THE FRUIT GROWERS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 



149 



brought home of the best. In 1865 the 

 father purchased a two-year-old Shorthorn 

 from Hon. John Simpson. In 1887 the son 

 bought the entire herd of Edward Cruick- 

 shank, of Lethenby. Between these Ues a 

 history too long to be told in these pages. 

 The story of the Shorthorn bull, Barmpton 

 Hero, would come in there, and every Short- 

 horn man of Canada, in fact of the United 

 States, knows what Barmpton Hero was. 



The agricultural society, the public school, 

 the township council, the village church, all 

 felt the influence of John Dryden, and he In 



turn was moulded by them. At last he was 

 chosen in 1879 to represent the constituency 

 in the Legislature, and he has occupied a 

 seat there every year since with the excep- 

 tion of one session. 



There may not be much romance in the 

 life of the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, but 

 he has served his country well, he has been 

 honored by his fellow men, he has lived an 

 honorable, straightforward life, and even his 

 political opponents can point to him as an 

 example and an inspiration for the young 

 men of Ontario. — {Contributed.) 



THE FRUIT GROWERS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 

 IN ANNUAL CONVENTION. 



THE GARDEN PROVINCE HAS A GOOD YEAR AND ITS ASSO- 

 CIATION IS FIRMLY FIXED IN THE PEOPLE'S AFFECTIONS— 

 A GREAT GATHERING OF LOCAL AND DOMINION HORTL 

 CULTURISTS — FATHER BURKE RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT. 



IN the life of Horticultural organizations 

 this appears to be also a growing time. 

 We have just come through our mid- 

 winter meetings, and it will suffice to say 

 that we are proud of them. Certainly, 

 never in the history of our association, has 

 the Fruit Growers' Convention been such an 

 unqualified success. Indeed, as Professor 

 Robertson said, it is hard to recall a conven- 

 tion, in the bigger and more populous pro- 

 vinces, which could compare with ours as to 

 the attendance, the programme, the methods 

 of organization, and the spirit of unanimity 

 which pervaded everything. 



The association has received a great im- 

 petus from the action of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment through Prof. Robertson, in send- 

 ing instructors in all the operations of horti- 

 culture here — men who have not only kept 

 up demonstration stations, but, as I ven- 

 tured to suggest at Cobourg, have gotten 

 into the individual orchards and converted 

 m.iny people who did not know what was 



the matter with their neglected and fast fail- 

 ing plantations, into active, intelligent and 

 enthusiastic growers of fruit. 



The country meetings during the year, 

 some of them addressed by such giants as 

 Professors Robertson and Fletcher, have 

 been much more extended and better sus- 

 tained than usual, and that stage of reliable 

 up-to-date horticulture fully entered upon. 



The exhibitions, too, have sought the co- 

 operation of the association, and, both work- 

 ing together in perfect harmonv, have, by the 

 marvellous shows of fruit, worked wonders 

 in the public mind. Commercial men, 

 awakened to the money possibilities of island 

 fruit, are now on the alert. A grand com- 

 pany, with millions behind it, has taken up 

 quarters among us ; and jamming, canning, 

 evaporating as well as the purchase of fruit 

 in its raw state for shipment, will, we are 

 assured, be carried on to such an extent as 

 the supply may permit. 



Prince Edward Island is i.ooo miles at 



