OPEN LETTERS. 



301 



ings to attend to, and that cannot be done until 

 we have shipped stock to our customers. 



Then again, we are anxious to get the business 

 over and collections made, and there are other 

 reasons which urge nurser\-men to use all expedi- 

 tion, but in spite of all our efforts, it is impossible 

 in all cases to get stock out as early as it ought to 

 be, in the Spring, for successful planting. 



I believe, too, that stock handled in the Fall 

 will stand fumigation better than in the Spring. 

 J am satisfied, at certain advanced stages, the 

 fumigation is injurious to nursery stock. 



Everything being considered, I think your 

 view a mistaken one regarding obtaining trees in 

 the Fall. — Yours truly, 



Toronto. W. E. Wellington. 



A Line From Mr. Burbank. 



Sir, — Your esteemed note of March 8th and 

 Report of Fruit Experiment Stations received. / 

 very highly appreciate the report. It is an ex- 

 tremely valuable guide, and especially useful to 

 me in guiding my experiments in the production 

 of hardier fruits, which I have been pursuing for 

 the past eight years as a specialty. I have no 

 trace of scale in my grounds anywhere. It has 

 wholly disappeared several years ago. and is now 

 forgotten as a thing of the past. No doubt the 

 Vedalia Cardinalis and other insect enemies have 

 exterminated it completely. I shall be greatly 

 pleased to have my new fruits grown there. Cli- 

 max is one of the most promising for hardiness. 

 Shiro and Sugar prune next; probably Sultan, 

 also, may prove hardy. These frviits are a very 

 great improvement on the ones first sent out, and 

 will amaze fruit growers if they thrive there. My 

 Paradox Walnut will not be hard)' ; Royal will be 

 wherever the American Black is. I have no fresh 

 stratified nuts of either now. Again thanking you 

 for the extremely valuable report, I remain, faith- 

 fully yours, 



Santa Rosa, Cal. Luther Burbank. 



Fruit in New York Market. 



Sir, — A few days ago I called at a first-class 

 fruit store at the comer of Broadway and 28th 

 street in this city and enquired the retail price of 

 prime fruits. Easter Beurre pears were 18 cents 

 each, or $2.00 per dozen. They were as hard as 

 stones, but soon ripen in a warm room. Size 

 very large, and perfect in appearance ; quality A i . 

 Winter Nelis, prime every way, 15 cents each, or 

 $1.50 per dozen. Patrick Barry, large and very 

 handsome, rich orange russett, same price. I 

 have one to ripen weighing nearly a pound, 

 without a blemish, price 15 cents. Apricots, 

 50 cents per dozen. Prime g^ape fruit, 60 cents 

 each. Black cherries from California, best best 

 60 cents per pound ; second quality, 30 cents. 

 Best navel oranges, 10 cents each, or #1.00 

 per dozen. Strawberries of best quality, 35 cents 

 per quart. There were fine hot house grapes at 

 $2.00 per pound. Colossal asparagus, 50 cents 

 per bunch ; last year it was 90 cents. Long 

 English cucumbers, grown under glass, 25 cents 



each. There is no surplus of prime stock at 

 these prices. 



In some sections of California all boxes of 

 oranges are the same size. The best contain 

 84 oranges. These retail at 10 cents, or $8.40 

 per box. Next quality, 96 in box ; 3rd quality, 

 120 ; 4th quality, 144. These retail at 2 for 5 

 cents and bring, as you will see, $3.60 per box 

 The tree that bears the best fruit is not over- 

 loaded and is kept healthy. 



The lowest g^ade comes from bad care, poor 

 soil and over-loading. The market is glutted 

 with this quality, but never with the best. 

 Farmers fatten cattle by good care and feeding. 

 Good fruit must have the same treatment. You 

 cannot cheat a milch cow of food and care with- 

 out loss of milk ; nor a hill of com ; neither 

 can you cheat a fruit tree. The largest profit is 

 in the best quality, and the demand is unlimited. 



Some prime Northern Spy, such as I have had 

 at Oshawa, would retail at 5 and 10 cents each. 



New York. Francis Wayland Glen. 



A Correction. 



Sir, — In the April issue of the " Horticulturist " 

 appears a letter over my signature in which I 

 make certain charges against David Cantelon, 

 apple dealer, of Clinton. I find that the state- 

 ments I there made use of prove to be wholly 

 untrue and unfounded. I now beg to withdraw 

 and contradict them and to apologise to Mr. 

 Cantelon for having made use of them. I believe 

 Mr. Cantelon to be an honorable and fair-dealing 

 business man. I had no desire to misrepresent 

 or injure him, and my only excuse for making 

 use of the statements I did is that I am very deaf 

 and misunderstood what was told to me. 



I desire to make what reparation I can, and 

 you will oblige me by giving this communication 

 the same publicity as you gave to my said letter 

 published in April. — Yours truly. 



Witness, W. Proudfoot. Walter Hick. 



Goderich, May 31, 1900. 



Crop Prospects. 



Sir, — In looking through the orchaids, I find 

 there is a very good show of blossom on the 

 cherry and plum trees. Pears very fair of bloom, 

 some trees not much. Apples generally very 

 good ; some trees are very full, others have 

 scarce any blossom. On the whole there is likely 

 to be a very fair yield. The season has been 

 very favorable both winter and spring. 



Goderich. Walter Hick. 



Pears for ilarket. 



The varieties I would advise all growers to 

 grow for home or foreign markets are as follows : 

 Bartlett, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Clairgeau, Doyenne 

 de Cornice, Sheldon, and Beurre d' Anjou, if 

 first worked upon, the Keiffer, to make them 

 bear more prolific, as they are shy bearers. The 

 Duchess d' Angouleme may also be added to 

 this list as a dwarf tree, and Doyenne Boussock 

 as a standard ; also, Lawrence for winter. 



R. Cameron. 



