FRUIT CONDITIONS IN ONTARIO 



The Canadian Horticulturist up to May 25th 

 had received fruit crop reports from some 400 

 fruit growers in all the leading fruit producing 

 sections of Ontario. Detailed &tatements deal- 

 ng with the prospects of each of the leading 

 fruit crops are given below. 



iReaders must bear in mind that all state- 



ments given at this early season are liable to be 

 greatly changed as the season advances and the 

 actual conditions become more apparent. In 

 brief it now appears that the yield of strawber- 

 ries, plums and peaches will be light, while 

 apples, pears and cherries will be a good aver- 

 age crop. 



Apple Trees in Good Condition 



Several hundred correspondents scattered 

 throughout all the principal apple producing 

 counties of the province, reporting to The Horti- 

 cultunist state that trees have come through 

 the winter in good condition. Prospects for 

 both the early and winter varieties of apples 

 are very encouraging. A few correspondents 

 indicate that Baldwins and Spys will be light 

 in some sections. On the whole the early varie- 

 ties appear to be in quite a little the better con- 

 dition. 



The damage by mice will be no greater than 

 reported last month, when it was estimated the 

 total loss for the province would not be greater 

 than 2 to 3 per cent. In some counties whole 

 orchards have been destroyed through the trees 

 being girdled, ibut in many sections no loss at 

 all has taken place. Trees appear to be bloom- 

 ing very nicely. _ On the whole, the reports le- 

 ceived from growers show that they feel quite 

 hopeful for this year's crop. In the early varie- 

 ties of apples prospects are fair to good in 

 Wentworth, Halton and York counties, uniform- 

 ly good in Ontario. Northumberland, Hastings. 

 Victoria and the eastern counties. In the vi- 

 cinity of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Lamb- 

 ton and Huron counties report trees are in full 

 bloom. Conditions along Lake Erie are equally 

 favorable, as large crops are anticipated in 

 Kent, Oxford, Lincoln and Norfolk counties and 

 fair to good crops in Essex and Welland coun- 

 ties. 



THE WINTER 'VARIETIES. 



As already intimated, prospects for the win- 

 ter varieties do not appear to be as bright as 

 for early apples. Bordering Lake Ontario, 

 Wentworth, York, Northumberland, Dunham, 

 Hastings arid Lennox counties intimate that 

 they do not anticipate more than 50 to 80 per 

 cent, of an average crop, while in Peterboro 

 and the eastern counties only 60 to 70 per cent, 

 of a full crop is expected. Trees in Ontario 

 county are said to be in excellent condition. 



Much the same conditions rule in the Lake 

 Huron section, as reports say the yield is not 

 likely to be more than an average in Huron, 

 Bruce and Grey counties, while Simcoe county 

 will probably be below the average. Moderate 

 yields are expected in Essex, Kent and Welland 

 counties, and good returns in Norfolk and Lin- 

 coln county. 



I had thought of stopping The Horticulturist, 

 for at 75 years of age I do not take as much in- 

 terest in fruit is I formerly did, but I like to see 

 how fruit growing improves, so am renewing 

 my subscription. — (A. D. Lee, Stoney Creek, Ont. 



Peach Prospects Still Uncertain 



Up to as late as May 25 correspondents lo- 

 cated in the peach districts reported that it was 

 very difficult to give an accurate estimate of the 

 chances for the peach crop. From the replies 

 received it would seem that the number of trees 

 \\Hnter Killed will not be as large as at first 

 .feared, although in some districts, and in fact 

 ■in a few townshivs, peach orchards have been 

 'utterly ruined. There are, on the other hand, 

 numerous sections where the damage is re- 

 ported to be very light. , . 



The most serious reports of loss have been 

 received from Brant county. In West Brant- 

 ford township the peach trees are reported al- 

 most all winter killed. One grower, living near 

 Mohawk, announces that he has lost all of the 

 peach trees on his farm, over 2,000 in number, 

 and that 10,000 trees in that section have been 

 killed. A second correspondent places the 

 numiber of trees killed at 70 per cent., while a 

 third says that half the trees have been killed 

 and all the buds destroyed. 



In Essex county the estimates of damage 

 range all the way from 5 to 90 per cent, show- 

 ing how conditions vary in different parts of the 

 county. On a whole the loss is evidently much 

 less than at first feared. The conditions in 

 Kent county are much the same, estimates rang- 

 ing from 3 to 75 per cent. The prospects in 

 Elgin county appear to be better, as no corre- 

 spondent places the damage at above 25 per 

 cent. Growers in Welland and Lincoln coun- 

 ties appear to take a more hopeful view of the 

 situation. Most of them write that while it is 

 too early to state definitely what the damage 

 has been, they know it has been serious. Old 

 trees have suffered much the worst. One 

 grower writes tHat his old trees are going to 

 leaf out nicely and some to blossom, but he fears 

 there is not much vitality left in them and they 

 will die later. On the whole it appears that 

 the loss in these two counties has not been 

 serious. Prospects in Wentworth county are 

 good. The trees appear to have come through 

 the winter in excellent shape, although there 

 has been some loss in the old orchards. 



PERCENTAGE OF BUDS. 



Buds appear to be showing in a most encour- 

 aging manner. On this point some growers 

 are enthusiastic in their replies, announcing 

 that there is a " splendid showing for fruit " or 

 " enough for a full crop." Brant county seems 

 to be the worst sufferer, as replies indicate that 

 many trees there are not budding at all, al- 

 though in two or three sections trees .have bud- 

 ded in a promising manner. In Essex and 

 Kent counties estimates of the number of buds 



