THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



19 



Quebec Fruit Groovers Meet in Convention 



LEADING fruit (growers in the province of 

 Quebec rallied at Richmond on December 

 13, 14, on the occasion of the annual win- 

 ter meeting of the Pomologica! and Fruit Grow- 

 ing Society of the piovince. The sessions were 

 well attended and subjects of live interest to 

 fruit growers were dealt with. For this reason 

 the convention was gn important one. The 

 following officers were elected: — Patrons, Hon. 

 S. A. Fisher and Hon. A. Tessier. Hon. pres., 

 W. W. Dunlop, Outremont; Hon. vice-pres., 

 J. M. Fisk, Abbotsford; pres., R. W. Shepherd, 

 of Como; vice-pres., J. C. Chapais, of St. 

 Denis; sec.-treas.. Dr. H. W. Wood, of St. 

 John's; Directors of districts — District No. 1, 

 G. B. Edwards, of Covey Hill; No. 2, Charles 

 A. Fisk, of Abbotsford: No. 3, J. H. Carter, of 

 Massawippi; No. 4, Mr. Auguste Dupuis, of 

 Village des Aulnais; No. 5, Henri Dumas, of 

 Murray Bay; No. 6, C. P. Newman, of Lachine 

 Locks; No. 7, G. Reynaud, of La Trappe; 

 No. 8, N. E. Jack, of Chateauguay Basin; 

 No. 10, Robert Brodie, of Westniount. 



"Commercial Fruit Growing," was discussed 

 by Mr. C. P. Newman, of Lachine Locks, 

 who described conditions that would benefit 

 the export trade. The recent development of 

 apple growing in Quebec has made it necessary 

 to look to foreign markets. It was recom.niend- 

 ed that apple growing be specialized and not 

 maintained as a side line. Mr. Newman said 

 that apples and other fruits can well be com- 

 bined, each having a separate piece of ground 

 and being given to special care and cultivation. 

 Thinning of trees and fruit and the growing of 

 fewer varieties were advised. 



"The Proper Handling of Our Best Export 

 Apples" was taken up by Mr. R. W. Shepherd, 

 of Como. His address was very interesting 

 and will be published in a later issue of Tnt: 



HOKTltULTURIST in full. 



Dr. Jas. Fletcher, of the Central Experimental 



Farm, Ottawa, »' poke on "Injurious Insects." 

 The Codling Moth and San Jo;e Scale were fully 

 dealt with. Remedies to prevent or lessen 

 their ravages were mentioned. Recent ravages 

 on shade trees by the Tussock moth were also 

 alluded to and immediate action was advised. 

 The most approved methods of destroying it 

 are collecting the conspicuous white egg masses 

 in winter and spraying in .summer. 



Mr. G. Reynaud, of La Trappe, in a paper 

 on "Soils that may be Devoted to Fruit Grow- 

 ing," pointed out that much land now unculti- 

 vated could easily be made profitable by plant- 

 ing fruit trees. Mr. Reynaud is always a fav- 

 orite speaker at the conventions of the asso 

 ciation. 



Mr. R. Brodie, of U'estmount, gave an ex- 

 cellent paper on "How to Set Out an Orchard." 

 It was claimed that in the past the great fault 

 with Quebec orchards had been that the trees 

 were set too close, and in l.") or 20 j'ears they 

 become overcrowded. This resulted in the 

 branches becoming interlaced and the fruit 

 being off color because of lack of sunshine. 

 Limestone soil was mentioned as being best for 

 apples. 



In discussing the treatment best suited to 

 an orchaid for the first 10 years, Mr. W. vSaxby 

 Blair said that it was not necessary to give 

 extra cultivation or extra fertilizers,' but that 

 to get good croijs each year a system of culti- 

 vation must be followed that will give wood 

 growth early in the season and later on fruit buds. 



A resolution was passed expressing appre- 

 ciation cf the work cf Sir W. C. Macdonald in 

 establishing an agricultural college at St. Anne 

 de Bellevue and equipping it with an able staff 

 of professors. 



Messrs. J. C. Chapais, G. Reynaud, 1. M 

 Fisk, N. E. Jack, R. \V. Shepherd and R. Brodie 

 were appointed delegates to the Dominion Con- 

 ference to be held at Ottawa in February. 



Would Increase the Tariff on Fruit 



A. B. Cutting', B.S.A., our Special Representative 



AT a mass meeting of the fruit growers of 

 the Winona and Grimsby sections, held at 

 the latter point, Dec. 21, it was decided, 

 after a lengthy discussion, to petition the Do- 

 minion Government, through the tariff com- 

 mission, for the following increases in the tariff 

 on fruits: — 



On peaches, from 1 cent a pound to 2 cents. 



On pears, from 20% ad valorem, to 1 cent a 

 pound specific. 



On plums, from 25% ad valorem, to 1 cent a 

 pound specific. 



On apples, from 40 cents a barrel to 75 cents 

 a barrel. 



Messrs. J-. W. Smith, E. D. Smith, M.P., and 

 Murray Pettit were delegated to bring the reso- 

 lution before the tariff commission. St. Cath- 

 arines growers were invited to attend, but un- 

 favorable weather prevented them from doing 

 so. 



Two meetings to discuss this question were 

 held recently, one at Winona and one at St. 

 Catharines. At the former, the trend of dis- 

 cussion showed most emphatically that the 

 growers of that district were unanimously of 

 the opinion that an increase in tariff should be 

 asked for on certain classes of fruit, including 

 peaches, pears, plums and apples. In reference 

 to this Mr. A. H. Pettit, of Grimsby, said, "A 

 high tariff on peaches will not effect the local 

 market so very much, but it will increase the 

 sale and consumption of Ontario peaches in 

 the North-west. At present North-west dealers 

 prefer California peaches to ours, as they, being 

 better bodied and longer keepers, though lack- 

 ing in quality, will stand on the market shelves 



a week without spoiling, and as a result the 

 North-west is asking for a decrease in the duties. 

 As for apples, the ciuestion of tariff is important, 

 particularly in the fall apple trade. We want 

 an increase as under the present tariff the Unit- 

 ed States floods our markets with their surplus 

 of early varieties. Large quantities of pears 

 and plums also come into this country from 

 over the line in competition with home-grown 

 varieties." 



At St. Catharines, fruit men from the differ- 

 ent sections of the Niagara district were present, 

 but the majority were growers from the im- 

 mediate vicinity of the city. The expression of 

 opinion on the tariff was far from unanimous. 

 Most of the St. Catharines growers supported 

 the action of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Con- 

 vention at Toronto, in November, which waited 

 on the tariff commission and asked that the 

 tariff on fruits be left as it is; while the growers 

 from Grimsby and Winona advocated an in- 

 crease. A change from ad valorem <luties to 

 specific was suggested, in the case of pears and 

 plums, from 20% to 25% respectively, to J cent 

 per pound, the other duties on fruits to 

 remain as they are. This was moved and car- 

 ried by a majority of one, and cannot be said 

 to express the views of fruit growers in general. 



At the recent meeting in Grimsby, Mr. E. D. 

 Smith, M.P., of Winona, said that the action 

 of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, in- 

 fluenced as it was by Mr. W. L. Smith's sym- 

 pathetic address, does not coincide with the 

 opinion of the growers of this province as a 

 whole. "The great majority were not consult- 

 ed," said Mr. Smith, "and though we appreciate 



the work of the Ontario Fr it Growers' Associa- 

 tion in general, we have v<> right to back the 

 organization when it has t:.l:en a wrong step." 

 He advanced many argumt'ts for an increase 

 in the tariff. We are not g ing to make fruit 

 more expensive for the home onsumer bv add- 

 ing the increase in the dutii to the price of 

 fruit, but a higher tariff will keep out foreign 

 fruits, thereby lessening the si'ijply, and as a 

 consequence, by virtue of creating a greater 

 demand, the fruit Inisiiic"; will he more profit- 

 able for the grower. In the North west market,, 

 also, the demand for our fruit will increase. 

 Buyers there will handle 'Hir fruit in greater 

 quantity than now, because of its cheapness 

 under increased duties, as compared with that 

 from over the line, to say nothing of the ad- 

 vantage our fruit has in quality." 



Mr. A. Greenwood, of Grimsby Park, cited 

 some instances in which Ontario fruit has been 

 preferred in the North-west to that from Cal- 

 ifornia. One consignment of Ontario fruit the 

 past season brought $2.25 per 35 pound box, 

 against S2.00 per 50 pound box of California 

 fruit, the same day and in the same n^arket. 

 Mr. Greenwood contended that even to-day our 

 fruit is preferred to Californian, but, under the 

 present tariff, the foreign article captures the 

 market on account of its cheapness. 



A comparison between the existing duties 

 on fruits and the cost of production was brought 

 out by Mr. J. W. Smith, of Winona. The duty 

 on small fruits is two cents a pound. This class 

 of fruit is comparatively easy to grow, returns 

 are secured within a year or so after planting, 

 and the market for such does not fluctuate so 

 much as the market for pears and other tree 

 fruits; the grower of small fruits can form in 

 advance an approximate idea of the demand 

 and i)rice for his fruit a year hence. On the 

 other hand, the duty on pears is 20 per cent, ad 

 valorem, or about one-quarter of a cent a pound. 

 Pears are expensive and difficult to grow; they 

 require a much longer time to produce a crop — 

 best varieties, 12 to 15 years; the market for 

 pears is not so stable as that for small fruits; 

 and the pear planter cannot form the slightest 

 idea of the condition of the pear market 15 

 years hence. For these reasons, Mr. Smith be- 

 lieved that the duty on pears should be increased 

 to an amount equal to that now imposed on 

 small fruits. 



The relative costs of plants and work to plant 

 an acre of different classes of fruit were estim- 

 ated by Mr. Smith as follows:— Strawberries, 

 7,260 plants, $14.50; setting plants, §8.00- 

 total, $22.50. Grapes, 450 vines, $14 ; 1.50 posts, 

 $20; setting posts, $10; wire and hanging, Sio' 

 planting, $2.50; total, $.56.50. Plums, 200 

 trees, $.50; planting, $6; total, $.56. Peaches 

 200 trees, $30; planting, $6; total, $35. Pears 

 200 trees, $50; planting, $7; total, $57. 



The labor problem was referred to by Mr. Jas. 

 Tweddle, Fruitland. The cost and scarcity of 

 labor increases the cost of production. Manu- 

 facturers here at home and labor employers in 

 the North-west are taking our best men. We 

 cannot afford to pay the high wages offered by 

 these men and as a consequence good fann 

 hands are hard to secure. This condition of 

 affairs could be mitigated by an increase in 

 the tariff on fruits. 



The annual meeting of the New Brunswick 

 Fruit Growers' Association will be held January 

 25, immediately following a two days' session 

 of the Farmers' and Dairymen's Association. 

 Prizes will be offered for a display of winter 

 fruit. Among the speakers whom it is expected 

 will be present are Mr. W. T. Macoun, of the 

 Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa, and 

 Prof. F. C. Sears, of Truro, N.S. 



The average farmer should have from two 

 to five acres in an orchard, and should attend 

 to it well. An orchard, unless well attended 

 to, is valueless for commercial purposes. Farm 

 ers occupied in general fanning have not time 

 to take care of many trees. — (A. Shaw, Walk- 

 erton, Ont.) 



