The Canadian Horticulturist 439 



fruit growing in England, or some other foreign country, think they can "at once 

 enter into the successful persuit of this business in Canada. A subscriber 

 writes : 



" A friend of mine in England, who has been in Australia, and has some knowledge of 

 gardening, wishes to engage in fruit growing in this country. What could a small fruit 

 farm of five or ten acres, partly planted, he purchased for?" 



Now there is so much difference between fruit growing in Canada and in 

 Australia or England, the methods, conditions, suitable varieties are so unlike, 

 that should such a person purchase a fruit farm in Canada, and begin planting 

 and running it, without first spending at least a couple of years studying the 

 business in Canada, he would be almost certain to make a conspicuous failure. 

 Why the most experienced fruit grower in the Niagara district find seasons 

 when, with all their knowledge of their business, the income from the fruit farms 

 does not meet expenses ; what then would be the loss to an inexperienced man 

 in such a season ? The probability is he would become bankrupt. There are 

 good profits from all well managed fruit farms, most seasons, but good manage- 

 ment is most essential nowadays, when prices of fruits are so much lower than 

 formerly. Twenty years ago, we seldom sold a quart of strawberries below ten 

 cents, now we often sell two quarts for that sum. Grapes then were worth 

 eight and ten cents a pound : now two cents is an average price, and tons 

 are sold even as low as one cent a pound. In noticing the low prices the Vine- 

 yardist says : 



"Grapes of good quality, packed in baskets, that sell in the cities for less than two 

 cents per lb return no profit, and are sold at an actual loss to the producer. Four and 

 one-half pound baskets, sold at ten cents each, or $10 for a hundred baskets containing 450 

 pounds of grapes. These would cost for baskets $2, for transportation about $1.50, com- 

 mission not less than forty cents ; total $3/20, which, deducted from $10, leaves the pitiful 

 sum of $b\10 — less than one and a half cents per pound, which means ruin to the producer, 

 as the balance of his crop, if sold at all, for wine, must be ' sold for a song. ; " 



And so many vineyards have been planted of late years, giving us each year 

 such an increase of the total production of our country, that the business is in 

 danger of being swamped entirely, True the demand increases yearly, but not 

 so fast as the supply. 



Another man seems to think fruit growing such a profitable undertaking, 



and so easily conducted, that he can simply buy trees for a tenant and await his 



golden harvest. He writes : 



"I understand you edit a fruit growers' journal. I have a one hundred acre farm, 

 on the mountain, near Grimsby, which neither pays the tenant or myself. Could I 

 not set it out to fruit, with a prospect of better returns. Is a fruit farm a success under 

 a tenant ? " 



In reply to the last question we say decidedly, no. If any kind of farming 

 needs the personal supervision of the owner it is fruit farming. It needs the 

 best training possible in the practical work of the garden to qualify a man for 

 the work, and the constant attention that only comes from personal interest. 

 We are persuaded that the circumstances would need to be exceptional, under 

 which a fruit farm would pay at all, under the circumstances described. 



