October, 1907 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



US 



So much trash is displayed in tlie'stohs- windows 

 of the city and offered for sale that the wisdom 

 of making seizures, where deemed advisable 

 in the public interest, is evident. The best 

 class of the trade also would receive protection 

 from less scrupulous competitors. In their 

 own interests, the other large cities in Canada 

 should follow the example of Toronto in this 

 respect. 



Reports indicate that there will be a fairly 

 large quantity of very small apples, otherwise 

 fairly good. Shippers should not forget that 

 there is no lowering of the standard and that 

 the size for No. 1 or No. 2 is not the medium size 

 as grown in 1907, but the medium size in an 

 ordinary season. There will, therefore, be a 

 large number of apples that will be marked No. 

 2, or even No. 3, for no other reason than that 

 they are too small to qualify for a higher grade. 

 The fruit inspectors have already recommended 

 the prosecution of some shippers who have 

 offended in this particular. 



Visitors at the Canadian National Exhibition 

 on Fruit Growers' Day were greatly disap- 

 pointed in not being permitted to see the fruit 

 at close quarters. The judging was not com- 

 pleted until late in the afternoon, and the 

 spectators were "roped off." The judging of 

 the packages should have been done on the 

 preceding day, and the plate fruit early that 

 morning. An effort should be made next 

 year to have the judging completed in time. 



"]The Can.\di.^n Horticulturist recently 

 was favored with some specimens of dwarf or 

 Spanish figs, grown by Mr. J. A. Wallace, 

 Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. They were 

 perfect in size and appearance and were of ex- 

 cellent quality. The C.^vnadian Horticul- 

 turist would be pleased to receive contributions 

 of rare fruits, flowers or vegetables and new 

 varieties for mention in our columns. j 



While the new horticultural hall at the 

 Canadian National Exhibition is a building to 

 be proud of, it has one or two defects. One of 

 them was betrayed by the heavy rains that 

 fell during one or two days near the close of 

 the exhibition. The building leaked, and 

 damaged the appearance of some of the exhibits. 

 It is to be hoped that the fault will be remedied 

 before exhibition time ne.xt year 



Recently The Canadian Horticulturist 

 was favored with a basket of fruit and a few 

 stocks of celery, both from Mr. J. W. Rush, 

 of Humber Bay, Ont. In the basket were a 

 large number of Burbank plums, clean and of 

 large size, as well as some excellent cherries. 

 The celery was about the best that has ever 

 come under our observation. 



During the past few weeks a number of un- 

 signed letters have been received by The 

 Canadian Horticulturist. Some of them 

 should have been answered long ago, but we do 

 not know to whom to address the replies. 

 Readers and enquirers, who may think that 

 they have been neglected, are requested to bring 

 the matter to our attention and to sign their 

 names. 



We regret to announce that we are unable to 

 publish in this issue the diagram of a hardy 

 herbaceous border that was promised. It will 

 appear in the November number, and will be 

 of much value to amateur gardeners. 



Several park experts from the United States, 

 who attended the convention of the American 

 Association of Park Superintendents in To- 

 ronto this fall, expressed considerable surprise 



that the sidewalks in Toronto were placed next 

 the curb instead of leaving a space for grass 

 between the walk and the roadway. A better 

 effect, they said, would be produced by placing 

 them along the property line. This is a point 

 worthy of consideration in all towns and cities 

 where new walks are to be made, or old ones 

 re-laid. The more green to be seen on a city 

 street, the more attractive it is. 



To Improve Varieties 



Editor, The Canadian Horticulturist: We 

 desire to get into touch, through the columns 

 of your excellent paper, with the apple growers 

 of the province with the aim in view of inaugur- 

 ating a plan whereby we hope to effect improve- 

 ment in the varieties of apples now most largely 

 grown. A great number of attempts are being 

 made in this country and elsewhere with this 

 object in mind, but so far as we are aware no one 

 has yet applied the principle of rigid selection of 

 parent stock in any of the tree fruits because of 

 the difficulty experienced in securing accurate 

 observations on large numbers of individual 

 trees. Much of value fias been accomplished 

 and will continue to be achieved through hybrid- 

 ization, but variations in trees of the same variety 

 are often so pronounced as to seem to give ground 

 for hope of improvement through straight selec- 

 tion. Several apple growers in the province 

 are already following the practice of cutting all 

 buds and scions used for propagation purposes 

 from selected trees. There is no question as to 

 the wisdom of the practice and the proposed 

 plan is simply an enlargement of the same idea. 



We desire apple growers all over the province 

 who have trees of e.xceptional merit to register 

 the same with us. We will record all individuals 

 by number and will require accurate annual 

 reports on such important features as age, 

 bearing habit, vigor of tree, yield, color and 

 quality of fruit, method of culture practised 

 and the number of trees under observation. 

 Blank forms for use in recording "performance 

 records" will be furnished and need not be at all 

 complicated in nature. We desire particularly 

 to record those trees already known to possess 

 merit and request that no specimens be entered 

 without having been under observation for a short 

 time at least. The varieties chosen are Spy, 

 Baldwin, Ben Davis, Greening and Snow, but 

 no restriction is placed on any variety that may 

 be entered in sufficient numbers to justify 

 competition. 



We trust that we may have the assistance of 

 the fruit growers in carrying out the project. We 

 believe that when, in a few years, we are able to 

 point out the very best trees in the country, we 

 shall have obtained information of direct value 

 both to the growers and to the apple-loving 

 public in general.— H. L. Hutt, Department of 

 Horticulture, 0..\.C., Guelph. 



Ontario Hort'l Association 



At a meeting of the executive committee of 

 the Ontario Horticultural Association held in 

 Toronto during September, it was decided to 

 hold a two days' convention of the association 

 this year, in Toronto, on Nov. 14-15, at the time 

 of the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition. The 

 following program was prepared: 



Thursday afternoon — President's address, W. 

 B. Burgoyne, St. Catharines; Statement of the 

 Secretary-Treasurer. Address on "The Work 

 of our Horticultural .Societies," by Supt. J. L. 

 Wilson, of Toronto. Address, "How Shall we 

 Spend our Funds to the Best Advantage?" Mr. 

 Hamilton, London; Discussion led by Rev. A. 

 H. Scott, of Perth. Address, "Best Methods of 

 Increasing the Membership of Horticultural 

 Societies," A. McNee, Windsor, Ont.; Discus- 

 sion led by Dr. J. S. McCallum, of Smith's Falls, 

 Ont. Address, "What Can a Horticultural 

 Society do to Promote Civic Improvement?" 

 Major H. J. Snelgrove, of Cobourg, Ont.; Dis- 



cussion led by Rev. P. C. L. Harris, of Guelph, 



_ Friday morning— Election of officers; Address 

 Should the Horticultural Act be Amended?" 

 H. B. Cowan, of Toronto Address "The Selec- 

 tion and Classification of Flowers," John 

 Cavers, Oakville; Discussion led by W T 

 Macoun, of Ottawa; Unfinished business 



?"?>?? M^*5°°°°"~"^'^'^''e^ "Perennials, New 

 and Old Roderick Cameron. Niagara FaUs 

 bouth. Ont.; Discussion led by E. Byfield 

 Toronto. Address. "The Growing of Peonies,'' 

 ■^?°?-/.?- Latchford, Ottawa; Discusadn 

 led by John Cavers, of Oakville Address, "Fniit 

 that Can be Grown in a City Lot, 66 x 99 ft " 

 A. McNeill, Chief of Fruit Division, Ottawa- 

 Discussion led by R. B. White, Ottawa. Address, 

 Orchid Growing by Amateurs," J. M. Dickson, 

 Hamilton. Most of the persons whose names 

 appear on the program have agreed to speak on 

 the subjects mentioned. 



It was decided to make a special effort to 

 interest the horticultural societies of the pro- 

 vince in the work of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Association. An attempt will be made to or- 

 ganize new horticultural societies in centres 

 where none exist, such as Brockville, Cornwall, 

 Oshawa, and Chatham. The . first annual 

 report of the association has been distributed 

 recently to the members of horticultural societies. 

 Free copies may be had upon application to 

 the Department of Agriculture, Toronto. 



Ontario Hort'l Exhibition 



The interest manifested already in the 

 Ontario Horticultural Exhibition, which will be 

 held in Toronto Nov. 12-16, is much greater 

 than that shown up to this date in any previous 

 year. The railway companies have notified 

 the management of the exhibition that they 

 will run half-rate excursions from all parts of 

 Ontario, to the exhibition, on Wednesday and 

 Thursday, Nov. 13-14. People desiring to 

 attend on other days may leave home as early 

 as Friday, Nov. 8, and by securing railway 

 certificates, will be able to return free as late as 

 Nov. 20, irrespective of the number in attend- 

 ance. They will have to have their certificates 

 vised at the exhibition before being given a free 

 return ticket. 



This year a new rule has been adopted regard- 

 ing the making of exhibits. A member of either 

 the fruit, vegetable, or honey growers' associa- 

 tions, can make exhibits in any section of the 

 exhibition. It will not be necessary for him to 

 join any of the other associations. 



Several first-class bands and orchestras have 

 been engaged with the object of making the 

 musical features of the exhibition as attractive as 

 possible. The Ontario Horticultural Association 

 and Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association have 

 both completed interesting programs for their 

 annual conventions, which will be held in To- 

 ronto at the time of the exhibition. Outlines 

 of these programs appear elsewhere in this 

 issue. The conventions of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association and of the Bee Keepers' Associa- 

 tion promise to be equally interesting. 



At the Canadian National Exhibition some 

 excellent asters were shown. Specimens of the 

 J. H. Locke strain secured all the first prizes, 

 and were a credit to the producer and the 

 growers. 



The Guelph branch of the Ontario Vegetable 

 Growers' Association, which was organized this 

 year, held its first annual picnic recently at 

 Riverside Park, near Guelph. There was a 

 representative attendance of the vegetable 

 growers of the vicinity. The afternoon and the 

 early part of the evening was spent in games 

 and athletic contests. Keen interest was 

 taken in some races for which prizes of books 

 relating to vegetable growing were offered by 

 the Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association. 



