Juh 



1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



»7ij 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



This is the season of the year when 

 nature appeals to all. To the city dweller, 

 the cool, shady parks are inviting' re- 

 treats. Our front cover illustration is a 

 park scene, in which the landscape artist 

 'has taken nature into full partnership. 

 The picture is all the more pleasing be- 

 cause of its quiet naturalness. With the 

 exception of a few shrubs which are seen 

 bordering the ri\-er, the effect is one of 

 nature left undisturbed. In the reading 

 jcolumns the reader will find interesting 

 ■matter relative to parks and city beautifi- 

 rcation. Too much emphasis cannot be 

 laid upon the importance of this phase of 

 Icity activity. 



.; Last vear our Special Greenhouse Num- 

 jber was so well received that a similar 

 number will be issued next month. It will 

 (Contain timely suggestions as to what may 

 .1)6 planted in the greenhouse and the pre- 

 parations that will be necessary. Perhaps 

 tyou have not a greenhouse. Read the 

 I.August issue carefully ; it will tell you 

 :the advantages of having one. 



The September issue will be the regular 

 Packing: and Exhibition Number. We 

 making every effort to surpass all for- 

 ■ iir issues. 



. We have had several favorable comments 

 im the page of "Seasonable Paragraphs 

 lor the Gardener" that is now appearing 

 ;.n each issue. We are pleased that this 

 'eatur© has been so favorably received. 

 This page may be looked for during the 

 ;iummer months. 

 I 



' We feel that we have in this issue a 

 lumber of strong: articles dealing- with the 

 'arious phases of horticulture. We have 

 nade an effort to have interesting- matter 

 n each department. This is in line with 

 he fact that The Canadian Horticulturist 

 s the only magazine in Canada which 

 «vers the whole field of horticulture. 



A Taxation Blunder 



F. E. Ellu, B.S.A. 



The Guelph Horticultural Society should 



)e congratulated upon the stand which it 



las taken in regard to the taxing of im- 



)rovements. I read with interest the ar- 



ick which appeared in the May number 



f The Canadian Horticulturist, and I hope 



hat it is the forerunner of a campaign 



or a better system of taxation. The utter 



jolly of taxiing improvements which add to 



;he appearance of the city was impressed 



» pon me by a concrete instance which came 



fo my notic last fall. 



! Several years ago, when attending the 



)ntario Agricultural College, I roomed 



j.ith a family that had just rented a new 



lOuse. The surrounding^s were of the 



! ind that usually characterize a recently 



jrectfd dwelling. Out in front were heaps 



j'f clay as bare as the street; at the rear 



i.ere piles of stones and rubbish. With 



ommendable enterprise the tenant levelled 



jhe clay in preparation for a lawn and had 



.he rubbish carted away. 



' Last fall 1 happened to be visiting 



In Guelph. My former boarding-house 



Vas now hardly recognizable. Facing 



he street was a nice lawn, with some 



ijrees and shrubs planted in the propel 



places. .At the back was a small but well 

 cared for g-arden. I made some appropri- 

 ate remarks about the improved appear- 

 ance. "Doesn't pay in this town," was 

 the reply. "When you were here last our 

 assessment was $1,400. The next year the 

 lawn had made a good start and we had 

 a g-ood garden. The assessor called and 

 pushed the assessment up $50. To tcp 

 it off, the landlord complained that he did 

 not see that the improvements would add 

 <mough to the renting- value of the house 

 to make it worth while paying the extra 

 taxes on that •t>50." 



Is it anv wonder that home owners and 

 home rent! --s hesitate tc add to the appear- 

 ance of their properties in the face of a 

 discouraging- increase of taxes ? 



Parcels Post and the 

 Fruit Grower 



Geo. Powtll, New York Stat^ 



Parcel post makes it possible in the 

 United States, where the regulations are 

 more liberal than they are in Canada, for 

 many fruit growers who have friends and 

 acquaintances in cities to send small pack- 

 ages of apples, pears, peaches, and other 

 fruits two or three times a week, when con- 

 sumers may receive the same in the very 

 best possible condition. 



Under parcel post, fruit may be left on 

 trees until nearly ripe, then shipped when 

 their finest flavors have developed. When 

 consumers know that they may receive fruit 

 of this kind in small quantities they will 

 extend the information to friends, and thus 

 a very largely increased consumption and 

 demand will follow by which larg-e numbers 

 of producers whose land and orchards are 

 in the nearest zone to cities will be bene- 

 fited by an individual line of trade which 

 will in the future be possible to obtain. 

 The rates for such shipments are favorable 

 for their encouragement. The rates of 

 postage, up to 50 lbs. in weight, are, for 

 the first zone of 50 miles, five cents for the 

 first pound, and one cent per pound there- 

 after, which would make the cost of a 12- 

 Ib. package of fruit, about one-fourth of a 

 bushel, sixteen cents. This cost will be 

 the same for the second zone of 150 miles. 

 For the third zone of 300 miles, the cost 

 for such package will be twenty-eight cents, 

 and for the 600-mile zone, fifty-one cents. 



This makes possible the delivery of fruit 

 to consumers in the best possible condi- 

 tion, at a reasonable cost, with telephone 

 calls and car fares cut out, while the pro- 

 ducer may receive a higher value that would 

 be difficult to obtain in any other way. 

 While the parcel post regulations are being 

 changed and perfected, the present limit 

 of weight is fifty pounds. The size, length 

 and girth of the packag-e combined must 

 come within seventy-two inches. On mer- 

 chandise valued at fifty dollars insurance 

 may be had for five cents and the regular 

 postage, and on a value of one hundred 

 dollars for ten cents and the regular post- 

 afire. Still further chang-cs will be made 

 in the law that will be of much benefit to 

 producers, especially those who have small 

 places of a few acres. 



Already some growers on the Hudson are 

 selling apples, through parcel post, direct 

 to city families, putting up two dozen 

 Baldwins, Greenings or Spies for one dol- 

 lar and delivering at a cost of sixteen cents 

 postage. As a result of the lessened cost 

 of delivery cf many food products to con- 

 sumers by parcel post, express companies 

 that long- have reaped enormous and un- 

 reasonable profits, will reorganize their 



systems and thus add to a cheaper and bet- 

 ter service than has heretofore been pos- 

 sible to obtain. 



SOCIETY NOTES 



We InTlte the offlceTB of Horti- 



onltural Societies to eend In ehort, 



DlthT reporu of -work that would In- 



tereet memibera of other Horticultural 



■ocletiee. 



Guelph 



Members of the Guelph Horticultural So- 

 ciety this year, in addition to receiving the 

 Canadian Horticulturist free, were offered 

 their choice of nineteen splendid options. 

 The officers of the society have sent out a 

 notice calling for cooperative effort to make 

 Guelph known as one of the prettiest and 

 most beautiful cities in Canada. Lawns en- 

 tered m the lawn competition will be judged 

 during the months of June, July and Au- 

 gust. In the lawn and flower garden com- 

 petitions special prizes are being offered in 

 each ward. Special competitions include one 

 tor vegetable gardens confined to working 

 people only, and one for window and veran- 

 dah boxes confined to members only. 



St. Catharines 



Over one thousand sets of gladiolus 

 bulbs were distributed to the school child- 

 ren of the city. These sets were given to 

 the pupils at the nominal price of five 

 cents. The ordinary retail price would be 

 at least thirty-five cents. Each set includes 

 four varieties—America, Augusta, Colum- 

 bia, and Mrs. F. King. 



The early part of June was very favor- 

 able for roses. The hot weather brought 

 the wood and foliage along rapidly. It is 

 expected the best rose show ever will be 

 held on June 23 or 25. 



Hamilton 



The garden meeting held at W. D. 

 Flatt's, Lakehurst Villa, Burlington, on 

 June 17th was a pleasant outing. Photo- 

 graphs have been taken of a number of the 

 gardens and slides for the use of the so- 

 ciety will be prepared from these. A flower 

 show was held on June 24th and 25th, par- 

 ticulars of which will appear later. 



St. Thomas 



Much pleasure and profit resulted from 

 the society's trip to Rochester, N.Y. The 

 beautiful and numerous parks were a revel- 

 ation. Those who viewed them were fired 

 with a determination to make St. Thomas 

 a city beautiful. An effort will be made 

 next year to orgainize excursions at points 

 in Ontario which will converge at Buffalo, 

 and proceed by special train to Rochester. 



The prize list totals over $400. It com- 

 prises fifteen classes, some of which are 

 divided into sub-classes, making eighteen 

 small lawns, floral beautification of th'e 

 home, perennial garden, rose garden, school 

 lawn, porch and verandah jjeautification, 

 flower and vegetable gardens, beautifica- 

 tion of business premises and factories. 

 b|pst back yard, aster bed, tulip bed, and 

 class for school children. 



A charge was recently laid by President 

 Bennett against a contractor for damaging 

 a tree while moving a house. The society 

 upheld the president in this action. 



