news from Trult Growers' Hssociations, horticultural 

 and €ivlc Improvement Societies 



Good Work Being Done by Fruit Growers 

 of the Niagara Peninsula 



WE are indebted to our worthy 

 president, Mr. W. H. Bunting, 

 for the following notes: 



Several meetings of a somewhat import- 

 ant character in connection with the Niagara 

 Peninsula United Fruit Growers' Associa- 

 tion have been held during the past few 

 weeks, and matters of considerable interest, 

 not only to local fruit growers, but also to 

 the fruit trade generally throughout the pro- 

 vince have been discussed. The election of 

 officers took place on December i8th, result- 

 ing in the appointment of Mr. C. M. Hons- 

 berger, of Jordan, as president, and Mr. C. 

 E. Fisher, of St. Catharines, County Regis- 

 trar, as secretary, with an executive com- 

 mittee representing the various localities 

 throughout the entire district. This asso- 

 ciation has been active in the past as an or- 

 ganization closely identified with every 

 movement that gave promise of results bene- 

 ficial to the fruit industry, and has succeed- 

 ed in accomplishing some good work. 



The meetings on December i8th and 

 January 2nd, 1904, which were largely at- 

 tended, were chiefly devoted to a discussion 

 of the present condition of the San Jose 

 infestation, and the best methods to be 

 adopted during the next few months in or- 

 der to destroy the present infestation and 

 prevent further spread. The San Jose scale 

 committees reported satisfactory work in 

 many orchards with the ' lime and sulphur 

 treatment, and stated that upon apple, pear, 

 and European plum trees crude petroleum 

 had been used with good results. The pre- 

 paration popularly known as McBain's mix- 



ture, was referred to as very promising, 

 with a suggestion that growers give it a 

 more extensive trial this spring. 



It was felt that spraying outfits of greater 

 power and capacity were urgently needed. 

 A resolution was passed requesting the Min- 

 ister of Agriculture to continue further ef- 

 forts and financial assistance to abate this 

 pest, which in many instances has proved 

 even more destructive than was at first an- 

 ticipated. 



At the meeting of January i6th, also 

 largely attended, the questions of farm 

 labor and co-operation amongst fruit grow- 

 ers were discussed. The secretary was au- 

 thorized to place an advertisement in several 

 of the Scottish newspapers asking for good 

 competent farm laborers with and without 

 families, and members were requested to 

 make known their requirements in this dis- 

 trict to the secretary as soon as possible. A 

 very lively discussion ensued upon the re- 

 port of the Committee on Co-operation, 

 which contained a number of important 

 clauses, the chief of which referring to co- 

 operative spraying, uniform grading and 

 packing of fruit in central packing houses, 

 regulation of the distribution of shipments, 

 and the recovery of damages for loss aris- 

 ing out of the carelessness and negligence of 

 carriers and receivers. This subject will be 

 more fully discussed at subsequent meet- 

 ings, and it is expected that action will be 

 taken of great importance to the fruit trade. 

 New York State Fruit Growers' annual 

 meeting was held at Geneva, N. Y., January 

 6th and 7th. A large number of prominent 

 growers from all parts of the state were in 

 attendance. The chief speakers were Profs. 

 Bailey and Slingerland, of Cornell Univer- 



