OF INTEREST TO FRUIT GROWERS. 



445 



Results of the Windstorm 



The worst storm that has struck Ontario or- 

 chards for a great number of years occurred 

 during the third week of October. Fruit In- 

 spector Carey, of Toronto, who recently vis- 

 ited Northumberland county, states that the 

 growers there claim that 50 per cent, of the 

 fruit on unpicked trees had been blown down. 

 Mr. Carey estimated that 30 to 40 per cent, had 

 fallen. The ground was literally covered with 

 excellent fruits and gangs of pickers gathered 

 them like potatoes so that they would not be 

 further damaged while the remainder of the 

 crop was being harvested. 



All this fallen fruit will be rushed on the 

 market or put in storage and in either case the 

 result will be serious if the fruit men do not 

 act with prudence. Windfalls do not give 

 satisfaction in store, and if rushed on the mar- 

 ket a glut will be caused. Some fruit which 

 fell on soft ground was not seriously damaged 

 and appears all right, but the consumer is dis- 

 satisfied when a bruise is found. ''This storm 

 and the effects which are likely to follow," re- 

 marked Mr. Carey, " are the only drawbacks to 

 a prosperous year for fruit growers." 



Mr. Carey advises that special care be taken 

 in selecting apples that are to be shipped. A 

 few of the least damaged can be shipped with 

 fair success, but the badly bruised fruit should 

 be sent to the evaporator. Naturally, the 

 grower is anxious to send all he can at higher 

 prices, irrespective of the damage to the fruit 

 industry, but in this case he must act pru- 

 dently. 



Fraudulent Packing 



A number of cases of fraudulent packing 

 have been reported from different sections of 

 Ontario. In a recent interview with Domin- 

 ion Fruit Inspector Carey, The Horticulturist 

 learned that cases were under consideration at 

 St. Catharines, Aldershot, Oakville, Meaford 

 and other places. Several growers have been 

 prosecuted and fines imposed on the trans- 

 gressors. Mr. Carey favors lenient treatment 

 but claims that the educational stage is past 

 and those fruit growers who pei'sist in violat- 

 ing the law can expect little consideration in 

 future. They have been given time to ac- 

 quaint themselves with the requirements and 

 heavy fines will be imposed. 



A marked improvement in packing is re- 

 ported, ' as the majority of growers are co- 

 operating to bring the desired results. There 

 are, however, some unscrupulous packers who 

 have not the best interests of the fruit indus- 

 try at heart. The principal defects have been 

 over facing and wrong marking. In several 

 cases XX fruit has been marked XXX. " We 

 must," said Mr. Carey, " have honest packing 

 and grading up to the standard." 



Cool Fruit Before Packing 



A. McNBILL, CHIEF OF THE FRUIT 

 I>IVISION, OTTAWA. 



The Dominion fruit inspectors at Montreal 

 draw attention to a most serious source of loss 

 to apple shippers. When inspecting- fruit un- 

 der the Fruit Marks Act they also test it with a 

 thermometer for the purpose of arriving at some 

 knowledge of its condition. There are numer- 

 ous cases of the fruit standing at 75 to 78 de- 

 grees in the barrel when the outside tempera- 

 ture is between 50 and 60 degrees. Such pack- 

 ages going into ordinary storage are almost cer- 

 tain to arrive in the Old Country in bad condi- 

 tion. 



It mends matters somewhat to place them in 

 cold storage, but even cold storage cannot re- 

 store to proper condition fruit that has been 

 some days packed in a barrel at this tempera- 

 ture. The heat developed by the fermentation 

 of the apples themselves would almost counter- 

 balance the effect of the refrigerator plant, so 

 that it is doubtful whether the centre of the bar- 

 rel would be materially affected before the 

 apples reached the English market. Our pack- 

 ers must learn that the apples should be put in 

 the barrels cold, and that a barrel of apples, 

 even in the cold storage chamber, cannot be 

 cooled thoroughly in less than a week or 10 

 days. Hence, the necessity of cooling them be- 

 fore they are placed in the barrel. 



Fruit Inspector Carey states that fully 200,000 

 barrels of apples will go into storage in North- 

 umberland county. These will consist chiefly 

 of Spys, Ben Davis, Baldwins and Russets. 



Items of Interest 



The British Columbia Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation has decided to make a display of fruit 

 again this year at the annual Royal Horticul- 

 tural Exhibition which opens in London, Eng., 

 on December 5. Over 600 boxes of apples and 

 about 100 boxes of pears are being selected 

 from the crop in the different sections of the 

 province. The British Columbia exhibit was 

 awarded two gold medals last year. 



The largest cargo of apples ever exported 

 from Montreal left on October 6 on the Allan 

 liner, Bavarian. This record load consisted 

 of 28,560 barrels and 765 boxes. The inspec- 

 tor from the Department of Agriculture had a 

 busy time looking after proper marking and 

 taking the temperatures. Each package was 

 clearly marked "Canadian apples." 



Reports from diiferent parts of Canada tell 

 of freaks in fruit trees and bushes this season. 

 In Mr. W. G. Watson's orchard, at Dixie, a 

 bunch of healthy blossoms was found within a 

 few inches of mature fruit. In Dufferin 

 county Mrs. Thos. Hinton, sr., of Black's Cor- 

 ners, picked well formed strawberries of splen- 

 did flavor in October. A second crop of rasp- 

 berries matured on some bushes in Mr. Jos. 

 Chantler's garden in Simcoe county. At 

 Peterboro, Mr. Robt. Daly also picked ripe 

 raspberries in mid-October. 



The interests of the fruit industry are being 

 looked after by Inspector Gifford, who laid 

 charges against Messrs. Godfrey, Dyce and 

 Ellis, of Meaford, for- violation of Section 6 of 



