January, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



11 



open crate has sold readily for $2.00 a box, it 

 indicates that its use is still in the experi- 

 mental stage. The discussion of its merits 

 at the approaching convention of the Ontario 

 Fruit Orowers' Association this month 

 should prove of interest and value. 



It is pretty late in the day to begin talk- 

 ing about scientific town planning when 

 two of our cities have crossed the half-mil- 

 lion mark, and the need of land for build- 

 ling purposes in all our centres, from the 

 rural hamlet to the metropolis, has been 

 anticipated for years to come by specu- 

 lators and withdrawn from agriculture for 

 the purpose. Nevertheless if foresight 

 Is used the development of Canada will 

 soon make work for the scientific town 

 planner. In the meantime by demon- 

 strating to the people how things might 

 have been, he may do something in influ- 

 encing them to enquire into the economic 

 reasons of why we have made such a mess 

 of our city making. It is because economic 

 laws have been ignored that present condi- 

 tions exist. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK P 



Our December issue completed the first 

 year during which we have published The 

 Canadian Horticulturist in editions, one for 

 the fruit grower and one for the flower 

 grower. These special editions have proved 

 so successful we purpose continuing them 

 throughout the new year. 



* * * 



The February (issue of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist will be our flfth Annual 

 Spraying Number. The list of contributors 

 to this years' issue shows that it will main- 

 tain the high standard of our previous 

 special spraying numbers. Some of the best 

 articles will include the following: "The 

 Fruit-Tree Leaf-Roller," illustrated by Prof. 

 L. Caesar, Provincial Entomologist. This 

 is one of the most destructive fruit pests in 

 Ontario. Remedies tor its control will be 

 given. In the Apicultural Edition of the 

 Canadian Horticulturist for December ap- 

 peared an article by Prof. Caesar entitled: 

 "Poison Sprays and Poison Baits in their 

 Relation to Bees." This subject being oue 

 that Is oif great importance to fruit growers, 

 we have decided to re-publish this article in 

 the fruit edition for February. Mr. W. E. 

 Biggar, of Harailton, who has charge of 

 fighting the San Jose scale and similar pests 

 In Ontario, will contribute a special artlc'e 

 drawing lessons from the results obtained 

 to date. "Sprays and Spraying" will be the 

 title of an article hy A. W. Cook, of Herold's 

 Fruit Farm. Dr. G. E. Sanders, of the 

 Dominion Entomological Division, who has 

 been accomplishing a splendid work in 

 Nova Scotia, will write on the subject: "The 

 Control of Fruit Insects, with special refer- 

 ence to Nova Scotia." 



* * * 



In the Floral pages of our February issue, 

 there will be an interesting article by Mr. 

 B. C. TiUett, entitled "Insect Pests In the 

 Amateur's Greenhouse." Mr. Wm. Hunt, of 

 Guelph, will contribute an illustrated article 

 entitled "Notes on New Plants, and Plants 

 not Well Known." Mr. Henry Gibson will 

 give Ms usual helpful suggestions, dealing 

 especially with the care of house plants 

 during the winter. 



* • • 



Some years ago we conducted a Poultry 

 Department in each issue of The Canadian 



Horticulturist. We have decided to resume 

 this department. Prof. F. C. Elford, of the 

 Dominiion Experimental Farm, Ottawa, has 

 consented to assist us witli this depart- 

 ment. The first article by Prof. Elford ap- 

 pears in this issue. As a large percentage 

 of the readers of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist raise poultry as well as fruit and 

 flowers, this department should be unusual- 

 ly helpful. 



* * * 



So many horticultural societies in On- 

 tario, as well as in some of the other prov- 

 inces, are now interesting themselves in 

 the distribution of flower and vegetable 

 seeds among the children of the public 

 schools, a demand has been created for sim- 

 ple, helpful articles that can be distributed 

 among the pupils of these schools, giving 

 instructions in regard to the cultivation of 

 the most commonly .grown plants and 

 vegetables As a means of helping horticul- 

 tural societies in this work The Canadian 

 Horticulturist is now having prepared a 

 series of articles that should do much to 

 answer the requirements of societies en- 

 gaged in this work. We are planning to 

 publish these articles in The Canadian 

 Horticulturist, and later to re-publish them 

 in pamphlet form. We may have to make 

 a nominal charge for these, but if so, it will 

 be light. Horticultural Societies that would 

 like to obtain copies of these pamphlets are 

 requested to write us. 



Advertisers are urged to reserve space in 

 our February issue at the earliest possiiblo 

 date. Although this issue will be larger than 

 the average, it will assist us in giving our 

 advertisers the best possible position, if 

 they will forward their copy early in the 

 month. 



Guelph 



The Guelph Horticultural Society last year 

 accomplished much good work. Over 1,000 

 hulbs were distributed to members, and 

 about 300 shrubs. Altogether a little over 

 $12.5' was spent on premiums for members. 

 About $100 was spent on flowers and plant- 

 ing for municipal and government buildings. 

 Garden seeds of flowers and vegetables were 

 also purchased and distributed to the schooU 

 of the city. 



Two lawn and flower garden competitions 

 were conducted. Three prizes were given 

 in a competition for the best-kept lawn and 

 flower garden, working people only. Prizes. 

 first, $4; second, $3; third, $2, The second 

 competition took in all districts in which 

 there was ao competition last year. This 

 provided a competition in each of the six 

 different wards of the city. There were 

 three prizes for each, as follows: First, $3; 

 second, $2; third. $1, making a total of $3S 

 in this competition. A vegetable garden 

 competition was also conducted, covering 

 the city and including over forty entries. In 

 this competition six prizes were awarded, 

 ranging from $3.50 down to $1. No entry 

 fees were charged in any of the competition:-. 



There was a window and verandah box 

 competition, open to members only, with 

 four prizes, ranging from $3 to $1. 



For the best lawn and flower garden in 

 the city and for the best vegetable garden, 

 diplomas were awarded, providing the own- 

 ers were members of the society, and had 

 not won a diploma In previous years. 



Vegetable seeds, aster seeds and giadioli 

 bulbs were distributed for the scholars in 

 the senior grades of each city school, to De 

 grown at home by the pupils. 



In the spring the society attended to the 

 planting and arranging of window boxes a,l 

 the city hall, fire hall, post office and public 

 library, all of which helped to beautify the 

 city. 



St. Thomas 



The St. Thomas Horticultural Society had 

 a busy year last year. The society ordered 

 120,000 bulbs, of which 20,000 were planted 

 in beds around the city, and the balance 

 were distributed to the different members. 

 The society gave away about 2,000 bouquets 

 to the sick and the poor. 



The receipts for the year were: Cash 

 balance, Oct. 31, 1914, $111.30; government 

 grant, $800; city grant, $150; members' 

 fees, $1,339; donations, $722; bulbs and 

 shrubs that were sold, $1,059.20; other in- 

 come, $105.61. Total receipts, $4,287,11. 



The disburseiments in part were: civic im- 

 provement, labor, plants, etc., $1,415.03; 

 bulbs and shrubs, $1,954.27; secretary's ser- 

 vices, commissions on membership and 

 clerical work, $426.26; flower show prizes, 

 $67.80. The total disbursements were 

 $4,164.13. An orchestra was present at the 

 annual meeting. 



Ottawa 



The Ottawa Horticultural Society is with- 

 out the services of one of its oldest and most 

 valued officials, in the person of Mr. J. 

 F. Watson, who recently resigned as secre- 

 tary-treasurer, which office he had held tor 

 eighteen years. His resignation was deeply 

 regretted. Mr. Horace Jackson, of 195 Wal- 

 ler Street, has been elected as his successor. 

 The society is aiming at a membership ot 

 2,000 this year. 



Hamilton 



The receipts of the Hamilton. Horticul- 

 tural Society last year amounted to $1,063.49, 

 and expenses to $997.72, leaving a balance 

 of $143.77. The membership was 457. Dur- 

 ing the past year four lectures were dellv 

 ered. 



Save the old Varieties. 



W. M. Turnbull, Gait, Ont. 



An apple picked last fall from a tree on 

 the farm of Mrs. Jane Lockle, near Gait, had 

 a circumference of 14 inches and weighed 

 '21 ounces. It was symmetrical in shape, 

 clean and sound. One tree yielded three and 

 a half barrels. It was an early winter vari- 

 ety known as the Gloria Monday. 



iSomething should be done to save many 

 of these varieties of apples from becoming 

 extinct. Varieties many of us knew when 

 we were boys at home are becoming ex- 

 tinct, their names lost, and the trees, where 

 any are left, are either dead or dying. There 

 are some half-dozen and more varieties I 

 remember as a boy in my father's orchards 

 that I have been looking for at least twenty- 

 five years at shows and elsewhere, and yet 

 I have not found them. Our early varieties, 

 such as the Duchess, Yellow Transparent 

 and others cannot compare with the flavoi 

 of some of these old varieties. 



Better community oo-operatlcm In grow- 

 ing potatoes of one or two varieties and 

 then careful grading would mean thousands 

 of dollars to some sections, and the estab- 

 lishment of a steady market for their pro- 

 duct 



