82 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



quick ripening varieties of grapes to 

 such a degree that we may soon expect 

 this industry to become one of our 

 most extensive and most profitable 

 branches of horticulture. 



This statement will appear more 

 probable when we compare the climate 

 of some of the wine-producing districts 

 of France and Germany, taking Pai'is 

 as a centre from which to obtain reli- 

 able meteorological information with 

 that of Toronto and its outlying dis- 

 tricts. From "The Atmosphere," by 

 E. Flammarion, we find that the aver- 

 age mean temperature of the summers 

 at Paris for the 30 years from 1841 to 

 1870 inclusiA^e, was 64.52°, and from 

 "Abstracts and Results," issued from 

 the Meteorological Oflice at Toronto, 

 that the average mean temperature at 

 that place for the same period was 

 65.05°. From more recent records we 

 find that the average mean tempei-ature 

 for the last 5 years at Toronto was 

 65.42° : at Lind*say, 64.39° ; at Barrie, 

 65.75° ; and at Gravenhurst, 64.01°. 

 The mean temperature, however, as 

 before shown, is only one of the factors 

 necessary. The length of the season is 

 of equal importance, and it is in this 

 particulai- only that the wine districts 

 of France and Germany have any ad- 

 vantage over this country. Frosts in 

 May and June are more frequent and 

 moi'e severe than in any portion of this 

 district. There the season for com- 

 mencing spring operations is several 

 weeks eai'lier than with us ; hence the 

 chief reason why the varieties grown 

 there cannot be grown in the open air 

 in this country. The rain-fall in the 

 wine districts referred to is about the 

 same as in Ontario ; but such intense 

 midday heat as so often prevails in 

 some of the inland portions of this 

 Province is very rare in the wine dis- 

 tricts of France and Gei-many. 



Let the facts be established by ex- 

 periments on a fairly large scale that 



suitable lands for vineyard purposes are 

 plentiful over this large area, and that 

 the climate is all that is necessary to 

 insui'e — under proper management — 

 healthy cane growth and well ripened 

 fruit in average seasons, then men of 

 experience having capital to invest will 

 soon revolutionize the grape market. 

 And that these facts will at an early 

 date be established is evident from the 

 success attending the efibrts of such 

 men as Mr. P. C. Dempsey, at "Murray ; 

 Mr. J. W. Johnston, of Campbellford ; 

 Mr. T. C. Chapman, at Baltimore ; Mr. 

 John Knowlton, at Sturgeon Point ; 

 Mr. P. Bertram, Mr. H. S. Scadding 

 and others at Oiillia, who will in a 

 short time place this question beyond 

 doubt. 



Since the foregoing was wi'itten my 

 attention has been called to a most 

 valuable paper on "A Few Canadian 

 Climates," by J. Gordon Mowat, Esq., 

 and published in the Proceedings of 

 the Canadian Institute for July, 1884, 

 the last paragraph of which, and also 

 the " Note " is hereto subjoined, and 

 to which (in the table) I have added 

 the average monthly means for the last 

 5 years — 1880 to 1884 inclusive — of 

 Lindsay, Barrie and Gravenhurst : — 



' ' By a British standard the summers of 

 much of the Proviace may be considered 

 long. May in south-western Ontario is 

 warmer than Julj^ at Edinburgh ; September 

 is warmer than July in London, and warmer 

 than September at Vienna. The vine, 

 maize and sorghum fully mature in most 

 parts of the Province south of the iGth 

 parallel, and in not a few districts yield as 

 abundantly as in any part of America or 

 Europe. The limitations on the cultivation 

 of the vegetals of similar latitudes in Europe 

 is more in the intensity of the winter frosts 

 than in the lack of a sufficiently long or 

 warm summer."' 



"Note. — The length and heat of Ontario 

 summers contrasted with those of other 

 places in Canada, and various places in 

 Europe, may be seen by a glance over the 

 following table. The means for Toronto, 

 Hamilton, Windsor and Winnipeg are de- 



