542 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



requirement of the act that the membership 

 shall be at least 50 precludes their formation. 

 Some change should be made in the act in this 

 respect and horticultural societies should be 

 made distinct from agricultural societies as re- 

 gards their grant." 



Alex. McNeill, Chief Fruit Division, Ottawa : 

 " There is no doubt we are all agreed that the 

 funds for agricultural society purposes are in 

 many cases scandalously wasted, and something 

 must be done if we are to avoid a great scan- 

 dal in the administration of the agricultural af- 

 fairs of this province. Instead of being schools 

 of virtue, many of our fairs are schools of vice. 



" I agree with Mr. Cowan that we need to 

 make a very strong move in favor of better 

 horticultural instruction. As to how that is 

 to be brought about, we may perhaps differ. It 

 seems to me that simply to form another society 

 does not solve the problem. Horticulture is just 

 as much the object of the Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation as the growing of fruit. The trouble 

 is that the horticulturists have not forced them- 

 selves on the attention of the public to the ex- 

 tent necessary to get their due share of interest 

 and attention. I believe that the best way to 

 secure the ends we have in view is to retain the 

 present organization rather than to form an- 

 other society, involving a new set of officers. 

 Let us have a fruit section, a horticultural sec- 

 tion, a forestry section, with the same set of 

 officers, office expenses, etc. There is no rea- 

 son why the one society should not cover all 

 this work." 



F^V^ORED AN ASSOCIATION. 



Major H. J. Snelgrove, Cobourg: " I desire to 

 express the satisfaction of our society at the 

 very excellent service which our superintendent 

 Is rendering us in his oversight of our work. We 

 have received new inspiration from him since 

 he occupied the office. I am glad that a move 

 is being made to establish a Provincial Horti- 

 cultural Society which will form an alliance 

 with the local horticultural societies. The act 

 under which we work has been on the Statute 

 book for 30 years and it is high time that it 

 should be made to represent the present day re- 

 quirements of horticultural societies. We are 

 performing a work which is entirely distinct 

 from the professional side of horticulture. The 

 fruit growers look at the commercial side, and 

 while they are indirectly serving the community, 

 they are first and foremost serving themselves 

 and filling their own pockets. We are work- 

 ing for the good of the public, for municipal 

 betterment and for the beautifying of our homes 

 and surroundings. 



" There is one strong reason why the Act 

 should be amended: The clause providing for 

 the organization of horticultural societies stipu- 

 lates that the money a society receives as a 

 government grant shall be expended only on lec- 

 tures, exhibitions and the distribution of plants, 

 etc. This is altogether too narrow a limitation. 

 It prevents a society from doing anything for 

 municipal betterment — towards the improve- 

 ment of the parks and public playgrounds of the 

 towns. 



J. W. BRENNAN. 



" I should like to take issue with Mr. McNeill, 

 who claims that we should retain the present 

 organization. I had the honor to be a director 

 of the Fruit Growers' Association and know 

 something of its workings. While fully 80 per 

 cent, of its members are members of horticul- 

 tural societieis, the fact remains that only on'^' 

 or two of its directors are interested in horti- 

 culture out of some 15 or 16 officers and direc- 

 tors. I am prepared to move that we proceed 

 to organize a Provincial Horticultural Associa- 

 tion." 



The secretary of the 

 Grimsby Horticultural So- 

 ciety was born in Went- 

 worth county, and after a 

 collegiate and business col- 

 lege education, embarked 

 in the general store busi 

 ness with his father. Eight 

 years ago they purchased a 

 fine orchard and residence 

 near the village of Grimsby. 

 Last summer the secretary 

 made a tour of the decidu- 

 ous sections of California 

 and devoted a great deal of 

 time to sJudying the meth- 

 ods of growing and packing 

 fruit practiced in that great 

 fruit state and derived grat- 

 ifying results from his trip, 

 the Grimsby Horticultural 

 Society is one of the most 

 energetic in the province. 

 Interesting meetings are 

 held every year, often in 

 the homes of the members, 

 when excellent exhibits of fruit are frequently made and instructive 

 discussions held. Last month the society appointed Mr. Brennan 

 to act as delegate at the horticultural convention held in Toronto. 



Mr. R. B. Whyte, Ottawa: "I agree with Mr. 

 McNeill as to tho undesirability of multiplying 

 organizations. I have always thought that the 

 horticultural element was fairly well represented 

 on the directorate of the Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation. They have always had four to six di- 

 rectors. I agree that horticultural societies 

 should be entirely divorced from agricultural 

 societies. They have very little in common, 

 and I think it tends to prevent their formation 

 in some districts, as Mr. Cowan pointed out. 

 Our grants should be made independent of the 

 agricultural societies and should be divided 

 partly according to membership, but more in 

 proportion to the work done. 



" For the last three years the Fruit Growers' 

 association has held separate meetings in the 

 interest of horticulture. I think there might 

 be a special committee appointed by the horti- 

 cultural societies to look after that department 

 and send delegates to the annual convention. I 

 think that the department should pay the ex- 

 pense of one delegate from each hundred mem- 

 bers. In that way you would get all the ad- 

 vantage of a separate organization." 



Mr. Rutherford, Hamilton: "It appears to 

 me that all that is necessary is for us to remain 

 as we are and have the Act amended. If it is 

 any object, let the horticultural societies have 

 a meeting like this every year and exchange 

 views. If there is any idea of forming such an 

 association as has been suggested, I think that 

 the better way to go about it would be to ap- 



