236 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Flora] Editior 



better than others. Tomatoes on the vine are 

 more liable to freeze on the stem end first than 

 on the blossom end, partly because the fruit 

 ripens a little slower there and partly because 

 dew accumulates at that end and llic ice formed 

 from it is liable to start freezing on the inside. 



Economical Ice Storage 



Now is the time to prepare for storing ice. 

 In pamphlet No. 2 of the Dominion De- 

 partment of Agriculture, the Dairy ar\d 

 Cold Storage Commissioner supplies information 

 on the best methods to follow. The pamphlet 

 contains plans and particulars of suitable 

 structures, some of which are exceedingly simple 

 and inexpensive. The pamphlet describes what 

 is termed an "ordinary ice house," an "insulated 

 ice house," and an " ice well." The latter is used 

 to a considerable extent in the west, but is 

 successful only where no water collects in the 

 excavation. The pamphlet is entitled "Simple 

 Methods for the Storage of Ice," and can be had 

 free on application to Publications Branch, De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Ottawa. 



\ British Columbia j 

 ' 1 



B.C. Small Fruit Survey 



A REPORT on the cost of growing straw- 

 berries and red raspberries in certain 

 coast sections of British Columbia during 

 the season of 1921 is given in bulletin No. 29, 

 entitled "Small Fruit Survey," by A. F. Barse, 

 associate professor of horticulture. University of 

 British Columbia, and published by the B.C. 

 Department of Agriculture. This report shows 

 the factors which make for profit or loss, as the 

 case may be, in the growing of berries. Part I. 

 deals with the cost of i^roducing strawberries, 

 itemizing the various factors affecting this cost. 

 Part II. deals in a similar manner with the cost 

 of producing red raspberries. ' 



The year reported (1921) was a year of high 

 costs for labor and material, excessive rainfall 

 during the harvesting season, imusually low 

 prices and a slow market for the product: hence, 

 the figures in this report for 1921 would not 

 apply for all time. The survey was continued 

 during 1922 and therefore it is expected that a 

 more representative and conclusive report will 

 be made shortly. 



The tables presented are not complete, says 

 the bulletin, nor are as many farms included in 

 computing the averages as could be desired. 

 Nevertheless, the material given suggests where 

 improvement may be made in the direction of 

 increasing yields, or decreasing costs with a view 

 to securing greater net returns. The report has 

 been very carefully compiled and is well worth 

 careful study by B.C. berry growers. 



Small Fruits Pamphlet 



THE small-fruit industry has made notable 

 growth in British Columbia during recent 

 years. An example of this is furnished by 

 the acreage under strawberries which quad- 

 rupled in three years. This rapid development 

 has however been accompanied by an equally 

 rapid extension of insect injury, the strawberry 

 root weevil having in some districts assumed 

 serious proportions. 



In 19 IS an arrangement was arrived at by 

 the Dominion Department of Agriculture with 

 the provincial government for the use of six 

 acres of land in the centre of the strawberry- 

 growing district of Gordon Head, Vancouver 

 Island, with a view to demonstrating systems of 

 crop rotation suitable to strawberry culture and 

 to elucidate if possible the problem of weevil 

 control. The results of the experiments and in- 

 vestigation that have been carried on are told in 

 Pamphlet No. 5, of the Dominion Department. 



Bulletin on B.C. Apples 



THE "Yields, Grades, Prices and Returns for 

 Apple Varieties in the Okanagan Valley," 

 is the title of a bulletin (No. 90) compiled 

 and written by W. A. Middleton and published 

 recently by the British Columbia Department 

 of Agriculture. The bulletin compares the re- 

 cords of 25 varieties of apple trees in 189 different 

 orchards over several periods of years. It sur- 

 veys conditions and the situation in a very com- 

 prehensive manner and is a credit to both the 

 author and the department. 



Variety Choice is Difficult 



"In the past," the bulletin says, "the study of 

 the different varieties of apples has received no 

 small share of attention from orchardists and 

 horticulturists, and in tlie present time this is 

 still one of the most interesting and important 

 subjects connected with tlie fruit industry. So 

 many arguments can be advanced, both in favor 

 of and against the exclusive production of the 

 numerous varieties of apples now grown, that 

 it is difficult to decide on the relative merits of 

 the outstanding varieties, and to advocate the 

 planting of certain ones to the exclusion of the 

 others. 



" Some varieties are markedly influenced by 

 variations of local climatic and soil conditions, 

 whereas others are capable of thriving under 

 quite a wide range of conditions. It is obvious, 

 then, that while some consideration must be 

 given to the results accomplished in the case of a 

 particular variety in any given district, never- 

 theless the general yielding power of a variety 

 and its market value must always be carefully 

 taken into account if greatest returns are to be 

 expected. 



"Yield records collected for the different 

 varieties show consideraljlc fluctuation and this 

 suggests that these same varieties, growing under 

 favorable conditions ' and receiving good care, 

 are capable of producing much larger crops than 

 the average shown would indicate." 



Likely To Increase in Production 



After comparing the average yields, grades, 

 prices and returns, the conclusion arrived at is 

 that the varieties likely to increase in production 

 are: Delicious, Duchess, Gravenstein, Jona- 

 than, Mcintosh, Rome Beauty, Snow (Fameuse). 

 Stayman, Winesap, Wealthy, Winter Banana, 

 Yellow Newtown and Yellow Transparent. 



While those likely to decrease in production 

 are: Ben Davis, Canada, Baldwin, Cox Orange, 

 Gano, Grimes, Golden, Jeffries, Northern Spy, 

 Ontario, Spitzenburg, St. Lawrence, King Tomp- 

 kins, Wagener and Winesap 



" In order to be able to take full advantage of 

 the extended marketing s.^ason of apples, it is 

 desirable," the bulletin states, "that the Okan- 

 agan should be producin,' earlv, medium and 

 late varieties. Only those, however, that are 

 generally known and in ticniand by the public 

 should be considered for commercial plantings. 

 The growing of other sorts not well received on 

 the market tends to reduce the price on the 

 better varieties, because, in order to dispose of 

 them at a fair price they must be sold with the 

 better varieties in mixed cars. 



"Over one hundred dilTerent varieties of ap- 

 ples are grown in the Okanagan Valley, but the 

 majority of these are not grown in large quanti- 

 ties. The number of \arieties grown for com- 

 mercial purposes would not exceed 25. In the 

 course of time, however, even this number will 

 decrease, until only those are left that are the 

 most profitable; for, in a specialized fruit dis- 

 trict like the Okanagan. only the best varieties 

 will survive, the poor ones being eliminated under 

 keen competition." 



Columbia method of using cull onions as a lur 

 for the adult flies was employed field infestation 

 was slight Cull and volunteer onions of the 

 proper type showed from 50 to 500 eggs, and 

 counts running as high as 4.S7 maggots in a cull 

 onion were made, many showing over 200 mag- 

 gots. The idea of cull onions in onion maggot 

 control is good." 



This matter will be of considerable interest to 

 the growers in the Okanagan where the method 

 of onion maggot control by using volunteer 

 onions was devised by Messrs. R. C. Treheme 

 and M. H. Ruhmann of the Vernon office. It 

 is a great pleasure to think that the work of the 

 Okanagan entomologists is proving useful and 

 successful in other countries than our own. — 

 Vernon Ntvi. 



Onion Maggot Control 



THE following statement appeared in the 

 Insect Pest Survey Bulletin of Washington, 

 D.C., relative to tlie control of the onion 

 maggot under Oregon conditions. Professor A. 

 L. Lovett of the Corvalis Experiment Station 

 states as follows: 



" In demonstration plots where the British 



B. C. on the Prairies 



J. A. Grant, Markets Commissioner 



WE have been asked to express our opinion 

 on the storage of winter apples in the 

 Okanagan Valley this season. There is 

 no doubt but storing winter apples will be done 

 by the large shipping organizations on a big 

 scale, and we think this step a wise one. Smaller 

 shippers may not find the storing of apples as 

 profitable for this reason, as they have in the 

 past. 



We consider that feeding the market all along 

 the season is the cure for many of our present 

 evils in marketing. We advise winter storage 

 of our best keepers, unpacked. Pack and ship 

 as market demands. 



Storage in Transit 



.\s we understand, the new storage in transit 

 privilege for B.C. onions and apples, is as follows: 

 Cars of apjiles and onions may be placed in cold 

 storage in Calgary, Lethbridge, Regiha,'^toose 

 Jaw and Winnipeg, providing they are routed 

 after coming out of cold storage to points east 

 of Port Arthur, in Unite.! States or Britain. 

 Such stored produce will only pay the balance of 

 the through rate plus 5Kc per 100 lbs. for ter- 

 minal service. We think that this storage in 

 transit opportunity should apply to points on 

 the prairies, so that when weather conditions are 

 favorable, outside points without storage could 

 be supplied from nearby cities, when it would be 

 too risky to ship from a B.C. point. 



If we read the storage in transit privilege ac- 

 corded potato growers at points of origin in Man- 

 itoba, Saskatchewan and .Alberta rightly, they 

 have secured the additional privilege B.C. 

 growers need; viz., to any destination without 

 restriction plus four cents for terminal services. 



WTiy has B.C. been denied this privilege on 

 potatoes, and why does it not apply to onions 

 and apples where the bulk of our market is? 

 Unsound Business Methods 



We are surprised at the action of many B.C. 

 fruit growers in consigning their fruit to whole- 

 salers who are not financially sound. We are 

 daily in receipt of inquiries about firms that fail 

 to remit within reasonable time, and when asked 

 their reasons refuse to answer their letters. 

 Some of these firms that we know (are in busi- 

 ness), refuse to answer our letters when we seek 

 an explanation of their conduct. 



Several assignments have been made here, 

 (Calgary), recently of wholesale dealers (who 

 were mostly of the fly-by-night kind) who have 

 mulcted B.C. shippers for many thousands of 

 dollars. We have reliable jobbers who are sound 

 financially, and it would pay shippers to inquire 

 about the financial condition of the houses they 

 ship to. Any concern doing a consignment busi- 

 ness that will not give a confidential statement 

 of their financial soundness, as well as giving 

 access to their books concerning their sales, to 

 the accredited agent of a shipper, should not be 

 trusted with consignments. 



Growers Must Control 



The present impossible condition of fruit mar- 

 keting will do much to convince fruit growers 

 that they must control the marketing of their 

 produce. Reports from every prairie point in- 

 dicate that prices quoted everywhere are in most 

 cases not suificient to pay expenses of marketing. 



