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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Niagara Peninsxila Growers Advocate 



Lines of WorK 



N 



ew 



IN addition to taking a stand on the tariff 

 question the members of the Niagara Penin- 

 sula United Fruit Growers' Association at 

 their recent meeting at St. Catharines, transacted 

 considerable other business of importance. 

 Officers were elected for the ensuing year as 

 follows: — Pres., Thos. Herriman, of Niagara 

 Falls, Ont.; 1st Vice-Pres., los. Tweddle, of 

 Fruilland; 2nd Vice-Pres., I^. H. Goring, of 

 Homer-; 3rd Vice-Pres., W. A. Emory, of Alder- 

 shot; Sec.-Treas., C. E. Fisher, of vSt. Catharines; 

 and a strong executive. 



The following resolution was moved and 

 carried: "Whereas, the bearing orchards of this 

 district are largely planted from trees that in 

 many cases have proved tmtrue to name, and 

 in many others with trees propagated from 

 parent stock having come inherent weakness or 

 disease and as a result have degenerated both in 

 hardiness and unproductiveness: Therefore, 

 we would urge the Provincial Government to 

 institute the necessary legislation with the view 

 to the improvement of our nursery stock, and 

 that a series of exiJerinients along this line be 

 initiated in our experiment stations and amongst 

 our prominent fruit growers with the view of 

 educating the public to the importance of secur- 

 ing pedigreed stock, and that a copy of this 

 resolution be submitted to the Minister of 

 Agriculture." 



THE BASKET QUESTION. 



The association decided to ask the Govern- 

 ment to amend the law regarding baskets as 

 proposed at the last meeting except in the case 

 of the six-quart basket which should be il^ 

 inches deep instead of 4^ inches. 



Mr. E. D. Smith declared that the present 

 clause in the act, allowing growers to use special 

 sizes when such size is stamped in large letters on 

 the side of the basket, should be done away with. 

 Growers should be comi)ellcd to use a standard 

 size and no other. Consumers do not know the 

 law and are imposed upon by growers who use a 

 small size even though such size is stamped on 

 the package. A stamp has no meaning to the 

 oridnary consumer and even to many retail 

 dealers. If growers can use any size basket 

 they like, we may as well have no act at all. 



In opposition to Mr. Smith's proposal, the 

 argument was advanced that since the Ontario 

 basket factories have combined, growers may 

 want American baskets which are of a different 

 size and which could not be used if this law is 

 changed. Mr. Smith: " All that is required is to 

 give orders in advance and American makers will 

 fill them and meet all demands." When put to 

 the meeting the proposal did not carry. 



NEW FRUIT EXPERIMENT STATION. 



■ The association passed a strong memorial to 

 the Minister of Agriculture asking that an exten- 

 sive experiment station be established in the 

 Niagara district. Mr. Linus Wolverton, of 

 Grimsby stated, that at a recent meeting of the 

 Board of Control of Fruit Experimental Stations 

 for Ontario it was decided to recommend to the 

 Government the advisability of establishing a 

 station of this nature in South Ontario. 



Prof. Robt. Harcourt, O.A.C., Guelph, de- 

 livered an interesting address on the use of fer- 

 tilizers in orchards. — A. B. Cutting. 



Vegetable GroAvers' Banquet 



At the annual banquet of the Toronto branch 

 of the Vegetable Growers' Association, held last 

 week, the spirit of advancement that has seized 

 the Ontario Vegetable Growers of late was plainly 

 manifested. Every speech was full of enthusi- 

 asm, and showed the increasing tendency of the 

 growers to co-operate. 



The president of the local association, Mr. 

 George Syme, jr., made a most capable chair- 

 man. 



Mr. W. F. Maclean, M.P., said that a specific 

 duty is in the interest of the farmer, and that in 

 some cases it should be made to go into effect in 

 certain months of the year by order-in-council, 

 and that geographical conditions should be 

 considered in such orders. In discussing trans- 

 portation facilities, he said that the express 

 rates should be regulated so that there would 

 be no discrimination given to imported goods 

 by the transportation companies. 



The toast to the Vegetable Growers' Associa- 

 tion was proposed by Mr. F. F. Reeves, the 

 energetic secretary of the Toronto branch, and 

 was responded to by Mr. W. A. Emory, the 

 president of the Provincial association, who 

 favored a sliding tariff or a closed season; by 

 Mr. H. B. Cowan, the secretary, and by Mr. 

 Mr. Thos. Delworth, who advised the growers 

 to stand by the association, and to strive to 

 improve themselves in every way possible. 



The toast to the Ontario Legislature was 

 responded to by the Hon. Nelson Monteith, 

 who drew forth applause by announcing that 

 the Government is giving serious consideration 

 to a proposal to establish an experimental sta- 

 tion in some section where conditions are more 

 congenial to vegetable growing than they are 

 at Guelph. Hon. J. W. St. John said that 

 co-operation, loyalty and unity would do much 

 to benefit producers and consumers. They 

 should learn to stand up for fair prices, as well 

 as to demand duty against the imported goods. 

 The only solution to the tariff question was in the 

 establishment of a specific duty, and if that can- 



not be got the Ontario Government should be 

 approached regards appointing an inspector 

 who would have power to reject undesirable 

 importations. 



Other speakers included Messrs. Geo. Syme, 

 sr., reeve of York township; G. S. Henry, Jos. 

 Rush, Herman Simmers and T. Rennie. 



A. Heavy Fine for False 

 PacKing 



The maximum penalty for infraction of the 

 Fruit Marks Act was imposed on Mr. Jas. 

 Coyle, of Colbome, by Magistrate O'Rourke 

 of Trenton, on January 18. He was fined $50 



and costs, and in default of i)ayment iinpristjn- 

 ment for 30 days in the common jail at Belle- 

 ville. The charge, laid by Robert J. Ruther- 

 ford, Inspector of the Fruit Division of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, was that the defend- 

 ant, on Dec. 28,1905, in violation of Section 6 

 of the Fruit Marks Act, did have in his iK)sses.sion 

 for sale 50 barrels of apples marked XXX that 

 were below the standard, and that these apples 

 were not XXX standard as required by the Act. 



Mr. P. J. Carey, FVuit Inspector, testified to 

 visiting the cold-storage warehouse in Trenton, 

 in company with Inspector Rutherford, and 

 finding a shipment of apples of the Stark variety 

 being packed. They examined eight barrels 

 that were marked XXX, and found the apples 

 contained therein were not up to the standard 

 prescribed; a large percentage of the fruit was 

 inferior, being infected with scab,lacking in color, 

 worm-eaten, and too small. On being asked if 

 the general pack was similar to the barrels exam- 

 ined, Mr. Coyle admitted they were a |x»r lot, 

 and signed a document stating that 50 barrels 

 contained apples similar to some shown by Mr. 

 Carey. 



Mr. Robert Coyle, who had charge of the pack- 

 ing, in defence, said: 



"Neither Mr. Carey nor Mr. Rutherford show- 

 ed him an apple that was condemned, any 

 more than one or two which were bruised by 

 pressing; in fact, they did not go down in the 

 barrel at all, and did not say anything aljout 

 'size,' 'off-color,' or 'worm-eaten.' In his pres- 

 ence the inspectors only looked into the 'tail,' 

 and did not go farther into the banel.; they did 

 not say anything about shipping the apples or 

 offer any objections to their shipment, and he 

 had not heard anything further alxjut it until 

 the summons was issued. The apples sold for 

 $3.56 per barrel by aucdon on a declining market 

 in England to-day." 



The chief of the fruit division, Mr. A. McNeill, 

 asked for the maximum penalty, and said that 

 the man who deliberately marked packages 

 falsely committed a crime against society, which 

 affected every apple-grower in the country. 

 The false packer, to gain 50 cents a barrel here, 

 caused a loss of $2.00 to $3.00 to the English 

 merchant. Mr. F. C. Morrow pleaded guilty to 

 a similar charge in respect to five barrels, and 

 was fined five dollars and costs. 



Your magazine during the last few months 

 has shown a decided improvement in the arti- 

 cles appearing therein. We can see no reason 

 why it should not stand at the very front of 

 all the horticultural magazines published on 

 this continent. — Brown Brothers Company, 

 Ltd., Brown's Nurseries, Ont. 



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