%dixtovml ^0tjes and Comments 



HOW TO MAKE FRFTT GROWTNa PAY 



ANOTHER successful house meeting 

 of the Grimsby Horticultural So- 

 ciety was held on Saturday even- 

 ing, February 28th, at the house of Mr. J. 

 M. Metcalfe, and was well attended by both 

 ladies and gentlemen. 



Both village and country people were at- 

 tracted, not only by the social character af 

 the gathering, but also because the fruit 

 growers were anxious to hear what a practi- 

 cal man like Mr. E. D. Smith, of Winona, 

 M. P. for Wentworth, had to say on how to 

 make their business pay; and because the 

 village people were anxious to hear a paper 

 on Roses by the Honorary President, Mrs. 

 E. J. Palmer. Besides these subjects, ex- 

 cellent music on violin, 'cello and piano was 

 contributed by the Misses Metcalfe and Mrs. 

 J. M. Metcalfe. 



These monthly meetings are so interestin,:;- 

 that they are likely to be a regular feature in 

 the future work of this society. 



CHOICE OF YAETETTES. 



IN his opening remarks Mr. Smith empha- 

 sized the great importance of kinds of 

 fruit for profit. The time has passed when 

 all apples bring the same price, or when it 

 matters little about the season of a peach. 

 We have new varieties of peaches to cover 

 the season, and some of the newest varieties 

 pay so much better than the old, that in some 

 cases the latter are but an encumbrance cf 

 the ground. The Yellow St. John, for ex- 

 ample, has not only filled a gap just in ad- 

 vance of the Early Crawford, but it is so 

 good a variety that it is to-day one of the 

 mo.-f profitable kinds to grow for Canadian 

 markets. 



The beginner, therefore, in buying an or- 



chard, should study the varieties in it, and if 

 any are undesirable he should bear in mind 

 that they must either be rooted out or top 

 grafted, and this expense must be con- 

 sidered. 



PROPER SOIL AXD LOCATION. 



IN buying a fruit farm an important con- 

 sideration is the soil conditions in rela- 

 tion to the fruits to be grown. The most sig- 

 nal blunders are often made in this way, re- 

 sulting in failure and disappointment. Mr. 

 Smith pointed this out most clearly, and 

 thought a few hundred dollars additional to 

 secure right soil should not be considered 

 when making a purchase. 



Location was important with respect to 

 markets. Mr. Smith's practice is to sell all 

 fruit f. o. b., and in this he spoke in line with 

 the advice given in these pages. He con- 

 demned the custom of shipping everything 

 to the commission merchant, who often takes 

 the kernel and returns the husks. 



The secret of success in fruit growing is 

 to grozv a choice article and then sell it for 

 its value, and the fruit grower should do this 

 himself and have something to say about the 

 price. There is no trouble selling a really 

 choice article in any market by direct sale. 



FERTILE SOIL AXD MOISTURE. 



THESE are two essentials to success 

 in fruit growing, and Mr. Smith 

 pointed out how important the latter Is 

 in a dry season, such as often prevails 

 with us. Cultivation for the retention 

 of moisture was a good practice, and in 

 no section had growers more faithfully 

 observed it than in the Niagara District, 

 But through their faith in cultivation 

 as a panacea, the growers were forget- 



