I04 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



should be first covered with heavy paper or 

 other protection, and then the work may be 

 done with freedom. 



Favored Fruit Sections 



Sir : What section of the province do you 

 recommend most highly for general fruit grow- 

 ing, including the tender plants, considering not 

 only climate and soil, but also nearness to mar- 

 kets, economy in freights, etc. 



I. S. BELL, Peterboro. 



For tender fruits, such as peaches and 

 English cherries, the section adapted is very 

 limited, being mostly confined to the region 

 south of the Great Western division of the 

 Grand Trunk Railway, the Burlington dis- 

 trict, and to a less degree the east shore of 

 Lake Huron, including the Beaver Valley. 

 Pears and the finer plums may be grown 

 over a much broader belt throughout a dis- 

 trict north of Lake Ontario and east of the 

 Georgian Bay ; while apples, of course, may 

 be grown much farther north, especially by 

 making a careful selection of hardy varieties. 



For commercial and economical market- 

 ing all depends on the markets selected. If 

 for the northern shore of the Georgian Bay. 

 a point near Collingwood or Owen Sound 

 would be convenient to steamer transporta- 

 tion ; if for Ottawa, or Montreal, or for ex- 

 port, a section such as we have east of Ham- 

 ilton, with competition between the C. P. R. 

 and G. T. R., and also between Canadian 

 and Dominion express, is desirable. 



Will Co-operative Packing and 

 Selling Work in Ontario 



THE low prices received for fruit ship- 

 ped on consignment, and the excel- 

 lent address of W. H. Owen at our Leam- 

 ington meeting, has created much general 

 interest in Ontario in the evolution of some 

 practical method of 'carrying out co-opera- 

 tive buying and selling. 



At a representative meeting of Niagara 

 district fruit growers at St. Catharines on 

 the 30th ult, the question was discussed at 



some length, but without reaching a definite 

 conclusion. The only scheme presented 

 was by Mr. A. H. Pettit, of Grimsby, which 

 provided for the formation of a stock com- 

 pany for the securing of a site, the erection 

 of buildings, and the current expenses of the 

 company. The large amount of capital 

 required before a beginning could be made 

 seemed to be a damper upon the acceptance 

 of the scheme, which, however, will be still 

 further discussed at a February meeting. 



The Leamington fruit growers seem to 

 be advancing a little farther, and have 

 agreed upon a scheme which seems to in- 

 volve les^ outlay, and we give a report of it, 

 which appeared in the Leamington Post : 



A meeting was held at Ruthven to consider 

 the constitution of the Erie Fruit Association. 

 The aim of the organization is to establish three 

 fruit depots, one at Leamington, one at Ruth- 

 ven, and one at Kingsville. The fruit from these 

 respective districts is to be graded and packed 

 at the stations, and sold to the best advantage, 

 so as to prevent, as far as possible, the fruit in 

 the section from competition with other fruit 

 grown in the Erie district. The constitution 

 provides for the election of a president, vice- \ 

 president and two directors from each station. 

 The sales at each station to be under the con- 

 trol of a manager, under the supervision of the 

 directors. 



The by-laws provide that the members shall 

 not be allowed to sell or solicit sales of any fruit 

 except culls, or fruit not acceptable to the com- 

 pany, but to deliver their fruit at the company's 

 packing house, where it will be sold to the best 

 advantage, the member receiving credit for his 

 fruit, at the average price paid on that day for 

 first, second or third-class fruit. The capital 

 stock to be $5,000, divided into 1,000 shares of 

 $5 each. Each member of the association is 

 expected to take one or more shares, although 

 it will not be compulsory. The limit to any 

 one member will be 10 shares or $50. A guaran- 

 tee dividend of ten per cent, will be given to all 

 shareholders, which will be a first charge on the 

 expenses. One-third of the selling price of 

 fruit will be retained until the close of the sea- 

 son, out of which the dividend above mentioned 

 will be paid and all other costs of selling, sala- 

 ries to secretary and treasurer, traveling ex- 

 penses, etc., and the balance will be distributed 

 among the members, in proportion to the num- 

 ber of bushels or baskets delivered. Parties de- 

 siring to take stock must first become members 

 by payment of one dollar. The only cost to the 

 shipper will be actual cost of selling, and the 

 dividends to be paid on $5,000 stock. If $5,000 . 

 worth of fruit is sold, the cost to the grower 

 who is a member of this society will be only 1 

 per cent, in addition to actual expense of selling. 



