41 



of the red sorts, although Herbert is quite satisfactory. Cuthbert has been 

 abandoned. 



Mr. Stevenson deserves a great deal of credit for the work that he 

 has been doing in blazing the way in the midst of difficulties that would seem 

 almost insurmountable, to assist in securing for Manitoba some fruits that 

 would succeed moderately well under the conditions found in this province. 



FRUIT AT MORDEN. 



In the town of Morden a visit was made to the home grounds of Mr. Alex. 

 MacLeod, who for a number of years has been endeavouring to beautify his 

 place with shelter belts and an assortment of fruit trees. On this place there 

 is one tree of the Borovinka apple, 13 years of age, that has borne annual crops 

 for a number of years. This apple is very similar to the Duchess. The stock 

 was obtained from the Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa. Mr. MacLeod 

 has exhibited fruit from his place at some of the local fairs and at Winnipeg 

 with considerable success. He has also done a good deal to encourage the 

 planting of trees in an amateur way among his neighbours, and the various 

 gardens in the town of Morden bear evidence of the public-spirited work of 

 both Mr. MacLeod and Mr. Stevenson in this regard. 



It would seem altogether likely that in certain favoured districts in this 

 section where good shelter belts are to be found, or where they could be provided, 

 the culture of some of these more hardy fruits could be carried on successfully, 

 if not in a commercial way, at least in a sufficiently extensive manner to provide 

 fruit for domestic use. 



SHELTER BELTS NECESSARY. 



With reference to the general conditions in Southern Manitoba, the soil is 

 a rich black loam, varying from 18 to 36 inches in depth, and is extremely pro- 

 ductive. The prevailing wind is from the northwest and in order that fruit 

 might be successfully grown it would be necessary to have the trees adequately 

 protected by shelter belts on the north and west sides, in addition to securing a 

 class of trees that have been proven to be fairly hardy. Quite a number of sites 

 of this character were observed in the vicinity of Morden, where there were first 

 class shelter belts of native growth already in existence, and it would appear 

 that further experiments might be made on a more extensive scale in some of 

 these sheltered positions, as there are doubtless thousands of other similar loca- 

 tions throughout the province. There are a number of trees that could be uti- 

 lized as windbreaks. Mr. MacLeod finds the laurel-leaved willow very satisfactory 

 for this purpose. It grows readily from cuttings, is quite hardy, and holds its 

 leaves for a month longer than any of the other deciduous trees. Some attempts 

 have been made to establish the Norway spruce, but up to the present the severe 

 winter storms have had an injurious effect upon it. 



STRONG DEMAND FOR ONTARIO FRUIT. 



In looking over the possibilities of an extension of the trade in fruit in 

 Southern Manitoba, Mr. McGowan, a general merchant who had ordered a car 

 or two of winter apples from Ontario, stated that these were costing him $5.12 

 per barrel delivered, chiefly Spies, Tolman Sweet, and Ben Davis. He thinks 

 the Mclntosh Red would sell in that district at excellent prices if it could be 

 obtained in good condition. He had experienced considerable trouble in the 

 past in securing apples properly packed in accordance with the Fruit Marks 

 Act. 



