248 



THE CANADIAN HGETICULTURIST November, 1909 



The Nova Scotia Horticultural Exhibition 



Eunice Watts, Watcrville 



IN opening the seventh annual Nova Sco- 

 tia Horticultural Exhibition, held at 

 Middleton, on October 6, 7 and 8. Pro- 

 fessor Gumming of the Agricultural 

 College, Truro, said that the exhibition was 

 a credit to any part of Nova Scotia or the 

 Dominion of Canada. During the last cen- 

 tury exhibitions have taken a prominent 

 place in the advancement of agriculture and 

 Nova Scotia has been keeping well in lim 

 with the other provinces. During this seasor ' 

 we have had one provincial, and from Yar- 

 mouth to Antigonish there have been no less 

 than 10 local fairs at which thousands cf 

 visitors have shown a profound interest. The 

 local show at Pictou at which 4,000 peoplt 

 attended was considered better than that 

 of Halifax, but in the Annapolis Valley the 

 fruit is far away better than in any part 

 of Nova Scotia. 



Exhibitions should be encouraged in or- 

 der to give the people an idea of the possi- 

 bilities of our own country, and to give the 

 average farmer a chance to compete with his 

 neighbor. A journey through the valley, 

 with glimpses of orchards and waggons piled 

 with barrels does not give any idea of the 

 soil's possibilities as does an exhibition, and 

 no man can be truly patriotic unless he 

 knows what his country can do. We have not 

 enough optimism here in the east. It is not 

 because we have not the crops and resour- 

 ces, but because we have not the spirit of 

 optimism. Western people differ ; no matter 

 what their crop is, they are always ready to 

 say: "This is the greatest country." 



Referring to the exhibitors, the professor 

 said that the man who got no prize ought 

 to get most out of the exhibition, for his 

 failure should give him renewed zeal to out- 

 do his neighbor, and thus produce better 

 stuff. 



At the exhibitions we learn that the best 

 pays the best. It is here that the public is 

 educated as to quality. We know what the 

 results would be if the man who opens a 

 barrel of apples in London felt that quality 

 lies under the words "Nova Scotia," but 

 unfortunately dishonest men are causing 

 honest packers to suffer in the Old Country. 



That we can produce fruit as fine as any 

 in the world has been proved by the awards 

 which were given to Nova Scotia exhibits by 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, and yet 

 Nova Scotia is a place almost unheard of by 

 the average Englishman. The professor then 

 turned to Mr. Arthur Barnstead of the Im- 

 migration Department, who was on the 

 platform and said that through him many 

 prominent and wealthy people of England 

 were now turning their faces towards Nova 

 Scotia, where there is an unlimited outlet 

 to markets. The time is near, when Nova 

 Scotia shall come to her own. Already the 

 spirit of progress permeates the province 

 and fewer people are going west. The quality 

 of people entering the country is better, 

 and next spring there are coming from Eng- 

 land men with capital (one with as much 

 as $250,000) who will develop industries 

 from resources unequalled in any other part 

 of the Dominion of Canada. After this 

 speech, the professor declared the exhibition 

 formally opened. 



THE EXHIBITS 



The children's exhibits of manual train- 

 ing, needlework, domestic science and pen- 

 manship were excellent, but their collec- 

 tions of dried flowers were poor and unscien- 

 tific. The prizes offered by Professor Smith 

 for collections of injurious insects should 

 have been more appreciated, but there were 

 only two entries and the specimens were in 

 spirits. 



The collections of ornamental plants were 

 a credit to any community and although 

 there were several entries for cut flowers, it 

 was hardly fair to expect them to do them- 

 selves justice at such a late date. The sun- 

 flower heads were large and numerous. The 

 vegetable display was good. 



THE FRUIT DISPLAY 



The most prominent feature of the ex- 

 hibition was the apple display, which would 

 be hard to equal anywhere. There were about 

 50 varieties of apples, the chief kinds grown 

 in the valley and the entries for almost ev- 

 ery kind were numerous in boxes, barrels 

 or plates. One disappointing feature in this 

 building was that the names of the prize 

 winners were not on their cards after the 

 judging. 



The pears, plums, peaches, quinces and 

 grapes were excellent, but the cranberry ex- 

 hibit was small. There was one dish of Al- 

 pine strawberries grown from seed in a win- 

 dow. 



In the fruit building a demonstration of 

 packing apples in boxes was given, which 

 was much appreciated as the box trade is 

 yet in its fancy in Nova Scotia. 



Other exhibits, not for competition, com- 

 prised clay drain pipe and bricks by the 

 Middleton Brick Company. Spray pumps 

 made by a Nova Scotian, Mr. R. B. West- 

 haver of Mahone Bay, gasoline engines by 

 the Lloyd Company of Kentville and a beau- 

 tiful scenic photograph by Mr. Paul Yates 

 of Middleton. 



Railway Rates to Toronto 



Delegates attending the conventions in 

 Toronto this month will be able to do so 

 for first-class single fare, but it will be 

 necessary for them to obtain Standard 

 Certificates from the station agent from 

 whom they purchase their tickets. 



One-way tickets to Toronto, with Stan- 

 dard Convention Certificates, can be pur- 

 chased from Nov. 5 to Nov. 17, inclusive, 

 and will be honored for the return journey 

 free, regardless of the number in attend- 

 ance, up to and including Nov. 17, 1909. 

 These Certificates must be endorsed by the 

 secretary of the Ontario Horticultural Ex- 

 hiibtion before they will be honored by the 

 railways for the return trip. A fee of 25 

 cents will be charged for each Certificate 

 issued. The conventions and the Ontario 

 Horticultural Exhibition should not bs 

 missed. 



Fruit Growers' Programme 



An interesting programme has been ar- 

 ranged for the convention of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association to be held in 

 Toronto, Nov. 10 and 11. Some of the sub- 

 jects that will be dealt with are as follows : 



SMALL FRUITS 



"Small Fruit Culture in Ontario During 

 the Past 50 Years," A. W. Peart, Freeman. 



"Overplanting of Strawberries and the 

 Western Markets," Robert Thompson, St. 

 Catharines. 



"Small Fruits in the Young Apple Or- 

 chards," J. E. Johnson, Simcoe. 



CHERRIES AND CRAVES 



"Sweet Cherries for Southwestern On- 

 tario," F. J. Stewart, Homer. 



"Cherries for the Commercial Orchards of 

 Ontario," A. E. Sherrington, Walkerton. 



"Is Grape Growing Profitable at Present 

 Prices?" Murray Pettit, Winona. 



"New York Grape Growing Methods," 

 p. K. Falvay, Westfield, N.Y. 



PEACHES 



"Commercial Peach Orcharding in South- 

 western Ontario," J. L. Hilborn, Leam- 

 ington. 



"50 Years of Peach Culture in Ontario," 

 A. M. Smith, Port Dalhousie. 



"Pruning of the Peach," J. W. Smith, 

 Winona, and Wm. Armstrong, Queenston. 



"Peach Crops and Prices," W. H. Bunt- 

 ing, St. Catharines. 



"Peach Culture in Michigan," C. Bassett 

 Fennville, Michigan. 



PEARS 



"Results of 50 Years Experience in Grow- 

 ing Pears," E. C. Beman, Newcastle. 



"Profits in Pear Orchards," W. F. W. 

 Fisher, Burlington. 



APPLES 



"Lime Sulphur Vs., Bordeaux for Sum- 

 mer Spraying of Apples," L. Caesar, O.A.- 

 C, Guelph. 



"The Apple Orchards of the Lake Huror 

 Shore," S. E. Todd, O.A.C., Guelph. 



"Spraying 10 acres of Apples— Cost and 

 Equipment," Max Smith, Burlington. 



"Marketing of Apples," R. J. Graham. 

 Belleville. 



"Low Cost Cold Storage Plants for Co- 

 operative Associations," J. A. Ruddick, 

 Ottawa. 



"Export Apple Trade," by dealers, (Eng- 

 lish). 



"Getting Together," C. Bassett, Michi- 

 gan. 



"Apple Growing on the Pacific Slope," 

 (illustrated by lantern slides) Prof. John 

 Craig, Ithaca, N.Y. 



Horticulturists' Programme 



Among the subjects that will be dealt 

 .vith at the Convention of the Ontario 

 Horticultural Association to be held in To- 

 ronto, Nov. 9 and 10, are : 



"Physical Disintegration of the Tissues 

 or Natural Death of Plants," H. H. Groff, 

 Simcoe. 



"Improvements of Parks," J. P. Jaf- 

 fray, Gait. 



"Perennial Borders," E. Byfield, Balmy 

 Beach. 



"Arrangement of a Flower Garden," Miss 

 M. E. Blackstock, Toronto. 



"School Gardens," (lanter slides), Mis! 

 Louise Klein Miller, Cleveland, Ohio. 



"Work of Horticultural Societies Justi- 

 fies an Increased Grant," W. B. Burgoyne 

 St. Catharines and Rev. A. H. Scott, Perth 



"Furthering the Work of the Smalle 

 Horticultural Societies," James Mitchell. 

 Goderich. 



"Making the Work of Horticultural So- 

 cieties more Effective," Prof. H. L. Hutt 

 Guelph. 



"Public Playgrounds," James Wilson. 

 Park Commissioner, Toronto. 



Address will be given by Hon. J. S. Duff. 

 Minister of Agriculture, C. C. James, Dep- 

 uty Minister, Prof. John Craig, Cor- 

 nell Univerity, and others. 



Vegetable Growers' Programme 



The programme for the convention of the 

 Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association, To- 

 ronto, Nov. 11, will include the following 

 papers and addresses : 



"Report of Investigation on Cabbage and 

 Cauliflower Growing in the United States," 

 A. McMeans, O.A.C., Guelph. 



"Report on Vegetable Growing at Jor- 

 dan Experimental Station," H. S. Peart. 

 Jordan. 



Address, G. H. Clark, Seed Commission- 

 er, Ottawa. 



Reports of Inspection of Experimental 

 Plots conducted by O. V. G. A. 



