The Canadian Horticulturist. 67 



The English Sparrow. — We have a letter from Mr. George Goodhue, of 

 Danville, Me., regarding the English sparrow. He encloses an extract written 

 by him some years ago for the " Forest and Stream," proposing a plan for the 

 extermination of the sparrow, namely, inducing the governments of our provinces 

 and the northern and western States to pay a small bonus on sparrows destroyed 

 between November ist and March 15th. During these dates our native birds 

 are absent, and it would be safe to carry out his proposed plan for the destruc- 

 tion of the sparrow. Food being scarce at this time of the year, the sparrows 

 could easily be decoyed and cheaply killed by the use of poisoned seeds. He 

 is of opinion that there are poisons which would be effectual when first exposed, 

 but which would be dissipated by the rains of early spring, and thus rendered 

 innocuous to our native birds, should any stray seeds escape the sparrows. He 

 thinks the Department of Agriculture might prepare such seeds and have them 

 distributed at the proper time of the year. He asks, " Could not our scientific 

 men at the Experimental Stations here in Canada experiment wijh the different 

 kinds of poisoned seeds with sparrows during the remaining portion of this 

 winter, and report the result at the next convention of fruit growers, with a view 

 of uniting upon the best plan for a vigorous crusade next fall and winter upon 

 our undesirable and pugnacious little emigrant, who, although he seems to have 

 neither protection or friends, has abundantly proved his ability to thrive to an 

 alarming extent without either ? " 



The Middlemen. — With the beginning of January, 1896, a new journal 

 begins its publications in London, England, called " The Greengrocer, Fruiterer 

 and Market Gardener," This Journal is particularly in the interests of retail 

 fruit merchants of Great Britain and, therefore, reaches a class of shop keepers 

 with whom it has long been the desire of Canadian fruit growers to open up 

 some connection. As it is now, the profits of our fruit are largely consumed by 

 middlemen. The retail price of apples, for example, is very high, but the 

 grower in Canada usually receives a very small part indeed. Now, if it were 

 possible for us to bring about some closer connection with these small dealers 

 in Great Britain, we would be able to save a large amount of the profits 

 which now go into the hands of the middlemen. By middlemen we refer to the 

 apple buyers and shippers in Canada and the large wholesale apple houses in 

 the great markets of Britain who dispose of our fruit on arrival by auction sales 

 at, sometimes very low prices. Also in this manner, the fruit grower of Canada 

 is to a large extent at the mercy of these middlemen and the whole risk of loss 

 rests with him. Now it is possible that through this journal, "The Greengrocer 

 and Fruiterer," which is published at i, 2 and 3 Salisbury Court, Fleet St., Lon- 

 don, Eng., we may be able to get into some kind of communication with retail 

 dealers in Great Britain to our mutual advantage. Mr. Geo. Tucker, editor of 

 this journal, replying to a letter from the Secretary of the Ontario Fruit Growers' 

 Association, writes : " I beg to assure you that I shall at all times be very 

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