FOL'RrEEXTII AXXfAL MEETIXC. 



95 



from the small area of seven ihnusaiul acres, of, if i)Ut into 

 a solid hloek, wiuiKl l)e a square of only three and one-ft)urth 

 miles. In oompariny- with this 550.000 the crop of the lar5;e 

 [)rovince of (Ontario, which was estimated for the same year 

 by the Ap])le Shippers' Association, was 547,000 barrels, 

 Maine 500.000. Massachusetts 132,000, Pennsylvania 173,000, 

 Ohio 240,000. In the season of 1901 it is claimed that more 

 apples were shipped from Halifax than from any other 

 Atlantic port on the continent. 



Nova Scotia is unique in its fruit development. The 

 crop for export is practically all grown in only two counties, 

 Kings and Annapolis, where the French Acadians and 

 Empire Loyalists took the strongest hold. The larger part 

 of the province is suitable for fruit, but it awaits develop- 

 ment. I submitted to our provincial government a few years 

 ago a scheme for a system of several model and experimental 

 orchards as object lessons for each county, owned by the 

 farmers and planted and supervised by a competent commis- 

 sioner who could secure the best possible care and results 

 and make special effort to encourage a number of farmers 

 around each orchartl to follow each year the pattern. This 

 scheme has been partially adopted, and I would expect the 

 development in the other counties to proceed more rapidly 

 than it has in Kings and Annapolis. 



Increased Plantings. 



I have said that in 1904 our product w^as in round num- 

 bers a half million. Inside of ten years Kings County, in 

 which I live, will be itself producing that much. Fifteen 

 years ago the planting of one thousand trees in one season 

 in an orchard was thought to be a large venture, and not 

 more than six persons in the province attained that ambition. 

 To-day that little piece of work would create no comment. 

 Twenty-five years ago, when I used to stand on the head of 

 a barrel to give pressure in putting the head in for my father, 

 he thought if he should grow more than one hundred barrels 

 he could not handle them. With perfect case his farm has 

 shipped of late years two thousand barrels. Thirty-three 



