July, 1908 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



151 



apples to sell, on the trees or in some 

 other manner, should buy at least fifty 

 per cent, of his barrels now. 



HEED THIS WARNING 



We desire to warn our fruit gfrowers 

 jrainst purchasing nursery stock from 

 Irms whose standing and reputation they 

 |p not know. At present, certain nursery 

 oncerns of the United States have agents 

 Bruce County, Ontario, and probably 

 Jsewhere in Canada, working an old game 

 l»at has been exposed more than once in 

 dese columns and by the agricultural 

 tress of the United States. These con- 

 ems sell nursery stock and give a con- 

 ract to the effect that they will agree to 

 rim the trees for the first five years, that 

 Ihey will replace stock free, or at half 

 grice, that dies, and that they will also 

 ake the first crop of fruit that the trees 

 produce and pay fair market prices for 

 ime. 

 Payments for the trees are to be dis- 

 ributed over sevefal years, but the first 

 payment to be made is in itself a fair mar- 

 ket price for the value of the trees. The 

 " jstomer accepts his trees on delivery, 

 bakes the first payment, and this is the 

 tost that he ever hears of the concern, 

 fuch fraudulent methods should ^ not be 

 alerated. Our fruit owners will act in 

 heir own interests if they refuse to have 

 uything to do with such concerns. 



About Manure Spreaders 



It seems incredible, but there are still 

 number of farmers who continue to 

 oread manure by the old fork method— 

 br are letting it rot in the barnyard— which 

 aeans less farm profits. 

 The manure spreader has come to be 

 farm necessity. The farm can only be 

 aade to pay by keeping the soil in tlie 

 ighest state of fertility. That means mak- 

 ng the most of the manure, the best of all 

 fertilizers and the only one that is pro- 

 duced on the farm. 



'All agree that manure can be made to 

 further and produce better results by 

 preading with a machine than when spread 

 by hand. The popular estimate is that the 

 (spreader doubles the value of the manure. 

 If this be true, or approximately true, 

 will be easy to arrive at the conclusion 

 lat a spreader will pay for itself in in- 

 fereased crops and soil benefits in one or 

 ' vo years. 



The old way of handling manure was 

 rasteful in the extreme. First, it was al- 

 lowed to wash away and ferment in the 

 parnyard. Then, at a convenient season, it 

 ras hauled out and thrown in piles in the 

 pelds, and the same wasting process was 

 ontinued. Finally, it was spread by throw- 

 ig it in forkfuls and in hard lumps over 

 |ho ground, leaving it in a condition in 

 »hich the ground could not get the bene- 

 it of even the fertilizing contents still re- 

 paining. 

 With a view to preventing this great 

 waste, the International Harvester Company 

 of America is offering to the farmers of 

 the country through their local dealers 

 everywhere, three most excellent machines. 

 These are : The Corn King, the Clovorleaf, 

 and the Kemp 20th Century spreaders. 



The manure is pulverized and spread 

 evenly, so that it is immediately available 

 for plant life. The first shower that comes 

 along after the spreading, washes tlie whole 

 into the soil. There is no waste. Write di- 

 rect to the International Harvester Com- 

 pany of America for entnlotru ,inil oomi)li't(! 

 information. 



A Score Card for Fruit Trees 



IN the fall of 1907, the subject O'S score 

 cards for fruit trees came before the at- 

 tention of Prof. John Craig and several 

 members of the Lazy Club of Cornell Uni- 

 versity. By looking the field over to see 

 what had been done in the matter of score 

 cards for trees, and in particular nursery 

 stock, it was readily apparent that nothing 

 was tangible along these lines. 



The Lazy Club with its usual spirit and 

 enthusiasm appointed a committee to draw 

 up a model score card for fruit trees which 

 would be simple, effective; and aid in giv- 



Score Card for Nursery Stock 



Kind Variety .. .. 



Stock received from 



Judged by Date 



1. Trueness to type 10 



2. Size '5 



ing satisfactory information and protection 

 to both the nurseryman and the purchaser. 

 Although thts card has had no official re- 

 cog^nition, it has been approved by the 

 horticulturists at Cornell University. The 

 Lazy Club recognizes the fact that this card 

 is only the beginning of the establishment 

 of a standard for quality of nursery stock. 

 It is hoped that this card will be used as a 

 means of education to those interested in 

 such subjects. The Lazy Club members 

 invite suggestions and criticisms on this 

 card which is a follows : 



Root system 30 



Condition 25 



5. Uniformity 20 



Respectfully submitted by the committee 

 Batchelor, W. J. Sowder and O. S. Morgan. 



Neither overgrown or stunted and be of 



specified age and height. 

 Well balanced with an abundance of roots. 

 Freedom from disease and pests. Moist 



condition of roots ; of bark. 

 As to the character of the variety. 



W. H. Wicks, M. B. Cummings, L. D. 



NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES 



The Fraser Valley, B.C. 



J. W. White. 



As good crops of small fruit can be 

 grown in the Fraser Valley, British Col- 

 umbia, as anywhere else, but unless we 

 can market them to the best advantage we 

 are not going to profit to the extent that 

 we should. As growers, we are beginning 

 to see the advantage of working together 

 in a co-operative way and a beginning has 

 been made in this direction. I think 

 Hammond was the first point in British 

 Columbia to make long distance shipments 

 of fruit. Of course, it was in a very small 

 way at first, but the business is getting 

 larger every year. We have, at Hammond, 

 an organization known as "The Ham- 

 mond Fruit Growers' Union," which is 

 making a success of shipping fruit and 

 there are similar organizations at other 

 points. It is only a matter of a little 

 time when all these shipping unions will 

 be working under a controlling head so that 

 there will not be any clashing of interests 

 in the way of prices or over loading the 

 market at certain points. 



PACKAGES 



The package question is a very import- 

 ant one to the grower. Our packages are 

 uniform now and appear to be giving sat- 

 isfaction, with the exception of the four- 

 fifth strawberry box. A good many of the 

 growers think that it is a little too large. 

 By the time these boxes are nicely rounded 

 up, it is certainly a large box of straw- 

 berries. 



The cost of packages has become a ser- 

 ious matter to the grower. The price is 

 away up. Perhaps this may have the 

 effect of bringing out a new package for 

 small fruits. One that would hold equal 

 to three or four crates and could be re- 

 turned to the grower would be all right. 

 This might be an advantage in other ways. 

 It would compel more careful handling. 



It is part of the fruit grower's business 

 to cultivate the public taste for fruit and 



enlarge his markets. The only way we 

 can hope to do this is by producing a 

 good article. The grower may take all the 

 care possible to have his fruit picked care- 

 fully and take it to the shipping point 

 without unnecessary jar, then after all his 

 care, the express people come along and; 

 generally with the help of some of the 

 train hands, pitch it into the car like so 

 much cord-wood. Probably they would be 

 more careful of cord-wood for fear of get- 

 ting slivers in their hands. Once in a while 

 a few careful men will come along and put 

 the fruit on the car in a way that is very 

 satisfactory and they do not delay the 

 train any longer. Any man with the least 

 bit of sense must know that taking a crate 

 of berries and tilting it up on end will 

 injure the contents. If these men could 

 only be made to pay the damage that is 

 done through their careless handling, the 

 matter would soon be set right. 



Kettle Valley, B.C. 



Ver7i07i Neics 



From present appearances, the culture of 

 grapes in the Kettle Valley surrounding 

 Grand Forks will be very extensively pros- 

 ecuted this spring. It is stated that at 

 least 3,000 grape vines were planted 

 there during the past few weeks and that 

 that number will be more than doubled 

 next fall, as that is the proper time for 

 the planting of the vines. 



A.- D. Morrison, one of the local authori- 

 ties on grape culture, says that at his 

 jirivate residence in West Grand Forks he 

 has successfully grown grapes and that one 

 vine he has, which was just four years of 

 age last year, yielded 75 pounds of grapes. 

 Mr. Morrison states that grape vines four 

 years of age grown in this valley should 

 yield at least 50 pounds of fruit to the 

 vine. These vines, if planted 10 feet apart 

 would make 175 vines to the acre, which at 

 50 pounds to the vine would be 8,750 

 pounds, which allowing eight cents a 

 pound for the grapes, would make just 



