NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



•37 



Fig. 2565. Mr. Barry. 



and since his decease Mr. W. C. Barry has 

 ably filled the honored position. 



THE FRUIT EXHIBIT. 



A basement wa^ devoted to the fruit dis- 

 play, which was creditable in some points, 

 but scarcely equalled our own at Walkerton. 

 The leading pear exhibit was as usual by 

 Messrs. EUwanger & Barry, and their An- 

 jou pear was really the only one that 

 showed up as being very desirable as a mar- 

 ket variety. It is truly a magnificent pear, 

 and we have found it one of the best for ex- 

 port, but not very productive as a dwarf ; be- 

 sides it drops early. 



EXPORT PEARS. 



" The Duchess is my favorite pear," said 

 Mr. McNeil, our chief inspector, who was 

 looking over the exhibit with us. " I have 

 an orchard of five hundred trees, and I in- 

 tend to set five hundred more of the same 

 variety in the spring." We remarked that 

 it was an excellent export pear, but often 

 sold very low in our home markets. " I 

 know it," said Mr. McNeil, " but I intend to 



plant nothing more for home markets. I 

 want to plant for export only, and for that 

 it is first class." We mentioned Pitmaston 

 as promising, especially for long shipment, 

 for as grown at Maplehurst it is very large 

 and desirable in appearance, and it is firm 

 enough to hold up in ordinary storage. 

 " That is at present the first consideration 

 with us in Ontario," said Mr. McNeill, "and 

 until we get proper storage from start to fin- 

 ish we must make shipping quality the first 

 consideration in planting. We can never 

 unite with this the highest quality for des- 

 sert, because delicacy of texture and juici- 

 ness go with high flavor. So it is useless 

 trying to get varieties to combine high qual- 

 ity and firmness. We should rather aim at 

 a better system of cold storage, so that we 

 can ship our tender, delicious Crawford 

 peaches and similar high class fruits to dis- 

 tant markets. As it is, they are spoiled be- 

 fore they reach the steamer by hot packing 

 houses and hot cars." 



" There is a pear," said Mr. John Charl- 

 ton, of Rochester, "the Barry, which will 

 carry any distance, but the trouble is it will 

 never ripen after it is picked." We thought 

 it too bad it should carry so good a name as 

 that of Mr. Barry, and wondered if it was 

 given it to help its sale. 



YORK IMPERIAL APPLE. 



The question was asked at Rochester, 

 How many have tested the York Imperial? 

 Out of all the 500 fruit growers, no one re- 

 plied except Prof. Beach, of Geneva, who 

 reported having it at the station grounds, 

 and that he was disappointed in it. It was 

 small and not highly colored, and he doubted 

 whether it was adapted to New York State. 



BETTER PRICES FOR HIGH GRADE FRUIT. 



The subject of packing and grading was 

 treated in an excellent address by Mr. Mc- 

 Neill, of Ottawa. He made a good point 



