28 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



somewhat later. Such varieties as these, 

 therefore, should be selected, and this 

 district should apply itself to supplying 

 not only the western provinces, but our 

 own city population in Toronto, Ottawa, 

 Montreal and Quebec, with all the ap- 

 ples they need after the first of August, 

 when we would entirely exclude the 

 American product that now finds its 

 way to our markets. It is unfortunate 

 that the orchards of this district are 

 devoted so largely to Baldwins, Spys and 

 Russets and other winter varieties, in- 

 asmuch as these apples come in in the 

 glut months of October and November. 

 If the orchards were composed of the 

 early varieties that I have mentioned, 

 the prices would be much higher than 

 could be realized for the very best win- 

 ter fruit in any part of Canada. 



TOO MANY VARIETIES 



The conditions in district No. 2 are 



predominates, yet the aggregate is a very 

 large number of trees, probably not less 

 than two and a quarter million. 



The difficulty comes in in making 

 sales. The large apple operator can- 

 not without extraordinary expense har- 

 vest these apples profitably. He can- 

 not send his gangs of men around more 

 than once or twice at most, and yet these 

 orchards would furnish almost continu- 

 ous picking from the first of September 

 until the close of the season. As a con- 

 sequence, many of the apples are picked 

 before they are ripe or sometimes 

 after they have reached maturity, and 

 many of them are not picked at all, be- 

 cause they are not in the proper state of 

 maturity at the time the gang visits the 

 orchard. Though the aggregate,, of 

 course, is so large, the number of desir- 

 able varieties is probably not more than 

 half the aggregate number. 



Map of Ontario, showing Four Divisions for Apple Culture 



somewhat peculiar. Of course, there 

 is no sharp line of demarcation between 

 these districts, and the southern portions 

 of Brant, Oxford and Middlesex may 

 in some years be properly classed as part 

 of district No. 1, but the greater portion 

 of district 2, including the counties of 

 Lambton, Middlesex, Huron and Bruce, 

 and part of Grey, has all the advantages 

 for growing the very best winter varie- 

 ties of apples. The planting, however, 

 was done in the earlier days. In the 

 selection of varieties there was the great- 

 est latitude. No orchard was consid- 

 ered complete without a dozen or more 

 varieties, which was all well enough for 

 home market or for home use, but ren- 

 dered the conditions very unfavorable 

 for the commercial market. Every 

 farm, too, had an orchard, very few of 

 a large size, and very few making a 

 specialty of apples ; in fact, very few 

 counted it more than a pure side line 

 in their general farming operations. The 

 result is that, though the small orchard 



NEED OF COOPERATION 



The recommendation which I would 

 make for this district is cooperation in 

 marketing and selling. There is no one 

 who can pick these apples so cheaply ' 

 or so well as the man who grows them, 

 but he cannot pack them nor market 

 them. He has not enough of any one 

 kind to pay him to do this properly. It 

 can be done, however, by uniting into 

 cooperative associations, which would 

 furnish the packers and the facilities for 

 selling. It is notable that two of the 

 most successful societies in cooperative 

 associations are in this district, namely, 

 Walkerton and Forest, and I cannot 

 help thinking that a very slight encour- 

 agement would organize several more 

 associations. 



THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 



The central counties of western On- 

 tario, marked No. 4, call for some special 

 comment. The altitude here and, con- 

 sequently, the climate, is adverse to the 



best conditions for apple growing. Flesh- 

 erton is fifteen hundred feet above the 

 sea level, nearly a thousand feet higher 

 than Lake Huron, and twelve hundred 

 feet higher than Lake Ontario. Never- 

 theless, there are many sheltered spots 

 where the apples, even of tender varie- 

 ties, succeed fairly well, so that it is not 

 surprising that in this district there are 

 probably more than half a million trees. 

 One could not recommend though, the 

 planting of early varieties for commer- 

 cial purposes. These varieties would be 

 three weeks or a month later than those 

 grown in the southern tier of counties 

 and would come in during the glut 

 months, having none of the advantages 

 of the apples of better varieties and bet- 

 ter quaUty grown in the southern tier 

 of counties. I see no hope, therefore, 

 of a profitable apple business being con- 

 ducted here, except along the general 

 lines that would be recommended for 

 the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Valleys, 

 district 4. 



(Concluded in next issue) 



Varieties for Ne-w Br\jns-wicK 



J. C. Oilman, Fredericton, N.B. 



Many varieties of fruits and seeds 

 are of little use for general planting in 

 our province. While there are favored 

 localities where a fruit may appear 

 satisfactory-, it would not be reliable 

 in others. Some kinds, however, give 

 good returns to the careful planter. 

 Among the apples most profitable are: 

 Duchess, Wealthy, Alexander, Fa- 

 meuse and Mcintosh. These varieties 

 give the best average returns with the 

 least loss in trees. Golden Russet has 

 proved very hardy, and is giving good 

 average crops, but not large ones. Ben 

 Davis did well till the freezing winter 

 of '03 and' 04, when the trees did. Scott's 

 Winter is hardy, but small. Bethel, 

 Dudley Winter, Shackelford, Baxter, 

 Princess Louise, Bishop Pippin or Yel- 

 low Bellfleur, and many others are 

 grown in a small way. In some dis- 

 tricts they are giving good returns. . 



In strawberries, we can grow most 

 kinds with success. The Cuthbert is 

 the best red raspberry. Snyder, Ag- 

 awam and Taylor among the blacks, 

 give good crops occasionally, but this 

 class is uncertain. The leading varie- 

 ties of gooseberries and currants also 

 do well. 



Grafting should be performed with a 

 keen, sharp-bladed knife, so that the 

 vessels and pores of the wood may be 

 cut smoothly and evenly, and the 

 stock and scion brought into immediate 

 and even contact. 



When setting out new orchards num- 

 ber the rows and record in a book the 

 name of the varieties in each, and also 

 the name of the nurseryman from 

 whom the trees were purchased. 



