March, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



71 





in the first half, showing an increasing 

 popularity for the new service. 



The total number of parcels post stamps 

 printed and distributed up' to January the 

 twenty-second . was three hundred and 

 thirty-nine million five hundined thousand, 

 with a total value exceeding eighteen mil- 

 lion dollars. In order to meet the demand 

 the Federal Bureau of Engraving has been 

 forced to print the stamps at the rate of 

 twelve millions a day. One of the most 

 beneficial results of the mew service is the 

 fact that the express companies have been 

 forced to make many important reductions 

 in their rates in order that they may hold 

 their trade. Our Canadian Govemmemt, in 

 view of the fact that the system in the 

 United States is already a demonstrated 

 success, should lose no time in dealing 

 with this matter as thoroughly as its im- 

 portance deserves. 



INCREASING'LAND VALUES 



Have you ever noticed that when fruit 

 growers demonstrate that fruit can be 

 grown profitably in any section the main 

 profit that results from their discovery 

 goes to the lamdowner rather than to the 

 grower? The larger the returns obtained 

 from fruit in anv district the higher land 

 values rise. This proves a benefit to the 

 man who has land to sell, but a hardship 

 to all who desire to buy, as well as to 

 those who do buv. This is because it 

 makes it more difficult for men to obtain 

 fruit land and compels those who do make 

 purchasers to invest such large sums of 

 money in their land they have but little 

 left for their labor after fa)ir interest 

 charges have been allowed. 



One of the worst features of this condi- 

 tion is the fact that there is always a 

 tendency to anticipate increases in land 

 values. The result is that land is apt to 

 be held at prices which are greater than 

 it can produce crops for profitably. This 

 speculative element thus imposes an extra 

 burden on the would-be grower. High land 

 values are a benefit only to the man who 

 has land to sell. They are a burden on 

 the buyer and on the grower. 



This condition is adding weight to the 

 demand for a reform in our system of tax- 

 ation which will make the land pay a 

 larger share of taxes. Such a change 

 would tend to destroy the speculative value 

 of land and to force land held for specu- 

 lative purposes into more general use. 

 One reason why the western provinces 

 have gone as far as they have in the taxa- 

 tion of land values is because speculation 

 in land in the west has been carried to ex- 

 tremes. 



The real fruit grower is not benefited 

 by high land values. The only advantage 

 he can rean from them is by selling his 

 1-ind. He then ceases to be a fruit grower. 

 Even were he to attempt to start fruit 

 "'rowing again he would be penalized by 

 the same condition. It is an encouraging 

 sign of the times that this matter is being 

 o-iven more serious consideration all 

 through Canada than it has beem in the 

 pnst. 



The article in this issue dealing with 

 the importance of shade trees on our high- 

 ways is well worthy of serious considera- 

 tion by all who are interested in horticul- 

 tural and civic improvement. Considering 

 the moderate expense involved nothing is 

 more neglected in most municipalities than 

 the planting oif shade trees. We have 

 reached the point in Canada where these 

 matters should be given more attention. 

 Our horticultural societies should assist 

 in keeping this matter to the front. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



The illustration on our front cover was 

 obtained in the orchard of Mr. Brown, Mill 

 Road, Barrie. It shows one of many hun- 

 dred old and formerly neglected orchards 

 in Ontario that have been pruned and 

 sprayed and cultivated during the past 

 few years, and thus again been placed on 

 a paying basis. It is typical of the revival 

 in interest now manifest in the orchards 

 of the province. 



The April issue of The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist will be our THIRD ANNUAL 

 SPRING PLANTING AND GARDENING 

 NUMBER. Naturally its floral features 

 will be emphasized. April is the month 

 when the spring gardening fever seizes 

 most of us. We long tO' get at work with 

 our gardening tools and look forward with 

 pleasurable anticipation to what the sea- 

 son has in store for us. Our April issue 

 will be in harmony with this impulse of 

 new life which comes with the spring. 

 A ifeature of it will be a well illustrated 

 article by Mr. W. H. Smith of Walkerville. 

 describing the gardens of Walkerville. 

 This is one of Ontario's most attractive 

 cities from a horticultural standpoint. 

 There will be another article by Mr. F. E. 

 Buck, of the Central Experimental Farm, 

 dealing with the Perennial Border and Its 

 Arrangement. This also will be well il- 

 lustrated. Mr. R. S. Rose, of Peterboro. 

 will have a page of timely notes dealinij 

 with April work in the flower garden and 

 giving timely cultural hints and sugges- 

 tions. A first prize essay on Rose Grow- 

 in,e- by Mr. J. M. Hull, of Hamilton, will 

 be a feature, as will be articles by Messrs. 

 J. H. Bennett, of Barrie. J. MacPherson 

 Ross, of Toronto, Wm. Hunt, of Guelph. 

 and other well-known contributors. 



The fruit interests of our April issue will 

 also be strong. These will include an 

 article dfescribing the methods of suc- 

 cessful pear growers by Allan G. Bland, 

 of the Ontario Department of Agriculture 

 and an interesting article describing the 

 culture of Old Country Gooseberries, con- 

 tributed by Mr. Wm. Dick, of Brant 

 county, a successful grower of this class 

 of small fruit. An article by Mr. R. S. 

 Duncan, B.S.A., of Port Hope, will de- 

 scribe the saDEsfactopy financial results 

 that have followed the rejuvenation of old 

 orchards in Northumberland and Durham 

 counties. Other timely fruit articles will 

 appear. A feature of the vegetable depart- 

 ment will be an article by Mr. A. H. Mac- 

 Lennan. B.S.A., of the Guelph Agricul- 

 ture Colleire, dealinp- with the sterilization 

 of soils for the growing of vegetables. 

 This article, as well be practically all the 

 others, will be well illustrated. Our April 

 issue will equal all former standards. 

 Watch for it. 



Members of Horticultural Societies are 

 habitually slow in handing in their mem- 

 berships to the secretaries of their socie- 

 ties. Most people seem to wait until the 

 spring is so far advanced that they natur- 

 ally begin to think of their gardens, and 

 thus are reminded of their duty to their 

 society, before they do so. This dilatori- 

 ness on their part makes it impossible for 

 their secretaries to renew their subscrip- 

 tion to The Canadian Horticulturist asf 

 promptly as they otherwise would. In 

 consequence we arc sometimes compelled 

 to cut off the subscriptions of many mem- 



bers of societies which have not been Tie- 

 newed simply because the people did not 

 think about it in time. If. thereifore, you 

 have not renewed your membership to your 

 local horticultural society, and do not 

 want to miss a copy of The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist, we would suggest that you 

 place yourself in touch with the secretary 

 of your society without further delay and 

 thus help him and help us and ensure for 

 you the prompt receipt of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist, of which we know you do 

 not desire to miss a single copy. 



SOCIETY NOTES 



We iavite the officers of Horti- 

 cultural Societies to send in short, ^n] 

 pithy reports of work that would in- nje 

 terest members of other Horticultural ah] 

 Societies. QJS 



Superintendent's Report* 



J. Lockie Wilson, Toronto, Ont. 



Our army of civic improvers in Ontario 

 is increasing year by year. Upwards of 

 12.000 members of horticultural societies 

 is the record for 1912. The rnajority of 

 these have become dissatisfied with condi- 

 tions as they are. With a clearer outlook 

 and a desire for better things, they are 

 now using their utmost endeavor to im- 

 prove their own home surroundings with 

 lawn and vine and flower and to gladden 

 the hearts of others, that they, too, may be 

 encouraged and inspired to do likewise. 



Eight new societies have been organized 

 since our last annual meeting. They arc 

 all starting in to work for the betterment 

 of their different localities with a substan- 

 tial membenship . 



A number of changes were made at the 

 last session of the Legislature in the Act 

 relatintr to our horticultural societies. In 

 cities having over one hunderd thousand 

 population two horticultural societies cam 

 now be organized, but in such case the 

 maximum annual grant to each of such 

 societies shall not exceed five hundred dol- 

 lars ._ _ The p-rant of eitrht hundred dollars 

 to cities having a populatiom of over thirtv 

 thousand has also been repealed, and the 

 lep-islative grant to societies which have 

 been organized for over one year is now 

 apportioned one-third on membership ,nmd 

 two-thirds on expenditure. The grant +o 

 new societies for the first year of their 

 existence remains the same as before, that 

 is one dollar a member up to a maximum 

 of seventy-five dollars. 



The unit for division of the grant for 

 1912 was thirty-five and three-quarter cents 

 on membership, and thirty and one.fifth on 

 expenditure on the balance of the twelve 

 thousand dollars Wt after providing for 

 the grants to new societies and the 

 ."B800 reserv'ed for cities having a popu- 

 lation of thirty thousand or over. This 

 amount of eight hundred dollars, as stated 

 above, will not be considered after this 

 year. You will be pleased to mote that the 

 eflForts of the directors of the Ontario 

 Horticultural Association to have the legis- 

 lative grant increased have been success- 

 ful, a further appropriation of two thou- 

 sand having been made by the Govern- 

 ment, m.iking the total now twelve thou- 

 sand dollars. 



•Extract from a report presented at la«t annual 

 convention of the Ontario Horticultural Aesooia- 

 tion. 



