162 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



ApplesNot the Most Profitable 



"The low price of apples in the Niagani dis- 

 trict, most years," sai(i Mr. Adolphus Pctlit, of 

 Grimsby, to The Horticulturist, "demon- 

 strates that apples are not the most profitable 

 crop for large growers, when land is worth $300 

 to $500 an acre, as it is in the Niagara district, 

 and prices for apples are such as they have been 

 during the past few years. Other crops, such 

 as pears and grapes, are much more profitable 

 in districts where they can be grown success- 

 fully. 



"Fifteen years ago I had about 20 acres in 

 apples. At that time we only got a crop every 

 three or four years. We were unable to grow 

 any Baldwins. A well-known grower told me 

 that at that time the best orchard would not 

 average over one barrel jier tree yearly. As I 

 found [jeacli trees, planted every alternate row 

 in my apple orchard, were paying me consider- 

 ably the best, I gradually cut out the apple 

 trees and substituted peaches. In one of my 

 peach orchards I have hardly missed two crops 

 during the last lo years, while for 10 years I 

 have not lost a crop in the second orchard. 



"1 have never sold my peaches for less than 

 27i cents per basket, while in 1904 the price ran 

 as high as 80 cents i«:r basket wholesale. Apples 

 to pay as well would need to realize the grower 

 at least $2 per barrel. It has seemed to me 

 that I have reahzed as much from one of my 

 peach orchards in the last 10 years as an 

 apple orchard of the same extent would have 

 netted in 30 years." 



THe Frviit Tariff 



E. Morden, Niagara Falls South 



It is possible that fruit growers in asking 

 for an increase of the tariff are acting with- 

 out sufficient information. Has it been shown 

 that the ordinary summer fruits of New York 

 and Michigan enter Ontario and compete with 

 similar fruits in their season of ripeness to as 

 great an extent as do ours in their markets? No 

 one, so far as I can hear, has ever attempted to 

 do this. Let us remember that this Dominion 

 has 4,000 miles of frontier, and that it includes 

 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, British 

 Columbia and other Provinces that do not look 

 to Ontario for their fruit supplies. They never 

 will do so. Let us remember that in winter, 

 spring and early summer we necessarily import 

 largely from the south. Let us remember that 

 bananas, oranges and lemons come in for twelve 

 months in the year either free or with a very 

 light duty, and that these fruits really do injure 

 our fruit industry very seriously,whiIe apparently 

 no one is asking for an increase in their case. 



When we take the entire fruit imports of the 

 Dominion for a year the sum total looks large 

 and fearful fruit growers conclude that we have 

 undue competition. 



Duripg the fiscal year ending June 30, 1905, 

 imporfe of green fruits were as follows: 

 Bridgeburg, $407; Niagara Falls, Ont., $6,339; 

 Samia, $8,868; Windsor, $17,303, giving a total 

 of $32,917. . How much of this amount repre- 

 sents similar fruits that came in to compete with 

 our fruits in their season of ripeness we know 

 not. We do know that by far the greater por- 

 tion consists of distinctly southern fruits, such 

 as oranges, lemons, bananas and pineapples that 

 come at all seasons, and of early fruits from the 

 south that cannot compete with our similar 

 fruits not yet ripe. 



During 1904, Buffalo imported from Ontario 

 as follows: Berries, 118,558 quarts, valued at 

 $8,636, and apples valued at $1,305. The fol- 

 lowing figures are for the year ending June 30, 

 1905, and are below former years in most 

 cases. Niagara Falls, N.Y., imported 123,161 

 quarts of berries, valued at $8,841, 768 

 bushels of apples, valued at $410, writh some 

 cherries and other fruits. In July and August 

 of this year, with a short Canadian raspberry 

 <^rop, Niagara Falls, N.Y., took 72,120 quarts, 

 valued at $5,095. Detroit took up to June 30, 

 berries valued at $5,396; apples, $1,511; pears 



and cherries, $1,843. At Port Huron fruits to 

 the value of $7,536 were imi«rtcd. 



These points are directly in front of the best 

 fruit growing sections of New York and Michi- 

 gan. The sum total of these Canadian exports 

 at the.sc four points is $.35,478. Our fruits com- 

 pete directly with similar fruits in New York 

 and Michigan, and in doing so face a specific 

 duty that has been generally condenmed by 

 Canadians. When Canadian fruit growers can 

 show that the Americans are invading our mark- 

 ets with similar fruits to a greater extent than 

 we invade their market, they may decently dis- 

 cuss a tariff increase. Can it be shown? The 

 challenge is open ! 



Trade in Fruit -witK Australia 



Harry H. Davey, Melbourne,' Australia 



There are chances for Ontario to supply 

 Australia with fruit, but the railage from 

 Toronto would generally prevent any profit. 

 British Columbia can supply us. We received 

 Canadian apples in Sydney, Melbourne and New 

 Zealand November 20, 1904, and also tested a 

 few sample lots. They were much liked, and a 

 few thousand bushels in good condition could 

 be sold per week in Melbourne, Sydney and 

 New Zealand to begin with. The lots received 

 were consigned by Mr. J. E. Chipman, Van- 

 couver, B.C. They sold up to 17s. per bushel 

 of 40 pounds. 



Canadian apples can only obtain a market 

 from about October 30 to January 12 in each 

 year; pears from July to January. Most other 

 fruits would find bare markets because of an 

 opposite season. 



Cold storage in steamships from Vancouver is 

 60s. per ton. To this add freight from Toronto 

 and other charges, and you will see how the 

 matter looks. If Ontario growers can do some- 

 thing to promote this trade we shall be glad to 

 know and to reciprocate with Australian choice 

 fruits when your markets are bare of local sup- 

 plies. Mr. J. E. Chipman, Vancouver, will be 

 glad to work with Ontario growers in the mat- 

 ter of freight rates from Toronto to Vancouver 

 for Canadian fruit, and from Vancouver to To- 

 ronto for Australian fruit in the reverse season. 



Much can be done with small packages of 

 choice fruits, well ventilated and kept at an 

 average temperature of not more than 40 de- 

 grees nor less than 34 degrees Fahrenheit. 



Fruit Trade ^witK France 



A. McNeill, Chief of Fruit Division 



Several French firms have been buying Can- 

 adian apples in a small way for a number of 

 years. The trade has grown somewhat irregu- 

 larly until last year, when it formed a very 

 marked feature of the business. The French 

 trade demands a fairly firm apple, such as the 

 Russet, Ben Davis or Stark, a class of apple ' 

 that is increasing very rapidly as the newer 

 plantations come into bearing. Unfortunately, 

 the French buyers in a few instances fell into 

 the hands of the apple sharks, and the reputa- 

 tion of Canadian fruit suffered accordingly. As 

 the buyers increase in experience the trade is 

 likely to assume large proportions. 



The following extract from a letter to the 

 Fruit Division has been received from a prom- 

 inent Paris firm: "We are able to say that gen- 

 erally speaking the fruit marked XXX is all 

 right, there being only four or five per cent, of 

 the barrels wasted in this mark. In XX fruit 

 there is a larger proportion of wasted apples. 

 Many packers leave in this brand apples that 

 should be placed in the X brand, so that the XX 

 mark cannot be depended on. Canadian XXX 

 fruit can be sold in the original package, which 

 is not usual in the French trade, but we are 

 ojjliged to resort all the XX grade. If Cana- 

 dian packagers would pay as much attenrion 

 to the packing of XX fruit as they pay to the 

 packing of XXX fruit, their apples would meet 

 with a greater demand than those from the 

 United States, which do not reach us in as good 

 condition." 



This finn also referred to the very greiit dif 

 ference in the weight of barrels, noting that 

 they varied from 165 to 150 pounds gross, 

 partly as the result of different varieties, but 

 mostly as the result of lack of uniformity in 

 the size of the barrels. 



There is a very strong argument in this let- 

 ter in favor of a definition of No. 2 apples as 

 well as for uniformity in the size and weight of 

 the package. These two points have often 

 been referred to as ones that it would l>e de- 

 sirable to have settled, but it is only when an 

 actual customer in a foreign land marks them 

 out as real hindrances to trade that the full 

 force of the arguments in favor of these re- 

 forms comes home to the Canadian fruit grower. 



Fruit Gro-win^ in BritisH 

 Columbia 



J. C. Cooper, Brampton, Ont 



Probably no industry of British Columbia has 

 been so full of surprising results as fruit grow- 

 ing. ' By leaps and bounds it has emerged from 

 comparative insignificance until now tons upon 

 tons of delicious fruits are shipped annually to 

 the prairie districts as far east as Winnipeg, 

 netting the growers handsome i)rofits. 



The observing traveller, steaming along the 

 beautiful mountain lakes, although overwhelmed 

 with the grandeur of the scenery, finds it hard 

 to understand where any fruit could grow. A 

 short distance up from the lake, however, there 

 are large tracts of level, fertile soil. The lux- 

 uriant growth of the trees and the choice qual- 

 ity of the fruit convince the sightseer of the 

 adaptabiUty of these tracts for fruit culture. 

 The soil is kept very rich and constantly moist- 

 ened by the little mountain springs trickling 

 down from the higher parts. 



It was my good fortune to be at Nelson dur- 

 ing the annual fruit show, and examine a large 

 quantity of fine specimens from these orchards. 

 Apples, peaches, plums and pears, as well as a 

 large display of excellent vegetables, were in 

 splendid assortmeht from the various districts, 

 and as the president pointed out the results 

 from each I was struck by the magnitude and 

 unlimited |X)ssibilities of this productive ter- 

 ritory. 



Several boxes of fruit packed ready for ship- 

 ment were on exhibition, and were a great 

 credit to the growers. They make a specialty 

 of this department, and a large portion of their 

 success is due to this fact. Many Ontario 

 growers might well profit by their example. 



Remembering that this industry is of very 

 recent development, we may hope to see it yet 

 eclipse even the mining and lumbering re- 

 sources. 



Great Britain's Demands 



While in Toronto last fall Mr. Thos. Russell 

 one of Glasgow's leading fruit dealers, in 

 an interview with The Horticulturist, said: 

 "There has been a great improvement in the 

 packing of Canadian fruit during the past 

 few years, and the eight-hooped barrel is far 

 ahead of the one with only six hoops. Noth- 

 ing but the very best fruit should be sent to 

 Glasgow in boxes. Even No. 1 should be sent 

 in limited quantities, as only a small supply is 

 wanted for first-class customers. 



"The Canadian Government should have a 

 more definite standard for number two fruit. 

 Very frequently apples are sent to us marked 

 XX when the fruit is not at all uniform, and 

 sometimes nothing but trash. Canadian grow- 

 ers should not attempt to export number three 

 fruit. \\'e like to see frtiit nicely packe^. The 

 finer the packing the more money is made, 

 whereas poor packing means low profit or per- 

 haps none." 



The life histories of the common insects 

 found on vegetables, fruit and shade trees in 

 Ontario are outUned in the report of the ento- 

 mologist and botanist of the Central Experi- 

 mental Farm, Ottawa. 



