»5o 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURISi. 



least nearer to the British market than On- 

 tario. Its fruit matures later, too. Slow- 

 maturing apples are not only the best, but 

 afford opportunities for commercial orchard- 

 ing which cannot be well offset. Take, for 

 example, the Gravenstein. Our friends in 

 Nova Scotia thought that they had a safe 

 monopoly of this luscious fruit. The de- 

 mand for it was practically limitless in its 

 season, but it was difficult to get it to Brit- 

 ain in the moment of its maturity in N. S. 

 without great loss under the existing ship- 

 ping conditions. For this reason the sister 

 province has lost millions of dollars on her 

 badly landed Gravensteins alone. The 

 Gravenstein we grow is a superb apple, equal 

 in every way, if not superior, to that of N. 

 S., with this advantage that it ripens just 

 one month later and is, therefore, ready for 

 shipment across under much more favorable 

 conditions of season. Those we have sent 

 over have realized top prices, and we are 

 ready to stay by the Gravenstein here to the 

 end. These facts change old conceptions, 

 too. Gravenstein and Nova Scotia are no 

 longer synonymous terms. 



But to the convention and fruit show. The 

 sessions opened on the loth with a big at- 

 tendance ,despite stormy weather and inter- 

 rupted communication. This enthusiasm 

 continued through all the meetings to the 

 close. " This annual meeting of the fruit 

 growers of P. E. Island is one of the best, .f 

 not the very best, I have attended any- 

 where," said the distinguished Commissioner 

 of Agriculture for Canada, Prof. Robertson. 

 We certainly appreciate the compliment. 



The reports showed a balance on the right 

 side of the ledger after all demands were 

 satisfied ; narrated the work done in the dif- 

 ferent departments, criticised the show lists 

 and recommended the encouragement of 

 commercial fruit alone. In his exhaustive 

 address the president discussed the vital 

 matters up to which horticulture has come in 

 Prince Edward Island, instanced the diffi- 



culties that menaced it at present, and made 

 many useful suggestions. He warmly re- 

 commended the establishment of high coun- 

 cils from the various associations which 

 would meet at Ottawa and crystallise into 

 salutary enactments the work of these con- 

 ventions. There is certainly a gap now be- 

 tween the provincial organization and the 

 enacting body which could be bridged over 

 in this way effectively. As well as treating 

 seed sellers in the way dishonest packers are 

 treated under the Mark's Act, the Island As- 

 sociation demands the inclusion of fraudu- 

 lent nursery stock and levels penalties at dis- 

 honest top grafters. The president's ad- 

 dress was received and adopted unanimously 

 and all its recommendations legislated on. 



These are some of the papers read by local 

 horticulturists : " Difficulties of Fruit 

 G*-owing in P. E. I.," by F. C. Bovyer; 

 " The Apples I Grow at Inkerman," by John 

 Robertson ; " Cherry Growing," by D. J. 

 Stewart; "Cranberry Culture," by C. R. 

 Dickey ; " The First Island Peaches," by Dr. 

 Murchison ; " Our Best Commercial Sorts," 

 by Senator Ferguson ; " My Experience 

 With Plums," by Edward Bayfield; "Our 

 Model Orchards," by Prof. Macmillan ; 

 " Inspection in P. E. I.," by D. F. I. Burke; 

 and " Strawberry Problems," by Franklyn 

 Bovyer. 



The visiting scientists, however, added 

 much to our island meetings. We had 

 Prof. Robertson, a host in himself; Prof. 

 Zavitz, whom one enthusiastic admirer 

 called " the man with the hard name," al- 

 though his lessons are easy and splendidly 

 put to his audiences, that on " Clover Grow- 

 ing " being particularly opportune ; Prof. 

 Macoun, modest as ever, yet accurate and 

 well posted on everything, and Mr. Harold 

 Jones, of Maitland, Ontario. The others 

 expected could not brave the dangers of win- 

 ter communication. Prof. Robertson, whom 

 nothing deters from fulfilling an engage- 

 ment, crossed in the open boats at the Capes 



