OUR SPECIAL FRUIT CROP REPORTS 



Correspondents from the peach, pear, plum 

 and grape districts give rather glowing reports 

 of these fruit crops. The pear crop is light, 

 but all three others are much ahead of the crop 

 harvested in 1904. So far there are but slight 

 signs of rot in the grapes, although it has 

 started in a few sections, while very few plums 

 have been affected. The peach crop is above 

 the average. The total number of bearing 

 trees is below what it was in former years, 

 which will affect the total yield and tend to pre- 

 vent any heavy surplus. 



IN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS. 



In the Lake Erie district the peach crop is 

 about equal to that of last year, although one or 

 two growers state that it is better. In the Nia- 

 gara peninsula the correspondents, with one ex- 

 ception, report a full crop and good quality, 

 while reports from Burlington say that it is 50 

 per cent ahead of 1904. 



PEARS A POOR CROP. 



Reports regarding the pear crop show no 

 change from those received last month. Along 

 Lake Erie it is placed at a light to medium 

 crop, scarcely half as large as last year's. 

 Correspondents from the Niagara section report 

 a light crop, while Burlington growers have 

 only about one-quarter as many as in 1904. In 

 some sections Keiffer pears are reported as a 

 heavy crop. Several reports from Simcoe 

 county state that there is a better crop than 



was looked for early in the season, and that the 

 harvest will be ahead of last year's. Ontario 

 county growers are bothered with the pear scab. 



THE PLUM CROP. 



Early in the season reports from all sides 

 placed the plum crop as extra large. The wet 

 weather caused many to drop, however, and re- 

 ports up to August 25th promise an ordinary 

 yield. Some varieties have stood the unfavor- 

 able conditions better than others. Lake Erie 

 growers state that last year they had none, or 

 in some cases a few, whereas this year they 

 have a full crop. Correspondents from St. 

 Catharines give Japanese varieties full crop and 

 American medium to light. The plum crop 

 throughout central Ontario is medium to full 

 except in Brant county, where several reports 

 state that it is very light. In York and On- 

 tario counties several districts are losing the 

 crop owing' to rot. 



LITTLE ROT IN THE GRAPES. 



Vineyards along Lake Erie promise about the 

 same crop as last year. One grower in Essex 

 says the crop is a failure. No mention is made 

 of rot except in "Welland county. In the Nia- 

 gara district reports are all favorable and pro- 

 mise excellent quality of clean fruit or very lit- 

 tle rot. As a rule the crop is more abundant 

 than that of 1904. In the Burlington section 

 the yield will be fully 50 per cent, above last 

 year's. 



THE APPLE SITUATION 



High prices should rule this fall for apples. 

 Reports received by The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist from all parts of Ontario show that the crop 

 is not likely to total more than one-third to one- 

 half as much as last year's, while the quality is 

 little if any better. Should high winds prevail 

 this month the total yield may fall short of even 

 this estimate. This fact, taken in conjunction 

 with the very small crop in Great Britain, and 

 a considerable falling off in the yield in the lead- 

 ing producing sections of the United States and 

 the Maritime provinces, indicates that there will 

 be a marked scarcity of* apples and that growers 

 should realize high prices. 



In Ontario, although buyers have been scour- 

 ing the country, growers have been holding 

 their crops. As a result not many sales have 

 been reported to date, making it difficult to esti- 

 mate what the final ruling price will likely be. 

 In the St. Catharines district the crop is re- 

 ported very light, with a heavy demand, and 

 some sales being made at $1 to .$1.25 per barrel 

 on the tree. In the Grimsby district one-quar- 

 ter to one-third of an average crop is expected. 

 Prices have been ruling high, growers asking 

 %2 to $2.50 per barrel, packed. 



Between Hamilton and Toronto a half crop 

 of good quality is looked for; fall and winter 

 apples selling for $1.25 to $1.50 per bbl. Along 

 the north shore of Lake Ontario and in the 

 Georgian Bay district not many sales are re- 

 ported, although a few orchards have been 



bought. The crop is estimated at one-third to 

 one-half last year's, and the prices being of- 

 fered and paid range from $1 to $1.30 per bbl. 



The following reports among many received 

 by The Horticulturist will give a good idea of 

 the situation : 



THE ST. CATHARINES DISTRICT. 



The apple crop is very light in this district, 

 there not being one barrel where we had 10 last 

 year. A few orchards are well loaded with 

 clean, well grown fruit, while in other orchards 

 the apples are crooked, uneven and wormy. In 

 the majority of orchards there is little or no 

 fruit. Buyers are offering one dollar per bar- 

 rel on the trees for No. 1 — 2. In two instances, 

 for good orchards, $1.25 has been paid on the 

 tree, the farmer to board the hands and draw 

 the fruit to cars. Some growers are holding 

 out for higher prices, 'but these are men w^ho 

 have small lots.— (Robt. Thompson, St. Catha- 

 rines, Ont. 



NEAR GRIMSBY. 



The apple crop in the Niagara district is an 

 unusual failure. Not one tree in 10 has a full 

 crop, and there is not one-quarter of an average 

 crop. The Spy is the best; the fruit is clean, 

 and about one-half the trees have an average 

 crop. The fruit is going to be clean and well 

 colored. Baldwins come next, with about half 

 an average crop. Greenings are a failure, 

 Kings and Russets light. Early apples are go- 

 ing at 20 cents a basket cash at point of ship- 



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