 

 by the comparatively few orchards scat- 

 tered throughout Ontario that are produc- 

 ing from 75 per cent, to 90 per cent, of 

 No. I fruit. These orchards are on a 

 par with Californian orchards ,and their 

 proprietors are on a par with California 

 orchard proprietors, but the profits are 

 larger in Ontario, because there are no 

 duties and not such high freight rates 

 to be deducted from the income. 



Here is a market in Montreal for a 

 large quantity of high grade, high quali- 

 ty fruit which in justice to Ontario, with 

 her climate and fertile soil, should be 

 produced within her borders. The mar- 

 ket is hers, if she will only reach out and 

 take it. 



The Apple Situation in Ontario 



The statements by Prof. J. W. Crow, 

 of the O. A. C, Guelph, Ont., that have 

 been published in The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist lately, to the effect that the ap- 

 ple industry in Ontario has been on the 

 decline for the past fifteen years, and that 

 it is still declining, led The Canadian 

 Horticulturist to consult some of the 

 leading apple growers and buyers of the 

 province to find what steps they believe 

 should be taken to bring about an im- 

 provement. A number of interesting re- 

 plies have been received. With the ex- 

 ception only of Mr. E. D. Smith, of 

 Winona, Ont., those who have been 

 heard from are prepared to admit the de- 

 cline. Mr. Smith doubts that the quality 

 of the apples produced on the whole, has 

 deteriorated, and believes the quantity 

 produced has increased. 



PROF. CROWS STATEMENTS 



Prof. Crow's contentions, put briefly 

 are as follows. 



First, That the 



percentage of 

 number one 

 fruit in Ontario 

 has decreased 

 in the last fif- 

 teen years. 



Second, That 

 the percentage 

 of wormy, scab- 

 by, and other- 

 w i s e defective 

 apples has in- 

 creased. 



Third, That 

 there is a small- 

 er actual num- 

 ber of barrels of 

 strictly number 

 one apples pack- 

 ed in Ontario to- 



day than there was fifteen years ago. 



This in spite of the fact that the actual 

 acreage of orchard has increased. 



AGREES WITH PROF. CROW. 



Mr. D. Johnson, Forest, Ont., an 

 officer of the Forest Fruit Growers' As- 

 sociation and of the Ontario Cooperative 

 .'\pple Growers' Association, agrees with 

 Prof. Crow's contentions. Mr. Johnson 

 writes as follows : 



"I have not the figures of Ontario's 

 apple production by me, but from per- 

 sonal observation I am forced to con- 

 clude that Prof. Crow is not far from 

 the truth. By far the greater part of 

 the apple orchards are in a state of de- 

 cay. It is something unusual to see an 

 orchard that is receiving any care. 



"The possibilities of apple growing 

 are unsurpassed by any state of the 

 Union or any province of the Dominion, 

 and yet we find our people going to 

 Washington, British Columbia, and 



interior •( Packinf Houe of The Chatliani, Ont., Cooperative Frnit Growers' AuocUtion 



This is oue of the most successful associations of the kind in Ontario. The 

 members are required to spray and prune their trees. 



