October, 1908 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



223 



tion but more is needed. Here is an oppor- 

 tunity to do something for our florists. 



A prominent florist in Hamilton recently- 

 told The Can.^dian Horticulturist that 

 he, for one, would be glad to attend such 

 af course. Many others feel likewise. The 

 time is ripe for a course in floriculture and 

 it should be started next winter. 



The Irrigation Convention 



J. Sanger Fox, Vernon, Britiah Columbia 



The annual meetings of the horticultural 

 societies of Ontario will be held this year 

 in November instead of next January. The 

 reason for changing the date of the time 

 of holding the meetings is that they may 

 be held at the season of the year when 

 greater interest is taken in horticultural 

 matters and when the members of the soc- 

 ieties are still enthusiastic over the sea- 

 son's work. The earlier date will enable 

 the societies, also, to appoint some of their 

 new officers as delegates to attend the an- 

 nual meeting of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Association that will be held in Toronto 

 at the time of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Exhibition, where methods of increasing 

 the usefulness of their societies will be dis- 

 cussed. Every horticultural society in the 

 province should appoint one or more dele- 

 gates to attend this convention. 



There is an element of unfairness in the 

 preparation of the prize list for the fruit ex- 

 hibtis at the Canadian National Exhibition. 

 Growers of fruit in Western Ontario always 

 ■ have an advantage over those of the East 

 and North. Their fruit matures much earlier 

 and, as a consequence, they can place it on 

 the show tables more advanced in color and 

 size. Some scheme for overcoming this condi- 

 tion of affairs should be incorporated in the 

 prize list so as to give exhibitors in all parts 

 of the province an equal chance. A step in 

 this direction would be the granting of 

 prizes for county exhibits such as is done 

 at the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition, 

 held in Toronto, every November. 



The horticultural exhibition to be held 

 at Kentville, N. S., Oct. 7-9, promises to be 

 the greatest event of its kind ever held in 

 the maritime provinces. Every person in- 

 terested is enthusiastic. Preparations are 

 ' being made on an elaborate scale for a 

 show that will be of great value and interest 

 to exhibitors and to the public. All friends 

 of horticulture in the east should do their 

 part, by exhibiting, by attending, or by 

 both, in making the exhibition a credit to 

 Nova Scotia. 



British Columbia Fruit 



The older fruit districts of Canada are 

 gradually learning that British Columbia 

 is becoming a big factor in our fruit indus- 

 try. In an article that appeared in the 



, Toronto News. Mr. E. J. Mclntyre has this 

 to say about the qualities of British Col- 



. umbia fruit : 



"The fanciest of fancy apples, it must be 



' admitted, come from British Columbia. 

 Spitzenbergs, Kings, Spys and Baldwins ac- 

 quire in that favored province a wealth of 



i size and glorious coloring that is nothing 



I short of marvelous. The plumage of the 

 golden pheasant is scarcely more gorgeous. 

 One can easily imagine them taking the 

 lead in British markets against all com- 

 petition once an export trade is developed. 

 In flavor and quality they do not quite 

 reach our standard, but they are certainly 

 not infericf in these regards to the apples 

 of Oregon and California." 



We have received from Messrs. Ellwanger 

 & Barry of Rochester, N. Y., an excellent 

 little catalogue of select peonies, phloxes, 

 irises and other plants for fall planting. 



AS recorded in the September issue of 

 The Canadian Horticulturist, the 

 second annual convention of The 

 Western Canada Irrigation Asso- 

 ciation was held in Vernon, B. C, in Au- 

 gust. On Monday, the 10th, two sessions 

 were held, and on Tuesday, three, while 

 on Wednesday the day was spent in driving 

 to points of interest to irrigationists in the 

 neighborhood, finishing up with a banquet 

 in the evening. Thursday, Friday and Sat- 

 urday were spent visiting points of interest 

 down the Okanagan Lake and partook 

 rather more of a recreative character. Be- 

 sides this a number of delegates stopped 

 over at Armstrong, a few miles north of 

 Vernon, and were driven over some of 

 Armstrong's timber limits with an idea of 

 seeing something of the practical side of 

 the forestry question in connection with 

 irrigation. The ladies of Armstrong treated 

 them to a most tasty lunch. 



In the presidential address, at the open- 

 ing session, the Hon. F. J. Fulton made a 

 very important utterance with respect to 

 the Government's attitude on the question 

 of the aniendment of the present Water 

 Clauses Consolidation Act of British Col- 

 umbia, and said that with the help of Mr. 

 J, S. Dennis of Calgary, the well-known 

 irrigation expert, he was engaged in draft- 

 ing legislation which would meet the needs 

 of present day affairs. He stated that con- 

 trary to the usual precedent, he intended to 

 get this printed and distributed broadcast 

 so that all interested in the subject would 

 have every possible opportunity of seeing 

 what was proposed, and of offering sugges- 

 tions in the way of amendment or rejec- 

 tion, if its provisions did not meet with 

 their approval. 



Speaking of Mr. Fulton's reference to 

 himself as assisting in the drafting of an 

 amendment to the present law in British 

 Columbia, Mr. Dennis said that the Hon. 

 Commissioner for Lands and Works was not 

 in any way bound by any views which he 

 (Mr. Dennis) might express, but he was 

 merely assisting him with such suggestions 

 as in his experience in irrigation matters 

 in the prairie provinces he was able to give 

 him. 



Briefly outlining his idea of what was 

 wanting and what was required to make the 

 Water Clauses Consolidation Act a thor- 

 oughly comprehensive one, the speaker 

 stated that the first thing that would have 

 to go was the "Miners' Inch." This would 

 have to be replaced by a recognized unit, 

 probably the acre-foot, or the cubic foot 

 per second. Referring to the hopeless state 

 of over-recording on practically all the 

 streams in British Columbia, he thought 

 the next thing to be done was a thorough 

 and drastic "house-cleaning" process. All 

 the streams would require to be surveyed, 

 the amount of water flowing in their chan- 

 nels at low water, high water and flood, be 

 ascertained, the amount and extent and 

 title of each record gone into most thor- 

 oughly, and — and herein lay the drastic 

 measure — all those records not being used 

 beneficially after having been given a thor- 

 ough chance to "make good," cancelled 

 altogether. The remaining ones, he thought 

 cotild be so adjusted as to meet within some 

 fairly reasonable bounds the capacity of 

 water in the streams. If there were not 

 enough water at low water to satisfy all the 

 water records, those wliich were unmet 

 would have to conserve the flood water for 

 use when water ran short during the drv 

 season. 



In connection with the latter point, leg- 

 islation would also have to be provided en- 

 couraging private parties to build reser- 

 voirs and protecting them in the convey- 

 ing of water thus preserved to their own 

 lands. 



Another point that would have to be de- 

 fined would be the duty of water; i.e., in 

 applying for a water license, the applicant 

 would have to state for what land the water 

 would be required. 



He thought that a law with these basic 

 features would be successful, and would 

 make it impossible for streams to be re- 

 corded more than the amount of water that 

 they contained, and would ensure to every 

 record the amount of water specified 

 therein. Mr. Dennis also mentioned the 

 matter of the preservation of the water 

 sheds, and stated emphatically that it was 

 of the utmost importance in the regulation 

 of the fiow in mountain streams that the 

 water sheds should be kept well wooded, 

 and not denuded of their timber and vege- 

 tation. 



Note. — Many other valuable addresses 

 and discussions took place. A number of 

 important resolutions were passed. These 

 and the discussion they provoked will be 

 mentioned in the next issue of The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist.— Editor. 



Export Apple Trade 



Editor, The Canadian Horticulturist: 

 In some quarters there has been apparently 

 an effort to belittle the brokerage firms in 

 Great Britain and to urge upon growers 

 the desirability of selling their apples f.o.b. 

 and, as I represent what I believe is the 

 oldest firm of reqpivers of American apples 

 in Great Britain, Messrs. Woodall & Co., 

 who received apples in 1847 from the Un- 

 derbill orchard at Croton Point, New York, 

 I think it only right I should say some- 

 thing by way of counteracting it. 



It is quite true that there are numerous 

 undesirable receivers in Great Britain; at 

 the same time, the reputation of the good 

 ones should not suffer for the actions of the 

 bad. There are six firms comprising the 

 Liverpool Fruit Auction who sell goods 

 publicly and above board, and while a few 

 smaller firms, who cannot get on this Auc- 

 tion and who have not capital enough to 

 carry on an extensive trade, are forever 

 sending out misleading, venomous and mal- 

 icious statements against what they term 

 a combine, born only of envy and jealousy, 

 the fact remains that more than 90 per cent, 

 of the independent consignments of apples 

 go to this same Auction, shipped by men 

 who have been in Liverpool many times 

 and are thoroughly conversant with the 

 workings there. In spite of this slander, 

 which has gone on in some quarters for 

 years, the Auction still flourishes and is 

 acknowledged to be the best medium for 

 the distribution of fruit. The sales are 

 public and above board. Any buyer of good 

 standing can be a member by application. 

 What some term a "closed room" is not 

 such and this term is mL^leading. the reg- 

 ulation being merely to keep out a lot of 

 loafing draymen or people wlio would put 

 in bids and" are unable to pay for the fruit 

 or who have previously abused the credit 

 granted by the Auction, (you will under- 

 stand that the brokers guarantee the ac- 

 counts of purchasers and it is absolutely 

 necessary to make as few bad debts as pos- 

 sible and sell only where the money is 

 sure), and who would use up the time of 



