PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ENTHUSIASTIC. 



109 



she now to the end of her capabilities by any 

 manner of means, she is simply commencing^. 

 The people have just only awakened to the 

 conviction that there is money in the fruit 

 industry for the g^arden province also. The 

 apples we grow are good; there is no doubt 

 of that. We are nearest the British market, 

 that's patent. Our fruit coming in later than 

 even that of Nova Scotia, we will have a 

 great advantage in keeping qualities. All 

 these conditions ought to help to build up a 

 business in fruit for us that will rival Nova 

 Scotia, two little counties of which made 

 $1,000,000 out of apples this year. Mr. 

 Patrinquin, of Wolfville, N. S., was with 

 us this year at our meeting. He is a wide- 

 awake, practical fellow and his addresses 

 were much appreciated. He says from his 

 experience here and the exhibition of our 

 fruit that there can be no doubt that Prince 

 Edward Island ought to be turned into an 

 apple orchard from end to end. And he 

 thinks we can grow pears and peaches. We 

 can grow pears, no doubt; have grown good 

 ones even now when suitable varieties have 

 not yet been tested; but the matter of peaches 

 we had not thought of up to this declaration. 

 Who knows where we may yet find ourselves 

 in this fruit business ? 



At our sessions we had four good papers, 

 which evoked much valuable discussion — one 

 on "Pruning," one on "Commercial Or- 

 charding," one on "A Ben Davis Orchard," 

 and one on " Medical Treatment of Plants." 

 All were adjudged worthy of publication. It 

 was felt that no greater necessity than prun- 

 ing confronted our orchards. As to time the 

 the consensus ot opinion favored doing it 

 whenever you have " a spare moment and a 

 sharp saw," although there was a discussion 

 on the "winter for wood, summer for fruit 

 theory-." Prune early was another condition 

 all admitted, and if you must cut grown trees 

 take the branches off a foot or so from the 

 trunk and then cut them again up close to it 

 when the weight of a whole big limb will not 



interfere with a good job. The state of the 

 market and its demands for success were all 

 laid down in Commercial Orcharding. The 

 Ben Davis apple for export — easily grown as 

 it is here, resisting all the difficulties of 

 transportation and fetching a high figure at 

 home — was the favorite sort spoken of. A 

 faithful account of an apple plantation of the 

 Ben Davis variety was given in the third 

 paper by one of our most intelligent and en- 

 terprising farmers; and, while he would not 

 advise others to adhere to all his ways, he 

 was able to give at best the assurance that 

 his orchard was a grand success. The Medi- 

 cal Treatment of Plants pleaded for the sys- 

 tematic and persistent use of the spray pump 

 in the orchard. 



Perhaps the most important part of the 

 meetings was the passing of practical oppor- 

 tune resolutions, all carefully considered and 

 fully discussed. Two of those bore upon 

 the transportation for fruit to the Old Coun- 

 try markets, one suggested by the F. G. 

 A. of Ontario and another called up by local 

 needs. The Ontario resolution, minus the 

 recommendation as to size of apples, passed 

 with unanimity. It has been forwarded to 

 the Minister of Agriculture. As to grades 

 the meeting thought we could not adhere to 

 an absolute size scale for all kinds of apples. 

 If the apples put on the market were brand- 

 ed and the contents of the barrels true to the 

 brand, no harm was done to anybody, most 

 thought. But deception ought to be located 

 and punished. We asked for better facilities 

 for shipping from here too, and for efficient 

 inspection to see that our good name abroad 

 should not be tarnished by rascally packing. 



I don't know how you manage the business 

 in Ontario, but it was thought that some 

 restriction should be put on tree agents and 

 some protection against sharpers given the 

 public. The Local Government is asked to 

 give legislation that will prevent the victim- 

 izing of buyers by nurserymen from within 

 or without. .As before stated, at least half 



