FEUIT EXHIBIT AT SIMCOE 



THE town of Simcoe," says Mr. T, 

 H. Race, of Mitchell, " has the 

 best fall organization that I 

 know of outside the larger cities. And 

 theybelieve that they have the best fall fair 

 there, even including some of the cities. 

 Having visited their Fair this fall, held on 

 the 14th, 15th and i6th of October, I am 

 not disposed to question their belief. In 

 many senses the Norfolk County Union is a 

 model Fair. It is, to begin with, purely 

 educative in all its features. And it is con- 

 ducted with a system and enthusiasm that 

 might well be copi-ed by every other fall fair 

 management in the province. There is not 

 a fakir allowed within the gates, nor a circus 

 feature of any kind permitted to show upon 

 the ground. And yet the crowds go m 

 greater numbers to see the Norfolk County 

 Union, purely for its agricultural sights and 

 lessons, than any other show of its kind out- 

 side Toronto and London that we have vis- 

 ited this season. The third day's gate re- 

 ceipts this fall amounted to over $1,700. 



But I started out to speak of the fruit ex- 

 hibit. The superintendent of this depart- 

 ment was Mr. Albert Gilbert, and, by the 

 way, every department has its superintend- 

 ent, whose duty it is to see after that de- 

 partment and answer for its success or fail- 

 ure to a general superintendent, and through 

 him to the cnief management. The fruit 

 was not well displayed owing to the loss of 

 the horticultural building by fire last spring. 

 But the fruit itself was a credit to the dis- 

 trict and to the general high character of 

 the exhibition. It had the advantage, of 

 course, of the lateness of the season and was 

 well colored. In Kings, Baldwins and 

 Spys, although the exhibit was large and 

 fine in each class, the quality was scarcely up 

 to that in the same varieties grown in Ox- 



ford, Perth and Huron counties. In New- 

 ton pippins and Talman sweets I had seen 

 nothing any place to compare with the Sim- 

 coe exhibit. This statement applies to 

 quality, size and beautiful coloring, which of 

 course includes quality. Two other old va- 

 rieties, the Spitzenburg and Yellow Bell- 

 flower, were by long odds the finest I had 

 seen this fall. The Spitzenburgs were simply 

 beautiful. Ben Davis, Ribston pippins and 

 Alexanders did not compare with those samj 

 varieties grown further north, but Green- 

 ings. Fall pippins, Seek-no-furthers and Rus- 

 sets were extra fine. Taken altogether, the 

 Simcoe apple exhibit was extra choice and 

 selected with care and judgment. 



In making up the collections I might point 

 out that not enough attention was given tj 

 covering the season. Every collection, if 

 not otherwise specified, is supposed to be for 

 family use. Some of the collections shown 

 at Simcoe, though made up of good varie- 

 ties, did not start till late in the fall. Some 

 had an early fall variety and then had noth- 

 ing till winter. This feature will be cor- 

 rected by Superintendent Gilbert in future. 

 The display of pears was very creditable, 

 though it might be improved upon in so 

 favorable a district as Norfolk county. The 

 plum season was past, but the samples of 

 peaches shown was convincing evidence th.it 

 the district about Simcoe is especially 

 adapted to peach growing. There were 

 some very handsome specimens of late 

 peaches shown by Mr. W. F. Kydd, the gen- 

 eral superintendent, who has recently located 

 at the west of the town, and has already a 

 very handsome peach orchard and vineyard 

 planted out and in full bearing. Mr. Kydd 

 intends to demonstrate the possibilities •■>{ 

 Simcoe as a peach district, and is already 

 making an excellent showing." 



