A WOED ABOUT APPLES 



T. H. RACE, MITCHELL. 



MR. EDWARD TYRRELL, in his 

 contribution to the Horticul- 

 turist last month, pointed out 

 the advantage one has in this world by a 

 good use of his eyes and brains. By the 

 use of my eyes, in running over the pro- 

 vince last spring I observed what a general 

 lack of interest there was in the care of the 

 apple orchard ; and, comparatively speak- 

 ing, what a very few new orchards were be- 

 ing set out. By the use of my brains I 

 reasoned that if this state of things con- 

 tinued for a few years longer the supply of 

 good fruit must fall much below the rapidly 

 increasing demand. By a similar use of 

 my eyes I observed but two exceptions \o 

 this state of things in all my travels. The 

 first was in the district of Cobourg, 

 Brighton and Colborne, and the second in 

 a stretch of country lying between Welling- 

 ton and Picton in Prince Edward county. 

 By the use of my brains again I reasoned 

 that the orchards in these districts must be 

 paying the owners or they would not be re- 

 ceiving so much care, and, if they returned 

 a profit for the care they got, orchards in 

 other districts under similar treatment, 

 must also prove profitable. I noticed fur- 

 ther, that in these two districts named a 

 large number of young apple trees were be- 

 ing set out and all apparently well cared for. 

 This fact, to my mind, emphasised two 

 things ; first, that apples were now grown 

 with a profit, and secondly, that the grow- 

 ers had faith in the future for the apple 

 trade. 



Looking at the subject prospectively, 

 there can be no other conclusion than that 

 the demand for apples must increase. With 

 the thousands of settlers rushing into ur 



northern districts, where fruit can never bo 

 much grown ; with the prospects of new 

 railroads opening up these newly settled 

 districts and providing them with better 

 transportation facilities ; with the advant- 

 ages to be gained through our Fruit Marks 

 Act and the greater demand for our apples 

 in Europe, where is the pessimist to say that 

 the future is not hopeful ? I will venture 

 to say that he cannot be found in the 

 Xorthumberland and Prince Edward coun- 

 ty districts. 



]\Ir. Alex. ^IcNeill, while talking to the 

 people at Orillia, urged that a commercial 

 orchard should consist of not less than four 

 or five acres. Nothing less than this, he 

 said, would be sufiicient to command the 

 farmer's attention, and nothing less would 

 warrant the expense of an outfit necessary 

 for the proper care of both soil and trees. 

 The points were well taken, especially ap- 

 plied to sections where profitable apple 

 growing has not yet been demonstrated. 

 But in the district about Cobourg and 

 Brighton I noticed many small plots of ap- 

 ple trees, scattered here and there, and all 

 were well cared for. Every householder, 

 in fact, seemed to regard his two or three 

 apple trees as a source of profit, and I was 

 informed that there were more young tre^s 

 being planted out in the county of Xorth- 

 umberland than in all the rest of the pro- 

 vince. I do not know what the Picton peo- 

 ple would say to this, but, excepting the 

 Prince Edward county district, I am quite 

 prepared to accept the statement. 



I had no opportunity to talk with any of 

 the owners of the newly planted acres in 

 Prince Edward county, but a resident of 

 the Colborne district said to n:e : " We 



