566 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



to the European markets and the placing of exhibits in 

 the principal cities of the United Kingdom and Can- 

 ada. The following varieties of apples are grown very 

 successfully: Crimson Beauty, Red Astrachan, Duch- 

 ess, Sharp New Brunswick, Yellow Transparent, 

 Wealthy, Dudley, Alexander, Wolf River, Fameuse, 

 Mclntosh Red, Bishop Pippin, Golden Russet and 

 Bethel. Northern Spy, King of Tompkins and Rhode 

 Island Greening are grown to a limited extent. The 

 Moore Arctic, Lombard and Yellow Egg plums and 

 Flemish Beauty and Clapp's Favorite pears are grown 

 successfully. 



Wild raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and cran- 

 berries grow in abundance. Strawberry-culture was 

 first introduced into New Brunswick at Kingston, 

 Kings County, about 1862, by the late D. P. Wetmore, 

 Inspector of Schools. Large quantities are now pro- 

 duced, and as the season of maturity is comparatively 

 late, many shipments are made to Boston and Mon- 

 treal, where they are much in demand, as the straw- 

 berry crop is then finished in other sections. Blueber- 

 ries grow wild in enormous profusion and are canned in 

 large quantities. 



Truck-gardening is practised extensively on the 



7 



658. Horticultural regions of Old Quebec. 



northeastern bank of the St. John River, in the vicinity 

 of Maugerville and Sheffield. The soil there is a dark 

 loam, several feet deep and exceedingly fertile, being 

 the old river-bed, and large quantities of cabbages, 

 cauliflowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the like, are 

 grown and shipped to Fredericton and St. John. 



A. G. TURNEY. 

 Quebec. 



Old Quebec (Fig. 658) occupies a unique position in 

 the Dominion of Canada because it is the oldest prov- 

 ince, the largest province and the province in which the 

 English- speaking people are in the great minority. 

 Although not regarded as maritime, yet it possesses 

 considerable coast; and the mighty St. Lawrence takes 

 on the character of an open sea. The St. Lawrence and 

 the numerous rivers and lakes that feed it are the prin- 

 cipal physical features of the province, and these 

 features have made of Montreal, Quebec s chief city, 

 the importing, exporting and distributing center of 

 Canada. The Appalachian Mountains extend into 

 Quebec under the name of Notre Dame, but in no place 

 do they reach any great height. The greater part of the 

 country is decidedly level, while some sections are 

 gently undulating. 



South of the St. Lawrence the climate is not severe; 



but in the extreme north arctic conditions prevail and 

 the country is sparsely inhabited. The greater part of 

 the province, however, is well suited to agriculture, and 

 the returns per acre compare favorably with other 

 agricultural areas of Canada. The rainfall, although 

 quite scanty at certain seasons, is usually sufficient. 

 Irrigation is seldom or never practised and is usually 

 unnecessary. 



When horticulture began in Quebec is not known, as 

 it is older than the oldest records. When the country 

 was first explored by the French, the Indians knew the 

 melon and cultivated it with some success, as well as a 

 number of other crops of interest to horticulturists. 

 Father Charlevoir (S.J.), the historian, is very plain 

 on this latter point. In a letter dated Chambly, April 1, 

 1721, while referring to Montreal, he asserts that "The 

 Indians, before our arrival in Canada, were familiar 

 with both ordinary melons and watermelons." He 

 said, "The former are as good as any in France, especi- 

 ally those raised on the island of Montreal, where 

 they grow in rich profusion" (Vol. Ill, Journ. d'un 

 Voyage, etc., p. 164). 



That melons in ordinary seasons were common 

 enough in Montreal may be gleaned from the appended 

 quotations from a letter of 

 Father Claude Chauchetiere 

 (S.F.), dated Montreal, 

 August 7, 1694: "We have 

 had no melons to speak of 

 this year; we shall barely 

 have enough for seed. 

 This is something I have 

 never yet seen before in 

 Montreal, and every one is 

 surprised at it." 



The "Relation par let- 

 tres," 1709, attributed to 

 Father Antoine Tiley (8.J.), 

 is authority for the state- 

 ment, "The savage had the 

 small squash, the water- 

 melon, the gourd and the 

 sunflower before the French 

 came to the country." Al- 

 though horticulture is old 

 in Quebec, it has never 

 been extensively practised, 

 and the industry is expand- 

 ing slowly. In the vicinity 

 of Montreal, vegetables are 



extensively cultivated for the home market, but the 

 home market is not nearly supplied by native-grown 

 produce and will not be for some time to come. 



The present fruit areas are indicated on the map by 

 parallel lines, while those partly in fruit are dotted. The 

 areas in which fruit might be grown are inclosed by a 

 dark line surrounding the section. It will be seen that 

 the total area is not large. Much of the province south 

 of the St. Lawrence possesses great horticultural pos- 

 sibilities and expansion may there be looked for. 

 Rouville, Chateauguay, Hochelaga, Jacques Cartier, 

 Two Mountains, Stanstead, L'Assomption are regarded 

 as fruit counties; Huntingdon, Argenteuil, Vaudreuil, 

 Soulange, La Prairie, NapierviUe, Kamouraska, L'Islet, 

 Montmagny and Bellechasse are partly in fruit; while 

 Compton, Missisquoi, Brome, Beauce, Shefford, Bagot 

 and counties on the St. Lawrence to Champlain County 

 may be regarded as possible fruit areas, but are not as 

 yet extensively planted. 



The present status of horticulture may be gleaned by 

 a study of the census of 1911 so far as the fruit industry 

 is concerned. It would seem that many of the old trees 

 have fallen victims to the ravages of time; but that 

 young trees are being set in larger numbers. Better 

 methods and a more thorough dissemination of knowl- 

 edge are constantly crowding out the old, so that there 



