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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



November, 1907 



Reports on the Vegetable Crop 



IN spilt of llie laleness of spring and dry 

 weatlier during summer, the vegetable 

 growers of the province have had a satis- 

 factory season, report the crop correspond- 

 ents of the Ontario V'egetable Growers' Asso- 

 ciation. On the whole, prices have been good. 

 Rains in early autumn caused rapid growth, 

 although most crops matured later than usual. 

 To offset the unfavorable weather conditions 

 early in the season, the gardeners have been 

 favored with excellent weather for harvesting. 

 The outlook for prices during late fall and 

 winter is good. With potatoes bringing fairly 

 high jjrices, and high prices in some localities, 

 all kinds of vegetables should sell well. 



In many localities, potatoes are turning out 

 better than was expected. They are more 

 uniform in size than usual, and the quality is 

 good. Garden roots, such as beets, parsnips, 

 carrots and turnips, have yielded well, but, 

 generally speaking, they will be scarce on ac- 

 count of the demand. The onion crop has not 

 been much except in the Ottawa district; many 

 growers complain of a large proportion of 

 "thick-necks" or "scallions." It is probable 

 that the marketable onions will not be hurried 

 on to the market; a large percentage of them 

 will be kept over winter. Celery has yielded 

 a good crop, but the quality is not quite up to 

 the standard. Lettuce and radish is fairly 

 plentiful. Salsify, where grown, is plentiful 

 and extra fine in quality. Late cauliflower 

 and cabbage have yielded well, and are of 

 fair quality. 



TORONTO DISTRICT 



Humber Bay. — Cauliflowers are heading well; 

 there will not be many for winter use. Cabbage 

 have done well since the September rains. Fall 

 spinach is a good crop, but the sale is slow. 

 Lettuce and radish are plentiful. There have 

 been some enquiries for forced rhubarb. To- 

 matoes, both green and ripe, are plentiful, 

 selling at 35 cents a bushel for green and 50 

 cents for ripe. Celery is very good, but is 

 bleaching slowly; it will be cheap for a month 

 or two. Parsnips are a heavy crop; carrots 

 and beets, not so plentiful. Artichokes prom- 

 ise a good crop. Onions have not ripened 

 very well, and there are a lot of green "thick- 

 necks" left on the land. Some growers think 

 poor seed is the cause of this. — ^Jos. Rush. 



HAMILTON DISTRICT 



Hamilton. — Not for many years have the 

 gardeners had such an excellent year for the 

 harvesting of their crops. In many places, 

 potatoes are reported as a total failure, but 

 not so in this district. The sample has never 

 been any better, and the yield will be an ex- 

 ceedingly large one owing to the increased 

 acreage sown. Present prices are from 90 

 cents to $1 a bag. The tomato crop has not 

 been very heavy, but the favorable late fall 

 ripened all the tomatoes the canning factories 

 can handle conveniently. The price outside 

 of the factories has netted the growers nearly 

 as much per ll-quart basket as the factories 

 pay per bushel (25 cents). The writer has 

 just learned that the growers in general through- 

 out the tomato growing section purpose hold- 

 ing a meeting at an early date for the purpose 

 of raising the price of tomatoes to 30 cents a 

 bushel for canning purposes for the season of 

 1908. The onion crop is fairly good ; prices 

 are from 80 to 90 cents a bushel. Celery and 

 cauliflower are of good quality, and the crop 

 is very large; fairly good prices are being real- 

 ized — -40 to 60 cents per dozen for celery and 

 60 to 90 cents per dozen for cauliflower. — 

 Jas. A. vStevens. 



OTTAWA DISTRICT 



Billings Bridge. — Crops in general are good; 

 turnips, carrots and beets, good; parsnips, 

 good but a little scarce. Cabbage is ahead of 

 what was expected. Celery is a very large 

 crop, but not quite up to usual quality: onions, 



good with large crop, but growers are evidently 

 holding them back as they are scarce on the 

 market. Lettuce is scarce, but a lot of trash 

 is on the market. Squash are a little scarce, 

 but still there is enough for the demand. To- 

 matoes are just about done, but have been a 

 heavy crop. Peppers and pickling onions are 

 plentiful. Cauliflower has been a good crop, 

 and of fine quality. Potatoes are a good crop; 

 winter herbs, plentiful. — T. Mockett. 



LAMBTON COUNTY 



Sarnia. — The growing season for 1907 is 

 nearly over and growers are busy marketing 

 and storing roots and vegetables. Late pota- 

 toes are turning out good. Cabbage and cauli- 

 flower are good crops, but cabbage is not sell- 

 ing so readily; they will be wanted later, how- 

 ever. With potatoes a good price, all kinds of 

 vegetables will sell well. Carrots and parsnips 

 are a good crop. Turnips and celery are still 

 growing in many places. Gardeners will have 

 good reason to observe Oct. 31 (Thanksgiving 

 Day). With good prices and good crops, we 

 ought to feel thankful and make greater prep- 

 arations for another year. — W. A. Broughton. 



WELLAND COUNTY 



Late cabbage, cauliflowers, Swede turnips and 

 late celery are looking fine; they are the best 

 crops here for several years. Beets, carrots 

 and parsnips are a good crop, although very 

 scarce. Late potatoes are being dug; on the 

 whole, they are about an average crop, but in 

 some cases large yields are reported. Onions 

 are scarce. Fall lettuce, radish, spinach and 

 salsify are plentiful. Salsify is very fine this 

 year. — T. R. Stokes. 



HALTON COUNTY 



Burlington. — Tomatoes were badly frozen 

 the middle of the month. The crop was any- 

 thing but a profitable one. Onions are a fairly 

 good crop ; 40 % of the crop will be kept over 

 winter; the present price is 90 cents a bushel. 

 Parsnips, table carrots, late cabbage and 

 cauliflowers have been a good crop. Celery 

 also has been fairly good and price fair. Late 

 potatoes are a good crop in many places, espe- 

 aially those that were planted extra late. About 

 $1 a bag is the usual price. — J. A. Lindley. ' 



Horticultural £xKibition 



The directors of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Exhibition have about completed arrange- 

 ments for the exhibition to be held in the 

 Massey Hall, Toronto, on Nov. 12-16. The 

 exhibition this year promises to surpass in 

 every respect all previous efforts. The num- 

 ber of entries will be far in excess of last year. 

 For the fruit section, the following judges 

 have been appointed: Commercial packages, 

 Msesrs. Alex. McNeill, Chief, Fruit Division, 

 Ottawa, and D. Johnson, Forest; plate apples, 

 A. W. Peart, Burlington; grapes and pears, 

 Murray Pettit, Winona; preserved fruits, a 

 committee of ladies. Seventeen counties have 

 made grants to encourage the making of county 

 exhibits of apples at the exhibition. 



For the vegetable section, the judges prob- 

 ably will be Messrs. Thos. Wistow, of London, 

 and Frank Williams, of Ottawa. The vege- 

 table committee is looking forward to a most 

 successful exhibition in that section. 



At a recent meeting of the general commit- 

 tee and management, it was recommended that 

 steps be taken to have the same committee 

 of ladies that acted last year, or any others that 

 may be appointed by Lady Mortimer Clark, 

 who honored the exhibition last year with her 

 services as judge, to act as the judges of the dining 

 tables. It was decided also to ask a committee 

 composed of the editresses of the society col- 

 umns of the Toronto daily press to act as the 

 judges on baskets of cut flowers. It is prob- 

 able that the other judges will be as follows: 



Plants, roots and cut 'mums, Mr. W. Wilshire. 

 Montreal, or Mr. Jos. Bennett, Montreal; car- 

 nations, roses, violets and funeral designs, 

 Mr. W. C. Tidy, Toronto, or Mr. M. E. Ander- 

 son, Buffalo. 



RAILWAY RATES 



People from points in Ontario outside of 

 Toronto who expect to attend exhibition or 

 the conventions that will be held during the 

 same week, will be able to do so at lowest one- 

 way, first-class fare as follows; On Nov. 13 and 

 14, special excursions will be run by the rail- 

 ways to Toronto from all points in Ontario, 

 at lowest one-way, first-class fare. Railway 

 tickets bought on these dates will be good for 

 return up to and including Nov. 16. People 

 desiring to attend the conventions or exhibi- 

 tion on other dates will be able to do so at the 

 same rate, but it will be necessary for them to 

 obtain Standard Certificates from their station 

 agent when they purchase their tickets to To- 

 ronto. One-way tickets to Toronto, with Stand- 

 ard Convention Certificates, can be purchased 

 from Nov. 8 to 16 inclusive, and will be hon- 

 ored for the return journey free, regardless of 

 the number in attendance, up to and including 

 Nov. 20, 1907. These certificates must be 

 endorsed by the secretary at the exhibition in 

 Massey Hall before they will be honored by 

 the railways for the return trip. A fee of 25c. 

 will be charged for each certificate vised. 



Convention Programs 



A few changes have been made in the pro- 

 grams published in the last issue of The 

 Canadian Horticulturi.sT. At the conven- 

 tion of the Ontario Horticultural Association, 

 w'hich will be held in Toronto on Nov. 14 and 

 15, the address on " How Are We to Expend Our 

 Funds to the Best Advantage?" will be delivered 

 by Rev. A. H. Scott, M.A., Perth, Ont., and the 

 discussion will be led by Mr. G. A. Pearce, Park 

 Superintendent, London, Ont. Mr. John O. 

 Cheyne, of Windsor, Ont., wifl speak on "The 

 Best Methods of Increasing the Membership of a 

 Horticultural Society," and the discussion will 

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

 Ont. An address entitled "Cities and Towns 

 Beautiful," will be given by Mr. J. S. Pearce, 

 London. Mr. John Dickson, of Hamilton, will 

 speak on "Wild Flowers Worth Growing," and 

 the discussion will be led by Principal Wm. Scott, 

 Normal School, Toronto. 



VEGETABLE topics 



One of the important subjects at the meeting 

 of the Ontario Vegetable Growers' Association, 

 on Nov. 14 and 15, will be "Greenhouse Con- 

 struction for Vegetable Growers," by Mr. J. D. 

 Eraser, Leamington, Ont. The discussion will 

 be led by Mr. Robt. W. King, Toronto. .A 

 paper on "Greenhouse Management" will be 

 read by Mr. T. Delworth, Weston, Ont., and the 

 discussion will be led by Mr. A. McMeans, O.A.C., 

 Guelph. Another important address that will 

 be delivered is "The Vegetable Canning Indus- 

 try," by Mr. T. B. Revett, B.S.A., Department 

 of Agriculture, Toronto. This is a question of 

 much importance to vegetable growers. _ Mr. 

 Revett has spent some three years in investigat- 

 ing the situation in Ontario. It may be ex- 

 pected, therefore, that much valuable informa- 

 tion will be gained from this paper and the dis- 

 cussion that will follow. 



The annual meeting of the Entomological 

 Society of Ontario will be held at the Ontario 

 Agricultural College, Guelph, on Oct. 31 

 and Nov. 1. In the afternoon of the former 

 day, it is expected that there will be a general 

 discussion on the codling worm and other in- 

 sects injurious to fruits. There will be public 

 meetings on both evenings. Dr. Fletcher, of 

 Ottawa, will preside over the meetings. 



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 Canadian Horticulturist. 



