April, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



103 



A horticultural society should first ap- 

 point a press committee amd have its meni- 

 bers wait on the local editor to enlist their 

 support. Later they should prepare mewsy, 

 interesting- notes, including descriptions 

 of local gardeins, accounts of particularly 

 good plants or flowers grown by citizens, 

 and plans for city improvement, and have 

 these reach the editors, where possible, the 

 night before the day of publication, and at 

 the latest on the morning of publication. 

 In the great majority of cases where this is 

 done there will be little or no difficulty 

 experienced having such material pub- 

 lished. A little judgment, tact, and en- 

 thusiasm will accomplish wonders im the 

 handling of editors, as well as with other 

 ordinarv mortals. 



Cooperation is slowly but steadily mak- 

 ing progress in Canada. Local fruit 

 growers' associations have now advanced 

 to the stage in different provinces where 

 they are cooperatintr on a more extensive 

 scale through provincial organizations. In 

 most cases these larger organizations are 

 proving a success. The vegetable growers' 

 associations are now becoming active along 

 somewhat similar limes. The success of 

 the Ottawa branch of the Ontario Vege- 

 table Growers' Association in the coopera- 

 tive purchasing of supplies, as described 

 elsewhere in this issue, should encourage 

 other similar organizations to undertake 

 this line of work. In cooperation, as in 

 other lines of effort, we learn by our fail- 

 ures. The successes of to-day have been 

 made possible by the failures of yesterday. 



The truth of the old saying that the 

 «arly bird catches the worm will come 

 home this month with force to many ama- 

 teur gardeners who have meglected to lay 

 ])lans for their gardens and summer work 

 until the advent of warmer weather brought 

 these matters to mind. If all such will 

 only remember to do better next year their 

 gardens another season will show the bene- 

 fit of their foresight. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



\\C anticipate that our readers will enjov 

 this, our Second Annual Spring Gardening 

 and Planting Number. Never have we had 

 a more capable list of contributors. Every 

 contributor in this issue has had wide ex- 

 perience in the maters dealt with. Out of 

 this experience they are endeavoring to 

 benefit the readers of The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist. We are satisfied that their 

 efforts will be crowned with success. 



How do you like the front cover of this 

 issue? Does it not make your fingers ache 

 to be at work in the garden and your feet 

 long for a stroll in the woods? How do 

 you like Mr. Smith's description of the 

 gardeins of Walkerville. the town of which 

 he is so justly proud? Does it mot make 

 you feel a desire to promote the beautifi- 

 cation of your home town ? Can you re- 

 sist the temptation to grow your own toma- 

 toes, if you are not already in the habit 

 of doing so, after reading the results of 

 Mr. Davey's experience. Those who have 

 never growm roses will feel like doing so 

 after perusing Mr. Hull's interesting ar- 

 ticle. Space does not permit our mention- 

 ing the many other splendid articles in 

 this issue. We hope that our readers will 

 read them all ajnd gain fresh enthusiasm, 

 as well as valuable suggesticms in the pro- 

 cess. 



The February, March, and April issues 



of The Canadian Horticulturist have sur- 

 passed aU previous issues in size, in the 

 general excellence of their illustrations and 

 reading matter, as well as in the volume 

 of business carried. We feel somewhat 

 proud of the fact that the volume of adver- 

 tising carried has showed an increase of 

 almost fifty per cent, over the business of 

 last year, which established mew records 

 'up to that time. This means that it will 

 soon be possible for us to make still fnr- 

 ther improvements in The Camadian Horti- 

 culturist. We are busy planning them. 



We iffvite the officers of Horti- 

 cultural Societies to send in short, 

 pithy reports of work that would tn- 

 tereet mennbers of other Horticultural 

 Societies. 



Markdale 



The Markdale Horticultural Society this 

 year has issued am attractive optiom list. 

 It includes a choice of plants and shrubs to 

 the value of one dollar. In addition, mem- 

 bers will be given a year's subscription to 

 The Canadian Horticulturist and a ten 

 cent package of Burpee's sweet peas. 



The options were as follow, members be- 

 ing allowed to take one of each of several 

 kinds, all of one variety, or to make their 

 choice in any way that suited them best 

 to the amount named : 



Shrubs. — Hydrangea 30c, spiraea — Van 



Houetti 30c, snowball (Virbuinum Opulus) 

 30c, syringa (Golden Leaves) 35c, spiraea 

 'Anthony Waterer) 35c, Norway spruce 25c. 



Rambler and Climbing Roses. — Crimson 

 rambler 30c. Dorothy Perkins 30c, Gem of 

 the Prairie 30c. 



Hybrid Perpetual Roses. — Mable Morri- 

 son 25c, Persian Yellow 25c, Chestnut Moss 

 25c, Glory of Mosses 25c. 



Climbers. — Virginia Creeper 25c, Jack- 

 manii Clematis 50c, Clematis Paniculata 

 25c. 



House Plants. — Begonia Rex 25c, Hy- 

 drangeas (Hosea Hortensis) 35c, Rubber 

 tree 90c. 



Cactus Dahlias. — General Buller 30c, 

 Iceberg 25c, J. H. Jackson 25c, Floradora 

 25c. 



Show Dahlias. — Queen Victoria (deep 

 yellow) 25c, Modesty (pinkish white) 30c, 

 Apple Blossom 25c. 



Dorment Gladiolus (Bulbs) . — Childs 

 (mixed) doz. 50c. 



Begonias (Bulbs). — Tuberous - Rooted 

 (single) 10c. 



Cannas (Roots). — Mad. Crozy (foliage, 

 bright green) 15c, King Humbert (foliage, 

 rich reddish bronze) 15c. 



The children in the public schools in 

 the town of Strathroy, Ontario, were en- 

 couraged last year to grow flowers. In the 

 fall an exhibition of their products was 

 held. The School Board gave the children 

 a half-holiday. The display was a most 

 creditable one. Were similar encourage- 

 ment given the children in other towns, 

 equally satisfactory results might be ob- 

 tained. 



Marketing British Columbia Fruit 



The following extract from a statement 

 issued by the directors of the British Col- 

 umbia Fruit Growers' Association, will be 

 of interest to eastern fruit growers, as well 

 as to those in the west: 



The generally low prices received for 

 fruit during the past season have made 

 pertinent and proper a discussion of the 

 fundamental considerations affecting the 

 future of our fruit growing industry. Many 

 different opinions are held as to the remedy 

 for a situation which, if continued, would 

 be intolerable. Your directors have fully 

 considered the facts, amd have endeavored 

 to reach proper conclusions in regard to 

 them. 



The principal condition affecting the 

 prices of British Columbia fruit was the 

 very large crop in the United States, res- 

 resulting in the importation of large quan- 

 tities of American fruit at low prices, or 

 what is worse, shipped on consignment — 

 all soft fruits yielded very much above the 

 average. The figures are mot yet to hand, 

 ■save that we know that some 40 000 car- 

 loads of peaches were shipped commercial- 

 ly last year in the United States. The 

 Utnited States apple crop was thirty-four 

 per cent, larger than the average of the 

 last tein years. It was twelve per cent, 

 larger than the 1912 crop. It totalled 

 around forty million barrels. The quality 

 was g^^nerally high, fifteen per cent, better 

 than the ten years' average. In the north- 

 western states, the box apple states, about 

 twenty thousamd carloads were shipped 

 as against only nine thousand in 1911. 



As a result of these extremely large 

 crops, prices would naturally be low, sup- 

 ply greatly exceeding demand ; twenty-five 

 jM-r cent, of the Ontario apple crop is said 

 to have rotted on the ground ; there has 

 been a similar condition in New York 

 State. The Western States, however. 



will get something for practically all their 

 apples. British Columbia did compara- 

 tively well in the matter of prices, for our 

 fruit brought more tham in any other sec- 

 tion of America. 



Other general conditions which helped 

 to lower the prices were : 



First. Tightness of the money market 

 of the L^nited States and generally through- 

 out the world. 



Second. The largest proportion of boxed 

 apples to barrels ever experienced. 



Third. Defective methods of picking and 

 packing-, which injured fruit, and lessened 

 its keeping qualities. 



Fourth. Lack of storage facilities. 



Fifth. The fruit growers require their 

 money in the fall, and bank loans are not 

 made on unsold apples; apples must, there- 

 fore, be sold in the fall. 



Sixth. Our fruit distributing organization 

 both in British Columbia and in the north- 

 west states, in the latter particularly, 

 should be made much stronger. 



Seventh. The boxed apple business is a 

 new one, and little is known about effective 

 means of distributing it to the best ad- 

 vantage . 



Eighth. Practically no advertising is 

 done to increase the demiund for the west- 

 ern boxed apple — while two hundred thou- 

 sand dollars is spent in advertising Cali- 

 fornia oranges. 



Ninth. The very large apple-handling 

 concerns in Fjngland and New York arc 

 working to depress prices on hoxed apples. 



Tenth. British Columbia is fighting for 

 her natural markets, which we arc just 

 beginning to adequately supply, and in 

 which our competitors are strongly en- 

 trenched. 



Eleventh. Because of a peculiar condi- 

 tion with regard to the Fruit Marks Act 

 {Continued on page 118) 



