262 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Notes from DritisH Columbia 



C. p. Metcalfe, Hammond 

 The plum shipiiieiils arc over and have beeii 

 fairly profitable for the growers. If losses 

 occurred it was from luck of knowledge of the 

 market. Growers ship too much to the large 

 centres, and as a result the prices are seriously 

 affected. It is not a question of a limit to the 

 market in the north-west provinces, but the 

 lack of proper distribution. The quality of 

 the fruit this year has been superior, owing to 

 favorable climatic conditions. It is a matter 

 of observation that orchards which have never 

 been sprayed or much attention given to thera 

 have produced a greater profxjrtion of clean 

 fruit. A notable feature this year has been 

 the second bloom and crop of strawberries and 

 blackberries; especially Senator Dunlop and 

 Magoon in strawberries, and Lawton in l)lack- 

 berries. Drought seriously shortened the first 

 crop of cane blackberries, and later the fall 

 rains developed a second crojj. 

 , Kxhibitions are in full swing just now. Smaller 

 ix)ints as well as the larger are holding their 

 shows. I think it a mistake the multiplica- 

 tion of ,so many small shows, all drawing their 

 government appropriation, in this province, 

 which could be spent to better advantage in 

 the cooperation of the people in the making 

 of municipal or district exhibits at the larger 

 exhibitions. The test or success of a show is 

 not in the amount of its gate receipts, but in 

 the impetus given to the development of the 

 various industries in the districts. 



The provincial government is purchasing and 

 forwarding fruit for an exhibit from B.C., to 

 be shown at the exhibition of colonial fruits, 

 to be held under the auspices of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society at Vincent Square, Lon- 

 don, in Dec. next. Last year the B.C. exhibit 

 of fruit carried off the gold medal against all 

 exhibitors. 



Prince Edward Island Letter 



Rev. Father Burke 



It is now painfully evident that the fair 

 promise of an abundant apple crop in spring 

 was nothing short of an ignis jatuus. There 

 will be a very short crop; and short, too, in 

 the late varieties, which we can least afford 

 to do without. There was an abundance of 

 bloom — one seldom saw such a display — but 

 the fixing was exceedingly light; and even 

 the light early crop was cut in two twice by 

 faUing fruit in the first stages, and by the de- 

 fects due to prevalence of insects. Spies will 

 be very scarce, so will Ben Davis, which never 

 before failed to give us a pretty generous re- 

 turn. There are fair returns from the earlies — 

 the Transparents, Duchess and Astrachan, but 

 even those have fallen to only a medium crop, 

 even where well looked after, because of the 

 drought. 



There is a difference of opinion as to what 

 has caused the failure after the flower promise 

 of spring. We thought it was the cold, wet, 

 dark weather that influenced the late varieties 

 here. East, though, which has a difference of 

 a week or 10 days, had fair weather for pollen 

 distribution, and we are assured by our secty. 

 of the F.G.A., Mr. Dewar, a close observer, 

 that this could not have affected them. He 

 said: "We had too much bloom. It com- 

 pletely covered the trees, and I think exhausted 

 their vitality to fix." Be this as it may, this 

 will be a very slack apple year with us. 



We have just been to Charlottetown to 

 hold conference with Com. Ruddick on fruit 

 interests. He had come from N.S., having 

 gone to Evangeline land to consult with the 

 fruit men there. He informed us that the 

 ■how of fruit was anything but abundant in 

 N.S. Maritime Canada is likely to have a 

 short crop generally. 



We had pleasure in Mr. Ruddick's \isit, 

 officially, for he has undertaken to straighten 

 out many things long in demand among us. 

 We are to have a permanent inspector-in- 



structor like the rest of the world, and the 

 "Personal Visitation Campaign," long advo- 

 cated by us, and only put into oix;ration in 

 fits and starts, will be now formally under- 

 taken. Then, we arc to have the packing 

 demonstrations by western exjierts which last 

 year, under Mr. Boies, opened the eyes of 

 eastern fruitmcn. We have further assur- 

 ances that the recommendations of last March's 

 conference at Ottawa will be carried out. 

 The barrel decision will go to I'arlianicnt next 

 session and l)e made law; the box-jiackage 

 legislation, not so definite, will receive atten- 

 tion; the formation of national work in pub- 

 lications will Ik assumed, and much close at- 

 tention given transportation problems. 



Those power-sprayers, the Commissioner 

 thinks, are not giving the satisfaction necessary 

 to their continuance — they are not, he thinks, 

 suitable to maritime conditions; and, there- 

 fore, we have little hope of a proximate favor- 

 able solution of the disagreeable spraying 

 business. Next year all will certainly have to 

 spray Uke demons, or with all these insect 

 pests, old and new, fostered by the exceptional 

 season, we will be ruined. Make up your 

 mind to that. We arc glad Com. Ruddick 

 came to talk over matters with us, and believe 

 good results will accrue, from such conference, 

 to the fruit interests of the maritime provinces. 



Apple Prices Good 



The Ontario Cooperative Fruit Growers' 

 Association held a meeting in Toronto recently, 

 with the president, A. E. vSherrington, of Walic- 

 erton, in the chair. Comparison of reports 

 showed that there would be no difficulty about 

 selling apples this year. Indications pointed 

 towards good prices. The apples grown by 

 the affiliated associations are particularly good 

 in quality, scab and insect injury being less 

 noticeable than for many years. Packing in 

 central packing houses, under the supervision 

 of experts, will ensure a uniform high-class 

 "pack." The fruit division at Ottawa has 

 promised to have the fruit of the association 

 specially inspected and protected. 



The association does not intend to be in a 

 hurry to sell winter apples. A number of 

 buyers have written from the Old Country 

 expressing their intention of coming to Canada 

 to buy. This and the fact that Canadian buy- 

 ers are anxious to secure fruit that is packed 



by the co(ji)crative plan, will have the effect 

 of materially stiffening prices. It is proposed 

 soon to change the name of the association, 

 as the present name is confused by the public 

 with that of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation, which is an educational organization, 

 not commercial. 



Export of Apples 



"We read and hear on all sides re|KiTts of 

 apples arriving during the past winter in the 

 old country in bad condition," said R. C. Fow- 

 ler, of Burlington. "These reports usually lay 

 the blame on the packer which, in my opinion, 

 is not always fair. I can cite definite cases in 

 my own experience, and in the case of many 

 others, where the fault lay not with the man 

 who put up the goods, but with the railway 

 that first took delivery — and in our case with 

 the G.T.R. 



"Seldom, if ever, are the railway facilities 

 for carrying apples what they should be. More 

 than once during the past season I was forced 

 to place apples in cars that were like ovens. 

 The apples had to go, and I had to lake what- 

 ever cars were offered me. It is not surprising 

 that apples arrive at their destination in bad 

 condition, when they start in cars poorly ven- 

 tilated, and hot enough to roast them. It 

 seems that the fruit grower must suffer for 

 carelessness and negligence on the part of the 

 railways." 



A well-prepared and well-illustrated catalog of 

 bulbs and seeds is that recently sent out for the 

 fall of 1906 by Arthur T. Boddington, seedsman, 

 New York City. In it the bulbs are divided into 

 2 sections, bulbs for planting out of doors and 

 bulbs for growing inside. This arrangement 

 avoids confusion and will be met with the ap- 

 proval of amateur and professional aUke. Send 

 for a copy. 



It is an open question with many growers 

 whether the introduction of Japanese plums has 

 after all been very beneficial to the trade gen- 

 erally, from the fact that it is believed that the 

 San Jose scale was brought into this country at 

 the same time, and also, from their great pro- 

 ductiveness and somewhat indifferent quality, 

 they have to some extent destroyed the market 

 for the better class of European and American 

 plums. — W. H. Bunting, St. Catharines. 



INSURANCE 



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

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



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 



Mention The Canadian Horticulturist when writing. 



