564 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



The whole population is engaged in agriculture and 

 fishing and in the merchandise connected therewith. 

 Horticulture is yet in its infancy and only very few of 

 the inhabitants have begun to realize its possibilities. 



Nearly every farmer has a few trees producing suffi- 

 cient apples for his own family. But few have seriously 



656. Prince Edward Island. The shaded parts are horticultural sections. 



considered apple-growing as a revenue-producing branch 

 of agriculture. The first trees were planted shortly 

 after the English occupation in 1763. The stock was 

 brought out from the Old Country and was nearly all 

 of the cider varieties. On this account it was generally 

 believed that good apples could not be grown in this 

 province. For over a century very little improvement 

 was made. 



The development of the apple industry in Nova 

 Scotia stimulated the planting of more trees in Prince 

 Edward Island and led to the setting out of nurseries 

 in 1886 by William Taylor at Lower Freetown and by 

 Condon at Kensington. They received a great many 

 orders for trees but the orders were so small (very few 

 people wanting more than half a dozen) that there was 

 not much profit in the business and it was not continued. 



A few men, however, were enthusiastic over the pos- 

 sibilities of fruit-growing and at the call of Lieutenant- 

 Governor Howlan met in Charlottetown on March 30, 

 1896, and formed the Fruit-Growers' Association of 

 Prince Edward Island. It received the encouragement 

 of the Department of Agriculture and was given an 

 annual grant of $100, for the purpose of holding a 

 fruit show. 



This again gave a further stimulus to tree-planting, 

 and nurseries were set out by D. A. Sharp at Summer- 

 side, Thomas Moyse at Central Bedeque and John 

 Robertson at New Perth. Many trees were sold but 

 the business does not seem to have been very profitable, 

 and at the present time all the stock is imported. A 

 few men, however, set out commercial orchards and 

 between the years 1897 to 1900 some shipments of apples 

 were made to the British market. It was very difficult, 

 however, to find more than a few barrels of one variety 

 in a district. This added very much to the expense of 

 packing and shipping, and as the business was at best 

 very uncertain, it was soon given up. 



In 1909 the Cooperative Fruit Company was formed. 

 The purpose was to provide proper packages and to get 

 together sufficient quantities of apples of one variety 

 to make a profitable shipment. The Department of 

 Agriculture provides the Company with a secretary and 

 makes a small annual grant, sufficient to cover truckage 

 expenses. 



In 1909, eighty-four barrels were shipped; in 1910, 

 some 350 barrels. The expenses of getting their apples 

 together, graded, properly packed and marketed were 

 too great and in 1911 each grower shipped his own. 

 This, however, proved even less satisfactory and the 

 Company is preparing to pack again this autumn. 

 They hope, however, to get a number of barrels of 

 apples together at certain centers, and with this end in 

 view, all the orchards in these vicinities are being 

 sprayed. 



For a number of years the question of varieties lias 

 been taken up by the Fruit-Growers' Association. The 

 following are now recommended: For home orchard 

 Yellow Transparent, Crimson Beauty, Duchess of 

 Oldenburg, Wealthy, Wagener, King, Northern Spy. 

 Mclntosh Red, and Stark. For commercial orchard 

 Wealthy, Alexander or Wolf River, Mclntosh 

 Red, Ribstpn Pippin and Ben Davis. 



The feeling is general that the next few years 

 will witness a great development of the apple 

 industry in Prince Edward Island. 



Very few pear trees have been planted, but when 

 given good cultivation and properly sprayed, they 

 have done well. The most popular varieties arc 

 Clapp Favorite, Bartlett, Vermont Beauty, Flemish 

 Beauty, Howell and Anjou. 



The cool, moist climate of Prince Edward Island 

 favors the growing of plums of the very fit 

 quality, and of late years quite a number of trees 

 have been set out. Among the varieties best suited 

 to Island conditions are Glass Seedling, Moore 

 Arctic, Quackenboss, Yellow Egg, Victoria, Brad- 

 shaw, Prince Englebert and Blue Damson. 



Cherry trees were introduced by the early French 

 settlers and, as they were able to take care of themselves, 

 met with great success. Nearly every farmstead has a 

 few trees. The crop is, however, very uncertain, as a 

 late frost catches the blossoms about every third year. 

 They are nearly all sour cherries of the Richmond and 

 Montmorency varieties. In a few orchards sweet cher- 

 ries are being tried with indifferent success. They bloom 

 too early and are caught by the frost. 



Grass lands that have not been manured with mussel 

 mud invariably grow a crop of strawberries in every 

 part of the province. The increased cost of labor has 

 made the picking of the wild ones unprofitable and for 

 the last few years the cultivated varieties have taken 

 their place on the market. From 8,000 to 10,000 

 boxes to the acre is considered an average crop. Some 

 progressive farmers have had very large returns from 

 strawberry-growing, with the result that prospects are 

 very bright for a large industry. The chief varieties 

 grown at the present time are Splendid, Glen Mary, 

 Senator Dunlap, Williams and Wilson. 



Among the bush fruits, raspberries and blackberries 

 are being cultivated but not to the same extent as goose- 

 berries and currants, which are in greater demand. All, 

 however, are being grown very successfully. Dewber- 

 ries are not grown to any extent. They have been 

 introduced at the Experimental Farm and their culti- 

 vation will likely be extended. 



As wild strawberries are found in the higher grass- 

 lands, wild cranberries are found in the bog-lands and 

 marshes. In a few districts they are being cultivated 

 and giving very large returns. When the plantation 

 can be flooded, the crop is fairly sure, but when it 

 cannot be flooded the frost frequently does much 

 damage. The average crop is about eighty bushels 

 to the acre. 



There are several thousand acres of blueberry bar- 

 rens in the province, from which about twenty car- 

 loads of berries are shipped annually. They do not, 

 however, seem to improve by cultivation and the 

 increasing cost of labor will likely lessen the amount 

 marketed. Now and again the crop is a comparative 

 failure, due to frost or to severe drought. 



Prince Edward Island is peculiarly adapted to the 

 growing of fruit. The reason that more progress has 

 not been made is the inadequate transportation facili- 

 ties. Last year, however, arrangements were made for 

 three calls of an ocean steamship at Charlottetown on 

 the way from Montreal to Manchester. The car ferry, 

 also, that is about to be built between Carleton and 

 Cape Tormentine will further help to overcome this 

 difficulty, and it is expected that the next few years wi 

 witness a great development in horticulture in this 



