io8 



THE CANADIAN HORTICUT. TURIST 



May, 1908 



The Canadian Horticulturist 



Published by The Horticultural 

 Publilhinff Company, Limited 



PETBRBORO AND TORONTO 



The Only Horticultural Magazine 

 in the Dominion 



Official Orgak of British Columbia, Ontario, Qhe- 

 BKC, Nbw Brunswick andPrincb Edward Isi^nd 

 Fruit Growers' Associations and of the Ont- 

 ario Vbobtablb Growers' Association 



H. Bronson Cowan, 

 Manacinff Editor and Business Manager 

 A. B. Cutting, B.S.A., Horticultural Editor 

 W. G. Rook, Advertisine Manager 



1. The Canadian Horticulturist is published on 

 the 25th day of the month preceding date of issue. 



2. Subscription Price in Canada and Great Britain 60 

 cents a year, two years $1.00. For United States and 

 local subscriptions in Peterboro, (not cal^d for at Post 

 Office) 25c. extra a year is charged for [>ostage. Foreign 

 subscriptions, $1.00 a year, including postage. 



3. Remittances should be made by Post Office or 

 Money Express Order, or Registered Letter. Postage 

 Stamps accepted for amounts less than Si. 00. 



4. Change of Address — When a change of address is 

 ordered, both the old and the new addresses must be 

 given. 



5. Advertising Rates quoted on application. Copy 

 received up to the 18th. Addreis all advertising cor- 

 respcindcnce and copy to our Advertising Manager. 72 Queen 

 Street West, Toronto. 



6. Articles and Illustrations for publication will be 

 thankfully received by the editor. 



Circulation Statement 



Since the subscription price of The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist was reduced from $1.00 to 60 cents a year, 

 the circulation has grown rapidly. The following is 

 » sworn statement of the net paid circulation of The 

 Canadian Horticulturist for the year ending with 

 Dec, 1907. The figiues given are exclusive of sample 

 and spoiled copies and of papers sent to advertisers. 

 Some months, including the sample copies, from 8,000 to 

 10.000 copies of The Canadian Horticulturist are 

 mailed to people known to be interested in the growing 

 of fruit, flowers or vegetable. 



January 1907 4,947 



February 1907 5,520 



March . 1907 6,380 



April 1907 6,460 



May 1907 6,620 



June 1907 6,780 



July 1907 6,920 



August 1907 6,880 



September 1907 7,078 



October 1907 7,210 



November 1907 7,250 



December 1907 7,500 



Total for the year 79,525 



Average each issue 6,627 



January 1908 7,650 



February 1908 7 824 



March 1908 8,056 



April 1908 8,250 



Sworn detailed statements will be mailed upon ap- 

 plication. 



Our Protective PoKcy 



We want the readers of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist to feel that they can deal with our advertisers 

 with our assurance of the advertisers' reliability. We 

 try to admit to our columns only the most reliable ad- 

 Tertisers. Should any subscriber, therefore, have good 

 cause to be dissatisfied with the treatment he receives 

 from any of our advertisers, we will look into the matter 

 and investigate the circumstances fully. Should we 

 find reason to believe that any of our advertisers are un- 

 reliable, even in the slightest degree, we will discontinue 

 immediately the publication of their advertisements in 

 The Horticulturist. Should the circumstances war- 

 rant we will expose them through the columns of the 

 paper. Thus, we will not only protect our readers, but 

 our reputable advertisers as well. AH that is necessary 

 to entitle you to the benefits of this Protective Policy is 

 that you include in all your letters to advertisers the 

 words "I saw your ad. in The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist." Complaints should be sent to us as soon as possi- 

 ble after reason for dissatisfaction has been found. 



Communications should be addressed : 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, 

 Toronto Office : PETERBORO, ONTARIO 



72 Queen Street West 



CHILDREN AND GARDENING 



The influences of improving the grounds 

 around and about schools, churches and the 

 homes of our people, both in rural and ur- 

 ban communities, are many. They are felt 

 not only by the old folks who have planned 

 or performed the work, but more particu- 

 larly by the children, for it is they who are 

 the most susceptible to the beauties of 

 nafural associations. If the children are 

 constantly surrounded with those influences 

 that ennoble them, they will become satis- 

 fied with nothing less. When in later life 

 they have homes of their own, they will 

 strive to make them as pleasant as the 

 homes of their youth, for they have been 

 educated to appreciate no other environ- 

 ment. They will make better citizens, for 

 the habits formed in childhood have much 

 to do with shaping the destinies of the 

 children when they become men and women. 



To assist children in forming good 

 habits, we must cultivate their taste for the 

 beautiful in nature. Teach them to find, 

 "Tongues in trees, books in running 

 brooks, sermons in stones and good in ev- 

 erything." Let them have a flower garden 

 of their own, and, if necessary, assist them 

 in its proper care. Allow them to select 

 their favorite flowers to cultivate and nurse. 

 If they have no favorites, teach them to 

 gather the common wild flowers of the fields 

 and to transport them to the waste and 

 needy spots about their homes. Convince 

 them that they can be really useful and 

 they will work with the greatest enthusiasm. 



Not only at home should the children 

 be encouraged to assist in beautifying the 

 grounds but also at the schools. Nothing 

 will make the child like school more than 

 beautiful school surroundings, particularly 

 those with which he has had something 

 to do in the making. Resolve this spring 

 to have the school grounds in your dis- 

 trict or town the best for miles around and 

 have the grounds about the home even bet- 

 ter. 



f 



PROTECT THE BIRDS 



Birds are of great economic value to fruit 

 growers and gardeners. When they are 

 protected and encouraged, the orchardist or 

 gardener gains more than is generally ap- 

 preciated. They keep in check great num- 

 bers of insects and vermin. It is true, that 

 a few species are partial in diet to fruit 

 and other crops, but the brief season of 

 crop pilfering is a comparatively insignifi- 

 cant part of the otherwise beneficial yearly 

 life of these and other birds. For the ser- 

 vices of our useful birds, the growers must 

 be content to give something in return. 

 The evil that birds do often may be pre- 

 vented by ingenious contrivances that do 

 not harm the bird ; if not, these compara- 

 tively small evils should be patiently en- 

 dured for the common good. 



At a recent meeting of the Hamilton 

 Society for Nature Study and Bird Protec- 

 tion, Mr. Herbert C. Merrilees delivered an 

 excellent address on this subject and plead- 

 ed for the protection of birds on both senti- 

 mental and economic grounds. Some ex- 

 tracts from the address are as follows : 



"Those who know little or nothing of the 

 "real economic value of birds are liable 

 "to be unjust. We are likely to lay the sins 

 "of a particular bird upon the whole tribe. 

 "We see a Cooper's Hawk sweep into the 

 "yard and strike a chicken and we are out 

 "with a gun for every other hawk we can 



"see, regardless of the fact that many 

 "of the hawks live almost entirely on squir- 

 "rels, moles, mice, grasshoppers, beetles 

 "and the like, and are among the most 

 "useful birds we have. It is a grave mis- 

 "take to sacrifice a hundred birds for the 

 "sins of one guilty bird. A man who lives 

 "in the country ought to have a common 

 "knowledge of bird habits. For his own 

 "good and the welfare of the country, he 

 "ought to be able to descriminate between 

 "good and bad wild birds just as he learns 

 "to distinguish between good and bad do- 

 "mestic birds and animals. 



"Because a Blackbird is in a grain field, 

 "it does not signify that he is doing harm. 

 "Woodpeckers are often shot for coming in- 

 "to orchards, when a careful examination 

 "will show that they are destroying injuri- 

 "ous insects. There are many instances 

 "where birds have been killed because of 

 "their destruction to fruit, when an exam- 

 "ination of their stomachs showed that they 

 "were eating more insects than fruit. 



"There are few instances where birds be- 

 "come so abundant as to do more real harm 

 "than good. For although some of the 

 "birds eat fruit, this is not the main part 

 "of their diet. The majority of the birds 

 "are continually hunting and catching in- 

 "sects. During the breeding season, they 

 "live largely and rear their young almost 

 "exclusively on this food. Wherever insect 

 "food is plentiful, the birds resort to such 

 "a locality." 



No person should be so blinded to his 

 own best interests as to destroy by whole- 

 sale, creatures which are his best friends. 

 Because birds occasionally make raids upon 

 the orchard is no good reason for slaugh- 

 tering them. Treat them as you would do- 

 mestic animals when they commit devasta- 

 tions ; in the case of animals, protect the 

 crops from future raids by erecting 01 

 strengthening barriers ; for birds, use de- 

 coy fruit trees, bird netting, scare-crows, 

 and so forth. The birds are preserved, 

 thereby, to turn their energies to better ac- 

 count in destroying insect pests. Birds are 

 among the most valuable assets of the farm, 

 the orchard and the garden. Protect them. 



More fruit growers should keep bees. 

 The transfer of pollen from blossom to 

 blossom on fruit trees is done almost ex- 

 clusively by insects, mostly bees. Even un- 

 der most favorable circumstances, countless 

 numbers of bees are required to do the work 

 in localities that are devoted largely to fruit 

 growing. During cloudy and rainy weath- 

 er, larger numbers are required or else the 

 work goes undone, and, naturally the work 

 farthest from the hives goes undone most 

 often. For this reason, the grower who 

 keeps bees in his orchard is the one whose 

 trees would profit most in unfavorable 

 weather. In addition to the bees' value 

 among the blossoms, the product of their 

 labor — honey — is worth money. Six hives 

 will furnish sufficient honey for home use 

 and give a profit besides. It pays to keep 

 bees. 



The secretaries of horticultural societies 

 are requested to send copies of their lists 

 of premium offers and options to THE Can- 

 adian HORTICULTURIST. In many cases 

 recipients of plants, shrubs and trees do 

 not know how to plant and care for them. 

 To aid these persons, and incidentally to 

 assist the society, articles on these sub- 

 jects, as suggested by the nature of the 

 premiums offered, will be published. The 

 secretaries are asked, also, to send copies 

 of papers on practical subjects that may 

 be read or discussed at their meetings. 



