THE ST. CATHARINES MEETING. 



Fig 1496. — Mr. A. M. Smith 



The President said that at the In- 

 dustrial there were open classes for 

 Societies, and the restrictions were for 

 individual exhibits only Mr. McNeill 

 wished it were possible to return to those 

 classic days when exhibits were made 

 for honor, and not for mere money 

 gain. Mr. Caston said he had seen at the 

 Industrial some of those professional 

 exhibitors who buy up fruit for exhibi- 

 tion at smaller fairs for the purpose of 

 sweeping off the prize money. The 

 opinion seemed to prevail that it was 

 best to remove all restrictions at pro- 

 vincial, or international fairs, but to 

 strictly enforce them at local fairs. 



THE RINGING OF GRAPES 



for exhibitions was also discussed, be- 

 cause some judges were said to throw 

 out a plate of grapes from competition 

 that showed evidence of having been 

 produced by ringing. Mr. Whyte claim- 

 ed that such grapes were inferior in 

 quality, though of enlarged size, and the 

 Judge would simply need to consider 



all these points in giving his award. Mr. 

 Huggard claimed that exhibitors should 

 be allowed to fertilize, thin, ring, or treat 

 their fruit in any way they may choose, 

 in order to produce fine samples for 

 exhibitions. Mr. A. H. Pettit thought 

 that if ringed grapes were to be thrown 

 out, the Judges should be compelled to 

 ticket them with the reason, else the 

 public would be puzzled over the awards. 

 Prof. Macoun, of Ottawa, read a 

 paper on " Russian Fruits." This 

 gentleman is a son of Prof. Macoun, the 

 Dominion Botanist, and has been for 

 some time Assistant to Dr. Saunders 

 at the Central Experimental Farm. 

 On the resignation of Prof. Craig, he 

 was appointed Horticulturist. He in- 

 vited suggestions from the Ontario fruit 

 men as to the various lines of work by 

 which he could assist their industry. 

 He had found the Russian Morello 

 cherries to have especial value for the 

 Northern districts, and at Ottawa they 

 were much sought after in the local 

 market. He especially commended the 

 Koslov Morello, which was imported by 

 the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association 

 in 1889, and of which a couple of dozen 

 trees had been forwarded to the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm by the Secre- 

 tary for test. Mr. Woolverton said he 

 had a few trees of this lot of cherries 

 now in bearing in his orchard. They 

 had been sent him by Mr. Jaroslav 

 Niemetz, of Winnitza Podolie, Russia, 

 who commended them very highly, be- 

 cause they bear early, and are quite 

 productive. They are rather to be 

 called bushes than trees, for at fifteen 

 years of age Mr. Niemetz stated they only 

 reached three feet in height. Those at 

 Maplehurst now eight years planted, are 

 still bushes, but the fruit is good, much 

 like English Morello, but later ; and 

 being bushes, they may be planted in 

 rows like raspberry bushes. 



