PROSPECTS. 189 



Mr. John Hyslop has written: "After having 

 been engaged in growing fruit in Ontario practically 

 all my life, I came to the Kootenay district about 

 seven years ago, and took up fruit growing. The 

 result has been extremely favourable, and I would not 

 exchange one acre of bearing fruit trees in Kootenay 

 district for ten acres in Ontario. My reasons for 

 these statements are as follows: The trees here begin 

 to bear at an earlier age. The yield is almost double. 

 The quality and colour are unsurpassed. The keep- 

 ing qualities of the fruit are much superior. The 

 market facilities are unequalled. The yield of straw- 

 berries, raspberries, and other small fruits is enor- 

 mous. In consequence, I have found that the profits 

 per acre are three-fold or more those of Ontario." 



Mr. Roy C. Brock, late Secretary of the Kootenay 

 Fruit Growers' Association, who was trained on one 

 of the best-conducted ranches in the Hood River 

 Valley, says (1908): " One of the best mixed orchards 

 I have known yielded an average of $550 (£110) 

 per acre, giving a net profit of $265 (£53) per acre, 

 and these figures may be safely used as the basis for 

 calculation in Kootenay district. This net profit is 



10 per cent, valuation of $2,650 (£530) per acre 



The conditions of soil and climate in Kootenay for 

 growing strawberries are equal to, or better than, 

 those I know of elsewhere, the yield is remarkably 

 large, and the berry rather firmer than that grown 



farther south This year the berries will average 



the grower net, after paying all selling charges, $2 

 per crate of twenty-four one-pound boxes. I think 

 the price is not likely to be lower for a number of 

 years, because this year we had to meet several un- 



