NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



217 



cost 48 cents to thin the Gravenstein and 25 

 cents to thin the Tetofsky. The net gain 

 due to thinning- was 85 cents for the Tetof- 

 sky and $1.85 for the Gravenstein. It is 

 thought that the results would have been 

 more pronounced if the thinning had been 

 done two weeks earlier. The large per- 

 centage of windfalls in case of the Tetofsky 

 was believed to be largely due to the fact 

 that the apples have very short stems and 

 are borne in clusters of from three to eight 

 fruits each, so that as they grow they be- 

 come very much crowded. With trees 

 having this characteristic, therefore, thin- 

 ning is especially valuable. 



Absurd Statements. — The New York Fruit 

 Trade Journal, after speaking of the super- 

 iority of American over Canadian fruit pack- 

 ing, is further responsible for publishing the 

 following paragraph as part of a speech by 

 Michael Simons, of Glasgow : 



The question of selection or grading is also one 

 of importance, even with honest packers. We 

 say ' honest ' packers, for it is regretful to say that 

 there are men who are actually dis-hontst ; and to 

 !-uch an extent d;d false packing obtain in the 

 Dominion of Canada that the Legislature has 

 thought fit to pass a special act making false pack- 

 ing a criminal offense, with special penalties, in- 

 cluding the possibility of imprisonment attached 

 to it. 



There are various methods of resorting to this 

 false packmg in order to deceive the unwary. 

 What is called stove-piping is supposed to be the 

 most general, the modus operandi in connection 

 with which is something as follows : A barrel is 

 taken and the bottom of it layered with a few good 

 apples put in in perfect regularity. A stove pipe, 

 the circumference of which might be about half 

 that of the barrel, is then introduced into it. 

 Apples are then poured in round the stove pipe, 

 reaching up to the chime. Then the inferior 

 apples are poured into the hollow space in the stove 

 pipe. When it is filled up, the pipe itself is re- 

 moved, the result being that all the rubbish is in 

 the center of the barrel, where it is difficult to 

 observe it. The top, bottom and sides are com- 

 prised of good fruit. The packing is then com- 

 pleted in the usual way, a special press being used 

 for the purpose, in order to insure the impossibility 

 of movement, which at the outset we spoke of as 

 the chief desideratum. 



This statement is too absurd to contra- 

 dict. We venture the assertion that Mr. 

 Simons never saw an instance of such pack- 

 ing as is here described. If, as our con- 



temporary infers, Canadian packing is in- 

 ferior to American, how is it that Canadian 

 Baldwins always bring a higher price in 

 Liverpool than American Baldwins ; and is 

 not the fact of our passing a fruit inspection 

 Act rather a proof of our intense desire to 

 do honest work, than an evidence of our 

 dishonesty ? Such a paragraph is most 

 unfair and unjust. 



The Spring Frost. — Nearly every year, 

 toward the end of May or early in June, we 

 are alarmed at the serious danger to our 

 fruit crop from frost, and very often we lose 

 a large part of our cherries and strawberries 

 in realization of our fears. This season our 

 spring began early in March, and the fruit 

 buds were unusually advanced the first 

 week, 9th of May, when a period of cold 

 came which lasted three days. 



In the most favored sections, near the 

 lake, the temperature was down to 30°, and 

 in many places much colder. At first the 

 usual peach scare prevailed in the Niagara 

 district, but the damage is less than was 

 anticipated. The petals of the cherries 

 are frosted, but the young cherry, hidden 

 and protected by them, is found to be quite 

 uninjured ; the strawberries which were 

 formed are blackened and spoiled, but there 

 are plenty still to come to make an average 

 crop. 



Injurious Degrees of Cold. — Hammon gives 

 (1896), a table showing at what temperature 

 plants are liable to receive injury from 

 frosts, from which we cull the following as 

 being those more interesting to us in On- 

 tario : 



In Setting 

 FruitB. In Bud. In Blossom. Fruit. 



Apples 27° 29° 30" 



Grapes 31 31 30 



Peaches 29 30 30 



Pears 28 29 29 



Plums 30 31 31 



Strawberries 28 28* 28 



*In our experience, strawberries in blossom are 

 injured at 30°, and we think in this particular he 

 has g'.ven thtm more credit for hardiness than 

 they deserve. 



