328 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



injuriously reduce the grower's profits. In 

 carload lots, with a minimum of 20,000 

 pounds, the express charges per car from 

 southern Ontario to Winnipeg are $2.10 

 per hundred, with a minimum charge of 

 $420. A crate of berries goes at 30 

 pounds, making the express charges on a 

 crate 63 cents, in carload lots. The freight 

 rate over the same route is J}^ cents a hun- 

 dred. While this is very much lower, the 

 time for transportation by freight almost 

 prohibits the undertaking for soft fruits. 

 The usual time is 6 days for a distance of 

 1,300 miles. The Rock Island railroad 

 has established a freight service for west- 

 ern fruit to Chicago of 500 miles in 24 

 hours. 



To assist the Ontario fruit growers in 

 overcoming these handicaps, the writer is 

 attempting, under approval of the Ontario 

 Department of Agriculture, to secure a 

 shipment of fruit over this route by freight. 

 Whether it will be done or not, and if done 

 whether it will be a success or not, will de- 

 pend largely upon the growers. The fruit 



Transplanting Norway Spruce 



W. T. MACOUN, HORTICULTURIST C. E. F., 

 OTTAWA. 



Will you kindly let me know the best way of 

 transplanting Norway spruce ? — (W. H. Taylor, 

 Owen Sound, Ont. 



The best method of transplanting Nor- 

 way spruce which are from 4 to 12 feet in 

 height is by digging around the trees late 

 in the autumn and, after the soil is frozen 

 solid, lifting out the tree with the block of 

 soil and planting it in a hole which has also 

 been prepared for it in the autumn. As 

 soon as the ground thaws in the spring the 

 soil should be carefully packed about the 

 tree. 



u. rees which are only 4 feet in height may 

 be transplanted without much difficulty 

 early in the spring by taking them up care- 

 fully with as many roots as possible, but 



must be supplied, picked and packed by the 

 growers. It is not amiss to say that for 

 this selecting fruit of even size, uniform 

 ripeness, proper degree of ripeness, and 

 first-class quality ; equally great care in 

 packing the fruit; and a choice of packages 

 that will carry the fruit with least damage 

 — all these are elements necessary to suc- 

 cess in a trial shipment. These matters we 

 know already and need not experiment on 

 them. 



The point to be determined now is, 

 whether or not under the best conditions 

 certain fruits can be carried successfully as 

 to quality and profit from southern Ontario 

 to the Northwest by freight. It is highly 

 important at this juncture to place Ontario 

 fruit at its best on the western markets. A 

 shipment of our best fruit will sell itself 

 readily at good prices, and not only so, but 

 it will establish a regutation that will sell 

 other fruit that may follow. The market 

 must be captured and held, not by small 

 quantities, but by large shipments of choice 

 fruit. 



trees 12 feet in height or slightly under siic- 

 ceed best when treated as already described. 

 Apple trees should be cut back from a half 

 to two-thirds of their growth when they are 

 moved. On the whole, this will give the 

 best satisfaction, although sometimes fair 

 results are obtained without much cutting 

 back. 



Mounding up about the base of the trunks 

 of the peach trees is verv judicious at this 

 season. It is during the months of June, 

 July and August that the peach tree borer 

 (Mgeria exitiosa) does its mischievous 

 work, the female laying its eggs on the ten- 

 der bark just at the surface of the ground. 

 So if there is a heap of fine earth raised 

 about the collar of the tree, the moth misses 

 the mark, or if she oviposits, it is in the hard 

 bark, too far from the root to find easy sus- 

 tenance. 



