OUR ANA UAL MEETING. 



St. Catharines, was re-elected to serve a 

 second term. His self-denying faithful- 

 ness to his duties, both as president and as 

 ex officio member of various important com- 

 mittees, makes his services of the highest 

 value to the fruit growers of Ontario. Nc 

 one has done more solid work on our Trans- 

 portation Committee, and to him we are in- 

 debted for much of the detail which brought 

 about the appointment of a railway commis- 

 sion, with power to correct much of the in- 

 justice done the fruit grower by the railway 

 companies. 



Mr. Bunting is a fruit grower of no ordi- 

 nary importance, having a farm in the town- 

 ship of Grantham, about one mile from 

 St. Catharines, of 140 acres in extent, of 

 which 85 are in fruit. In grapes he has at 

 least 9,000 vines, making nearly 30 acres of 

 vineyard; 5,000 peach trees, a part planted 

 15x18 and a part 18 x 20 ; 15 acres of apple 

 trees ; five acres of strawberries, and quite 

 large plantations of various other fruits. In 

 addition he is extensively engaged in mar- 

 ket gardening, vegetable growing and 

 mixed farming. 



It is no wonder that such a man should 

 be a leading spirit in his own neighborhood, 

 and should be called upon to assist in all 

 movements for the betterment of fruit 

 growing and general agriculture. He has 

 been instrumental in the organization of the 

 Grantham Fruit Growers' Association and 

 of the St. Catharines Cold Storage and For- 

 warding Company, and for a number of 

 years held the position of president 

 of both these associations in an ac- 

 ceptable manner. No one could visit a 

 fruit growers' or farmers' meeting at the 

 Grantham public hall without seeing 

 traces of his enterprise on every side ; as for 

 example the splendid fruit growers' librarv 

 of some 3.000 volumes, which has recenth 

 become recognized as the Grantham public 

 library. Just now there is an agitation for 

 a special library hall, and no doubt with such 

 generous spirited leaders as Mr. Bunting 



such a hall will soon be realized. 



To Mr. Bunting's energy is also largelj 

 owing the existence of the Niagara Penin- 

 sula United Fruit Growers' Association, 

 which was organized in 1897, and which has 

 been of signal service in stirring up 

 energetic measures for checking the 

 spread of the San Jose scale, and which is 

 one of the most active and useful agricultu- 

 ral societies in the province. 



He was appointed by the Provincial Gov- 

 ernment, in 1899, along with Dr. James 

 Mills, president of the O. A. C, Guelph, and 

 Mr. John Dearness, vice-principal of the 

 London Normal School, on the San Jose 

 Scale Commission, the work of which re- 

 sulted in directing attention to the best 

 methods of destroying this insect by 

 treatment of the trees. And in 1901, 

 wh'en a Provincial Superintendent of 

 Horticulture was needed for Ontario's 

 exhibit at the Pan-American, who could 

 have been appointed better qualified tc 

 gather excellent exhibits and dispose of 

 them to the best advantage than Mr. Bunt- 

 ing, whose signal service won for us the 

 greatest credit and placed us in the front 

 rank of the fruit producing countries of 

 North America. 



Combined with his excellent business abil- 

 ity, and his untiring zeal in the public inter- 

 est, we find in Mr. Bunting that genuine 

 modesty which often accompanies the truest 

 merit. Often we have solicited him for his 

 photograph for these pages, and for some 

 notes of his life, but as often denied. " I 

 have no desire after publicity," he will re- 

 ply, " and hate above all things to be adver- 

 tised before the public." So it happens that 

 the photograph which we present our read- 

 ers of Mr. Bunting was obtained without his 

 consent, and so it is that these notes are sc 

 incomplete. 



THE president's ANNUAL ADDRESS 



Officers and Members of the Fruit Growers' As- 

 sociation of Ontario : 

 Ladies and Gentlemen : In presenting to you 

 a few thoughts in connection with the usual ar" 



