72 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Nova Scotia Letter 



G. H. Vroom, Dominion Fruit Inspector 



Up to the present writing there has been 

 shipped from the port of Halifax a little over 

 200,000 bbls. of apples. Of this number, nearly 

 all went to England; 10,000 went to Newfound- 

 land, and equal to 4,000 went to South Africa. 

 Part of the South African shipment was made 

 in half barrels, part in whole barrels and the 

 remainder in bushel boxes. There are about 

 75,000 bbls. to go forward yet. These are 

 mostly Baldwin, Stark, Ben Davis, Spy, Golden 

 Russet and Nonpariel. 



The packing has greatly improved this 

 season.- The No. 3 grade is still being shipped 

 abroad. This is a great mistake, as it certainly 

 has a depressing effect on the market. 



Prices have been disappointing, and dealers 

 in some instances are losing money. In many 

 cases, the apples were bought as they came 

 from the trees, and when they were packed 

 according to the law the shrinkage was more 

 than the price paid would stand and leave any 

 chance to make profit. 



About 3,000 bbls. of cranberries have been 

 sold in the Canadian markets as the result of 

 last year's N.S. crop. The net price would 

 be an average of $6 a bbl. 



Montreal Notes 



E. H. Wartman, Dominion Fruit Inspector. 



During the export season at Montreal, August 

 to November 28, 1906, 8,006 inspections were 

 made on apples from an aggregate 394,399 bbls. 

 and 55,475 bxs. Violations of various clauses 

 of the Fruit Marks Act were many, yet a com- 

 plete summary reveals to us a better tone than 

 last year. Section 4 (c) shows the most viola- 

 tions, which clause demands a designation of 

 quality. We found 4,648 bbls. without a desig- 

 nation. This demand is a very reasonable and 

 necessary one, and it must be complied with 

 or serious fines vrill follow. 



STATE OF TRADE IN MONTREAL 



The wholesale fruit men have about 28,000 

 bbls. of apples in store, of which the largest 

 portion are No. 2 quality. This supply is not 

 large for our local demand. We have had 

 60,000 bbls. of apples in store at this date in 

 years gone by, and to-day we have a greater 

 population to consume them. Some whole- 

 sale men complain of too many No. 2 apples in 

 stock. I suppose apples were never so bad 

 with sooty fungus as this season, causing them 

 to be put in No. 2 grade. Of course. No. 1 

 grade should be free from fungus and of good 

 color for their kind. When the sooty fungus 

 is seen, it disqualifies them for this grade; and 

 when badly marked, they are not allowed in 

 No. 2, as it will materially waste fruit. It 

 pays a packer to always be on the alert for 

 defective specimens and see that they are 

 placed under a proper designation. 



Apples that have been handled carefully in 

 packing are keeping well; but, alas, how few 

 have the careful touch that fruit demands! 

 The fruit rotting to-day, when closely exam- 

 ined from bbls. or bxs., is quite evidently 

 caused by a puncture or bad bruise, which is 

 readily seen that starts decay. In California, 

 where oranges are clipped off vrith clippers and 

 individually wrapped, they keep for an indefinite 

 time; so would our tender apples if handled in 

 like manner. 



Horticulture in tHe West 



A. P. Ketchen, Deputy Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, Regina, Sask. 

 The horticulture of the west has been grossly 

 neglected. I am satisfied that %vestem Canada 

 could produce the major part of its requirements 

 in the way of fruit if the matter were gone about 

 in a systematic and determined way. Another 

 crying need in the west is more attention to tree 

 planting. What a transformation it would make 

 on these wind-swept, sun-soaked prairies if every 



farmstead was surrounded by a windbreak and 

 shelter belt, sv.cli as Angus McKay has planted 

 around the cxiK-rimental farm at Indian Head I 



If even the roadsides were planted with trees, 

 it would improve the general appearance of 

 this country 100%; and the pity of it is that it 

 might be done so easily, but is neglected because 

 of the sheer indifference of the people whose 

 chief interest in life, in too many cases, may be 

 summed up in land, wheat and money. 



Beautiful and effective windbreaks and 

 shelter belts can be produced in this country in 

 from 8 to 10 or 12 years. Elms, willows and a 

 number of other varieties of trees grow with sur- 

 prising rapidity here if only planted and given a 

 fighting chance for their lives. 



Fruit Gro^wing' in Alberta 



Geo. Harcourt, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, 

 Edmonton, Alta. 



It is well known that apples have been grown 

 at various points in Alberta. In the spring 

 of last year, the provincial department of 

 agriculture sent out circulars to everybody 

 in the province known to have tried large fruits, 

 asking them to give a list of the trees they had 

 tried and an account of the success they had met 

 with. From these reports and other sources, 

 the department has selected a list of what ap- 

 pear to be the hardiest trees for the province, 

 and has decided to carry on a number of experi- 

 ments in order to be able to give settlers authen- 

 tic information on this important matter. 



The orchards are to be of an acre in extent and 

 will be distributed at seven points, possibly 

 eight. The places selected are those which are 

 considered to be the most representative of the 

 various elevations and climatic conditions 

 prevailing in the province; they are: Medicine 

 Hat, Magrath, Leavings, Okotoks, Didsbury, 

 Wetaskiwin, Edmonton and, possibly in another 

 year, one in the Vegreville or Vermihon country. 



About 80 trees will be experimented with at 

 each station, the planting operations to extend 

 over two years. A consignment of the planting 

 material was ordered last fall and the trees 

 buried over winter. These will be duplicated 

 next spring and planted directly, when the two 

 methods will be compared. Six varieties of 

 standard apples, two of crabs and two of plums 

 will be experimented vrith. 



An agreement has been entered into with 

 reliable farmers at these different points, who 

 have already met with some success in tree 

 growing and, as far as possible, locations have 

 been chosen which are sheltered by the planta- 

 tions set out under the auspices of the forestry 

 branch of the Dominion Department of the 

 Interior. By selecting such places the depart- 

 ment at Edmonton hopes, besides making the 

 actual fruit experiments, to draw the attention 

 of the farmers to the benefits to be derived 

 from these shelter belts on the prairies. 



Winnipeg' Letter 



J. Albert Hand, B.S.A. 



That many citizens in Winnipeg do not know 

 one variety of apples from another, is very ap- 

 parent. That the dealers take advantage of 

 the consumers' ignorance regarding this some- 

 what minor detail is even more apparent. The 

 wholesale fruit houses, and through them the 

 retail dealers, allow large quantities of fruit to 

 reach the consuming public altogether out of 

 season. 



What does a lover of fruit want with Golden 

 Russet apples at this season? What demand is 

 there for pears in Dec? What does a trained 

 taste for Snow apples think when Ben Davis 

 are put up instead? These and kindred games 

 are played on the consumers of this city every 

 day. Golden Russets appear in every fruit 

 collection. A wholesale house has several 

 hundred barrels of Kieffer pears. Any apple 

 that resembles the kind required is given and 

 the purchaser is so disgusted in many cases 

 that he wants no more fruit for some time. 



The other night, as I was going home, I saw 

 some nice apples in a window. As they looked 

 like good Snows, I decided to buy some. A 

 lady waited on me and as she began to bag 

 them I noticed they were not Snows. I called 

 her attention to the fact, but she insisted they 

 were "real Snow apples." When I laughed she 

 was haughtily indignant, because I doubted 

 her veracity, or perhaps her knowledge of varie- 

 ties. The apples were small Ben Davis. I 

 called at the next^ store to see if they had any- 

 thing to suit. There were some large dark 

 red apples. On enquiry I learned these were 

 "Alexanders." I do not know what they really 

 were. 



The retailer innocently plays these tricks. 

 Names of varieties most generally asked for are 

 attached to any apple that has the color. Golden 

 Russets and Roxbury Russets are all the same. 

 It is known by most of them that a Snow apple 

 is red and that it sells well; so, any red apple 

 must be sold as a Snow until it's season is far past. 



The wholesaler is the man to be blamed for a 

 part of this deception. He should be thoroughly 

 acquainted with almost every variety. In the 

 interests of the apple trade, he should see that 

 no variety is put in retail stores out of season. 

 Every time a consumer gets an inferior, tasteless 

 apple the trade is hurt. Every time a consumer 

 gets a superior, tasty apple the trade is given a 

 boost. A Snow or a Spy or a Russet, in season, 

 makes the consumer want more. It is safe 

 guessing that if wholesale houses and retailers 

 knew the varieties and put only the best up for 

 sale and in proper season, that the demand 

 would be doubled. 



Kieffer pears are a drug on the market when 

 fall or winter comes. They will keep, but they 

 are fit for preserves only. What housewife 

 wants to start preserving at this season? She 

 has done her preserving in summer and nothing 

 but a profitless low price will induce a purchase 

 for that purpose later. 



The wholesale houses report a heavy business 

 for the past 2 weeks. This will continue imtil 

 Xmas. R. A. Rogers has worked night and 

 day for several days. This firm sends carloads 

 to points west. 'Their own representatives ac- 

 company the car to make delivery and prevent 

 freezing Everybody wants Spys. Greenings 

 and Russets are also asked for. Any Snows 

 that have been kept in good condition are read- 

 ily picked up at high prices. 



A great improvement has been noted in the 

 stock sent here from Ont. There is not i as 

 much inferior fruit as came last year A great 

 part of the improvement is credited to the eagle 

 eye and careful work of Dom. Fruit Insp. Philp. 

 Good honest packing by the producer and ship- 

 per, and attention to varieties by the salesmen, 

 will increase the sales wonderfully throughout 

 the west. [Note.— This letter was written in 

 December. — Ed.] 



Superior Quality Tells 



"Dealers will pay extra prices for high grade 

 fruit," said Mr. H. L. Roberts, of Grimsby, to 

 The Horticulturist. "Last year I visited a 

 large number of retail dealers in Ont. and Que., 

 and I was told, in every instance, that they 

 will pay extra money for fruit that can be 

 depended upon in the matter of quality and of 

 packing. Good fruit often brings less than it 

 is worth, owing to carelessness in the manner, 

 of preparing it for market. High grade fruit, 

 properly selected and packed and put up in 

 attractive packages, always commands a good 

 price, in those markets that are overstock- ■ 

 ed with ordinary fruits-even good fruit in 

 inferior packages." 



A branch of the Ont. Veg. Grs. Assn. was 

 organized in Ojibway, on Jan. 12, with 18 paid 

 members. Much enthusiasm was shown. The 

 branch is confident of increasing its membership 

 to 100 within a short period. The branch has 

 been named "The Sandwich West Veg. Grs. 

 Assn. of Ont." The secretary is Wm. Henry. 

 O'SuUivan. 



