262 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



many fruit growers will insist that the Spy 

 is only a biennial bearer. The fine weather 

 is also developing the insect pests, and un- 

 less spraying is attended to vigorously a 

 large percentage of the fruit will be unfit to 

 sell. There is more attention being paid 

 to the orchards in this district this season 

 than for many years previous, as orchardists 

 are beginning to realize that unless ""heir 

 fruit is A I buyers and shippers will pass 

 them by. 



We had our first ripe strawberries on the 

 29th ult., two weeks earHer than last year. 

 Small fruits, with the exception of grapes, 

 are looking splendid, and promise a good 

 yield if weather is favorable. 



Whitby. R. L. Huggard. 



FROM SIMCOE. 



With regard to the fruit crop. We have 

 had a fine rain lately, but too late to save the 

 strawberry crop from serious injury by the 

 previous long spell of drouth. The crop is 

 below average in quantity and quality. 

 Raspberries will likely be a medium crop A 

 showery weather continues. Blackberries 

 are in fine shape and promise a very large 

 crop. Plums, medium, some trees heavily 

 loaded, many entirely barren. Cherries and 

 pears are light; cherries not half a crop. 

 These were no doubt injured by the heavy 

 frosts in May, just when the blossom buds ^ 

 were bursting, as there was a heavy bloom, 

 but it failed to set fruit. Early apples vVxll 

 not be more than half the crop of last year. 

 But winter apples so far promise an excel- 

 lent yield, about average, and the quality 

 will likely be good. 



Craighurst. G. C. Caston. 



FROM ST. CATHARINES. 



W. H. Bunting, in a report on the fruit 

 situation to the Sun, says : "The prospects 

 at present, barring a heavy dropping of the 

 tree fruits owing to the continued dry 



weather, are very promising for a large and 

 abundant crop of all kinds of our more im- 

 portant fruits, with the exception of apples, 

 which, owing to the unusual crop of 1902, 

 will be of only moderate quantity this season, 

 some varieties and some localities showing 

 good average, while others are comparative- 

 ly light, and in some cases none whatever. 

 We are now experiencing a great lack of 

 moisture, and while in some localities there 

 have been a few showers and heavy rains of 

 short duration, which have relieved the situa- 

 tion to some extent from many portions of 

 the province reports are coming in of scarce- 

 ly any rain since the first of April. This 

 fact, coupled with the heavy frost early n 

 May, which did considerable damage in th: 

 eastern part of the province, points to a 

 marked scarcity in the smaller fruits, such 

 as strawberries, raspberries, etc. 



"In this (St. Catharines) section straw- 

 berries are ripening about ten days earlier 

 than usual, and the season will likely be of 

 short duration. Cherries and plums are 

 well set, and as a great deal of spraying has 

 been, and is still being, done, no doubt these 

 crops will be of satisfactory quality. 



" Peaches promise a full crop, with the 

 exception of Early Crawfords, which were 

 cut down by the May frost, and the Elberta, 

 which has suffered severely from the curl 

 leaf, and will no doubt drop their crop. I 

 have as yet heard of no successful remedy 

 for this difficulty, although the Bordeaux 

 mixture and the lime, sulphur, and salt mix- 

 tures has in some cases lessened the effects 

 of this disease. 



' Pears have not set heavily, with the ex- 

 ception of the Kieffer, and one or two other 

 varieties, which have promise of full crop. 



" The vineyards generally are looking 

 well, and give promise of a heavy crop of 

 fruit this year. A word of warning to our 

 vineyardists will, however, be in order. 

 During the past two or three years the dis- 



