THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



317 



Prince EdAvard Island Letter 



Rev. Father Burke, Alberton 



Looking over the year's operations in fruit 

 growing in this section, there is nothing too 

 cheerful in the retrospect. We came out of 

 winter conditions well last spring; so well, 

 indeed, as to have high hopes as to the result in 

 crop. The blossoming period rather buoyed up 

 these hopes; there was an abundance of flowers 

 everywhere, except on plums. The fixing time 

 opened our eyes to the possibiUty of only a 

 moderate return in fruit. Even the prospects of 

 those days were not to be maintained ; a further 

 falling off occurred. All through the summer 

 season, with its excessive drought, there was a 

 continuous dropping. Worms, despite the regu- 

 lar sprayings, were more numerous and persistent 

 in attack than usual, and contributed to the 

 abnormal amount of falling apples. When all 

 were gathered in, therefore, we had not yi oi a. 

 crop. "Too many blossoms exhaust trees as 

 badly as too much fruit," say the knowing; and 

 this largely is given as the cause of the shortage. 



Well-attended orchards are satisfying their 

 owners even this year. A few hundreds of barrels 

 of good apples are worth as much as twice the 

 quantity in full years. The samples put on the 

 markets from our own orchards are very credit- 

 able. Gravensteins from N.S. are smaller and 

 scabbier than usual this fall. There is nothing 

 like rigid inspection to elevate the moral standard. 



We have had a severe loss to our horticulture 

 in the death of our inspector-instructor, Mr. 

 Richard Burke. He was in his 76th year, but 

 nobody would have thought him half so old. 

 He had taken a deep and more than ordinary 

 interest, in fruit-growing from his early days; 

 indeed, he belonged to a family with a peculiar 

 taste for the studies which horticulture imposes. 

 He was at the beginning of all association work 

 here, and contributed his full share to the spread 

 and maintenance of the sane ideas it inculcated. 



Who can take his place with the same acceptance ? 

 He had knowledge and could impart it ; he had 

 unbounded faith in the fruit interests here, and 

 could inspire others with it; he understood his 

 official duties and fulfilled them scrupulously; 

 and still did not bother himself unduly with the 

 letter which killeth, but never interpreted the 

 spirit of the ordinances under which he worked, 

 and, therefore, helped the community he served 

 and the administration whose servant he was. 

 He was a model man, a lovable scientist, an 

 honest official, a public -spirited and self-sacrific- 

 ing citizen, and a model husband and parent. 

 Representing the horticulturists of P.E.I., we 

 are glad to acknowledge his worth before our 

 fellows of the Dominion. May he sleep well! 



The winter meets are on for this month. 

 Amherst leads off, Dec. 3-6; P.E.I. F.G.A. 

 meeting is posted for Dec. 10 and 11 at Char- 

 lottetown; and N.S. F.G.A. at Wolfville on 13 

 and 14. Those meetings are likely to be the 

 most important in the history of the assns. 

 holding them. The work done and left undone, 

 at Ottawa, will likely occupy an important 

 place on the Agenda paper. It is well that a 

 strict reckoning be kept of all these conventions. 



Several fines have been imposed for violating 

 the Fruit Marks Act. 



<r_ Up to Nov. 17 about 140,000 bbls. of apples 

 have been exported. The steamship people 

 handle the barrels carefully at the docks, and 

 few packages are broken or damaged. Prices in 

 the local markets range from $1.25 to $2 for 

 No. 2, and from $2.50 to $3.50 for No. 1, ac- 

 cording to variety. 



Nova Scotia Letter 



G. H. Vroom, D.F.I. , Middleton 



Nearly all apples are safely housed. Ship- 

 ments continue brisk from Halifax to the Old 

 Country markets, and satisfactory returns are 

 coming back for good clean fruit. The famous 

 N.S. Gravenstein is in disgrace in the foreign 

 market, due to the fact that it is badly spotted 

 this season; consequently, the price is low. 



There is an improvement in the N.S. pack 

 this year. The better thinking dealers and 

 growers realize the importance of getting their 

 fruit on the market in good condition. There 

 are a few, however, who are slow to learn. 



BritisK Columbia Letter 



C. p. Metcalfe, Hammond 

 Orchard trees are going into winter quarters in 

 good shape. Light frosts some weeks ago ripen- 

 ed the wood and defoUated the trees. It is a 

 good sign in this province to see the foliage drop 

 early, as it usually hangs on till late in the season, 

 indicating that the sap circulation is still going 

 on, and that the wood is not ripened and pre- 

 pared to withstand the sudden advent of winter 

 weather. 



The first winter spraying with double-strength 

 Bordeaux will soon be in order, to catch the 

 spores of fungous diseases; viz., "dead spot" or 

 "bark canker" {Gloeosporiummalicortis) on apple 

 trees, and the "brown rot" {Monilia fructi- 

 gena), in plums and cherries. Previous to the 

 spraying all mummied and decayed plums 

 should be gathered, and either burnt or buried, 

 to prevent the spread of the spores. Spraying 

 is not generally practised in this province, but is 

 coming to be recognized more as the benefits to 

 be derived become more apparent. If thorough 

 inspection of the orchards were made by the 

 provincial fruit pest inspectors, backed up by 

 practical and systematic demonstrations of 

 spraying, covering 2 or 3 years, on the part of our 

 Provincial Govt,, it would assist greatly in the 

 education of fruit growers. 



A special meeting under the auspices of the 

 B.C. Fruit Grs. Assn., was held in Vancouver, on 



APPLES WANTED 

 -FOR EXPORT- 



REPRESENTING 



JAMES ADAM, SON & CO., LIVERPOOL 



JAMES LINDSAY & SON, LIMITED, GLASGOW 



NORTARD & LOWE, LONDON 



MANCHESTER FRUIT BROKERS, LIMITED 



MANCHESTER 



These are the largest and most reliable 

 fruit merchants in Great Britain. Your 

 interest demands the securing of our 

 prices and terms of sale before sell- 

 ing your crop. . . . Write to-day 

 Market cables received every sale day 



Telephone Main 5131 



A. E. W.PETERSON 



APPLE BROKER 

 27 CHURCH STREET TORONTO 



Mention The Canadian Horticulturist wIhii writing 



THE IMPORTANCE OF 



Potash for all Fruit 

 and Garden Crops 



ought not to be underestimated by ORCHARDISTS 

 AND TRUCK FARMERS, whose object it is to make 

 the soil produce to the utmost of its capacity and yield 

 at the same time PRODUCE OF FIRST-RATE 

 QUALITY. DON'T FORGET THE FACT THAT 

 POTASH PROMOTES MATURITY and counteracts 

 the effect of an excessive amount of Nitrogen, 

 q STABLE MANURE contains too much Nitrogen in 

 proportion to its Potash and Phosphate, so that when 

 applying a dressing of Stable Manure some Potash and 

 Phosphate ought to be added as a balancer. While 

 Sulphate of Potash is (according to eminent authorities) 

 the form in which to apply POTASH to POTATOES, 

 TOBACCO and SUGAR BEETS, Muriate of Potash 

 will give equally good results with most other crops. 

 q POTASH in the highly concentrated forms of SUL- 

 PHATE OF POTASH AND MURIATE OF POTASH 

 is obtainable of all leading Fertilizer Dealers. 



Pamphlets treating of the cultivation and fertilization of all 

 crops on the farm will be sent FREE on application. 



Tke Dominion Agricultural Offices 

 of the Potash Syndicate 



104 Sparks Street - Ottawa, Ontario 



Mention The Canadian Horticulturist -when writing 



