April, 191a 



THE CANADIAN HORTICU LT UEIST 



101 



A Hindrance to Cooperative Fruit Growing^ 



A. McNeill, Chid, Fruit Division, Ottawa 



A FORMIDABLE but insidious hin- 

 drance to 00-operation in fruit grow- 

 ing is the want of proper legislation 

 to enable farmers to get together 

 iM>ily, safely and effectively as an incor- 

 [ porated body. It so happens that nearly 

 [ all the improvements which we are trying 

 I to impose upon the rural population have 

 • been planned and elaborated by citj' people, 

 ; by those who have not had, for years at 

 [ least, any practical association with rural 

 ! affairs and vvho know the problems only as 

 i they see them from a city office window. 

 I The legislation which works most eflect- 

 I ively in the financial combinations of com- 

 \ mercial life, where capital is the chief fea- 

 I ture, is very gravely defective when ap- 

 ' plied to a rural affair, which is a combina- 

 tion of men and industries, and where oap- 

 ' ital, though absolutely necessary, is yet in- 

 cidental. This particular defect in our 

 I legislation is fundamental, and we must 

 1 look for many failures and grave difficulties 

 I unless we can secure proper co-operative 

 legLslation. 



I CO-OPERATIVE OR JOINT STOCK 



i There is a marked difference between 



j legislation quite suitable to our great com- 



i mercial and financial undertakings where 



capital dominates, and the legislation re- 



I quiiod for rural organization where men 



and their occupations are the chief factor 



and where capital is subordinate. The or- 



dinai-y joint stock company is a mechanism 



whereby a number of men can unite to act 



as a unit. Through their o&cera, they lose 



•Extract from an B/ddrees on cooperation de- 

 livered at the Dominion Fruit Oonforence in 

 Ottawa. 



their individual identity and speak as a 

 single unit, but in determining what that 

 voice shall be, it is the number of shares 

 that constitutes the voting power, that is, 

 it is the amount of capital invested that 

 gives weight to the members composing the 

 corporation. We may speak of it, then, 

 and in no derogatory sense, as being capi- 

 talistic, and almost of necessity autocratic. 

 On the other hand, an apple selling associa- 

 tion or a co-operative evaporator, or in fact 

 any otier rural organization, requiring in- 

 corporation wherehy the individuals com- 

 posing it may speak as a single individual, 

 find that capital is only incidental, the 

 chief thing being the industry. It is the 

 value of the product handled ty the asso- 

 ciation that determines each man's inter- 

 est in this rural body. 



Roughly speaking, the capitalistic or- 

 ganization such as the ordinary joint stock 

 company is a combination of capital simply. 

 A rural organization must, of necessity, be 

 a combination of men. This principle is so 

 well established by the experience of all 

 countries that it is somewhat remarkable 

 that it has not peimeated Canadian legis- 

 lation. Those who have read the history of 

 co-operation will have remarked that, while 

 there are individual societies composed of 

 men of exceptional ability and public spirit 

 that have succeeded with a joint stock or- 

 ganization, yet speaking generally co-op- 

 eration has been a dismal failure untii 

 suitable legislation was provided or a/t least 

 until antagonistic laws have been repealed. 

 I would scarcely care to be so positive upon 

 this point if I were not sure that I have 

 with me the history, not of one country 



Douglas Gardens 



^=Oakville, Ontario= 



CHINA ASTERS 



Are more prominent this year than ever. 

 The harvest of seed last year was excel- 

 lent; and improvement of the varieties 

 has advanced. We are aiming to have 

 plants ready for shipment about 15-20 

 May. 



QUEEN OF THE MARKET, WHITE AND 

 PINK. 

 LAVENDER OEM. 

 ROYAL PURPLE. 

 VICK'S BRANCHING WHITE. 

 CREGO, PINK. 

 All grown from best seed and once trans- 

 planted. 

 Prices: 10 lor 13 cts.; 100, 75 ct».; car- 

 riage postpaid. 



Not less than 25 of one variety at the 

 100 rate. 



GLADIOLI 



Grofl's HybridB, 10 for 25 cts.; 25 for 55 ota. 



Groff'e Hybrids, choice sec- 

 tion of light colored sorts 25 for 75 cts. 



Qroff's Hybrids, choice sec- 

 tion of red and scarlet sorts 25 for 60 eta. 

 Oarriage prepaid . 



KNIPHOFIA (Torch Lily) 



Var. Pfitzeri, a free, continuous bloomer 

 until hard frost comes. It should be 

 planted in spring, taken up in the fall, 

 packed in sand or soil and wintered in a 

 cool cellar. It increases its kind and is 

 a very satisfactory plant. It grows 5-4 

 feet high, and the spikes of bloom are of 

 a rich orange-scarlet. Is most effective 

 when planted in clumps. Each 15 cts.; 10, 

 $1.25. Carriage prepaid. 



JOHN CAVERS 



The trees were the be*t rooted we ever saw and 

 every one of them grew — Howard G. Fisher. 



Auburn Nurseries Pedigreed Peaches 



2 Years Old. Grown by G. E. Fisher & Sons 

 Dulverton Fruit Farms, Queenston, Ont. 



These are the kind of trees to buy. No storage stock 

 about these, but the thrifty, healthy, sturdy kind that 

 stand in the nursery row all winter, and are fresh and 

 bright in the spring, and reach you in fit condition 

 to start right into business. Our stock has all win- 

 tered splendidly and shows no frost damage. We 

 still have a good stock of Peach, Cherry, Pear and 

 Plum, Yearling Apple and Quince. 



AUBURN NURSERIES 



QUEENSTON, ONT. 



GOOD CROPS 



ARE OBTAINED BY USING 



THE BEST MANURE 



AS SUPPLIED TO 



NURSERIES, FRUIT GROWERS AND 

 GARDENERS 



SURE GROWTH COMPOST 



makes poor land fertile, and keeps fer- 

 tile land most productive. Supplied by 



S. W. MARCHMENT 



133 VICTORIA ST.. TORONTO 



Telephones : Main 2841 



Residence Park 95 1 



Mention The Canadian norti'iiltniist when wrltlnf 



