THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



105 



ance of the services of fruit inspectors in those used for this purpose wheiiever not engaged in 



provinces vphere such services have been so the actual work of inspection," 



effective on account of the nascent nature of The conference was brought to a close by the 



the fruit interest therein; the inspectors being adoption of resolutions thanking Hon. Mr. 



Fisher for the able manner in which he had 

 presided at the various sessions, and with hearty 

 cheers for Canada, for the fruit industry of the 

 Dominion and for Hon. Mi*. Fisher. 



I...... ...„„,.,_.......„. 



^R- Homes of fruit and vegetable gro-wers in tHe Niagara Peninsula 



Practical Pointers from Practical Persons 



IT would seem that there is need of more ac- 

 curate information regarding the prepara- 

 tion and relative quantities of ingredients 

 ■of the lime-sulphur wash. So many different 

 proportions are advised by dilTerent men, and 

 so many different ways are adopted for mixing 

 these proportions that the new beginner, and 

 sometimes the experienced grower, is at a loss 

 to know the best method of procedure. Two 

 questions should be settled, if possible. First, 

 What is the best definite formula for the mix- 

 ture? and second. Is boihng necessary or is it 

 not? There are some difficulties in the way of 

 answering these questions; yet they are not 

 sufficiently formidable to warrant the many 

 different opinions that exist among fruit growers. 

 In 1905 the Dept. of Agri. conducted valu- 

 able experiments in the use of this mixture. 

 During the present session of the Legislative 

 Assembly, the Hon. Nelson Monteith stated 

 that a continuation of the work is under con- 

 sideration. In the interests of the fruit in- 

 dustry, the work not only should be continued 

 but also it should be extended to cover and to 

 settle, as far as practicable, all points at pres- 

 ent debatable. 



THE LIME-SULPHUR WASH. 



Whether lime and sulphur should be boiled 

 by steam or not is the most disputed point 

 among the users of this popular mixture 

 for San Jos6 scale. Many growers believe that 

 steam must be used for accurate results. On 

 the other hand, there are many who boil simply 

 by the energy of the lime in slaking, and with 

 results equally as satisfactory. Among the latter 

 is Mr. J. H. Broderick, of St. Catharines, who 

 claims that the mixture can be boiled without 

 an engine if double the usual amount is pre- 

 pared at a time. A double quantity of lime is 

 necessary to get a greater amount of heat gen- 

 erated, which is necessary to produce the de- 

 sired result. Mr. Broderick's method of pro- 

 cedure, step by step, as explained in his own 

 words, is as follows: 



"Take a 40-gal. barrel and in it place a hoe 

 with a strong handle, then put in 40 lbs. of best 

 lime (Beachville). In a large pail put 30 lbs. 

 of sulphur, and add enough water to make a 

 paste. Apply then to the lime in the barrel 

 15 gals, of boiling hot watef — and now is the 

 time for the operator to hustle if he ever hustled 

 in his life; immediately after adding the water 

 dump in the sulphur. Over the top of the bar- 

 rel place a heavy canvas to keep the materia! 

 from splashing and Ixjiling over, leaving a small 

 vent around the hoe handle for the escape of 

 steam. Keep this cover on the barrel for about 

 15 minutes, when the violent boiling probably 

 will be stopped, then add about 15 gals, more 

 water. Stir slowly V)y moving hoe around 

 bottom of barrel — do not raise hoe to let the 

 air in. Allow the mixture to boil about 40 

 minutes, then add enf)Ugh warm water to fill 

 the barrel. The mixture then should be strained 

 into another barrel; to do this easily, it is neces- 

 sary to stir often and well. After straining 

 there will be about 35 gals, of material; this 

 should be diluted sufficiently to make 80 gals. 

 It is then ready for use." 



WOULD AMEND PRUIT PACKAGE LAW. 



According to the Canadian Fruit Package 

 Law, practically any basket besides the four 

 specified sizes may be used for shipping fruit, 

 so long as it is stamped plainly on the side in 



large black letters with the word "Quart" in 

 full, preceded with the minimum number of 

 quarts the basket will hold when level full. 

 This regulation is very unsatisfactory, as it 

 leads to confusion and, sometimes, indirectly, 

 to dishonest practices. A standard size and 

 no other should be used. A basket stamped 

 in the manner required by law has no meaning 

 to the ordinary consumer, and even to many 

 retail dealers. The fact that a basket is stamped 

 "9 Quarts" or "10 Quarts," as the case may 

 be, makes little or no difference in the selling 

 price of the basket, for usually these small sizes 

 bring as much money in the market as the 

 regulation 11 quart size. Mr. E. D. Smith, 

 M.P., Winona, thinks that this clause should 

 be done away with, or at least it should be 

 changed so as to compel shippers to stamp 

 undersized baskets with the words "1 Quart 

 Short" or "2 Quarts Short," as the case might 

 be. Both suggestions are good. The adop- 

 tion of either would mean much to further the 

 cause of uniformity and honesty in our fruit 

 packages and packing. 



CO-OPERATION MEANS SUCCESS. 



That the development and success of our ex- 

 port commerce in fruits depends on the forma- 

 tion of co-operative organizations amongst 

 growers is the opinion of Mr. P. J. Carey, Do- 

 minion Fruit Inspector, Toronto. The co- 

 operative plan, with central packing houses, is 

 the only plan for satisfactory results. Through 

 co-operation, all our fruit may be placed on 

 the market at its very best, and it follows that 

 we will get the very best out of the fruit. Co- 

 operation will give us a better pack — more uni- 

 form and more lionest. It will do away with 

 the picking of immature fruit. Large quan- 

 tities of fruit are picked too soon; on the other 

 hand, thousands of barrels of apples are left 

 on the trees too long — this partly accounts for 

 the large percentage of windfalls in some orch- 

 ards. Co-operative organizations ship only 

 the best grade, the rest is evaporated — a sys- 

 tem that commands confidence in foreign 

 markets; individual buyers ship anything and 

 ever)^hing, windfalls and all. This destroys 

 confidence, and eventually will cripple our 

 fruit industry. By all means, co-operate! 



UNIFORM QUOTATIONS. 



At a meeting of fruit growers held in Beams- 

 ville last month, Mr. J. A. Livingston, editor 

 of The Independent, Grimsby, made a strong 

 plea for uniform quotations. Different quota- 

 tions going out from the same locality on the 

 same day, mean depressions in the market and 

 ruination to the fruit business. Un-uniform 

 quotations keej) the markets in an unhealthy 

 state. They injure the grower, the dealer, and 

 everybody connected with the industry. All 

 kinds and grades of fruit should be quoted at 

 the price fixed by the law of supply and demand 

 for that particular kind and grade on a par 

 ticular day. There should be no cut-throat 

 methods in the fruit trade. 



PRUNING SYSTEMS POR SMALL AREAS. 



For small areas, and particularly for the 

 city man's fruit garden, intensive methods of 

 culture and care must be employed. Among 

 other methods of pruning trees for small lots 

 is the fan system. By this method, the trees 

 are kept low and the branches are trained to 

 grow in two op(X5site directions, all others at 



right angles being cut off. The system ad- 

 mits of more trees on a given area, and at the 

 same time it allows inter-cropping one way be- 

 tween the trees. It also tends to produce bet- 

 ter quahty and color in the fruit, as the sun has 

 a better chance to do its work. This system is 

 being tried bv Mr. H. F. Baker, and Mr. J. W. 

 Brennan, of G.'imsby, and by others. 



Mr. Baker is experimenting also with a modi- 

 fication of the system, as he is growing peaches 

 trained fan-shaped on a wire trellis. The 

 branches are tied in position to the wires. The 

 trees are pruned so as to keep the new wood 

 well back and near the trunk. This system is 

 akin to that used by some French and ItaUan 

 gardeners in certain parts of their native lands; 

 it may be valuable for its purpose in our own. 



BLACKBERRIES FOR PROFIT. 



A modification of the hedge row system of 

 growing blackberries is adopted in the large 

 plantation of Mr. Newton Cossitt, Belvedere 

 Frtiit Farm, Grimsby. Instead of growing the 

 canes close together and in wide rows, Mr. 

 Cossitt thins them out to at least 8 in. apart 

 and keeps the canes in line as far as practic- 

 able. The main idea of the system is to have 

 a thin narrow row. Many advantages are 

 claimed for the system by Mr. Cossitt: 1. Ease 

 in cultivating and hoeing around the plants. 

 2. It facilitates the work of picking and mar- 

 keting. 3. Better quality of berries is secured, 

 due to energy of root system going to develop 

 one cane instead of half a dozen. 4. No loss 

 through immaturity in centre of rows, such as 

 sometimes occurs when rows are wide. 5. Nar- 

 row rows can be grown closer together, more 

 plants may be grown to the acre and, as a 

 consequence, a greater yield is secured. 



THE LONGHURST PEACH. 



In most peach orchards of the Niagara pen- 

 insula the Longhurst is grown in only small 

 quantities or it is discarded altogether. Many 

 growers object to this variety, claiming that it 

 is not profitable, that it requires too much care 

 and manure, and that the fruit is too "fuzzy" 

 and unattractive. On the other hand, there 

 are growers who contend that usually the Long- 

 hurst is not given a fair trial. 



Mr. J. W. Brennan, Grimsby, said that "the 

 Longhurst is one of the leading commercial 

 varieties grown, when pro]>erly taken care of. ' 

 It must be grown on sandy soil, well fertilized 

 and built up with cover crops. The tree re- 

 quires regular and systematic pruning; and, 

 above all, the fruit must be well thinned." 



The ideas of Mr. W. D. Culp, Beamsville, an- 

 other champion of the Longhurst, agree with 

 those of Mr. Brennan, except that Mr. Culp has 

 found better results from trees grown on soil 

 somewhat heavier than sand. Mr. Culp said 

 also: "The Longhurst yields annually, but is 

 inclined to overbear; to get size and quality, 

 it should be well pruned and the fruit thinned 

 every year. The 'fuzz' objected to by most 

 growers disappears as size is developed— a 

 large sized Longhurst is comparatively clean in 

 this respect." 



PLANTING SWEET CHERRIES. 



"Most growers use two-year old stock when 

 planting sweet cherries," said Mr. W. H.' Brand, 

 Jordan Station, "but, for an even stand, it is 

 better to plant one-year old trees. On trees 

 two years old, the fine root fibres are too far 



