May, 1907 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



123 



forced by local inspectors, subject, as they are, 

 to local influences. 



One of the excellent features of the grant that 

 has been made recently, through Hon. Nelson 

 Monteith, to assist growers in the purchase of 

 power sprayers, is that it will assist the growers 

 to fight the scale. It has been announced that 

 the Department of Agriculture intends to do 

 what it can to further combat this pest. We 

 would suggest that it might make a further 

 grant to assist in the building and equipping of 

 plants for boiUng the lime-sulphur wash. Many 

 growers, in San Jose scale-infested districts, feel 

 that the cost of installing a well-equipped boil- 

 ing plant is beyond their means. Were the 

 government to grant a bonus of, say, iifty per 

 cent, of the cost to organizations of iive or more 

 growers who desire to build it would aid greatly 

 in the suppression of scale. It would be neces- 

 sary to fix the minimum capacity of such plants 

 and to regulate the cost per barrel of the mixture 

 to growers. Assistance of this nature should 

 receive favorable consideration by the Minister. 



SAN JOSE SCALE ON SHRUBS 



It is not generally known that San Jose 

 Scale, the dreaded pest of the fruit orchard, is 

 foimd on many ornamental trees and shrubs 

 as well, but such is the fact. As the time for 

 spraying is at hand, all who have trees or 

 shrubs in their charge should look them over 

 at once to find out their condition, and then, 

 if necessary, have them sprayed. For the 

 large fruit plantation, probably the lime-sul- 

 phur wash is the most effective remedy, but 

 for city lots, parks, school grounds and so 

 forth, there are other compounds that are more 

 or less effective in checking the scale, so there 

 is no difficulty on that score. The best of 

 these is advertised in this issue of The Cana- 

 dian HoRTicui<TURiST. The Japan Quince, 

 Pyrus Japonica, appears to be a great favorite 

 of the scale, and the pest has been observed 

 in this country on hawthorn, dogwood, moun- 

 tain ash, privet, lilac, and various other kinds 

 of ornamental trees and shrubs. 



To prevent the scale spreading in cities and 

 elsewhere in Canada, it has been suggested 

 that all shrubs liable to become infested, or 

 which have become so, be cut down every spring. 

 This would be a good way to check the spread 

 of the scale; it would answer for nurservmen 

 who wish to propagate the stock or to sell it, 

 but it would not suit those who wish to have 

 shrubs and trees well established on their lawns. 

 It is gratifying to know, therefore, that the 

 numerous spraying compounds now obtain- 

 able render the treatment of the scale much 

 less of a task to be feared than generally it is 

 thought. Persistent and systematic work in 

 the fruit orchard or on the lawn with eificient 

 remedies is about all that is necessary. In 

 addition, it would be a good thing if each per- 

 son would repiirt to his provincial agricultural 

 college or to The Canadian Horticui,turist 

 the various trees and shrubs on which he finds 

 the scale, and also the results of experiments 

 that he mav have conducted towards holding 

 the pest in check. 



In the enforcement of the Fruit Marks Act, 

 the prevailing practice of the inspectors has been 

 to lay the blame for fraudulent packing on the 

 apple operators rather than on the man who 

 actually did the work. This has remedied the 

 Mtuation to a noticeable extent. Often, how- 

 ever, the shipper or owner is onlv indirectlv to 

 blame. He may desire to handle apples that 

 are packed according"to law'and, though instruct- 

 ed accordingly, his men will not do the work 

 properly and honestly. These are the men — 

 the packers — who do most of the damage. Rec- 

 ognizing this fact, the Fruit Division recently 

 prosecuted a number of them. The department 

 does not desire to put a hardship on the working- 

 man, but, in the greater issue" at stake, it is 

 necessary to make him bear his portion of the 



responsibility. The packers are as Uable to 

 prosecution as the employers. When they learn 

 this fact, they will do proper work for employers 

 who have good intentions and be less liable to 

 take "crooked" instructions from those whose 

 intentions are dishonest. The Fruit Division is 

 to be commended for the stand it has taken. 



Much delay and annoyance has been caused 

 fruit growers this spring by the railway com- 

 panies. Some growers who bought spraying 

 machines and other equipment for work this 

 season have suffered loss through the non-deliv- 

 ery on time of the goods ordered. It is said that 

 thousands of cars are being held for grain when 

 "empties" are seriously lacking for the trans- 

 portation of other commodities. Something 

 should be done by the Railway Commission to 

 bring about an equalization of the means for 

 transportation, so as to en.sure a better dispatch 

 for all kinds of merchandise. We realize that 

 the shortage of cars is general and affects many 

 other commodities besides fruit, but this serves 

 only to emphasize the necessity for adopting 

 heroic measures, if necessary, to prevent the 

 trade of the Dominion being seriously injured. 



In our last issue we advised fruit growers to 

 be on the watch for new insect and fungous pests. 

 We have been informed since of an instance of 

 the occurrence of the Brown-tail moth in a dis- 

 trict not far from Kentville, Nova Scotia. As 

 this is the only insect found on fruit trees, the 

 larvae of which occur inside silken nests in colon- 

 ies at this time of year, there will be little trouble 

 in fruit growers destroying all that they find. 

 The nests are nearly always at the tips of the 

 branches. Every nest now destroyed means the 

 removal of several hundreds of destructive ene- 

 mies from this year's crop, and possibly may pre- 

 vent the establishment of this most pernicious 

 enemy of the fruit grower. Specimens for 

 identification and requests for information will 

 be gladly received by Dr. James Fletcher, Do- 

 minion Entomologist, Central Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa. Every diligence should be used 

 in stamping out the pest. 



Fruit growers in British Columbia who buy 

 nursery stock from eastern Canada, are caused 

 much annoyance and loss by their orders having 

 to be inspected at the coast rather than at a 

 point on or near the eastern border of the prov- 

 ince. Trees consigned to growers living in the 

 eastern portion of British Columbia are carried 

 to Vancouver, inspected and then returned to 

 destination. This is an unnecessary and expen- 

 sive procedure, that entails a hardship and a loss 

 on both the growers and the nursery firms. 

 The trouble can be remedied easily by estab- 

 lishing a station at Revelstoke. The Provincial 

 Government has been petitioned frequently, bv 

 the growers, to take such action. Their requests 

 should be granted at the earliest possible date. 



A western United States fruit publication 

 states editorially that one of its editors is the 

 only editor of a fruit paper who is connected 

 with the management of an organization of 

 growers. While giving that editor full credit 

 for"Tiis work, we wish to call attention to the 

 fact that that statement was not founded on 

 accurate information. While we do not like 

 to blow, neither do we like to have our claims 

 for fame ignored and denied in this manner, 

 and therefore rise to remark that one of the 

 editors of The Canadian Horticulturist, as 

 secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Cooperative 

 Fruit Growers' Association, is intimately in 

 touch with the management of an organization 

 that is composed of commercial fruit growers, 

 and that is connected with the business side 

 offfruit growing in Canada, the United States 

 and in Europe- The managing editor of 'The 

 Canadian HoRncuiTuRisT is secretary-treas- 

 urer of the Ontario Vegetable Growers' Asso- 



ciation, the Ontario Horticultural Association, 

 and the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition. The 

 management of The Canadian HoRTicuLTirR- 

 IST is connected directly with organizations 

 that represent not only the fruit interests, but 

 all branches of horticulture. There now! We 

 wonder if he will take it back or'^will we'hav 

 to call him names? 



The Ontario Government has formulated a 

 plan for the teaching of agriculture in a num- 

 ber of high schools. The scheme, presumably 

 will be carried into effect as soon as the neces- 

 sary legislation is obtained. High School 

 boards wishing to establish one of these courses 

 may appoint a teacher recommended by the 

 Ontario Department of Agriculture, as a mem- 

 ber of its teaching .staff. Districts that are 

 devoted almost entirely to the growing of 

 fruits, vegetables or to some other horticultural 

 product, should take advantage of this oppor- 

 tunity to further agricultural education. These 

 should demand, however, that teachers be 

 appointed for such localities who are special- 

 ists in horticulture rather'^than in^general 

 agriculture. "^ 



The Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association 

 this year is going to endeavor to obtain and 

 publish a full report in regard to the vegetable 

 canning industry of the province. This in- 

 dustry is largely in the hands of one of the 

 best organized and tight-mouthed combines _ 

 in the Dominion. The individual growers " 

 have no organization, and are in absolute ignor- 

 ance of conditions in the canning sections where 

 they do not reside. The association has a 

 large contract on hand, but if its efforts are 

 successful, or even only partially so, they will 

 result in great benefit to the growers. 



The time is ripe for a national movement look- 

 ing towards a more general observance of Arbor 

 Day in the schools of Canada. Unfortunately, 

 the custom, of late years, has been waning in 

 public favor, although need for its con- 

 tinuance never has been so great. Its re" 

 vival might well be embodied in the agitation for 

 reforestration. 'Vhe ornamentation of school 

 grounds, public parks and the home, as affected 

 by the planting of trees, should be sufficient in 

 itself to make the holidav one of national im- 

 portance. Let the children in cities plant 

 largely of the maple, so that Arbor Day enthusi- 

 asm may be infused with the spirit of patriotism. 



In this column, in February last, we directed 

 attention to the need for the appointment of e 

 number of fumigation sub-inspectors in Ontarie 

 during the shipping season, to superintend the 

 work at the nurseries. The need for this move 

 on the part of the Provincial Government is 

 greater than ever, as the San lose scale is spread- 

 ing with alarming rapidity. The present season 

 is almost past and nothing has been done. In 

 their own interests, fruit growers should urge 

 the government to take action in this important 

 matter. 



For work and equipment at the new fruit and 

 vegetable station in the Niagara district, the 

 Ontario Government has granted $1.5,000. Part 

 of this amount is for buildings, and a part for 

 the salary of the man who is to be appointed as 

 director. As yet, no suitable man has been 

 found to fill the position. On one or two 

 occasions it was thought that a man had been 

 secured, but circumstances willed otherwise. 

 Until a director is appointed, the work carried 

 on at the farm will be to prepare it for his 

 arrival. It is to be hoped that the Government 

 will be able to make an appointment at an early 

 date; for, unless a director is secured soon, the 

 work will be delayed another year. 



Our cover illustration this" month was made 

 from a photograph taken in the Hillcrest 

 Orchards, Kentville, N.S. '^ . 



