COMMERCIAL FRUIT GROWING. 



121 



can get them shipped in the evening and have 

 them here the next morning at 10 o'clock, while 

 from Essex it takes 2I/3 days. We consider 



it would not pay for Ontario growers to ship 

 to this market. — (The Macpherson Fruit Co.,. 

 Winnipeg, Man. 



FRUIT TRANSPORTATION MATTERS DISCUSSED 



p. W. HODGETTS, SECT; ONT. FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The Transportation Committee of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association met in Toronto, 

 Feb. 15, to outline what action should be taken 

 in reference to transportation grievances. Mr. 

 Jas. Hardwell, chief traffic ofticer of the Rail- 

 way Commission, met the committee to discuss 

 the question of ventilated and frost-proof cars. 

 Owing to the number of systems in use and the 

 diversity of opinion in respect to their relative 

 value it was decided to put off any decision on 

 this matter until another year. In the mean- 

 time extensive experiments will be conducted. 

 With the consent of the railways, four or more 

 cars of tender fruits will be shipped during 

 September or October from the Niagara dis- 

 trict to the western markets in the same train. 

 These cars will be of the various patterns now 

 in use, including the Wicks, Bohn, Hanrahan, 

 New Tork Central Produce, and Canada Atlan- 

 tic. Thermographs will be placed in each car 

 so that accurate records of the temperature 

 during the trip will be kept. 



Later in the season the same plan will be 

 carried out with respect to apples, a number of 



the various type of cars being loaded at Belle- 

 ville or Trenton and shipped by the one train 

 to the seaboard under similar conditions. This 

 latter test will be to ascertain the desirability 

 of the cars for protection from frost. It is- 

 estimated that 25 per cent, of the apples sent 

 out from Ontario during the late fall and win- 

 ter are frosted en route and arrive at their des- 

 tination in a slack condition. 



The question of rates was considered. The 

 rate on apples to the seaboard is altogether too 

 high. The rate on carload lots from Buffalo to 

 New York, a distance of 425 miles, is 24 cents 

 per barrel, while the rate from St. Catharines 

 to Montreal, a distance of 400 miles, is about 

 40 cents. A sub-committee of Messrs. Bunt- 

 ing, McNeill and Graham, was appointed with 

 authority to correspond with and interview the 

 railway authorities with a view to better equip- 

 ment and service, and at the same time to se- 

 cure if possible a reduction in rates. Failing 

 to get proper concessions from them the asso- 

 ciation will take active measures to press the 

 claims of the fruit growers before the Railway 

 Commission. 



PRICE OF TOMATOES AND CORN 



The market gardeners of Ontario consider 

 they are not receiving a fair price for the pro- 

 duce they supply to the canners, and are taking 

 steps to secure a higher figure. The tomato 

 growers in and about Hamilton made a move 

 some time ago, and at a largely attended meet- 

 ing of the fruit and vegetable growers of the 

 Niagara district, held at St. Catharines, Janu- 

 ary 28, a resolution was passed defining their 

 position and demanding a better price. The 

 following is the resolution as submitted to the 

 meeting by a committee appointed to draft it : 

 " We, the undersigned farmers and gardeners 

 of the Niagara Peninsula, after taking into con- 

 sideration the increased cost of the. manure and 

 labor required in growing and handling the 

 crops of tomatoes and corn for the canning 

 companies, have found that we cannot continue 

 growing these crops at the present prices with 

 any fair remuneration for our work. But we 

 will agree to grow for the season of 1905 toma- 

 toes at 30 cents per bushel and sweet corn at 

 $8 per ton (the seed furnished free to the 

 grower) and sign any fair form of contract 

 agreed upon between the growers and canning 

 companies." 



The resolution was signed by a large number 

 of the growers, and steps will be taken to se- 



cure the names of all the growers in the districts 

 Among those who took part in the discussion 

 were Messrs. C. M. Honsberger, president, in 

 the chair; Robert Thompson, W. C. McCalla, 

 Geo. A. Robertson, A. Pay, Angus Shaw, J. A. 

 Collins, W. H. Bunting, Murray Field and T. 

 Nickerson. Mr. W. A. Emery, of the Hamilton 

 association, was in attendance and gave valu- 

 able assistance. 



The canners combine, which controls nearly 

 every factory in the district, has • announced 

 that they will require nearly 800,000 bushels of 

 tomatoes, and the factories outside the combine 

 will require about 200,000 bushels. The in- 

 crease in the price, from 25 cents to 30 cents a 

 bushel, would mean about one-third of a cent 

 per can to the canners, so that, as one speaker 

 pointed out, there is nothing in the threat that 

 the increase would compel them to close their 

 factories. 



As to corn, letters submitted by Mr. McCalla 

 from the canners stated that they were paying 

 $8 a ton, which they stated is more than is paid 

 in any part of the Unitetd States. He pointed 

 out that this is incorrect, $10 being paid in 

 some places. The meeting took a very firm 

 stand in favor of better prices. The increase 

 demanded is five cents a bushel on tomatoes 

 and one dollar a ton on corn. 



W^e have found The Canadian Horticulturist a 

 very good advertising medium. — (The Winona 

 Nursery Co., Winona, Ont. 



Enclosed find $1 for renewal. The Canadian 

 Horticulturist is well worth it. — (R. Brodie, 

 Westmount, Que. 



