THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



fung-us pests of the orchard and vineyard, the 

 Minister of AgricuMure for Ontario has ar- 

 i-an&ed for a series of experiments and demon- 

 strations at eig>ht centres in the Niagara penin- 

 sula. The first ix)und were held April 13-21 at 

 the following places : Mr. Murray Pettit's, 

 Winona ; Mr. Ambrose Pettlt's, Grimsby ; Mr. 

 R. Kelly's and Mr. Bartlett's, Beamsville ; Mr. 

 J. Fretz's, Jordan; Mr. George Robertson's and 

 Mr. Pay's, iSt. Catharines ; Mr. Jas. Hutchin- 

 son's, Virgil ; Queenston and Niagara Falls. 



The following substances were used in the 

 plum and vineyard experiments : Copper sul- 

 phate, and the lime-sulphur wash on dormant 

 vines, and Bordeaux and soda Bordeaux at in- 

 tervals during the growing season. 



Prof. W. Lochhead, of Guelp'h, has charge of 

 the demonstrations. 



The Price of Tomatoes. 



The fight this spring between the tomato 

 growers and the canning factories in regard to 

 the price of tomaitoes has to a certain extent 

 ended in a draw. In some sections the growers 

 have given in and have accepted 25 cents a 

 bushel, the price offered by the canners, while 

 in other districts the growers have refused to 

 grow tomatoes for that figure. This has forced 

 the companies to contract with growers living 

 at considerable distances from the factories, 

 with the resiilt that the cost per bushel to the 

 factories w-ill probably be as high as if they had 

 paid the price asked for iby the growers. 



In a letter received by The Horticulturist 

 early in April from Mr. W. C. McCalla, of St. 

 Catharines, it is made clear that the growers in 

 that section have stuck to their guns. In part 

 the letter is as follows : 



For a time it seemed probable that our asso- 

 ciation members would get contracts totalling 

 60,000 bushels at 30 cents, and on the strength 

 of this hotbeds were put up and seed sown. Ne- 

 gotiations, however, failed, and as many grow- 

 ers in other districts had contracted at the old 

 price, some of them officers of associations w^ho 

 had pledged themselves not to grow for less 

 tha.n 30 cents, we felt that there was no hope 

 of getting contracts at the advanced price this 

 season. These facts were faced and discussed 

 by our members at a recent meeting. The roll 

 was called and in response every member pres- 

 ent (47) reaffirmed his determination not to 

 grow tomatoes for less than 30 cents. Many 

 thousands of seedlings will be destroyed by our 

 meinbers. 



While we have not secured the price asked for 

 we feel that by loyally standing together under 

 trying circumstances we have gained much, and 

 are in a good position to continue the effort an- 

 other year, when, with the aid of a strong pro- 

 vincial association w'e should be able to abtain 

 our reasonable demands. 



THE STAMFORD GROWERS. 



The secretary-treasurer of the Stamford Fruit 

 Growers' and Market Gardeners' Association, 

 Mr. Thomas R. Stokes, of Niagara Falls South, 

 has written The Horticulturist as follows : 



As regards the tomato situation the Consoli- 

 dated Canning Company is going to outside 

 places to contract for tomatoes at 25 cents a 

 bushel, supplying crates and paying freight for 

 shipping and in some cases the plants. This 

 must make the price of a bushel of tomatoes 33 

 to 35 cents. They also pay the weighing. We 

 are wondering what kind of stuff a dead ripe 

 tomato will be after it has been jolted in a 

 wagon and bumped in the cars. It is not likely 

 to be fit to make first class or second class 

 canned goods. 



items of Interest. 



The sum of $9,700 has been subscribed for a 

 canning factory at Milford, Prince Edward 

 County, Ont., and Bloomfield, in the same 

 county, is talking of a similar factory owned by 

 a joint stock company of farmers. 



The county of Huron is said to lead in the 

 number of apple trees — 373,613. Northumber- 

 land is a good second with 366,381. Leeds has 

 93,717 and Grenville 68,145. 



A cooperative canning company has been 

 formed to operate at Niagara-on-the-Lake, 

 where the steel works, have been rented for this 

 purpose. A new" building will be erected in the 

 fall. 



California fruit growers are receiving 44 to 57 

 cents a box for oranges. Every box of Cana- 

 dian apples, grown, gi-aded and packed with the 

 same care and intelligence as Californian 

 oranges, has brought a higher price than this. 

 It would seem then that a man does not need 

 to leave Canada to do a profitable bus^iness in 

 fruit, but Canadians do not yet appreciate the 

 lesson taught to Californians by much bitter ex- 

 perience that it pays to export only the best. 



The Fruit Division, Ottawa, has received 

 word from Britisih Columbia that there are very 

 heavy importations of nur.sery stock coming in 

 this spring ; as much as six carloads in a single 

 day was received of Oregon stock, all of which 

 was carefully inspected and fumigated. Mr. 

 Thos. Cunmingham, Inspector of Fruit Pests for 

 British Columbia, estimates that there w'ill be 

 500,000 trees imported and planted in addition 

 to the homegro'wn stock. 



A strong deputation representing the Ontario 

 Vegetable Growers' Association waited on the 

 Hon. Nelson Monteith, Minister of Agriculture, 

 early in April, and asked for an annual grant of 

 $1,000. that arrangements be made to include 

 an exhibit of vegetables in the Provincial Fruit, 

 Flower and Honey Show, and that the professors 

 at the Agricultural College at Guelph be re- 

 quested to conduct experiments in the growing 

 of vegetables. The deputation was introduced 

 by Hon. J. W. St. John, and received a favorable 

 reception. Mr. W. A. Emory, of Aldershot, 

 Ont., and Mr. Joseph Rush, Humber Bay, Ont., 



