THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE. 



403 



trict the crop is better, but the orchards are 

 generally small. It is nearly all bought by one 

 man. He has said there will be about 7,000 

 barrels. The price paid is 75 cents to $1.45 per 

 barrel. — (J. G. Mitchell, Clarksburg. 

 SOUTH ONTARIO. 

 The apple crop in the southern part of On- 

 tario county will be heavier than last year. The 

 crop along the lake is light, but further north 

 is exceedingly good. The apples are clean and 

 of good size, but there is quite a lot of wormy 

 fruit. Apples have been bought at all prices 

 up to $1.60 per barrel for everything on the 

 trees in one good orchard. Almost all the ap- 

 ples are sold. — (Elmer Lick, Oshawa. 



NORTHERLY SECTIONS. 



Apples are as large a crop as last year, but 

 the fruit is much larger and finer. Not so many 

 codling grubs in the fruit apparently even where 

 not sprayed, and that is generally. I do not 

 hear of any sales being made so far, and I have 

 inquired a good deal.— (Stanley Spillett, Nantyr. 



The apple crop this year in Grenville county 

 will be easily double that of last year, chiefly 

 Fameuse. I should judge that two-thirds of 

 the crop has been sold on the basis of $1 on the 

 tree for No. 1 and No. 2. Many orchards will 

 grade low, as the spot spread rapidly in August 

 in orchards that were not sprayed. — (Harold 

 Jones, Maitland. 



THE DOMINION FRUIT GROWERS' CONFERENCE 



Arrangements are being made by Mr. A. Mc- 

 Neill, chief of the fruit division, for the confer- 

 ence of fruit growers from the different provin- 

 ces of Canada which will be held in Ottawa next 

 winter. An outline of the subjects that will 

 probably be discussed has been prepared and it 

 has been suggested that the various provincial 

 associations had better consider these matters 

 at their annual conventions so that the dele- 

 gates they send to Ottawa may be prepared to 

 debate them. 



The suggested subjects to be discussed at the 

 proposed conference are : 



1. The preparation of statistics and fruit crop 

 reports, including acreage of small fruits by 

 counties ; number of fruit trees 'by counties ; 

 estimation of value and quantity of fruit crop ; 

 preferred varieties; bi-monthly or monthly re- 

 ports of fruit crop conditions, including the 

 weather, insects, fungous diseases and market 

 quotations. 



2. Transportation by rail. Rates ; classifica- 

 tion ; discrimination in rates between individu- 

 als and firms, between long and short hauls, be- 

 tween places or territories, between commodi- 

 ties ; station accommodations ; speed of service 

 and delays ; supply of cars (delays in supplying 

 cars) ; facilities for tracing cars en route ; de- 

 lay in settling claims ; special facilities for fruit 

 shipments, " decking " cars for baskets, venti- 

 lated cars, refrigerator and frost-proof cars, 

 heated cars, transportation for attendants in 

 charge ; bills of lading, shipper's count, exemp- 

 tion : demurrage charges ; competent station 

 employees ; transportation by express. 



Transportation by water. Freight rates ; 

 ventilated and refrigerator chambers ; the dock 

 accommodations for loading and unloading ; 

 bills of lading. 



3. Packages. Berry boxes ; baskets ; fruit 

 boxes ; barrels ; crates and other packages ; 

 uniformity in minimum, maximum or definite 

 size. 



4. Markets and marketing. Agents and com- 

 mission men, domestic and foreign; direct sales 

 and consignments; cooperation in selling; open- 

 ing new markets; commercial agents abroad. 



5'. Adulteration of fruit products. Jams, jel- 

 lies, canned fruit, fruit extracts. 



6. Nurseries. Varieties and novelties ; dis- 

 eases and pest inspection; responsibility of 

 agents. 



7. The Fruit Marks Act. Definition of No. 2. 



8. The Dominion experimental farms and 

 provincial experiment stations. On what new 

 lines should the work be prosecuted ? 



9. Horticultural education. i'Vuit conven- 

 tions and institutes, orchard meetings, school 

 gardens, agricultural college short courses. 



10. Orchard practices, including varieties, 

 planting, tillage, fertilizers, winter protection, 

 pruning, thinning, spraying, orchard soil cul- 

 ture, picking, storing. 



11. Fall fairs and fruit exhibitions generally. 

 Prize list ; judging and judges, score cards ; 

 displays. 



12. The formation of a Canadian Pomological 

 Society or Dominion Horticultural Society. 



13. Horticultural publications. 



14. Miscellaneous. 



Items of Interest 



Cases of deceitful packing have been cropping 

 up lately at the Toronto market. In one case 

 it is claimed a lady packer is responsible for 

 the fraud. The apples on top of the package 

 were beautiful specimens of Duchess, but un- 

 derneath were scrub G-reenings. Another simi- 

 lar case was found with a basket of peaches. 

 Both cases were reported to the authorities and 

 Investigation is promised. 



A freak of the horticultural world was noticed 

 in an orchard near Enderby, B. C. in August. 

 A bunch of freshly opened >lossoms were found 



on the limb of an apple tree with fruit almost 

 ripe on the same limb only a few inches away. 



British Columbia fruit growers met the Tariff 

 Commission at Nelson and urged that the doity 

 on fruit be maintained and that the same strict- 

 ness be kept with regard to inspection. The 

 "Winnipeg vendors had hoped to have the duty 

 lowered, but British Columbia growers claim 

 they can supply the whole northwest and have 

 some left to ship to England. They said that 

 duty might be taken off oranges, lemons, and 

 such tropical fruits, but went so far as to ad- 

 vise a stiffening of the duty on apples. 



