48 



The Canadian Hoiticnlturist. 



^^e C<^^<^^i^^ jporficuftutiei* 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 per year, entitling the subscriber to membership of the 

 Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario and all its privileges, including a copy of its valuable 

 Annual Report, and a share in its annual distribution of plants and trees. 



REMITTANCES by Registered Letter are at our risk. Receipts will be acknowledged upon 

 the address label. 



The Dominion Farmep's Council and 

 the Fruit Growers' Association. 



-^ COM I 



/ \ met's 



COMMITTEE from this Far- 

 'sClub,which meetsmonthly 

 at London, Ont., recently 

 visited the Ontario Agricultural Col- 

 lege at Guelph. Mr. Deadman, 

 the member of the Committee 

 who reported on the Horticul- 

 tural department of the College, stated 

 at a recent meeting of the club, that 

 this department was a ''total failure." 

 The chief cause of failure he attributes 

 to portion of the farm chosen for the 

 orchard, and fruit gardens ; it being 

 the lowest on the farm, very wet in 

 spring and fall, and subject at times to 

 great overflow of water. Neither was 

 it properly drained before planting, 

 only a two foot drain being used, and 

 this now out of working order. He 

 further says, " We do not blame the 

 present authorities for this, as Mr. 

 Forsyth informed us that it was choesn 

 by a deputation of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association, Mr. Saunders and Mr. 

 Beadle being members of the commit- 



tee." Prof Robertson, being present, 

 said that 'in justice to the Fruit 

 Growers' Association he was forced to 

 say that the selection of the site for the 

 orchard was made by that body in 

 winter, when there was fully two feet 

 of snow, and that, at that time, the 

 ground presented a much higher ap- 

 pearance than it really had." 



Now, there is no doubt that the 

 Committee's report is correct in regard 

 to the unfortunate location d the 

 orchard and fruit garden ; if it was a 

 serious blunder to locate it so unfavor- 

 ably, it is also a serious blunder to 

 lay upon the Fruit Growers' Association 

 the blame of that location, much more 

 that for neglect ot proper drainage. 



The following letter from Mr. Wm. 

 Saunders, Director Experimental Farm, 

 Ottawa, a member of the committee 

 from our Association, places the affair 

 in its true light ; and will, we hope, 

 prevent a repetition of unjust censure 

 in this matter in the future. 



"In some strictures made in a report 

 to the Dominion Farmers' Council, on 

 the Fruit Department of the Agricul- 



