I 



The Canadian Horticultunst 



Vol. XXIX 



FEBRUARY 1, 1906 



No. 2 



TKe Dominion Possibilities for Horticultural Development 



Alex. McNeill, CHief of tKe Fruit Division, Otta-wa 



" Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man 

 after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks; methinks I see her as an eagle renewing her 

 mighty youth and kindling her undazzled eye at the full mid-day beam." — Milton. 



THE problem of the twentieth cen- 

 tury in the northern half of the 

 American Continent is nation-building, 

 and in this process Canadian horticul- 

 turists will have a prominent part. For- 

 tunately our patriotism has a broad and 

 substantial basis in the vast material 

 resources that he about us everywhere. 

 Field, forest, fisheries and mines are 

 yielding their increases lavishly, min- 

 istering to our physical needs and furn- 

 ishing a generous foundation for the 

 highest development of civilization. But 

 this higher civiHzation has its beginning 

 in the homes of the people. Love of 

 country is but a broader love of home. 

 The truly patriotic Canadian will not be 

 content with simply sharing with his 

 less fortunate brother the material bless- 

 ings that lie thick around him, but will 

 plant and water the land, making and 

 keeping it beautiful — a land of homes. 



Canadian fruit growers have every 

 reason to be proud of the position that 

 they have always taken in competition 

 at fairs and exhibitions with growers 

 from other countries. This success not 

 only gratified our vanity, but proved 

 an -excellent drawing card for immigra- 

 tion purposes. At Chicago, Buffalo, St. 

 Louis and many lesser fairs the Canadian 

 fruit and flowers did as much as any 

 other feature to direct attention to the 

 youthful nation north of the lakes. 



Within our own borders a healthy 

 rivalry has developed between widely 

 separated provinces. The result shows 

 that trophies will not be allowed to rest 

 anywhere without a struggle. Former- 

 ly Nova Scotia carried off the honors in 

 quality; Ontario claimed first place in 

 quantity and variety, if not in quality. 

 Latterly British Columbia, with new- 

 born enthusiasm, has pushed to the 

 front in fruit products with an article 

 that has captured the market with its 

 beautiful finish and long keeping qual- 

 ities. Quick to see an advantage, the 

 fruit growers of British Columbia have 

 adopted the packing methods and pack- 

 ages of the American Pacific coast, to 

 perfect which the Californians spent 

 years and a mint of money in experi- 

 menting. And thus the honors have 



travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 

 showing that pre-eminence in horticul- 

 ture is not confined within the narrow 

 boundaries of a few counties in anj' 

 part of this great land. 



The Bureau of Statistics shows that 

 the apple crop alone of Ontario amount- 

 ed to 10,000,000 barrels this year. A 

 normal crop should be at least half as 

 much more. No official record has been 

 kept for the other provinces. The pos- 

 sibilities of British Columbia in the near 

 future may be gauged by the fact that 

 about 500,000 trees were imported and 

 planted this season, in addition to those 

 of domestic origin. Nova Scotia ex- 

 ports 300,000 to 500,000 barrels of ap- 



A. Credit to Canada 



" I want to congratulate The Canadian 

 Horticulturist on its first number for 1906. 

 It is a credit alike to its management and 

 to Canada. Every Canadian who prides in 

 the intelligent products of his country 

 should feel proud of it, and I know that 

 every fruit grower, and every lover of 

 Nature in her many and varied forms must 

 be more than proud of it." 



T. H. RACE, Mitchell, Ont. 



pies annually. Prince Edward Island, 

 according to unprejudiced judges, made 

 the best exhibit of fruit in the Maritime 

 Provinces this year. New Brunswick 

 made successful shipments of Duchess 

 apples to Great Britain for the second 

 year. If this market continues there is 

 no reason why the St. John Valley should 

 not become as fanious for the Duchess 

 as the Annapolis is for the Gravenstein, 

 the Province of Quebec for the Fameuse, 

 Ontario for the Spy and British Colum- 

 bia for the Newtown Pippin and Spitz- 

 enberg. 



We have never yet had the different 

 provinces adequately represented at one 

 time at any show. The Fruit Division 

 attempted last year to secure specimens 

 of 10 varieties from each province and 

 the result was a most interesting ex- 

 hibit, but the competitive element did 



not enter to spur each province to do its 

 best. Why cannot this be worked out 

 for next year? Cold storage will enable 

 us to hold our fruit so that we can as- 

 semble it at its best in one place. It 

 would be a revelation to visitors, an 

 advantage to the fruit growers of every 

 province, and a lesson in patriotism 

 many times more valuable than flag- 

 waving or the resurrection of disreput- 

 able quarrels with our neighbors. 



CO-OPERATION NECESSARY 



The commercial side of fruit growing 

 will form a subject of increased import- 

 ance to fruit growers as the years pass. 

 The co-operative idea cannot legiti- 

 mately end with work in any particular 

 neighborhood. The whole trend of the 

 movement looks towards a co-ordina- 

 tion of the different units, calling for 

 strong organizing power that will 

 strengthen the position of the fruit 

 growers throughout the Dominion. 



This question of markets lies at the 

 very foundation of the industry, and the 

 exploiting of new markets and the care- 

 ful si:pplying of the old is a subject that 

 must be handled definitely within the 

 near future. British Columbia is com- 

 peting with Ontario; Ontario is com- 

 peting with Quebec and Nova Scotia; 

 Prince Edward Island and New Bruns- 

 wick are struggling for a position in the 

 markets side by side with the other 

 provinces. All these interests have a 

 place, and there can be no proper divi- 

 sion or co-operation in the supplying of 

 these markets without a view that will 

 embrace the whole of Canada. Some 

 organization or medium is required 

 through which fruit growers may speak, 

 and thus be an active agent in so har- 

 monizing the interests of the different 

 provinces that they may pull together, 

 securing for the fruit grower a proper 

 reward for his toil. Without some 

 method of harmonizing the different in- 

 terests, it is probable that what should 

 be simply a friendly rivalry between the 

 provinces will develop into a destructive 

 antagonism. Through all the diversity 

 of soil, climate and situation there runs 

 an identity of general principles under- 



