THE CITY FRUIT GARDEN. 



COME before you as the representa- 

 tive of the Ontario Fruit Growers' 

 Association, or, as it should be called, 

 ,;^ the Ontario Horticultural Society, for 

 we have long ago ceased to confine our 

 attention to the orchards and fruit gar- 

 dens of Pomona, and have been led out 

 into the domains of beautiful Flora, and 

 even farther, into the sylvan glades of 

 Faunus. 



We welcome you as an affiliated society, 

 and congratulate you upon accepting the 

 broad and liberal policy of the Agricultural 

 and Arts Act in its widest interpretation, 

 and upon your agreeing with us that it is 

 better to so utilize the munificence of the 

 Department of Agriculture as to give the 

 greatest good to the largest number, instead 

 of making large gifts to a few prize 

 winners. 



Three years ago, four of our directors pro- 

 posed the encouragement of affiliated horti- 

 cultural societies, believing that our whole 

 work would thereby be strengthened, and 

 all persons directly benefited. The plan 

 has been received with universal favor. 

 The Minister of Agriculture views it with 

 favor, our Association is ready to help each 



local society in every possible way, and the 

 societies themselves are ready to co-operate 

 with us to make our journal a greater suc- 

 cess, and of wider scope. 



You have an important work to accomp- 

 lish. It is not the education and encourage- 

 ment of a few specialists by giving them 

 large money prizes, but the diffusion among 

 the masses of a taste for the ornate as well 

 as the useful in horticulture. I come my- 

 self to speak more especially upon the latter, 

 having spent all my life, since my college 

 days, in the study and practice of fruit cul- 

 ture, and withal feeling I am but an 

 amateur. 



The Garden and Lawn. — What 

 pleasant associations are suggested by the 

 words ! Do not the words remind you of 

 some delightful retreats away from the 

 crowd, away from the burning sun ; a place 

 of rest and refreshment, especially for those 

 men and women whose time is spent in the 

 office, behind the counter or in the work- 

 shop ; for here the birds sing, the air is 

 pure and the flowers give forth their frag- 

 rance. Those dread enemies of humanity, 

 blasting fever and wasting consumption, 

 take their flijrht from those homes whose 



