Condition of Vegetable Crops in Ontario 



T 



mi following reports have txrcn received 

 from tile crop correspondents in Ontario 

 of the Ontario Vegetable Growers 

 Association ; 



TORONTO 



lIiiintK-r Hay, Although the season was very 

 late, the ground has worked up well, and the 

 vegetable growers have got a move on, and it 

 is wonderful to see how well the crops are 

 looking and how forward they arc. Asparagus 

 cutting is in i)rogress, rather light croj) as yet. 

 Rhubarb is rather late this season, and has held 

 its |)rice well. There will not \k more than 

 half the (|uantity there was last year from this 

 district on account of the large amount lifted 

 last fall for winter forcing. Pull light and keep 

 the price up to 20c. per doz. Peas are up and 

 lookmg well, but in small lots. I.ar^e lots of 

 early cabbage are planted and domg well. 

 Karly l)ects, to all apjX'arance, are growing 

 fine,' and will be a large crop. Dutch se»s are 

 doing well, being planted in large quantities. 

 Some very early ones were ready for market 

 by May 24. Spring spinach is well forward 

 and if the weather continues warm will be ready 

 by June 1. Big supplies of lettuce and radishes 

 froiTi greenhouses and hotbeds arc still on the 

 market. Outside radishes will Ix- ready for 

 pulling the last week of May. There arc large 

 (piantities of early celery planted. — J. W. Rush. 



liracondale. — Crops are not looking as well 

 as usual, owing to the dry, cold weather. The 

 transplanted beets, of which there are a greater 

 number than formerly, are looking well, as are 

 also the transplanted lettuce, but the seed 

 beets and carrots are very poor. Spring 

 spinach is doing very well; growers started to 

 cut May 17, the price being $1 per bush. Out- 

 side radishes are very good, growers are pulling 

 them at ;{0c. to 40c. jjer doz. We are long on 

 rhubarb at any old price. Asparagus has suf- 

 fered through the cold weather. There are a 

 number of new teds being planted. The onion 

 sets will be ready for marketing by the end 

 of this week; they are doing very nicely. — A. W. 

 Shuter. buruingTon 



Asparagus and rhubarb have not been as 

 abundant as last season, the weather having been 

 too cool and damp, but prices have been good. 

 Asparagus up to date has averaged $1 per doz., 

 and rhubarb 3,")C. per doz. About the same 

 acreage of early jiotatoes as usual has been 

 planted, and they are coming along nicely. 

 More unions than usual will be grown; they are 

 doing nicely. Cabbage is growing rapidly, but 

 not a great deal has been put out. Cauliflower 

 will be about the same as usual. All of the 

 vegetables grown under glass for outside planting 

 are in advance of last season, but owing to the 

 weather very little has been planted out as yet. 

 Tomatoes, both early and late, will lie exten- 

 sively planted. Commercial fertilizers are being 

 freely used by most of the gardeners. — J. A. 

 Lindiey. scotl.^nd 



There will he about the same acreage of 

 vegetables as last year. About 150 acres of 

 onions have been planted. The plants have 

 come up nicely and the growers have started 

 through them with the weed hoes. Some 

 cucuml)ers are being grown for pickles. 



The season is very backward and a good 

 many seeds that were sown a month ago have 

 not yet made their appearance above ground. 

 Tomato planting is teing delayed. Some that 

 were planted were frozen, but the bulk of the 

 crop is not yet planted in the field. There has 

 been a plentiful supply of lettuce, the demand 

 for which has lieen increasing very rapidly of 

 late years. Ten years ago very little lettuce 

 was sold, and most of it was imported from 

 Detroit. Now, hundreds of pounds are sold 

 weekly, and nearly all home grown. Radishes 



(outdoor) have just made their appearance, 

 but are very small in size and rpiantity. Onions 

 are looking well, but are making very slow 

 growth. Asparagus is plentiful, and a very 

 good size. Strawberries are looking very prom- 

 ising; some of the early blossoms were frozen, 

 but the later ones are only just appearing. 

 Potato planting is progressing; some early ones 

 are making their apj^arancc. Market prices 

 are as follows: Lettuce, wholesale, 15c. jier lb.; 

 retail, 20c. per lb. ; bunch of IS radishes, 50c. i^er 

 doz. wholesale, 5c. bunch retail; potatoes Si 

 Iier bag; bunch, 8 in. circumference, asparagus, 

 50c. per doz. wholesale; 6e. bunch retail. — I<red 



C""i"S- NAPANEE 



There will be a marked increase in the acreage 

 of potatoes, tomatoes and unions, owing to the 

 high prices. Potatoes are worth .$1 to $1.25 

 per bag, 90 lbs., according to quality. Onions 

 are very scarce, and are worth for good sample 

 $1 per bush. There is a very large acreage of 

 tomatoes, mostly contracted to Napanee Can- 

 ning Co. at 25c. per bush, of 60 lbs. Other 

 vegetables are about the same as other seasons. 

 No new growers — at least, I could not find any — 

 E.M. Sherman. Kingston 



Vegetation in almost every line is 2 to 3 

 weeks behind last season's condition at this 

 date. On the night of May 20 we had a severe 

 frost. Early potatoes, beans, etc., just showing 

 above ground perished. Tomatoes have not 

 been taken from the beds, and from present 

 appearances will not be for some time. Cab- 

 bages already out are making no progress, ex- 

 cept in very favorable locations where soil is 

 a good depth and the rays of the sun reach 

 them directly. Small seeds, such as onions, 

 carrots and parsnips are in some instances above 

 ground and waiting an opportunity to go further. 

 A heavy rain fell May 1.3 that formed a crust 

 on soils of a cloggy nature. The Egyptian, or 

 perennial, onion seems to make satisfactory 

 progress, and can be marketed. Lettuce taken 

 from the beds and placed in favored spots is 

 making no progress. In quoting prices by 

 quantity on Kingston market, potatoes sell at 

 90c. to $1 per bag; onions, last year's growth, 

 20c. to 25c. per peck; exceptionally good ones 

 may reach 40c. per peck. Green onions are 

 sold only in bunch, and are offered at 40c. to 

 50c. per doz. bchs. Lettuce and rhubarb are 

 offered in same form and sell at a similar price. 

 No increase in area for vegetables is noticeable, 

 though a better system of cultivation, aided by 

 more favorable conditions of weather, will prob- 

 ably lead to an increased yield compared with 

 previous seasons. — Chas. F. Adair. 



PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY 



The acreage of beans, turnips and tomatoes 

 will be larger this year than last. Corn, peas 

 and berries will be less than last year. As this 

 county is surrounded by water it makes all 

 vegetables late. We had frost May 20. — 

 Stephen Lake, West Lake. 



Doncaster. — There will lie very little change 

 in the crops grown this season. There will 

 probably be rather more celery grown than 

 last year. Some of the gardeners are dropping 

 seed onions altogether, so that the acreage of 

 onions will lie rather less than last year, but it 

 will not Ije a great decrease. 



Early potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and other 

 common crops will be grown in about the usual 

 quantity. The season is rather backward for 

 early vegetables. While bunched onions and 

 rhubarb are very plentiful, asparagus, radishes 

 and spinach are coming in in very limited quan- 

 tities, most of the fall spinach having been 

 killed out during the winter. — C. Gibbard. 



NIAGARA F.\LLS SOUTH 



Planting of early sweet corn, squash, beans, 

 cucumbers, melons about completed. Several 



risky ones setting out early timiatoes, Jiepi" 

 and egg plants. Cold winds and weather of t 

 fore part of May retarded the growth of e;ii 

 garden stuff, slight injury Ix'ing inflicted : 

 .3 or 4 white frosts week of Mav 20. Ton 

 toes, corn, lieans and beets are bei'ng contract' 

 for canning factories at last year's prii. 

 Although there is a new factory starting at ,- 

 David's there will be a considerable decre.: 

 in acreage planted under contract. A gn 

 scarcity of late tomato plants prevails whi 

 will further decrease the acreage generni 

 planted. Labor is more plentiful than for i. 

 seasons past. — Thos. R. Stokes. 



LEAMINGTON 



Early cabbage is growing nicely' and shoul<l 

 be on the market some time during the last nl 

 June, The cold season has had its effect in 

 holding back the crop which usually is rea<i 

 for market about June 15. Wax lieans ;ii 

 sweet corn are growing very well. Toniat. 

 are lieing planted in the fields and are looki- 

 well. The outlook is for a decided increase 

 the shipments from this part of the Provii: 

 if the growing sea.son is satisfactory. Sevc 

 new growers are in the field this year wiiji 

 several thousand more plants, and this means 

 a considerable increase. Some who grew tlif'" 

 last season are out of it, not having rccei\^ 

 enough for their crops to pay for their plan 

 Considerable lettuce has been shipped, the pri. 

 being 12J4c. to I.to, vpt lb. — E. E. Adams. 



Items of Interest 



The Distributors' Co., Ltd., fruit and produce 

 dealers, of Colborne St., Toronto, have assigneii 

 paying only 68 cts. on the dollar. This cm 

 pany had been in operation for a little over a yc 



At Hamilton recently. Magistrate Jeffs fined 

 a farmer named Morrow $5 for offering short 

 weight potatoes on the market. Nine bags »t • 

 confiscated. The total loss to the farn 

 amounted to about $15. 



The fruit growers of Norfolk county ha\L- 

 formed an association for coojieration in pack 

 ing and selling fruit and to encourage the spra 

 ing, fertilizing and cultivation of their plani. 

 tions. The following officers were appointed 

 Pres., Jas. Symington; vice-pres., W. F. Olds; 

 exec, com., J. E. Johnson, J. Gilbertson, Robt 

 Waddle, W. F. Olds, Jas. Symington; manager 

 and sec.-treas., Jas. E. Johnson. Norfolk county 

 growers produce fruit of good quality, and it is 

 expected that with projjer care in growing and 

 packing they will lie rewarded by an increased 

 demand and higher prices. 



In order that the members of The Toronti' 

 Horticultural Society may become better ac- 

 quainted with their president, a hearty invita- 

 tion has been extended to them to spend the 

 evening of June 27, from 7 to 10 o'clock, at his 

 home, corner of Danforth and Pape Avenues 

 The members will see, also, what Pres. H. R. 

 Frankland knows about horticulture. 



In the trade and commerce report of May 7. 

 Commercial Agent Sontum, of Christiana, Nor- 

 way, states that the Pomolog[ical Assn. of Sweden 

 was arranging to get a free distribution office, 

 which would serve as a medium between the 

 producer and the consumer. In preparing for 

 this move an endeavor is being iiiade to bring 

 the seller and the buyer in direct touch with 

 each other in a practical way; Last summer 

 circulars were sent to the memliers and large 

 fruit growers enquiring how much fruit each had 

 to sell and the price expected. Blank sheets 

 were tilled out and returned to the assn., and the 

 sellers awaited orders direct from the buyers. 

 Much fruit was disposed of in this way to the 

 satisfaction of both. Recently a fruit office has 

 been started and fruit is received for direct sale 

 or for storage, being sold on a commission basis. 

 Strict attention will be paid to foreign markets. 

 All fruit is sold by weight. 



