August, 1914. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUEIST 



201 



Whatever the conclusions drawn from this 

 (Oiiitroversy may be, the history of orchard- 

 ing in Canada proves the efficiency of cul- 

 tivation. Sod orchards that had not yield- 

 enough fruit to pay for the picking- have 

 improved management given good re- 

 »ms. Of the improved methods adopted, 

 jlltivation has been one of the most im- 

 |»rtant. There is little fear of any wide- 

 bread return to the sod mulch. 

 ! Several features of the sod mulch me- 

 hod, however, are worth consideration. 

 Iccasionally we find orchards located on a 

 Jeep slope. These are always difficult to 

 lltivate and soil washing is prevalent. We 

 ave in mind several orchards situated on 

 leepy hillsides iin which the roots are near 

 Be surface because of soil washing. Every 

 linter a few trees are heaved out. Were 

 be grass cut and left to serve as a mulch 

 Ind fertilizer applied we believe the sod 

 'mulch would prove satisfactory in those 

 orchards. In any case, however, owmers 

 would be well advised to carefully consider 

 ( onditions before making a change. 



SCHOOL GARDENS 



Thire are this year two hundred and 

 ninety-three school gardens in Ontario, ain 

 ir.crease of sixty per cent, over last year. 

 In addition, there are five hundred schools 

 that distribute seeds to the children. Most 

 of the district repriesentatives, of which 

 tflere are about forty, have on an average 

 twenty schools holding school fairs. 



Such progress is encouraging, but when 

 it is considered that there are nearly six 

 thousand schools in this province, much 

 vet remains to be done. Teachers every- 

 A hei(B report that the greatest need is more 

 sympathetic assistance on the part of the 

 parents. Many hold that there is no need 

 for a school garden where children are 

 irought up in a natural environment. \ 

 reater mistake could hardly be made. It 

 that same familiarity that dulls the 

 llild's mimd to the beauties about him and 

 reates the longing for the "real" life of 

 he city. Under the direction of the school 

 each.er, new interest in the wonders of 

 Jature and the true worth of the country 

 ife can be aroused through the medium 

 of the school garden. 



large centres increases we may also expect 

 to see an increasing aiumbcr of conserva- 

 tories erected in connection with private 

 residences for the production of flowers. 

 The increasing interest taken in horticcl- 

 tural exhibitions, as well as the greater 

 number of these exhibitions that are now 

 held, is an indication that horticulture in 

 Canada is rapidly assuming a position of 

 greatly increased importance. 



SOCIETY NOTES 



In calling the fourth Dominion Fruit 

 conference for next September the Domin- 

 ion Minister of .Agriculture Hon. Martin 

 Burrell, has acted wisely. The fruit indiis- 

 Iry in Canada is developing with such rapid- 

 ty that new and important problems are 

 ;o.nstant!y coming to the front while old 

 ines, which have never been fully settled, 

 isist on receiving further attention. Those 

 'ho attended the last Dominion Confer- 

 nce, as well as the one held previous to 

 „, realize that the delegates present had 

 too much business to deal with in ;he time 

 at their disposal. Much of their work had 

 to be hurried, and some neglected altoge- 

 ther. It is well, therefore, that these con- 

 ferences shall be held with sufficient i^e- 

 ijuency to ensure the important subjects 

 dealt with receiving the attention their im- 

 portance deserves. 



As the ratio of urban to rural popula- 

 tion in Canada increases the demand for 

 fresh vegetables at all seasons of the year 

 will increase in proportion. Thus we may 

 expect to see a marked increase within the 

 next few years, as we have within the past 

 five years, in the number of greenhouses 

 erected for the production of vegetables. 

 As the number of wealthy people in our 



Western. Notes 



The Winnipeg Horticultural Society has 

 definitely decided to hold another provin- 

 cial Horticultural Exhibition this year. It 

 will be conducted to some extent along the 

 same lines as the Ontario Horticultural 

 Exhibition inasmuch as an effort will be 

 made to have the board comprise as many 

 related organizations as possible. The date 

 has not yet been set, but it will likely be 

 about the beginning of September. The 

 Souris Society will also hold an exhibition 

 in September. What is called the Three 

 Towns Horticultural Show will be held on 

 .-Vugust 21 at Crystal City. The three horti- 

 cultural societies in Kiliarney, Crystal City 

 and Pilot Mound unite in holding the show. 

 Mr. R. Jamieson, of Crystal City, is the 

 exhibition secretary-treasurer. 



Hamilton 



The Hamilton Horticultural Society held 

 a most successful flower show on June 24th, 

 when the grouind floor of the old Library 

 Building was transformed into a fairyland 

 of flowers. The display of roses of all col- 

 ors and varieties was particularly beauti- 

 ful. Mr. J. T. Moore, of Moore Park, 

 Toronto, had a most spectacuJar dis- 

 play. It was the most successful exhibition 

 the society has held for years. There was 

 a large supply of the old-fashioned flow- 

 ers — Sweet William, Canterbury Bells, and 

 others. The gold medal offered in the rose 

 competition, open to amateurs only, was 

 won by J. W. Harper, and the silver medal 

 by T. H. Hayhurst. The society's prize for 

 the best collection of decorative plants was 

 won by J. .\. Anderson. Max Stolpe had 

 an interesting section devoted to landscape 

 designs, plans and drawings. A green 

 rose exhibited by Benjamin Johnson and 

 a miniature Japanese garden, shown by 

 Mrs. Valance, attracted much attention. 

 Much of the credit for the success of the 

 show was due to the efforts of the secretary, 

 Mrs. Potts, and superintendent J. A. An- 

 derson and Mr, A. Palmer. 



Belleville 



During June the Belleville Horticultural 

 Society held a successful public meeting. 

 The principal speakers were Rev. Geo. W. 

 Tebbs, of Orangeville, and Mr. C. W. Nash 

 of Toronto. Mr. Tebbs showed on a screen 

 a number of hand-painted slides dealing 

 with gardens, lawns, orchards, and fruit. 

 The slides were shown from natural color 

 photography. The coloring was magnifi- 

 cent. Mr. Nash spoke on the subject, 

 "Friends of the Flower Garden." He de- 

 scribed the habits of various denizens of the 

 garden, including beetles, dragon flies, 

 birds, and the common toad. By the kill- 

 ing of snakes, hawks and owls man has 

 destroyed those creatures which prey upon 

 troublesome meadow mice. Thus man 

 suffers when he tries to upset the balance 

 of nature to suit his own ideals as to the 

 fitness of things. 



A Floral Novelty 



The illustration here ehown was eent The 

 Canadian Horticulturist by Mr. Walter T. Boss, 

 of Picton, the secretary of the Picton Horticul_ 

 tural Society. It shows a couple of steme of 

 fox elove with a Canterbury Bell on the top 

 of each stem. They were grown in the gar- 

 den of Mrs. J. M. Mallory. of Bloomfleld. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



Our front cover illustration this month 

 shows a conservatory in a private residence 

 in Montreal. While there are not many ot 

 us who can enjoy the possession ot sucn 

 a conservatory as the one shown, it is 

 gratifving to know that the number of such 

 conservatories in Canada is increasing 

 rapidly. The delightful opportunities of 

 such a conservatory are limitless. 



In the August issue of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist last year we devoted special 

 attention to topics bearing on the con- 

 struction and operation of greenhouses and 

 private conservatories. The information 

 contained in this number was so appreciat- 

 ed by our readers we have again given spe- 

 cial attention in this issue to topics bear- 

 ing on the greenhouse and the production 

 of various crops under glass. Amateur 

 flower growers who would like -.o erect in- 

 expensive greenhouses will be interested 

 especially in the illustration of the in^ 

 expensive greenhouse of Mr. R. B. Whyte, 

 a full description of which was published 

 in our August issue of last year. 



Our September issue will be our Annual 

 Fall Packing and Exhibition Number. It 

 will be particularly strong both in illustra- 

 tions and subject maerial. Many of Can- 

 ada's leading authorities on the production 

 and handling of fruit will contribute. Lack 

 of space prevents our giving a more com- 

 plete description of this issue, beyond say- 

 ing that it will be a larger issue than usual 

 and one of the best numbers of the year. 



