August, 1909 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



*75 



provincial government will do much to dem- 

 onstrate the value of proper orchard prac- 

 tice and to show what varieties of frxiit 

 to grow in the various districts. There 

 should be an orchard on every farm in the 

 province and it should be given proper care. 

 ' Prince Edward Island can produce enough 

 fruit for her home market and have a big 

 surplus for export. 



As the Niagara District Horticultural 

 I Kxhibition will be held during the time that 

 I the American Pomological Society meets in 

 St. Catharines, the growers of the district 

 should do all in their power to make it 

 a great success. The management invites 

 exhibits of fruits, flowers and vegetables 

 from every person. The exhibition should 

 receive the combined support of the growers 

 of the Niagara peninsula. 



PUBLISHERS' DESK 



Our cover illustration this month shows a 

 luirtofoneof the "model orchards" in Prince 

 I'.ilward Island. It is owned by Mr. John 

 .\ linear, Lower Montague. Photographs of 

 I it her model orchards in the maritime prov- 

 inces will be welcomed for publication. To 

 make their appearance in these columns of 

 greatest value, send us also a short descrip- 

 tion of the scene. 



Apple Grow^ing otv Prince Edw^ard Island 



Alex. McNeill, Chief, Fruit Division, Ottawa 



In this issue are published many articles 

 that are of special interest to our friends 

 in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Is- 

 land. Last month Nova Scotia received par- 

 ticular attention. We want our readers in 

 the maritime provinces to feel that The 

 Canadian Horticulturist is published in 

 their interests as much as in the interests 

 of any other section of our great Dominion. 

 Every issue contains practical and up-to- 

 date information on orchard and garden 

 management. Except occasionally, no one 

 province is favored at the expense of the 

 others. We have contributors and special 

 correspond<!nts in all parts 01 the Dominion, 

 and we want more. Every reader is in- 

 vited to contribute articles and letters for 

 publication. Tell your experiences in or- 

 charding, growing vegetables, flower gar- 

 dening, managing lawns, shrubs or anything 

 else that has to do with horticulture. Send 

 photographs if you have them. 



A number of special articles will be pub- 

 lished in our Soptemlier issue. They will 

 be of much value and general interest. An 

 article on "The Better Judging of Fruit," 

 by Mr. Chas. Webster of Kelowna, B.C., 

 will tell how the exhibits were judged at the 

 Spokane Apple Show last December ; many 

 suggestions for adoption at our Canadian 

 fairs and exhibitions will bo given. "The 

 Pre-Cooling of Fruit for Shipment," will be 

 disciiKspd by Mr. J. A. Riiddirk, Cnld Stor- 

 age Commissioner, Ottawa. "The Fameuse 

 Apple" will be dealt with by Mr. II. 

 W. Shepherd, of Montreal. Mr. G. 

 H. Carpenter, of Fruitland, Ont., 

 will give some pointers on "Marketing 

 Early Grapes." Diagrams and a description 

 of improvements being made in Queen's 

 Park, Barrio, Ont., will bo an important 

 * ' feature ; every person interested in the mak- 

 ing and management of pleasure grounds 

 and in the beaiitification of our cities, 

 lowna and villages should read this article. 

 These are a fo\y of many valuable articles 

 that will apjiear. It will be a strong num- 

 ber and should not be missed. 



IN the series of orchard meetings which 

 were held under the auspices ofthePrince 

 Edward Island Department of Agricul- 

 ture, it was particularly noticeable that 

 an increased interest and enthusiasm had 

 lately been developed in the matter of or- 

 chard planting. There was a very large at- 

 tendance at the first meeting in Mr. P. N. 

 Pate's orchard at O'Leary. Of these, many 

 were about to plant orchards for the first 

 time and were very anxious for information 

 with reference to varieties and methods of 

 culture. 



The Springfield meeting was held at one 

 of the model orchards, on the farm of Mr. 

 D. N. McKay, where there was a splendid 

 object lesson in the rratter of varieties. The 

 con''itioii3 on the island .ire such that only 

 the hardier trees can be depended upon. In 

 the earlier planting of the model orchard, 

 many varieties were included about the 

 hardiness of which there was a doubt. Those 

 that were too tender for the situation were 

 beginning to show the effects of the severe 

 winters and not a few had died outright ; 

 but the varieties which have been recom- 

 mended for Prince Edward Island by the 

 Fruit Growers' Association were all doing 

 well, and there was a splendid promise of 

 a strong vigorous growth that would de- 

 velop good bearing qualities. 



In tno neighborhood of Hazelbrook, about 

 six miles from Charlottetown, orcharding is 

 by no means an experiment. There are 

 several fine orchards in the neighborhood, 

 though all have made the mistake of plant- 

 ing some tender varieties, and few have yet 

 learned to appreciate the value of clean 

 culture. ■ 



Perhaps the best kept orchard on the 

 Island was that of Mr. John Annear at 

 Lower Montague. The remnant of the old 

 orchard still growing in sod was there for 

 comparision with the new orchards of the 

 most anproved varieties and with the most 

 up-to-date methods of culture. The newer 

 orchard is not yet in full bearing and, there- 

 fore, it cannot be said that the evidence 

 is forthcoming in actual production to prove 

 the value of modern methods. Nevertheless, 

 the vigorous growth of trees gives ample 

 promise that the fruit will respond to the 

 generous treatment given them. 



At Rollo Bay, the Reverend Father Walk- 

 er is setting a splendid example by planting 

 an orchard, which may be called a model 

 orchard, on his own grouiius. In order to 

 have the very best, he has removed several 

 large trees, has broken up the sod through- 

 out the orchard, and is planting the recorn- 

 mended varieties with more care than is 

 usually bestowed upon apple trees. 



MOST ORCHARDS ARF, NEr.T.ECTED 



That the orchards of the Island are neg- 

 lected is apparent to anyone who is able 

 to make a comparison with the orchards of 

 the Annapolis valley. It is the rule to 

 find the Prince Edward Island orchards all 

 in sod and, in most cases, the crop of hay 

 is removed from the orchard. Although the 

 double crop, the crop of hay and the crop of 

 trees, is produced upon the soil, no corres- 

 ponding fertilizers are used. Indeed, it 

 would seem as if it were expected that 

 the ground required rather less fertilization 

 wh(^n in orchard and yielding two crops than 

 it would need without the trees and produc- 

 ing a single crop. 



(i[t0WERS ARE ORO.ANIZINO 



Notwithstanding this want of culture, 

 the trees bear some fruit and sufficient to 

 encourage the owners to plant more, were it 

 not for the hopeless fooling that they have 



with reference to markets. Almost the first 

 objection that is made to orcharding is that 

 they could not sell the fruit even if they 

 grew it. To meet this objection the prov- 

 incial fruit growers' association has been 

 instrumental in forming a co-operative as- 

 sociation embracing the whole island. The 

 co-operative association has received the 

 patronage of the provincial government, 

 and is organized to meet the needs of the 

 various centers at which fruit can be col- 

 lected. 



Professor Ross, Secretary for Agriculture, 

 is energetically promoting the new associa- 

 tion, assisted by a board of managers. They 

 have made arrangements for supplying the 

 patrons with barrels and boxes at the low- 

 est possible cost. They are also considering 

 plans for assembling the fruit with the 

 least possible injury. Their present inten- 

 tion with reference to sales is to develop the 

 home market to the fullest extent. They 

 think it quite possible to supply the greater 



Wealthy Apple Tree Five Ycdfs Planted 



Produce<l two an'l ono lialf biislir-ls of No. 1 apples 

 In^t autumn. In orclmru of .Mr. John Annear, Lower 

 Montague. P.E.I. 



portion of the fruit that is now imported 

 from other provinces. Should there be a 

 surplus after this, they have made arrange- 

 ments to have it handled at the next nearest 

 market across the Northumberland Strait 

 in the mining district of Nova Scotia. 



Their transportation facilites for export 

 are not the best at the present time, but 

 this is in consequence of the lack of fruit. 

 If the quantity were greater there would 

 be no difficulty in procuring facilities quite 

 equal to those of many parts of the other 

 provinces. 



The co-operative association will also do 

 a good work in procuring the best grade of 

 nursery stock. Undoubtedly, the eflfect of 

 procuring nursery stock through a single 

 organization of this kind, composed of the 

 best growers and embracing all the exper- 

 ience that there is on the Island, will be to 

 confine the varieties to a comparatively 

 small number. The varieties that can be 

 confidently recommended for the Island are 

 the Duchess, the Wealthy, Alexander, Wolf 

 River, Baxter, Pewaukee and Ben Davis. 

 The Inkorman appears to bo growing in 

 favor, \fX\t as there are not yet anj' large 

 plantations of it, the people have not had 

 an opportunity of seeing it tested in all the 

 conditions of the Island. The Mcintosh 

 Red, too, is another apple which many thinl; 



