62 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, igog 



British Columbia had an excellent position 

 and displayed to advantage two varieties 

 of apples,— -Grimes' Golden and Jonathan, 

 both were very extremely colored and af- 

 forded contrast with the other varieties 

 shown. Nova Scotia had a very fine show, 

 exhibiting a splendid collection of varieties. 

 Ontario showed about 70 varieties of apples. 

 15 varieties of pears, eight of grapes, a few 

 peaches and Reine Claude plums, a full col- 

 lection of the best varieties of vegetables, 

 and also a splendid collection of preserved 

 and canned fruits and also canned 

 vegetables." 



To Control the Blister Mite 



Experiments designed to control the leaf 

 blister mite in apple orchards have been 

 conducted by the Agricultural Experiment 

 Station at Geneva, N. Y. The results are 

 mentioned by Professor Lochhead on page 

 50 of this issue. Bulletin No. 306, recently 

 received gives the following conclusions m 

 regard to the work with lime-sulphur 

 sprays : 



"In the experiments with the sulphur 

 sprays, comparative tests were made of the 

 common lime-sulphur wash, a home-made 

 concentrated mixture, and two commercial 

 concentrated preparations of the lime-sul- 

 phur wash. Very satisfactory results were 

 obtained in every orchard in which they 

 were employed, and there was apparently 

 no appreciable difference in the effectiveness 

 of the various preparations on the mite 

 when they were used under similar condi- 

 tions. The measure of protection actually 

 obtained showed, as would naturally be ex- 

 pected, some slight variations in the various 

 orchards, which were probably due, largely, 

 to differences in the standards of spraying 

 of the fruit growers. 



"In every test all trees that were thor- 

 oughly treated with a sulphur spray showed, 

 in comparison with the checks, a marked 

 diminution in the numbers of the mites, 

 which in several instances resulted in 

 almost complete destruction. The results 

 show very plainly that one application dur- 

 ing the dormant season, or as buds are 

 bursting, affords eflBcient protection to the 

 trees, and that the mite is not ever likely to 

 be of importance in orchards that are an- 

 nually sprayed with the lime-sulphur wash, 

 a practice now common in many localities 

 where the scale threatens." 



Judging Plate Fruit* 



W. T. Macoun, Horticulturist, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa 



An Attractive Offer. — Messrs. Dupuy & 

 Ferguson, seedsmen, of Montreal, are mak- 

 ing an attractive premium offer to those 

 who purchase their spring supply of bulbs 

 and garden seeds from them. By taking 

 advantage of this offer, customers of the 

 above firm are enabled to secure free sub- 

 scriptions to The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist as a premium on orders given. The 

 sfyring issues of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist will tell you how and when to plant, 

 and will ^ive many useful suggestions on 

 making your garden. If you are not already 

 taking The Canadian Horticulturist, 

 write to the above mentioned firm, asking 

 for particulars regarding their special prem- 

 ium offer of free subscriptions to The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist. Mention this offer 

 to your friends who intend having a flower 

 garden next summer. 



Change of Address.— Owing to the large 

 increase in their business, Messrs. Wm. 

 Cooper & Nephews have found it necessary 

 to take a warehouse, and wish to notify the 

 public and their customers that their new 

 address will be Peterkin Building, 152 Bay 

 Street, Toronto, where all communications 

 should be addressed. 



THERE should be some agreement as to 

 just how fruit should be judged in 

 the maritime provinces. You have quite 

 a number of judges coming to your 

 exhibitions and to meetings of this kind and 

 each one semes to have a different idea of 

 how fruit should be judged. One judge has 

 one idea, and another, another idea. You 

 never know how to put up fruit to be judged 

 at an exhibition. It seems to me that at 

 Truro, at the Agricultural College, an 

 agreement could be made with the other 

 provinces, on some methods of judging fruit 

 on plates and also in boxes. A circular 

 could be printed and published telling of 

 the agreement as to how fruit should be 

 judged at these exhibitions. I am simply 

 giving you my idea and I hope we may have 

 others who will give theirs also. 



It seems to me that a plate of fruit 

 should be judged largely from that stand- 

 point and for that reason. I think that uni- 

 formity is one of the chief requisites, also 

 freedom from blemishes, high color and 

 thorough maturity. Large size is not so im- 

 portant as these. 



freedom from blemish 



When we sit down to dinner or break- 

 fast, if we see some dirt on the tablecloth 

 or some specks here or there we do not 

 relish our dinner quite the same. The same 

 thing suggests itself to me, when I look 

 at a plate of fruit. We want an apple with 

 no spots or holes in it and the stems should 

 be left on every specimen, if it is possible 

 to leave them on. 



uniformity 



The next thing is uniformity. If we have 

 a plate of fruit with every specimen a differ- 

 ent shape, it is not nearly as impressive 

 nor as pleasant to look upon as a plate 

 of fruit where the apples are all about the 

 same size. 



Professor Ross. — Why is so much import- 

 ance attached to having the stems on the 

 apples? 



Ans.— I do not consider that of so very 

 great importance; yet, in order to have the 

 plate of fruit free from blemish, they should 

 be left on. 



. Professor Ross.— Why not have a piece 

 of the branch as well as the stem? 



Ans.— That is rather a difficult question. 

 I consider an apple looks better and keeps 

 better with the stem on. 



D. J. Stewart.— It is not one of the points 

 of identification? 



Ans.— Yes; it helps to identify apples. 

 Some have short stems and others have 

 long, slender stems. 



Mr. Annear.— The stems might be all right 

 for exhibition purposes but for ordinary use 

 it would not be of any consequence. 



COLOR 



Mr. Macoun. — Now, the question of color 

 is one of the important requisites in a plate 

 of fruit and it is just a point for the judge 

 to decide whether a rather poorly colored 

 plate of fruit which is perfectly uniform 

 would be better than a highly colored plate 

 of fruit which were not uniform. These are 

 points which the judge has to use his own 

 discretion in deciding on. 



SIZE 



With regard to the size, it would only 

 count about half as much as color, uniform- 

 ity and freedom from blemishes. There is 

 a limit to size. For instance, here is a 



plate of highly colored fruit but it is too 

 small for the variety, therefore, a plate of 

 this size (of good size for the variety), not 

 quite so highly colored takes the second 

 prize, when this (illu.strates with a plate of 

 small specimens) does not take a prize at 

 all. This is a point the judge has to decid' 

 A good size for the variety (illustrates) ; 

 that, to my mind, is a perfect plate of 

 Kings. The color and form are good, and it 

 is perfectly uniform. It takes first prize. 

 We had considerable difficulty in judging 

 the Kings, and the reason that these Kint"^ 

 got second prize is that they were not quit 

 so highly colored and not quite so uniform 

 as these apples. 



MATURITY 



Then, there is the question of finish or 

 maturity (illustrates). Here is a plate thp- 

 does not look matured, as if the apple ha 

 been picked a little too soon, or too green 

 (illustrates). There is a plate of apples 

 which got first prize where the skin has a 

 slight yellowish tinge; at the same time 

 that is an apple which will keep and is » 

 highly colored fruit, uniform and quite larg 

 enough for the variety. 



POLISHING 



Rubbing brightens the color but the judg ■ 

 should not take that into consideration br- 

 cause, if necessary, the judge can polisli 

 them himself and make both plates the 

 same as regards the polish. You can tell 

 whether they are polished or not. The judge 

 would prefer not having the fruit polished 

 because he is inclined to think that the man 

 who polishes his fruit is trying to make it 

 better than it really is. 



•From an address given by Mr. Maconn, at the 

 last annual meeting of the P. E. I. Kruit Growers' 

 Association. A discuBsion on tliis subject is invited. 

 Send expressions of opinion to The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist. 



A Burning Success for 20 Years.- In our 

 churches, schools and residences, the special 

 and patented construction of "Kelsey 

 Warm Air Generators" makes it possible to 

 have economical warming with proper ven- 

 tilation. "The Kelsey System" means the 

 supplying of large volumes of pure, fresh, 

 warm air; not scorched, burnt, and vitiated 

 air from which every vestige of moisture 

 has been removed. The Kelsey fire pot and 

 combustion chamber, being formed of long, 

 hollow, corrugated sections, gives three 

 times as great an area of heating surface 

 and three times as much air circulation r 

 that of the ordinary furnace with the sam 

 grate surface. All Kelsey users say that it 

 is absolutely gas and dust proof, and that 

 there is no radiation of heat in the cellar. 

 The James Smart Mfg. Co., of Brockville, 

 are the exclusive makers for Canada and 

 employ heating engineers who furnish plans 

 and estimates for the warming and ventilat- 

 ing of any kind of building. We draw your 

 attention to their adv. in this issue. Any 

 one having an apparatus that is not givin: 

 good satisfaction or who is contemplatin 

 the purchase of a heater cannot afford t 

 decide without first investigating this n 

 markable system. 



Show this copy of The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist to a friend and secure his sub- 

 scription. We will extend your own suh 

 scription for six months for securing on 

 new subscription, or for a year for securint 

 two new subscriptions. 



At the annual meeting of the Niagara 

 Townsliip Fruit Growers' Association, the 

 election of officers resulted as follows ; Pres., 

 Wm. Armstrong; 1st vice-prcs., H. C. Brad- 

 ley; secy., W. O. Burgess; treas., Melvin 

 Minthorn. On Feb. 5th this association 

 held a reunion and oyster supper. 



