Ontario Vegetable Groovers' Convention 



IN opening the fifth annual convention 

 of the Ontario Vegetable Growers' 

 Association, that was held in Toron- 

 to on November nth, the president, Mr. 

 T. Delworth, Weston, in his address, 

 dwelt on the importance of getting the 

 best seed possible, and on the difficulties 

 in securing the same. He said that in 

 the United States, there has been con- 

 siderable agitation in the direction of 

 controlling the purity of seed, but there 

 are difficulties in the way of getting sat- 

 isfactory legislation. In reference to the 

 the testing of onion 

 seed, the speaker 

 stated that with one 

 exception, California 

 grown seed is the 

 best. The exception 

 was in Essex county, 

 Ont. , where the sea- 

 son was the longest- 

 The president spoke 

 of methods of mark- 

 eting in vogue in 

 Preiideot Delworth parts of the United 

 States which might be copied to some 

 extent here so as to return our growers 

 a greater profit instead of the middleman 

 securing all the advantages. 



The report of the secretary-treasurer, 

 Mr. J. Lockie Wilson, dwelt on the pros- 

 perous year that the association has ex- 

 perienced. The branches are increasing 

 their membership, Kingston showing 125 

 per cent, of increase; London, no per 

 cent., and Sarnia, 76 per cent. Strong 

 new branches have been organized at 

 Woodstock, St. Thomas and Dunnvi'le. 

 In the prize competition for the largest 

 comparative percentage of increase in 

 membership during igo8, London stood 

 first and Sarnia second. Similar prizes 

 are offered this year. Prizes to the 

 amount of $35.00 are being offered at 

 the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition by 

 the Association for canned vegetables in 

 quart sealers to be competed for by wives 

 and daughters of the members. The fi- 

 nances of the association are in a satis- 

 factory condition. 



CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER GEOWING 



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

 made a report on his investigation on 

 cabbage and cauliflower growing in the 

 United States. The average price to 

 growers the past few years, who have 

 not contracted, was $5.50 a ton. Ow- 

 ing to the bad season this year the price 

 went up to $40.00 a ton. Planting is 

 done with a special machine, two boys 

 planting alternately ; the machine waters 

 the place where the plants are planted 

 and then covers the wet spot with dry 

 earth. 



The large growers in the United States 

 reduce expenses by conveniences in stor- 

 age and shipping. Where possible, rail- 

 way sidings are run alongside storage 

 buildings. Shrinkage in cabbage stored 



is as much as twenty-five per cent, up to 

 April 1st. The wetter the season of 

 growth, the greater the shrinkage. In 

 the shelf method of storage, cabbages 

 are put one deep, stump down, in rack. 

 A large quantity of cabbage is used in 

 the manufacture of sauer-kraut, the con- 

 sumption of which is not confined to the 

 German element. At Saginaw, the aver- 

 age crop is ten to twelve tons an acre, 

 and prices from $6.00 to $10.00. 



THE JORDAN STATION 



A report on vegetable growing at the 

 Jordan Experimental Station was made 

 by Mr. H. S. Peart, the director. There 

 was a number of varieties and fertilizers 

 tested including varieties of corn, squash, 

 melons, carrots, beets, tomatoes and po- 

 tatoes. Over 4,000 cross-bred tomatoes 

 were fruited and two at least give prom- 

 ise of future usefulness. Fertilizers caus- 

 ed a decided increase in yield of toma- 

 toes and cabbage, where a complete fer- 

 tilizer was used. In potatoes no decided 

 results were evident. In corn, potash 

 and phosphoric acid gave largest yield 

 of ear. For onions, potash gave best 

 and heaviest bulbs. 



FORCING VEGETABLES 



Mr. W. C. Waid, New Carlisle, Ohio, 

 gave an address on "Greenhouse Grow- 

 ing of Vegetables." Development in this 

 line has taken place during the last 

 twenty-five years. As a rule, vegetable 

 growing under glass has been remunera- 

 tive. Mostly lettuce, cucumbers and 

 tomatoes are thus grown. An increase 

 in the number of the vegetables forced is 

 probable. 



The soil in. the forcing houses is sel- 

 dom renewed, but well-rotted manure is 

 added each year. The speaker spreads 

 manure over the soil and uses a sprink- 

 ler system of watering in order to extract 

 the fertility for the use of the plants. 

 Sterilizing the soil is sometimes neces- 

 sary when disease has been present the 

 previous season. The overhead system of 

 watering is the best, but sub-irrigation 

 has given good results with lettuce and 

 radishes. The higher the temperature, 

 other things being equal, the more rap- 

 id the growth, but the greater the risk 

 of disease. Good ventilation is a requis- 

 ite. 



ADDRESS BY SEED COMMISSIONER 



Mr. G. H. Clark, Seed Commissioner, 

 Ottawa, gave an interesting address on 

 matters relating to seeds in Europe and 

 Great Britain, prefacing his remarks 

 with a resume of the work done at Otta- 

 wa in connection with seeds. Already 

 many of the evils in connection with 

 clover and grass seeds have been reme- 

 died by legislation as a result of the work 

 It is a hard thing to control the seed 

 question so long as seeds are brought in 

 from abroad. When home-grown seed 

 is used exclusively, then control will be- 

 come possible. 



The reports of the inspectors of the 

 experimental plots were put in. In many 

 sections the late spring prevented the re- 

 sults being conclusive. In Toronto and 

 Ojibway sections, the crops were the 

 best. The English-grown seed did not 

 give satisfactory returns in many dis- 

 tricts. California-grown seed seemed to 

 be the best. 



Mr. C. W. Baker, Byron, made sug- 

 gestions as to the best method of in- 

 creasing membership and furthering the 

 interests of the association. Enthusiasm 

 is needed in the individual to get out and 

 secure members. The vegetable grower 

 must be intelligent and up-to-date, and 

 he can be helped by joining the associa- 

 tion and the increased membership helps 

 the association and gives it weight, as 

 for instance, when approaching the gov- 

 ernment on tariff matters. The member- 

 ship can and should be doubled. The 

 speaker mentioned how in his branch 

 they had secured reduced prices on 

 boxes, crates, etc., on account of hav- 

 ing a good membership. Advertise the 

 meetings well. The newspapers are al- 

 ways ready to aid. Socials and picnics 

 also help. 



POTATO CULTURE 



"Potato Culture, with Special Refer- 

 ence to Using Seed of Strong Vitality," 

 was the subject of an excellent address 

 by Mr. W. T. Macoun of the Central 

 Experimental Farm, Ottawa. In a test 

 at Ottawa with home seed and with seed 

 from Nappan, N. S., the latter yielded 

 five times as much and more per acre. 

 In England, seed from the south of Eng- 

 land yielded less than seed from Scot- 

 land or Ireland. The reason is that the 

 farther north the tubers are grown, ma- 

 turity is not so hurried and the potato 

 has more time to develop. Immature 

 potato seed yielded more than seed from 

 matured. Immature potatoes must not 

 be confounded with prematurely ripe 

 ones. Immature ones are those whose 

 tops may have been cut off by frost be- 

 fore being ripened. This address will be 

 reported at greater length in a later is- 

 sue. 



A MESSAGE FROM QUEBEC 



Mr. Emile Planto, a representative of 

 the Quebec Department of Agriculture, 

 expressed his pleasure at being present. 

 He had learned much at these meetings. 

 It is through education that progress is 

 made in agriculture and he was in thor- 

 ough sympathy with the idea of educat- 

 ing the children in agricultural subjects. 



SMALL FRUITS 



"Small Fruits in Connection with 

 Vegetable Growing," was ably dwelt 

 on by Mr. W. C. McCalla, St. Cathar- 

 ines. In a bad season a variety of crops 

 is desirable, because loss is minimised ; 

 if one fails, another succeeds. There is 

 room for development of local small 

 fruit markets. The market gar- 



