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THE CANADIA.N HORTICULTURIST 



October, 1907 



Vegetable Crop Situation Has Improved 



THE vegetable crop outlook in Ontario, as 

 reported by the crop correspondents of the 

 Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association, 

 is much better than it was last month. 

 Most crops look fairly well as the situation has 

 been greatly improved by rains. The crop with 

 most gardeners will yield more than was antici- 

 pated as good growth is being made. Since the 

 rains started, the growth has been steady and 

 sure. Prices in general have been good. 



The reports indicate that the cabbage crop 

 will be good. The same may be said of cauli- 

 flowers except in the districts around Toronto 

 and Kingston. Celery promises to yield a good 

 crop of excellent quality. Tomatoes turned 

 out a little better than was expected, but the 

 crop on the whole has been very light; prices 

 have been high. The onion crop will not be up 

 to much; in some sections it will be fair, but in 

 others the reports are discouraging. In the 

 district around Scotland, where large quantities 

 usually are grown, there will be only two-thirds 

 of a crop and it of fair quality. There has been 

 an excellent crop of melons. Squash and cu- 

 cumbers are scarce. Sweet corn is less Than 

 half a crop. Late beans are fair to plentiful. 

 Table roots, such as carrots, beets, parsnips and 

 turnips, are good in all localities except that the 

 parsnip crop around Ottawa will be short, and 

 that turnips are a failure in the Kingston district. 

 There has been some improvement in the potato 

 outlook, but on the whole the crop will be only 

 fair. 



LAMBTON COUNTY 



Sarnia — Vegetables of all kinds show a 

 marked improvement this month, the weather 

 conditions being good for rapid growth. Late 

 cabbage and cauliflower are looking well. Car- 

 rots, beets and parsnips show the effects of 

 showery weather and will be a good crop. 

 Melons are better than was expected, although 

 late in ripening. Seed onions are green yet, but 

 will be a good crop if they mature. Late 

 potatoes are green but give promise of a good 

 crop. Tomatoes are better than was expected 

 and in full swing now with good prices, 50 cents a 

 bushel. Celery is growing well and is being 

 marketed. The outlook for the gardener is 

 much better than it was a month ago. — \V. A. 

 Broughton. 



KENT COUNTY 



Chatham — The recent rains have greatly 

 improved the vegetable crop outlook. Celery, 

 which has been standing still for the past six 

 weeks, has now commenced to make fair growth 

 and will be a good crop. Carrots and parsnips, 



food; onions, fair, but not ripening good, 

 omatoes ripened slowly but are fairly plentiful. 

 They are selling at from 75 cents to $1 a bushel. 

 — Fred. Collins. 



BRANTFORD COUNTY 



Scotland — ^The onion crop will only be a two- 

 thirds one and the quality not so good as last 

 season. They will not be so good a color on 

 account of being late. Potatoes are a poor crop. 

 Cauliflowers are beginning to head and promise 

 a good crop. Cucumbers are through bearing 

 and were a very poor yield. Melons are a good 

 crop and are being marketed freely. Toma- 

 toes scarce and high in price.- — F. Smith. 



ESSEX COUNTY 



Leamington — Since the August drouth, we 

 have had splendid rains and everything looks 

 nice and fresh. Tomatoes are ripening nicely 

 and while the crop is light, the sample is good. 

 The canning factory is now running full blast. 

 Melons are about all harvested, although some 

 late fields are just coming on nicely. The 

 blight has taken all the vines of Osage, Hacken- 

 sack and some Rocky Fords, but some other 

 varieties are still showing splendid foliage and 

 will likely ripen the crop in good shape. Osage 

 sell at $1.25 a half-bushel crate; Hackensack, 

 $1 a crate; Rocky Fords, 40 cents a IC-quart 



basket. Celery is doing well, some very good 

 stock now being marketed. Potatoes show 

 results of drouth and are not a very good sample 

 and the prospect is for a light crop. Onions, 

 in some cases, are being shipped now, price not 

 stated. Field root crops are good in favorable 

 locations; on higher lands they will now come 

 on faster since fall rains have come. The season 

 on the whole has been fair. — E. E. Adams. 



AELLAND COUNTY 



Niagara Falls South — The rains of the past 

 couple of weeks have improved things greatly. 

 Late beans are just making their appearance on 

 the market. Cauliflowers, cabbage, and Swede 

 turnips, vegetables usually badly affected by 

 aphis in this locality, are remarkably free from 

 pest and of first-class quality. Late celery con- 

 tinues to improve and will be a good crop. 

 Roots are growing fast and may yet be an aver- 

 age crop. Onions continue to grow and although 

 late will be a good size. Medium and late corn 

 is maturing fast and of fair quality though 

 scarce. The usual amount of fall spinach,' 

 lettuce and radish looks fine and healthy. 

 Late potatoes are still growing, and in some 

 cases exceptional yields will be obtained, but 

 the average will be small owing to late planting. 

 Late tomatoes cannot be a large crop under any 

 circumstances. They failed to set well, and 

 what did set were late and are rotting. Early 

 ones are about done and the demand is good. 

 Late squash are a failure owing to drouth and 

 blight. Cucumbers are scarce; melons, getting 

 plentiful; also peppers. Field mushrooms 

 have come in, and are a feature of the local 

 markets. — Thos. R. Stokes. 



aALTON COUNTY 



Burlington — Late tomatoes are ripening very 

 slowly owing to the recent wet spell, although 

 the rains have somewhat improved the outlook 

 for a fair crop. Late potatoes have improved 

 very little since last report. Melons are nearly 

 done, the crop being an average one with good 

 prices. Cauliflowers and late cabbage are 

 promising well. Onions have not been helped 

 any by the recent rains, and will be somewhat 

 small. Egg plants and peppers are nearly done. 

 The crop has been fair with good prices.— J. A. 

 Lindley. 



PEEL COUNTY 



Clarkson — Potatoes have looked most promis- 

 ing all season, but the continued dry weather 

 has told on them heavily. The crop will be 

 short on account of having to discount so many 

 small ones. Where land was moist the crop is 

 good, approximately speaking. There will be 

 a good half crop of late sweet com, if good. 

 Onions will be a medium crop. Carrots, beets, 

 and turnips are very good. Late melons are a 

 good crop. Late tomatoes are a good crop but 

 are ripening slowly. The tomato worm has been 

 very bad this year, and has done considerable 

 damage. — W. G. Home. 



TORONTO DISTRICT 



Humber Bay.— Since the rains during the 

 early part of the month vegetables have made 

 fine growth. Cauliflowers are heading well, 

 as are also cabbages. The latter will likely be 

 a short crop. Both green and yellow beans are 

 plentiful. Lettuce is doing well. Spinach is 

 also doing well but there is a slow sale as yet. 

 Brussels sprouts will be a good crop. Quite 

 a large quantity is being grown this year. The 

 tomatoes are a light crop and are spotted 

 badly. The high tariff on melons has made 

 them plentiful and very cheap. The late 

 varieties of celery looked very poor a few- 

 months ago, but is looking well now. All 

 roots are doing well. — Jos. Rush. 



KINGSTON DISTRICT 



Portsmouth — The general outlook for vege- 

 tables in this district is not the most encourag- 

 ing, although the recent showers have made a 



great difference to the late cauliflowers and late 

 cabbage, which at one time did not look at all 

 promising. The crop with most gardeners will 

 yield more than was anticipated. The late 

 celery will be far below the average and, with 

 some, the crop will scarcely pay to harvest. 

 Turnips are a failure; very small and the green 

 fly troublesome. Tomatoes have been slow 

 in coming in, which resulted in their being 

 considerable quantities shipped in from places 

 where they were more plentiful. Onions are 

 small as well as short. — John Watts. 



OTTAWA DISTRICT 



Tomatoes are coming in fast. Corn has come 

 in so irregular that the price has kept good ; it is 

 more plentiful now. Celery is plentiful and 

 good quality. Winter celery is reputed good. 

 Onions are a good crop. Carrots turnips, and 

 beets are good and plentiful. Cauliflowers are 

 plentiful and of good quality. Parsnips are short 

 of the usual quantity. Winter cabbage is 

 making up fast, and if weather permits will be 

 a heavy crop. Pickling onions are plentiful. 

 Cucumbers are scarce. The drought held bick 

 all crops, but since the rain started the growth, 

 it has been steady and sure. — -T. Mockett. 



"Vegetable Groovers' Prog'ram. 



A meeting of the executive committee of the 

 Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association was 

 held in Toronto during September. It was 

 reported that the Ontario Government will 

 issue shortly a bulletin relating to the canning 

 factories of the province. This bulletin will 

 show the number of factories, their location, 

 the principal varieties of vegetables and fruit 

 that they can, the prices that have been paid 

 the growers for their products, and other 

 similar information. It was decided not to 

 attempt to organize the vegetable growers who 

 supply vegetables to the canning factories 

 until after this bulletin is in circulation. 



The secretary was instructed to write to Hon. 

 Wm. Paterson, to ascertain what steps the 

 Dominion Government has taken regarding the 

 appointment of an appraiser whose duty it will 

 be to see that vegetables are not imported into 

 Canada at prices less than their real value. 



It was decided to hold the next annual con- 

 vention of the association in Toronto on Novem- 

 ber 14 and 15 at the time of the Ontario Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition. A meeting of the full 

 board of directors will be held on \\'ednesday, 

 November 13. The following program was 

 prepared: Thursday morning — Address, "Green- 

 house Construction for \'egetable Growers," 

 by J. D. Eraser, of Leamington, Ont; Discus- 

 sion opened by T. Delworth, of Weston, and A. 

 McMeans, of Guelph, (Jnt. Address, "Green- 

 house Management," by Series Brothers, of 

 Toledo, Ohio; Discussion by L. Cole, London. 



Thursday Afternoon — Address, "Melon Cul- 

 ture," by T. J. Gorman, of Montreal; Discus- 

 sion led by W. A. Emery, of Aldershot. Address, 

 "The Growing of Tomatoes," by W. C. Mc- 

 Calla, of St. Catharines, Ont.; Discussion led by 

 George Awrey, of Hamilton, Ont. 



Friday Morning. — Address, "The Marketing 

 of Vegetable Crops," by F. Williams, of Ottawa 

 South; Discussion led by George Syrne, Jr., 

 Carleton West. Address, "Asparagus Growing," 

 by A. Mclnnis, of London, Ont.; Discussion 

 led by John McKay, of Doncaster 



Friday Afternoon — Address, "Insects that 

 Trouble Vegetable Growers and How to Combat 

 Them," by Dr. James Fletcher, of the Experi- 

 mental Farm, Ottawa. Address, "Fertilizers 

 for \egetable Crops," by a speaker to be secured 

 from the staff of the Agricultural Tollege at 

 St. Anne de Bellevue, Que. 



Please find enclosed $1 for one new subscrip- 

 tion and my own renewal. The Canadian 

 Horticulturist is the best paper that I take. 

 I always speak a good word for it whenever 

 possible. — H. W. Bumstead, Meaford, Ont. 



