July, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



179 



for planting in the spring of 1915 and speci- 

 ally-trained men were employed to direct 

 growers and inspect their crops. During 

 the summer of 1915 field root and vegetable 

 seeds were grown by 165 farmers and gar- 

 deners and inspected by officers of this 

 branch. Many of them grew only sufficient 

 seed for their own use, but 65 produced 

 seed which passed inspection and for which 

 subvention was paid. This quantity 

 amounted to over 36,400 lbs., the subven- 



tion being over $1,300. The principal kinds 

 ajnd the approximate amounts produced 

 were: sugar beet, 23,000 lbs.; mangel, 8,200; 

 sugar mangel, 1,500; swede, 3,000; radish, 

 400; garden beet, 350; onion, 350. 



The results generally have been satis- 

 factory. The work of encouraging the pro- 

 duction of these home grown seeds has been 

 further extended this season but no esti- 

 mate can as yet be made as to the quanti- 

 ties which are likely to be produced. 



The Fruit Trade at Montreal 



E. H. Wartman, Dom. Fruit Inspector, Montreal, P.Q. 



TO-DAY, June 21st, as we say the longest 

 day of the year, has brought us nearly 

 to the close of imported strawberries 

 for 1916. Shipments have come from 

 Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Delaware, 

 Maryland and Illinois, to the extent of 97 

 cars, which have aggregated at least $1,000 

 per car, or $97,000. This may seem a large 

 quantity of this one kind of fruit to use in 

 one city in so short a time, but when we 

 consider it takes thirteen cars of straw- 

 berries to give each family one quart box 

 in our city, our largest shipment in one day 

 being five cars, would lead us conclusively 

 to know many go without any of this most 

 luscious fruit. I have had the pleasure of 

 inspecting these ninety-seven cars, for 

 honesty of pack. This has .been the record 

 year for quantity imported, and I think it 

 quite proper to give credit to whom it is 

 due, the berry boxes from these various 

 States have 'been full pints and quarts, well 

 filled, which has made the trade a phenom- 

 enal success. 



The twentieth of June brought our first 

 berries to hand from Ontario. They were 

 sold by auction, at five and one-half cents 

 II box, when Delaware berries brought at the 

 same time fifteen cents. There seems to be 

 mething wrong in the price here. The 

 ice depends on size of box, quality of 

 ruit and fulness of box. In the one case 

 fruit was small and very green, and not well 

 filled. The other boxes were full quarts, 

 well filled, well ripened and in the best of 

 fondition. The greater part of the fir.st and. 

 pcond days' shipments sold from seven and 

 one-half to fourteen cents a box. I have 

 never known berries of first picking to ar- 

 rive so late. It has been surely an abnormal 

 -eason for low temperatures and rain, which 

 accounts for late ripening. However, these 

 temperatures have been a blessing in dis- 

 Kuise to the fruit men who have had berries 

 'hree days in tran.sit, and landed in splendid 

 order. The bunkers had large quantities of 



Iie left, which preserved the fruit. 

 j,The arrivals of California fruits, while ten 

 kys in transit, constitute a wonderful suc- 

 Iss. An expert who might try to devise a 

 ptter package or better system of packing 

 fould have a hard task. The present pack- 

 Re and packing has proved a great success. 

 The receivers delight in 'handling it, as it 

 eeps well for many days after arrival. This 

 ~'ives them ample time to dispose of it at 

 a remunerative profit. The banana trade is 

 a wonderful trade. Its development has 

 been phenomenally great. I think I am 

 correct in saying there are more cars of this 

 fruit consumed in our city than any other 

 variety of fruit, not excepting the apple. It 

 is the year around trade. Twenty-five years 

 ago I paid fifty cents a dozen for bananas 

 in Kingston, Ont., which would not cost 

 to-day more than twenty cents for the same 

 sample. The reason this fruit has so large 

 a sale is, firstly, because It is wholesome. 

 The second reason is, you can buy more 



pounds for $1 of this fruit than of any other, 

 and freer from insect pests and diseased 

 spots. . For instance, to-day California 

 cherries sell for fifty cents per lb. Bananas, 

 it weighed, would cost about two cents per 

 ib. These prices are the extreme prices to- 

 day. 



Apples first arrived from California, and 

 sold on 19th June, brought $2.50 per box of 

 three pecks. These were marked by import- 

 er. No. 2 Astrachan, and other varieties. 

 There seems to be a lot of money in circu- 

 lation here, which leads our fruit men to be- 

 lieve in a good summer's trade. 



Manitoba 



Jas. A. Neilson, Man. Agri. College, Winnipeg 



During the past two years insect pests 

 have been reported as doing a great deal of 

 damage to shade and ornamental trees in 

 Manitoba. In response to numerous re- 

 quests for information on how to combat the 

 various destructive insects, the Department 

 of Horticulture and Forestry of the Manitoba 

 Agricultural College decided to give a series 

 of lectures and demonstrations on sprays 

 and spraying, for the control of tree pests. 

 This work is in charge of J. A. Neilson, of the 

 Horticultural and Forestry Department. 



Demonstrations were given at fifteen 

 points in southern Manitoba. At each of the 

 places visited, much injury was found to 

 have been done. In some of the towns in 

 the southern districts, as high as thirty per 

 cent, of the Manitoba Maples were found to 

 have been killed, and a large percentage 

 injured. The reliable authority in one of 

 these places estimates that fifty per cent, 

 of the native maples have been destroyed. 

 The aphis and the cankerworm have been 

 responsible for nearly all of the losses sus- 

 tained in the places vi-sited. The department 

 are recommending the use of arsenate of 

 lead for the cankerworms and other biting 

 insects, and nicotine sulphate for the aphis. 

 Spring and fall cankerworms were found 

 aibundantly at Carman. In some places 

 trees were almost defoliated by the canker- 

 worms. 



Several people in the vicinity of Morden, 

 Carman and Roland reported the presence 

 of a small dark brown beetle in enormous 

 numbers. These beetles attacked the various 

 members of the poplar family, cottonwoods, 

 balm-of-gilead, and willows were badly In- 

 fested. The insects appear very quickly, 

 and do the damage in a short time. After 

 they ihave attacked a grove of trees, the 

 trees appear as though they have heen 

 scorched by fire. Specimens of these 

 beetles were collected, and upon examination 

 proved to be the willow leaf heetle (Gale- 

 rucella decora), a species of beetle which in- 

 fest poplars and willows. 



Cutworms have been doing great damage 

 to garden crops, spring grains, and alfalfa. 

 A gentleman living near Portage la Prairie 



Douglas Gardens 



OAKVILLE, ONT. 



IRISES. 



In order to encourage the plant- 

 ing of Irises in the month of Au- 

 gust—the best time for setting 

 out Rhizoraatous Irises — we offer 

 a special discount of 20% on all 

 orders for any Irises named in our 

 Planting List, except Japanese 

 Iris and Monspur and Orientalis, 

 received up to the 31st August; 

 and carriage to any part of Cana- 

 da will be prepaid on all such 

 orders. 



16 vars. of Tall Bearded Iris. 



5 vars. Interregna Iris. 



6 vars. Pumila Hybrids. 



also Florentine Alba and Pseuda- 

 corus. Planting list sent on re- 

 quest. 



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