$ ©per? I^ettep^?. ^ 



Fruits Not Bapped Out. 



Sir, — In an article in your late issue under 

 the heading " Fruit Not Barred Out," we are 

 informed that the Minister of Agriculture de- 

 clines to prohibit the importation of fruit from 

 the United States on the ground that " Mani- 

 toba would l>e deprived of such luxuries as 

 sliipping to Manitoba from Ontario or British 

 Columbia would be impracticable, at the 

 same time Manitoba must depend on Cali 

 fornia for her fresh fruits." Now I think a 

 more silly argument could not be advanced on 

 any subject. Is not California a greater dis- 

 tance from Manitoba than either Ontario or 

 British Columbia. And further, they not 

 only ship from California to Manitoba but 

 California fruit is shipped to Montreal and 

 even to England and that during periods when 

 pur fruits are rotting in the orchards for want 

 of a market. The fact is California cuts us 

 out of the markets of our own country with 

 fruit not nearly in quality to our own simply 

 because they can put them in the market be- 

 fore ours are ripe and then receives a better 

 price than we would be thankful for. 



From the fact that there is more danger of 

 scale and disease being Ijrought into the 

 country through importation of fruit than 

 through the importation of trees, I am con- 

 vinced that the prohibition of trees by the 

 Minister of Agriculture is for the purpose of 

 benefitting nursery men rather than for 

 stamping out the scale. 



S. MoRMNGSTAR, Godtrtch. 



Notes From Simcoe County. 



Sir, — All the experimental stock has come 

 through the winter in good shape, and a num- 

 ber of the trees are showing considerable 

 bloom, so if no heavy frosts or other mishap 

 occurs, we will have quite a variety of fruits 

 this year. The following varieties are now in 

 full bloom May 20th. Plums, Early Botan, 

 Moldavka , Guei, Hudson River, Black Dia- 

 mond, Union Purple. Cherries, Ostheim 

 Russian, 207. The Russian Apricot Alexis is 

 now in full bloom also. 



Ten other varieties of plums and about the 

 same of cherries are showing bloom. 



The Princess Louise Apple, three years 

 planted, is full of bloom. 



As to the general outlook for fruit at 

 present Winter Apples are with few excep- 

 tions showing a moderate amount of bloom. 

 Early apples are very full. All kinds of 

 stone fruits show immense quantity of bloom. 



I used the full Bordeaux mixture this 

 spring for first spraying when buds were 

 swelling, and I think it is all right for the 

 first as well as the second. I sprayed trees 

 both young and old, currants and raspberries. 

 J t pays to spray young trees as well as those 

 of bearing age. 



G. C. Caston. 



The Bappy Peap. 



Sir, — By express I have sent you to-day 

 three good specimens of the Patrick Barry 

 Pear, grown in California. They were ship- 

 ped here last fall and have been in a imiform 

 temperature of .35 degrees. I could have sent 

 you some of this variety /it/Zy one-third laryer, 

 but they were badly packed and had discol- 

 ored in spots. 



This pear is a wonderful keeper. I never 

 have found one of them decayed at the core. It 

 is best when it is little more than a sack of 

 juice. Its size, shape and rich orange russet 

 color when ripe, combined with its superb 

 refreshing, sub-acid flavor and keeping quali- 

 ties, entitles it to high rank among pears. 

 The dealer of whom I bought them is selling 

 them at the corner of Wall and William street 

 at 10 cents each, or three for 25 cents. Ou 

 the same fruit stand, were extra fine navel 

 oranges from California, selling at six for 

 25 cents, and si.x extra fine bananas for ten 

 cents. 



This pear, can be shipped if carefully se- 

 lected and packed, from Ontario to any mar- 

 ket in the world, and delivered in prime con- 

 dition. We have visiting us at this time 

 some friends from Berlin, Geimany. They 

 tell us that good fruit is rare there, and very 

 ex2Mnsir^. It is a very wealthy city, and if 

 the Ontario fruit growers will unite and erect 

 there a cjld storage warehouse, and establish 

 an agency for the distribution of their fruit 

 through other German cities, they will find a 

 larger market than they now anticipate. 

 Fruit can be sent there in the fall, placed in 

 cold storage, and taken out and exposed for 

 sale at pleasure ; success will surely be attain- 

 ed, if brain, skill and integrity are united in 

 production and distribution. What has been 

 accomplished by Ontario cheese- makers can 

 be attained by Ontario fruit growers. Prime 

 cheese opened its own market, and prime fruit 

 will do likewise. Quality ! quality ! ! qual- 

 ity! ! ! Carefully selected and packed, will 

 overcome all obstacles. 



Francis Wayland Glen. 



BrooMyn. 



Beet Sugap. 



Sir, — Since writing you upon the beet sugar 

 industry, the Secretary of Agriculture at 

 Washington has made a report which con- 

 tains information valuable to your readers, if 

 they are interested in th's rapidly-growing 

 industry. 



In 1897 there were nine beet sugar manu- 

 factories in operation in the United States. 

 They produced 90,491,670 pounds of sugar 

 from beets raised upon 42,272 acres of land. 

 It will be observed that the yield of sugar per 

 acre averaged 2,140 pounds. 



There will be eight more manufactories 



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