176 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



August, 1909 



is a coming apple for the Islard. It is cer- 

 tainly quite hardy, and will olways com- 

 mand a ready sale. It is not desirable to 

 extend the varieties much beyond these. 

 Many other varieties can be grown upon 

 the Island, but to grow them would only les- 

 sen the value of the whole. What is wanted 

 is few varieties and a laige quantity of each 

 of these. 



SHOULD CULTIVATE MORE. 



After having the proper varieties, per- 

 haps the most needful reform is in the mat- 

 ter of cultivation. The orchardist must 

 learn that trees require exactly the same 

 attention as any other plant. As well 

 might they hope to get a good crop of grain 

 without cultivating the soil as a crop of ap- 

 ples without culture. The instructions for 

 the cultivation of the orchard might be sum- 

 marized by saying that whatever culture 

 is needed to produce a good yield of corn 

 is needed for the trees. A warning must 

 be put in here that along with this clean 

 culture in the early part of the season, 

 should go cover crops, sown during the 

 month of July or not later than the first 

 of August. 



TJSB COVER CROPS. 



Almost any crop that will germinate eas- 

 ily will make a good cover crop, but by 

 preference something should be sown that 

 will die down during the winter. Common 

 oats and vetches, half and half, make a 

 very good cover crop, but the seed is ex- 

 pensive and it is perennial. Clover may be 

 used but it is difficult to get a catch so 

 late in the season as August that will make 

 any quantity of material before the end of 

 the growing season. If clover is allowed to 

 grow in the orchard, it should be plowed 

 down as early in the spring as possible. No 

 doubt clover is a detriment to an orchard 

 if allowed to grow during the months of 

 May and June. 



SPRAYING AND PRUNING 



The matter of spraying and pruning will 

 very soon follow along the right lines. The 

 sentiment is in favor of both operations, 

 and that they are not done is probably 

 largely the result of carelessness, not of 

 ignorance. When the orchards are larger, 

 and more dependence is placed upon the 

 orchard as a source of revenue, pruning 

 and spraying will undoubtedly occupy a 

 more prominent place than they do now in 

 orchard cultivation. 



On the whole, the outlook for orcharding 

 in Prince Edward Island has brightened 

 materially the last two or three years, and 

 it would not be surprising to find that the 

 farmers will in the near future look upon 

 their orchards as a very important source 

 of revenue. A few orchardists now are 

 making as much gross income from 10 

 acres as their neighbors make from a hun- 

 dred acre farm. 



FRUIT CROP SITUATION 



For Apple Growers — The apple growers 

 of Canada will welcome the appearance of 

 a work entitled, "The Canadian Apple 

 Glowers' Guide,' that is now in the hands 

 of tn- publishe'-, William Briggs, Toronto. 

 Its author is Linus Woolverton, M.A., who 

 for many years was editor of The Canad- 

 ian Horticulturist, and secretary of the 

 Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. The 

 work covers the whole subject, from the 

 planting of the tree to the harvesting and 

 selling of the fruit; and contains full par- 

 ticulars about pruning, spraying, grading 

 and packing, written in such a clear and 

 concise manner that even the novice should 

 be able to make a success of apple-growing. 

 The book will be reviewed at length in these 

 columns as soon as published. 



Items of interest are wanted for publication. 



Present prospects point to only a medium 

 crop of apples in Canada. The outlook is 

 not as bright as was reported last month. 

 In Nova Scotia, the crop is much below that 

 of last year. New Brunswick and Prince 

 Edward Island will not have enough for 

 home markets. Quebec expects a crop bolow 

 medium. In Ontario, conditions are var- 

 iable. Georgian Bay expects nearly a full 

 crop ; Lake Erie and Niagara district be- 

 low medium ; Lake Ontario, medium. In 

 British Columbia, conditions are ijoor near 

 the coast and fair in inland valleys. It is 

 noticeable that the apple aphis is more than 

 usually injurious this year, being present in 

 all districts from coast to coast. The situa- 

 tion in the various districts, together with 

 reports on other fruits, are given by corres- 

 pondents of The Canadian Horticulturist 

 as follows : 



queen's CO., N.S. 



Milton. — Fruit set well but dropped badly 

 as rains have been few and caterpillars are 

 doing great damage. Only two or three 

 are spraying. I have had little trouble as I 

 pick the eggs off and burn in winter. The 

 aphis is a great scourge, the foliage of plum 

 trees especially being eaten full of holes and 

 dropping. Ends of twigs are curled up and 

 dead.— G. H. H. 



DIGBY CO., N.S. 



Bear River. — Fruit set good but is falling 

 now owing to dry weather. Green aphis is 

 abundant. Present conditions would indi- 

 cate short crops of fruit. — B.C.C. 



ANNAPOLIS CO., N.S. 



Round Hill. — The present outlook for 

 fruit is good. Apples set well and are de- 

 veloping well. Fruit is clean, almost whol- 

 ly free from black spot. The canker worm 

 did serious damage in some sections and 

 seemed difficult to control by spraying. It 

 is early yet to predict outlook ; would say 

 from fair to full crop of clean fruit. — J.H. 

 T. 



Bridgetown. — The canker worm has been 



active in some of our orchards. The apple 



crop will not be above the average, but the 



fruit is clean and free from spot. — E. R. 



king's CO., N.S. 



Kentville. — The apple crop, as far as can 

 be estimated now, will be only fair, not as 

 much as last year, say 400,000 to 500,000 

 barrels. Plums are good, especially the 

 Japan. Cherries are also good. Apples are 

 remarkably free from black spot. Apple 

 plum and cherry aphis are much more 

 abundant than ever before. Canker worm 

 is in marked evidence. — R. S. E. 



HANTS CO., N.S. 



Falmouth. — Fruit is not as heavy as last 

 year. The quality of friiit is good, clear of 

 spot at present. Some canker worm has 

 done some harm here. — H.E.D. 



COLCHESTER CO., N.S. 



Truro. — Apples are fairly good. Plums 

 and cherries did not set well and are light 

 crop. Raspberres and blackberries, where 

 not injured by winter killing of the buds, 

 are setting fruit fine and promise well. Cur- 

 rant worm was very plentiful. Aphids have 

 been very bad, worse than for years both on 

 shrubs and trees and require constant care 

 to keep them down. — J. C. B. 



WESTMORELAND CO., N.B. 



Shediac. — Apple crop not as promising as 

 last month. A very dry June or a late frost 



caused a heavy drop of apples, most no- 

 ticeable on Bens. The fruit is now de- 

 veloping well. Aphis is bad on both the 

 bearing and young trees. — H.B.S. 



queen's CO., N.B. 



Lower Gagetown. — Apples in this localit\ 

 will not be more than half an average crop, 

 Bishop Pippins, Alexanders and Fameuse 

 being a complete failure. Of plums and 

 cherries, there will not be any at all. There 

 was a green worm about an inch long that 

 stripped the apple trees of their leaves aii'l 

 other trees also in some orchards. — (•. 

 Mac A. 



Hibernia. — Apples are a medium crop. 

 Pears are good in some orchards. Cod- 

 ling moth and aphis are most troublesome 

 insects. Raspberries promise a good crop. 

 Strawberries are abundant. — J.C. 



SUNBURY CO., N.B. 



Upper Sheffield. — Apple blossoms were 

 hurt by frost and tent caterpillars did a lot 

 of harm to foliage. Cherries and plums 

 are a failure. Strawberries are plentiful. 

 — I.W.S. 



Oromocto. — Strawberry crop was good ; 

 cherries, medium ; other small fruits filling 

 well. Off year for apples and a light crop. 

 Tent caterpillar was very destructive.- 

 H.W. 



charlotte CO., N.B. 



St. Andrews. — Apples promise a good crop 

 especially fall apples. Owing to the dry 

 weather, a good deal of fruit is dropping 

 off. Trees look healthy. Strawberries, 

 currants, gooseberries and all small fruits 

 are promising. — J. R. 



PRINCE CO., P.E.I. 



Bedeque. — Prospects are not as good as in 

 June, but fruit is developing well. Insects 

 are prevalent, especially aphis. Large fruit 

 will be a medium crop. Small fruits are 

 not up to the average. — C.N.B. 



queen's CO., P.E.I. 

 Marshfield. — The fruit crop looks fine. 

 The fruit has set well on the trees and is 

 growing fine. There are few injurious in- 

 sects and no blight of any account. Spys 

 are going to be a full crop ; Duchess, a full 

 crop; Baldwins, medium; Alexanders and 

 Russets, over medium crop. Plums are a 

 medium crop and look well. Cherries are a 

 full crop and the truit is set well on the 

 bushes.— W.J. S. 



king's CO., P.E.I. 



Aitkin's Ferry. — Summer and fall varie- 

 ties of apples are a very full crop, while 

 winter varieties are not so heavily laden. 

 Plums and cherries are carrying about 25 

 per cent, above an average. Bush fruits 

 are a fine crop. Strawberries are about 10 

 days later than usual but are a good crop. 

 Aphis on trees is very prevalent. — D.J.S. 



two mountains Co., QUE. 



La Trappe. — The apple crop is very good 

 in our vicinity, but less than bloom indi- 

 cated. Plums, cherries and small fruits are 

 very scarce. — G.R. 



ROUVILLE CO., QUE. 



Abbotsford. — Apple crop will be below 

 average. The codling moth and curculio are 

 much in evidence and the June drop has 

 been very heavy. Currants and gooseber- 

 ries are a full crop. Plums are a light 

 (Continued on Page 18!) 



