184 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



August, 191 2 



here, namely that of the fruit canning 

 industry. 



Within the past few years this indus- 

 try has grown enormously, and has open- 

 ed for the fruit grower a good market 

 for his fruit, and one to which he can 

 send his inferior grades with the surety 

 of receiving a fair price for such. The 

 canners will accept the best, and pay ac- 

 cordingly for it, but they will also find 

 a use for the poorer fruit, and due to the 

 growth of this industry, must be attrib- 

 uted in a large degree the marked im- 

 provement in the general quality of home 

 grown fruit to be found on any of our 

 city fruit markets. 



Brief mention might be made of the 

 recent efforts of the Provincial Fruit 

 Branch and the Dominion Fruit Divis- 

 ion to ascertain the feasibility of ship- 

 ping peaches to the English markets. 

 South Africa having developed this trade 

 to a certain extent, an effort was made 

 along the lines found most suitable by 

 our brother colonists, and the results of 

 these efforts suggest* a good opening for 

 some of our best and most enterprising 

 growers. The fruit was picked when 

 well colored but quite firm (almost hard), 

 only the very finest fruits were selected, 

 and that with the greatest care. They 

 were then each wrapped in thin soft 

 paper and surrounded with a liberal al- 

 lowance of wood wool and packed one 

 layer deep in boxes containing twenty 

 to twenty-four fruits in each. They were 

 shipped in iced cars and Atlantic refrig- 

 erator storage, and arrived in good con- 

 dition on the London Covent Garden 

 market. The prices secured for them 

 indicate that there is an excellent open- 

 ing for someone alive to this opportuni- 

 ty, though there are several important 

 points that it would be well to be thor- 

 oughly acquainted with before venturing 

 on such long distance shipments ; such 

 as the methods of business on Covent 

 Garden market (the largest fruit market 

 in the world), the best route to ship by, 

 the agents to employ as salesmen, and 

 - many other minor factors, such as cart- 

 age, wharfage, porterage — relics of con- 

 servative business methods, which though 

 cumbersome to the uninitiated, may be 

 depended upon as being thoroughly 

 sound. 



In conclusion, a few figures might be 

 of assistance, if not to the growers, 

 perhaps to those who wish to buy. For 

 general reckoning the following num- 

 bers of the different sizes of baskets can 

 be shipped per one hundred pounds ex- 

 press tariff : Six eleven quart, seven 

 nine quart, and twelve six quart. 



There are several excellent cooperative 

 marketing organizations in the tender 

 fruit districts, which have greatly fa- 

 cilitated the disposal of the fruit, and at 

 the same time improved the quality of 

 the pack ; and to-day with the combined 

 influence of cooperative organization. 



the canning industry and fruit inspection, 

 there is no excuse, if indeed there ever 

 was, for dishonestly packed fruit. Sam- 

 ples of such packing should be diligent- 

 ly tracked to their source, and the offen- 

 der punished in no light manner. 



Orchard Management 



Gordon McKeen, Haiti C*., N.S. 



A number of years ago it was thought 

 that the size of the orchard should cor- 

 respond with the number of live stock 

 kept to maintain the soil fertility. Now 

 many a large orchard is seen where the 

 owner may keep only one cow. 



In keeping the orchard up to its high- 

 est capacity the two most essential fac- 

 tors are cultivation and fertilization. 

 Combine the two and the orchard will 

 meet your bills. Among the different 

 modern methods of maintaining the fer- 



C A Handy _TooI in the Orchard 



Grape hoe at work in the orchard of J. W. 



Smith, Winona. Note the way it can be 



worked in close to and around the 



trees, thus practically eliminating 



hand labor. 



—Photo by a ren. of The Canadian Horticulturist 



tility the leading one is to first, in the 

 spring, thoroughly prepare the land by 

 ploughing and manuring, then once a 

 week give it a good harrowing until the 

 middle of June, then sow with vetches 

 whose roots are rich in nitrogen. These 

 vetches make a good mat and keep the 

 tree rootlets safe should the ground be 

 bare and the winter severe. 



I do not advise the ploughing of the 

 orchard late in the autumn, as it exposes 

 quantities of the feeding roots to the ac- 

 tion of the frost. It is better to wait 

 until a suitable time in the spring. When 

 that time arrives repeat the methods al- 

 ready mentioned with the exception ' f 

 the manure, as the vetches will take its 

 place. 



One thing in the management of an 

 orchard that many of us have not the 

 nerve to try is thinning the overburdened 

 trees after the fruit reaches quarter size. 

 In this one must use judgment, as some 

 varieties that do not overbear can easily 



bring their fruit to maturity with a high 

 {percentage of number ones. In many 

 other cases this is a necessary operation. 



Pear Scab and Its Treatment 



Dr, J. B. Duideno, BowmaDville, Ont. 



Pear Scab is a very serious disease 

 of the pear tree. It ranks, perhaps, 

 second in importance to that of the 

 twig or fire blight. When pear scab 

 gains a good start it is exceedingly 

 difficult, if not impossible, to clear it out 

 of the orchard because of certain charac- 

 teristics which this disease possesses. 

 Apple scab is a relative of the pear scab, 

 having a similar relation to it as beets 

 have to mangels. Both are fungus par- 

 asites. They differ, however, in one im- 

 portant particular, and a knowledge of 

 this peculiarity is essential to a success- 

 ful warfare against the pear scab. This 

 disease attacks the fruit, leaves, and 

 branches, while the apple scab attacks 

 only the fruit and the leaves. The apple 

 scab does not attack the pear tree, nor 

 does the pear scab attack the apple tree, 

 as many people suppose. Apple scab 

 yields readily to ordinary fungicides, 

 mainly because it grows upon the sur- 

 faces and, therefore, can be reached 

 with the spray liquid. Pear scab works 

 on the twigs and small branches, bur- 

 rowing under the bark and wintering 

 over while in this condition. Because 

 of this habit the fungicide can not read- 

 ily be applied directly to the fungus. 

 Moreover, serious damage is done to 

 the twigs and branches, many of them 

 becoming so "cankered" by the scab 

 that death is the result. P-^ar scab is 

 common in this locality, and much of the 

 roughened appearance of the older 

 branches is due to it. 



For trees which are not seriously 

 affected, the disease can be kept well in 

 check by spraying with lime-sulphur and 

 bordeaux just as for apple scab, with the 

 addition of one application after the 

 leaves drop in the fall. This should con- 

 sist of strong lime-sulphur, or of a cop- 

 per sulphate solution (not bordeaux) of 

 suitable strength. In addition to this it 

 would be wise to examine the trees to 

 see if the branches have become affected. 

 If they have, such branches should be 

 pruned out and burned. 



For trees whose branches are now 

 more or less seriously affected, the prun- 

 ing saw is the chief instrument. Prune 

 out the worst, even to one-third of the 

 total top, a similar portion next fall, and 

 the remainder of the old top the follow- 

 ing year. By this method sixty or 

 seventy per cent, of the orchard may be 

 saved. During this time the orchard 

 should also be treated with fungicides 

 as indicated in the preceding paragraph. 



Pear scab gains an entrance to the 

 branches during their first year's growth 

 when they are green and delicate. After 

 the corky bark is formed, entry is made 

 only through wounds. 



