$ ©pef? Is,effep(?. $ 



Spraying- while Trees are in 

 Blossom. 



Sir, — When the Spraying Hill was passed 

 before the House, it was done largely through 

 the endorsation of fruit growers, and I think 

 whatever prejudice then existed, has largely 

 worn away since that time. It is now ad- 

 mitted that no good can result from spraying 

 trees while in blossom, and if it does not 

 injure the blossom, it is at least a loss of time 

 and material During the past year there 

 has been a good deal of spraying of fruit trees 

 while in blossom. There doubtless has been 

 occasions when the law has been broken in 

 ignorance, and I know of one or two instances 

 where experimental work has been carried on, 

 and, owing to uncertain weather, there may 

 have been some excuse for transgressing ; but 

 there are others who have openly and in deK- 

 anee of the 1 iw, sprayed during the prohibited 

 time. This is particularly the case with men 

 who charge so much for spraying orchards, 

 and they begin as early in the season as they 

 can and continue as long as work will be given 

 them. I have been asked to bring this matter 

 before the Fruit (irowers' Association, know- 

 ing that in this way attention of fruit growers 

 could best be drawn to the matter. There 

 should be fellowship between two branches 

 of agriculture— which the greatest scientists 

 of the world have linked together in so inter- 

 esting a way. I have reference to the pollen- 

 izatioQ of blossoms by bees. 



R. F. HoiTiUMAN, 

 Presidevl Beekeepers' Association. 



Fruit Growing in Scotland. 



Sir, — In the fruit growing business, this 

 has not been a profitable year. Prices were 

 very low all round, and few if any growers 

 ha\e done more than make ends meet. Fam- 

 ily expen<Iiture will rei|uire to be met out of 

 capital. .\s jam makers are likely to be well 

 cleared out before next season, prospects are 

 better for the coming year. At my own fruit 

 farm at Bridge of Allan, I pulled 30 tons 

 gooseberries, 37 tons strawberries, over 10 

 tons raspberries, and odds ami ends of cur- 

 rants, etc. My apples, pears and plums are 

 coming into bearing, that is, tho.se tirst plant- 

 ed, and I had some very tine samples this 

 year on the young trees. We cannot com- 

 pete, however, with your apples. Our only 

 chance is in growing early baking apples, that 

 will be in the market before your Canadians 

 arrive. We ha\e no early or even late eating 

 apples of sufficient excellence to go alongside 

 your .Spies, Newtowns, Baldwins, Kings, etc. 

 There was a fairly big crop of .Scotch apples, 

 also Irish apples, and prices were fair till 

 Americans came in, when ours became <juite 



a <lrug, and had to be sacriticed at prices that 

 spelled loss to the clealers. I never saw so 

 many American apples in evidence as this 

 year. Every lom, Oick and Harry is buyinc 

 a barrel, while they are being hawked up and 

 down the country at Id. per pound, by haw- 

 kers innumerable. In this way half a dozen 

 barrels wid be dis])osed of for one in ordinary 

 years. Judging from the (juantitics arriving, 

 your crop must be enormous. Fortunately, 

 quality is also turning out good. There ap- 

 pear fewer spotted fiuit, and slack barrels 

 are turning out better than they usually do. 



We are contemplating staiting a Fruit 

 Growers' Association on this side, to look 

 after the interest of growers with respect to 

 railway rates, salesmen's commissions, insect 

 pcits, etc. In fact, pretty much on the lines 

 you have adopted in your quarter. The hints 

 given in your '"Association's Transactions" 

 will help us to get under way. 



Again thanking you for your kindness, I 

 remain, yours faithfully, 



i?. Scott, 



Carlukf, Scotland. 



The Dominion Journal of Horti 

 culture. 



Sir, — It is with pleasure that I peruse Mr. 

 Roys letter in your Decendier number, con- 

 taining as it does the most feasible solution 

 of a question that must be met and ansnered 

 at an early day. 



,4s a member of the committee appointed 

 at Kingston for the purpose of suggesting 

 some method for placing our present journal 

 in the position that it should and must occupy, 

 unless we are content to allow our more pro- 

 gressive American competitors to take the 

 cream of our more advanced workers on all 

 lines, I felt regret that this committee did 

 not report in time for me to express a few 

 frigid facts that could be better advanced 

 during general discussion, than in a report or 

 correspondence. 



Not long ago I was asked to take stock in 

 a new Canadian journal of horticulture, but 

 declined doing so unless it was made national 

 and issued weekly. The movement failed 

 for the moment, but I was told that " we 

 must learn to creep before we could walk." 

 Now we do not want to learn to creep, as 

 those who have not graduated from that 

 stage of development, are still in the chrysa- 

 lis form, or are buried in the cycles of the 

 past, and if any wish to continue creeping, no 

 surprise need be expressed when they are 

 walked over by others. 



Would any intelligent listener at the recent 

 annual meeting claim for one moment that 

 creeping was the proper position for those 

 whose efforts on well directed lines lead tli 

 world ■; I do not think so. 



37 



