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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



The Canadian Horlicullurisl 



Published by The Horticultural 

 Publishing Company^, Limited 



The Only Horticultural Magazine 

 in the Dominion 



Official Organ of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec 

 and Prince Edward Island Fruit Growers' 

 Associations and of the Ontario Veg- 

 etable Growers' Association 



H. Bronson Cowan, Editor and Business Manager 



J. Albert Hand, B.S.A., Associate Editor 



.W. G. Rook, Advertising Manager 



A. B. CtrrriNO, B.S.A., Travelling Representative 



1. The Canadian Horticulturist is published the first 

 of every month. 



2. Subscription Price $1.00 a year, strictly in advance. 

 For all countries except Canada, United States and 

 Great Britain add 50c. for postage. 



3. Remittances should be made by Post OflSce or Money 

 Express Order, or Registered Letter. Postage Stamps 

 accepted for amounts less than $1.00. Receipts will be 

 acknowledged on the address label, which shows the 

 date to which subscription is paid. 



4. Discontinuances— Responsible subscribers will con- 

 tinue to receive The Horticulturist until the publishers 

 are notified by letter to discontinue, when all arrearages 

 must be paid. Societies should send in their revised 

 lists in January; otherwise it will be taken for granted 

 all will continue members. 



5. Change of Address — When a change of address is 

 ordered, both the old and the new addresses must be 

 given. 



6. cAdvertising Rates quoted on application. Circu- 

 lation 5,500. Copy received up to the 25_th. Responsible 

 representatives wanted in towns and cities. 



7. cArticles and Illustrations for publication will be 

 thankfully received by the editor. 



8. cAU Communications should be addressed: 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



507 and 508 Manning Chambers 



TORONTO, CANADA 



UNRELIABLE NURSERIES 



A considerable amount of business is done 

 in Canada each year by unreliable nursery firms 

 from across the line. Eagerness on the part of 

 the grovper to save a few cents, and foresig:ht 

 on the part of the managers of these nurseries 

 in issuing a bright catalogue full of tempting 

 oilers, result in many farmers and fruit grow- 

 ers being bitten. Trees are catalogued at 

 rates slightly lower than the Canadian nursery- 

 men offer similar stock, but the short-sighted 

 grower forgets that duty and freight have to 

 be paid. 



The Indianapolis Nursery Company and 

 others of a similar stamp flood the fruit grow- 

 ing districts of Canada with these catalogues 

 every season. The stock that they offer is gen- 

 erally found to be a surplus that they cannot 

 sell in their regular territory. In many cases 

 it is not true to name as the orders are filled 

 from whatever sorts are most plentiful. More 

 than this these firms specify that money must 

 accompany the order, and cases are known in 

 which the money was retained and no stock 

 sent. 



The fact, also, that these goods are grown in 

 the south is worthy of consideration. Such 

 stock is naturally of a softer and more pithy 

 growth than our Canadian trees. They are 

 not suited to Canadian culture, and the first 

 severe winter kills the trees or causes them to 

 become black-hearted. Many of these trees 

 are grown in sections that are the very hotbeds 

 of the dreaded San Jose scale. Every case in 

 which this scale has been found in Canada has 

 been traced to stock imported from the United 

 States Special precautions are taken to de- 

 stroy scale forms on imported stock by thor- 

 ough fumigation, but it is infinitely safer to 

 purchase from Canadian nurseries where such 

 troubles do not exist. 



Last spring an unreUable firm established 

 temporary headquarters at Napanee, and sent 

 agents around selling the famous Lovett stravr- 

 berry at exorbitant prices. Many growers, 

 knowing the superior quality of this variety, 

 made large purchases. The plants proved to 

 be worthless, but the contracts were so arranged 



that they could compel payment. In a few 

 cases the stock was satisfactory in appearance, 

 but it was afterwards learned that the plants 

 were obtained from a neighboring patch and 

 taken u[) with a plow. 



Such practices should l)e a lesson for every 

 grower in Canada. Reliable firms, such as those 

 advertising in The Canadian Hortic^jlturist, 

 for each of whom we can vouch, can supjily the 

 requirements of the great majority of the grow- 

 ers, and it will be found much more satisfac- 

 tory lo deal with established firms such as 

 these that are known to be reliable, and who 

 have a reputation to maintain. 



FRUIT GROWERS AND THE TARIFF 



The position of the Ontario fruit growers on 

 the tariff is an unfortunate one. Instead of 

 going before the Tariff Commission and jjresent- 

 ing a statement, and later having a discussion 

 of the matter in the fruit sections, the discussion 

 .should have been held first and the commission 

 waited on later. As it is, the Ontario Associa- 

 tion has asked for one thing while the growers in 

 the Niagara peninsula purpose petitioning for 

 something entirely different. The result is that 

 the growers are divided among themselves as 

 to whether or not the tariff should be increased, 

 while the opposition to an increase is strong and 

 to the point. The position of those who oppose 

 an increase is strengthened by the foohsh action 

 of those growers who favor asking for a higher 

 tariff than they need, or expect to receive, in the 

 hope that in that way they will be able to obtain 

 what they require. By asking for more than 

 they need they strengthen the attack of those 

 who oppose an increase who are thus enabled to 

 show how unreasonable their demands are and 

 in this way to bring discredit on the whole case 

 of the fruit growers. 



The sympathy of the public is what settles 

 the line of action taken in matters of this kind. 

 If the commission dealers are able to show that 

 the demands of the fruit growers are in any way 

 unreasonable they gain this sympathy. 



The statement made by Mr. W. F. Maclean, 

 M.P., last week, at the Vegetable Growers' ban- 

 quet, that there is no reason why it cannot be 

 arranged to have the tariff on fruit and vege- 

 tables go into effect through order-in-council in 

 any district or districts, and for stated periods, is 

 a most important one. If this can be done, and 

 no strong reason has been advanced to show the 

 suggestion to be impracticable, the difficulties 

 of the situation have largely been solved. In 

 this way the growers in the different sections of 

 Canada would be able to obtain the protection 

 they require, and at the season it is needed, 

 while the consumption of fruit at other periods 

 of the year would not be curtailed. 



This matter is worth further consideration by 

 the growers. It might be well to arrange for a 

 conference between representatives of the On- 

 tario Association and those of the Niagara penin- 

 sula. The first effort of the growers should be to 

 harmonize their views as far as possible, and then 

 to lay their amended case before the commission. 

 The Horticulturist strongly favors greater 

 protection on several varieties of fruit for limited 

 periods, but it will oppose, as being unreasonable 

 and unwise, demands that, if granted, will pre- 

 vent the consumption of foreign fruit at periods 

 when Canadian fruit is not available. 



and ability deserve. Men of no greater ability, 

 who specialised in other departments, had no 

 difficulty in securing desirable and remunerative 

 positions. There is no option on the college 

 curriculum that has so many desirable features 

 as that of horticulture. Were a reputation for 

 excellence established by that department, 

 students who graduated in horticulture would 

 be in demand. 



Apart from this fact, how is the Province 

 being benefited by work done or experiments 

 carried on at the college? Some ex]jeriments 

 have been conducted with strawberries and 

 with tomatoes, but how great has been the bene- 

 fit to the practical grower of strawberries and 

 tomatoes? Have the results been sufficiently 

 advertised ? The vegetable growers are thirsting 

 after knowledge in regard to insect and fungous 

 diseases and yet the college is able to render 

 them but little if any assistance. What the 

 practical grower wants is results of practical 

 experiments and not theoretical information 

 he is unable to use to advantage. 



Vegetable growing f.nder glass is becoming 

 an important industry in Ontario. Why is not 

 our Agricultural College in the van of this great 

 work? It is all well enougli to grow a few choice 

 tomatoes and cucumbers for table use during 

 winter, but how many experiments have been 

 conducted along this line and the results pub- 

 hshed so that the ambitious gardener may know 

 the varieties to put into a glass house, and the 

 cultural methods to follow to obtain profitable 

 returns for his labor? Fault is not being found 

 with those in charge of the greenhouses. With 

 the addition of lectures to the already numerous 

 duties delegated to Mr. Hunt the wonder is that 

 he has done so much good work. What is 

 wanted is more greenhouse space for experi- 

 mental work, and the appointment of a compe- 

 tent assistant. In fact the assistant is needed 

 whether additional houses are built or not. 



The Ontario Agricultural College has gained 

 an enviable reputation. This reputation can be 

 retained only by making still further improve- 

 ments. In no branch of the college is improve- 

 ment more needed than in that of horticulture. 



IMPROVEMENT NEEDED AT GUELPH 



What is the matter with the horticultural 

 department at that excellent institution the 

 Guelph Agricultural College? Why is it that 

 so few students take the horticulture option? 

 Why is it that those who do take that option 

 find such difficulty in securing positions? The 

 answer to the former question is found in the 

 latter. The horticultural department has been 

 running long enough to have gained a reputa- 

 tion equal in its field to that acquired by the 

 agricultural department. Although comparat- 

 ively few students took the horticulture special 

 during the past few years, several promising 

 graduates are without work such as their energy 



ONTARIO HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION 



Arrangements for the next Ontario Horticul- 

 tural Exhibition are already well under way. A 

 meeting for organization purposes was held in 

 Toronto, Jan. 23, when it was decided to hold 

 the exhibition this year Nov. 6-10, in Massey 

 Hall. Half rates will be guaranteed over all 

 railroads. The officers elected were Pres., R. J. 

 Score, of Toronto; 1st V.-Pres., W. H. Bunting, 

 of St. Catharines; 2nd V.-Pres., H. R. Frank- 

 land, of Toronto; Sec, H. B. Cowan, of Toronto; 

 Treas., J. H. Dunlop, of Toronto, and an Execu- 

 tive Committee composed of representatives 

 from the Ont. Fruit Growers', Ont. Vegetable 

 Growers', and Ont. Bee Keepers' Associations, 

 and the Toronto Electoral and Horticultural 

 Societies, and Toronto Gardeners and Florists' 

 Association. 



A financial statement was presented that 

 showed that a deficit of some S400 connected 

 with the last exhibition had been wiped off 

 through the efforts of the directors, and that the 

 prize fists and all expenses had been paid in full. 

 -This was considered very encouraging. It was 

 decided to open the exhibition this year Tuesday 

 evening, instead of in the afternoon, as in the past. 

 The judging will be completed and the prize cards 

 in place before the exhibition is opened. It was 

 decided to have the prize lists printed and in 

 circulation by July 1 next. In the meantime 

 preUminary prize lists will be pubhshed in the 

 papers. Those present were enthusiastic regard- 

 ing the success of the next exhibition. 



If boxes are used they should be made strong. 

 I have heard of many boxes being so light and 

 easily broken that they were in bad shape when 

 they reached Montreal. I have always con- 

 sidered that packing in boxes is slow work. — 

 Irvine Hicks, South Bay, Ont. 



