

HILLCREST ORCHARDS, NOVA SCOTIA. 



Sir, — I have reached Pictou (February 3rd), on 

 my way to Prince Edward Island (where there is 

 a series of meetings next month), after attending 

 the U. S. Fruit Growers' Association last week. 

 The Atlantic Transportation j^roblem, and the 

 prop:)sed Agricultural College were two things 

 which were given great prominence at the meet- 

 ings. 



While at Wolfville I had the opportunity of visit- 

 ing the fruit farm of Mr. Ralph S. Eaton, which I 

 am sure you have read about. There is no orchard 

 in Canada that I have seen, where, in my opinion, 

 the prospects were so bright and the possibilities 

 so great as in this finely kept orchard ; the trees 

 have made wonderful growth in the time they 

 have been planted, and are exceptionally symmet- 

 rical. I was informed that this orchard land, 

 which thirteen years ago was valued at $10.00 per 

 acre, is now considered to be worth $rooo.oo per 

 acre. 



Thinking that an account of this orchard might 

 prov^e acceptable to you for the Horticulturist, I 

 •obtained from Mr. Eaton some photos showing 

 some of his trees and the fruit grown on them. I 

 also enclose extracts from newspapers giving some 

 account of the history of this orchard and the 

 way it is laid out. 



W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. 



The orchards of Mr. R. S. Eaton of 

 Kentville, N. S. are of interest to fruit 

 growers for several reasons, viz: — (i) There 

 is nothing- finer in the whole of Canada : (2) 

 artificial fertilizers, chemicals, clover and 

 tillage have depended upon solely, no stable 

 manure : (3) no attempt is made to crop the 

 orchard : (4) Mr. Eaton has succeeded in 

 making his trees pay their way at a very 

 early age : (5) Mr. Eaton has adopted new 

 methods of tillage : (6) an attempt has 



been made to arrange the orchard 

 upon a scientific basis with a view to 

 economy. 



Mr. Eaton's plan of orchard is to plant 

 standard apple trees 33 feet or two yards 

 apart, in rows 33 feet apart. In the centre of 

 each square, so formed, another permanent, 

 or standard, apple tree is placed. This 

 brings the rows ib}^ feet apart. Again a 

 plum, dwarf pear, quince or other small 

 growing tree is planted in every space bring- 

 ing- the tree S^j feet apart in the rows, the 

 rows remaining a rod apart. 



In the above diagram of orchard " S " 

 stands for standard apples as Gravenstein, 

 Ribston, Kings or Baldwin, "t" stands for 

 temporary apples of young fruiting varieties 

 as Wealthy, Wagener or Ben Davis ; free 

 growing cherries as Governor Wood, Wind- 

 sor, &c. or free growing varieties of peaches. 

 In the space marked " p " are plums, dwarf 

 pears, quinces, apricots or small growing 

 and non-rotting cherries as Early Richmond, 



