THE PAST AND PRESENT OF CANADIAN HORTI 



CULTURE. 



To the Editor of Thb Horticultphist. 



Sir, — In the year 1852 I entered the 

 employ of Messrs. Bissell & Hooker, 

 proprietors of the Commercial Nurse- 

 ries at Rochester, N. Y., as Superin- 

 tendent. I was not 16 years of age 

 when I assumed the position. For some 

 years previous I had worked in the nur- 

 series of John J. Thomas, of Macedon, 

 N. Y, Mr. Thomas was for many years 

 editor of the Country Gentleman. 



In the fall of 1853 I first visited Can- 

 ada, to take charge of a large delivery 

 of trees at Dunville, Cayuga, Paris, 

 Brantford and St. Thomas. Messrs. 

 Bissell & Hooker at that time had a 

 large trade in Canada, from Fort Erie 

 to Southampton. In 1855 I purchased 

 the interest of Mr. Bissill in the com- 

 mercial nurseries, and with Mr. Henry 

 E. Hooker organized the firm of H. E. 

 Hooker & Co. In this way I became 

 early interested in the growth and pro- 

 gress of fruit culture in Canada. 



About 1855 I made the acquaintance 

 of Dr. Beadle, who had given up a large 

 law practice in New York to take charge 

 of his father's nursery at St. Catharines. 

 Few men have been more sincerely de- 

 voted to horticulture than Dr. Beadle. 

 He was a frequent and always most wel- 

 come visitor at our home in Rochester. 

 In 1 86 1 I went to Oshawa to reside, not 

 long after the Canadian Fruit Growers* 

 Association was organized, and I became 

 a life-member. I well remember the 

 first number of The Horticulturist. 

 It was a modest monthly, for the field 

 then was small and new. It has steadily 

 and persistently done its full share in 

 enlarging the field, and I rejoice that its 



work has been effective from the begin- 

 ning. It is now what one of my friends 

 calls a " meaty " journal. It is full of 

 practical matter. It aids the fruit grower 

 to attain success from the time he plants 

 the tree until the fruit is marketed. In 

 my family it is always a welcome guest. 



In the winter of 1859 I visited Nova 

 Scotia. I sailed from St. John, N. B. 

 to Annapolis, got in a pilot boat in 

 January, and then drove up through the 

 Annapolis Valley to Kentville, Windsor, 

 Amherst, Truro, and on to Halifax. I 

 went to see if there was any considerable 

 demand for fruit trees. The Treaty of 

 Reciprocity was in force, and the potato 

 was king. Fruit growing there was in 

 the infant stage. With free access to the 

 market of the New England States, the 

 Annapolis Valley would be one vast 

 garden for choice fruits and vegetables. 

 Cold storage has almost annihilated dis- 

 tance in the shipment of green fruits. 

 We now get fine fresh-looking strawber- 

 ries in January, from Florida. They 

 should come in from the Annapolis Val- 

 lep in July, and command a large price. 

 The intelligent American fruit culturist, 

 with the aid of scientists, cold storage, 

 railways and fast steamships, will have 

 the whole world for a market in the near 

 future, if he will only remember that 

 quality and condition are prime factors 

 in securing a liberal demand for his 

 labor and skill. Prime Patrick Barry 

 and Easter Beurre pears from California, 

 are still to be had at from 6 to 10 cents 

 each. They are well worth the money 

 if one can afford the luxury. 



Francis Wavland Glen. 



Brooklyn. 



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