Fruit Prospects on tKe WKole are Encouraging 



THK reports from crop correspondents this 

 month show that for most varieties of 

 fniit, prospects are encouraging, I'lumsare 

 going to be a very light crop everywhere. 

 Cherries, also, will !)e below the average. Along 

 the north shore of Lake Ontario and in Kastern 

 Ontario the frequent rains have caused damage 

 by fungous diseases. Winter killing of grapes 

 and small fruits is reiKjrted. The following 

 refxji ts will give a good idea of the situation' 



SOUTH-WESTERN ONTARIO 



Kent County.— The fruit crop with the ex- 

 ception of peaches and Japan plums, which 

 are almost a failure, l(X)ks quite promising. 



Siinmicr and fall apples promise a full crop. 

 Winter apples of many varieties are loaded, but 

 some varieties that bore heavily last season are 

 light. Pears promise a fairly good crop, although 

 perhaps not an extra heavy one. The plum 

 cro[) here, like the peaches, is only a small one at 

 best, and the Japanese varieties had their fruit 

 buds winter killed. The recent storm did much 

 damage in spots to fruit and other trees, up- 

 rooting a great many, and where hail accom- 

 panied it the fruit is somewhat marked and 

 iiruised. The apples appear to be free from 

 scab so far, whether on account of the season or 

 as a result of spraying, I cannot say. — W. D. 

 A. Ross. 



Lambton County. — Fruit prospects are for 

 a fair crop. Apples have set well and promise to 

 be a large crop in orchards that have received 

 proper attention, but have not set very well in 

 neglected orchards. On the whole it will be 

 twice as large as last year. Plums and peaches 

 are practically a failure. — D. Johnson. 



NIAGARA DISTRICT 



Fruit land. — Apples bloomed on about 50% of 

 the trees, and have set well, and are free from 

 insect and fungus damage, but twig blight 

 is seriously prevalent, especially on Greening. 

 It seems to have a special phase of attack on the 

 fruit spurs, and more especially on the heaviest 

 loaded trees, in many cases fully 4-5ths of the 

 crop being destroyed. The attack must have 

 occurred while in bloom. Many trees are still 

 dying from winter freeze of 1903-04, and from 

 the effects of the past wet seasons. Still the 

 crop from present indications will run an average 

 or as good as last pear Pears are heavy and 

 healthy looking, with some little fire-blight 

 appearing. Some pear psylla, but seems to 

 have been destroyed by the storm. Plums are 

 the lightest crop for years, with a Ught attack 

 of curculio the past few days, being much later 

 than usual. Sweet cherries have fallen heavily 

 the past few days, and only show a light crop 

 remaining. 



Sour cherries are much better, being a good 

 average and free from curculio. Peaches a 

 good crop and looking well, with no curl leaf 

 even where not sprayed. Currants, both black 

 and red, more than an average crop, but with bad 

 attack of aphis on blacks, which now seems to 

 be disappearing. All kinds of berries seem to 

 be looking well, the cool, showery weather being 

 especially favorable for strawberry development. 

 Oyster shell bark louse on sickly Baldwin apple 

 very prevalent last season seems to have been 

 largely parasitized, and will not be so bad this 

 year. The present showery weather will demand 

 thorough spraying now to save the apple crop 

 from fungus. Spraying is much more general 

 than ever before, and is being much better 

 done. There is another promising and beautiful 

 crop and healthy growth of Whitesmith goose- 

 berries, perfectly free from mildew by one 

 application of lime and sulphur as buds were 

 swelling. I think this will mean the successful 

 culture of the English varieties in this country. 

 Some of ours are so heavily laden that they are 

 lying on the ground at present writing with 

 fruit nearly an inch in diameter, and this 

 without other manure than hairy vetches 

 plowed down. — Joseph Tweddle. 



Grimsby. — On the whole we have an encourag- 

 ing prospect for fruit. Strawl>erries are re- 

 remarkably fine owing to the frequent showers. 

 Cherries, especially the pie cherries, have set 

 a very abundant crop; and the same may be said 

 of some kinds of sweet cherries. But with the 

 latter you never know what you have until 

 after the harvest, for such quantities are lost 

 with cherry rot. Plums are very jKJOr. There 

 are no Japan plums, and very few English 

 plums. Peaches are fine; the "June Drop" 

 is on them at present, and large quantities 

 are falling; but the result is a whole- 

 some thinning of the crop, otherwise too heavy. 

 Pears are. fine, abundant, clean, and growing 

 rapidly. Apples have set very well; but the 

 Baldwins and Greenings, which were heavy last 

 year, are very light. Spys show well, but Cran- 

 berry and some other varieties are suffering 

 from leaf blight. — Linus Woolverton. 



ST. CATHARINES 



The earlier predictions of a generous crop of 

 nearly all kinds of fruit seem in a fair way of 

 being carried out; everything looks very prom- 

 ising. The strawl:)erry acreage is not large, 

 but the weather is favorable for large berries, 

 and an extra yield. Raspberries are looking 

 extremely well Peaches, pears, plums and 

 apples, generally speaking, will be abundant. 

 Grapes are looking exceptionally fine; but, in 

 some cases, the leaf is showing slight symptoms 

 of the dreaded black rot. Timely spraying 

 with the Bordeaux mixture will prove almost 

 a specific if followed up at regular intervals. 

 The questions of suitable packages, and of the 

 rapid and careful transportation of our fruits 

 to the rapidly-increasing markets of our coun- 

 try, are such as will be found to be of vital im- 

 portance this year. — Wm. H. Bunting. 



H.\MII,TON 



Owing to the continuous excessive rains, 

 strawberries are not ripening very rapidly, 

 which will prolong the season. The acreage 

 grown this season is much less than 1905, 

 owing to the scarcity of plants last vear. The 

 open winter killed the plants to a great extent, 

 and, therefore, the prices of berries will remain 

 firm. The canning factories are paying $1.25 

 a crate of 24 boxes, having made contracts 

 early in the year, and as the grower gets his 



crates and boxes back this is considered a good 

 price, and is equal to $1.45 shipping. The 

 market price varies according to quality from 

 $1.50 for Beder Wood, Micliael's Early and 

 Crescent, and other soft varieties to $1.75 and 

 $2 for V\'illiams, Brandywine and Dunlop, 

 which are the l>est commercial berries for ship- 

 ping and preserving purposes; the average low- 

 est price will l)e about $1..50 a crate. Cherries 

 will follow strawberries, and will Ije an abund- ; 

 ant crop, particularly Early Richmond and 

 Montmorency, which are the two l)est varieties 

 for preserving. They are coloring nicely, but 

 should the present rains continue, rotting is to 

 be feared; the price will run about 75c. a 11 qt. 

 bskt. The acreage of cherries is on the increase. 

 Raspberries will be an abundant crop with the 

 exception of early varieties, w hich are not show- 

 ing up very well. Marlljoro', an early variety, 

 and Cuthbert for late, are the preferred sorts. 

 Price contracted by canning factories is $1.00 

 a crate of 24; acreage is a little on the increase 

 — ^Jas. A. Stevens. 



NORTHERN ONTARIO 



Clarksburg. — The south shore of Georgian 

 Bay promises a very good crop of apples. 

 Nearly all varieties well represented except 

 Baldwins, which are rather Ught. Greenings 

 are unusually heavy. Both Ben Davis and Spy 

 are full crop. Pears were showing to better 

 advantage a week ago, but are still very fair, 

 and not likely to drop much more. Cherries 

 appear to be full crop and quality better than 

 usual. Pliuiis are a complete failure, but 

 probably on account of trees all being old, and no 

 new" plantations being made lately. On the 

 whole the situation is most encouraging. — J. 

 G. Mitchell. 



EASTERN ONTARIO 



Durham County. — The fruit crops should be 

 about as follows: Apples of all kinds very good, 

 equal to or better than last year. Pears a liglit 

 crop. Cherries, sweet varieties a complete 

 failure; Montmorency and other sour varieties 

 a medium crop. Plums of all kinds are a com- 

 plete failure. Grapes are nearly all killed to the 

 ground. Currants and gooseberries a good 

 crop. Raspberries and blackberries only me- 

 dium. Strawberries good, but not many plant- 

 ed. I think the unusuallv mild winter caused 



INSURANCE 



The very best kind of Insurance — i.e., provision for the 

 future as well as the present, is a Savings Account in 



We 



SOVEREIGN BANK 



OF CANADA 



Interest paid four times a year. 



$ 1 .00 will open an account 



Put your money in a place where 

 you can get it when you want it 



57 BRANCHES THROUGHOUT THE DOMINION 



Jlentioii The Canadian Horticulturist when writing. 



