THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



best results, because the trees have all 

 the vigor of a newly found seedling or 

 the benefit of a successful cross. I be- 

 lieve something beyond growers' neglects 

 after planting can be discovered, if we 

 look into the early history of varieties 

 closely. Nurserymen have something 

 to answer for in not selecting wood from 

 perfect trees to use for budding. To 

 me it seems reasonable that wood taken 

 from a tree that is not strongly and well 

 cared for is not fit for use in producing 

 young stock as it does not contain the 

 elements of permanency any more than 

 we find in similar cases among animals. 



In selecting seed we know it pays to 

 select only from trees that are perfect 

 in form and free from disease of any 

 kind. Why not apply the same rule in 

 selecting budding and grafting wood ? 



But, as I said already, the greatest 

 fault is with the growers, and only per- 

 sistent educative influences, such as the 

 Fruit Growers' Association and Farmers' 

 Institutes exercise, can ever accomplish 

 the end ^o much to be desired. Re- 

 turning to varieties, there is one I would 

 like to see more largely introduced, the 

 Stotts Russet, and improvement can still 

 be made in this very desirable sort if 

 some enthusiastic would take the trouble 

 to get a cross of the Golden Russet into 

 it for the purpose of toning down Stotts 

 acidity slightly. I wish the Ontario had 

 more firmness also. 



Pewaukee was very promising but 

 does not stand abuse as well as the old 

 kinds named. Years of neglect have 

 served to give us the Greening in many 

 forms, but seldom do we find one with 

 the well-known markings of this fine 

 apple of years gone by. 



If we, in Ontario, paid as close atten- 



tion to the production of perfect apples 

 as growers in Florida do in respect of 

 oranges, the demand in all markets for 

 our apples would increase enormously 

 and we would not hear so many cry- 

 ing out about over-production. The 

 over-production is only in poorly grown 

 fruit, and by persisting in this course 

 we are destroying markets and cutting 

 off consumers instead of increasing. 

 There is money in Fameuse if we give 

 markets what they want in quality. If 

 everyone concerned from the propagator 

 to the grower could only be educated to 

 a full sense of responsibility in attend- 

 ing closely to rules that common sense 

 dictates atid science teaches, we would 

 have larger orchards, with proper room 

 for trees to flourish and produce perfect 

 fruits, and markets that would consume 

 all we could grow and look for more. 



But we have all departed from the 

 orders delivered to our first parents 

 when placed in Eden, and hence, our 

 Edens are becoming worse and worse, 

 just because we do not repent of folly 

 and obey the rules laid down. Of the 

 the varieties mentioned the Stotts 

 brought the highest prices in Britain 

 and Germany the past season, Kings 

 came next, then Blenheim and Ribs, 

 ton, followed closely by Baldwin and 

 Ontario and Greening and Spy very 

 little lower. In all these there was 

 demand constantly, while many other 

 sorts brought occasionally good prices. 

 Fameuse and Wealthy did well, where 

 selected and delivered in small packages, 

 Pewaukee is not a good packer being so 

 uneven in form and varied in size.* 



Alex. McD. Allan. 

 Goderich, Ont. 



94 



