FRUITS OF ONTARIO - 



INTRODUCTION 



When the first fruit trees were planted in Ontario, probably about 150 years ago, 

 the settlers had no reliable information to guide them in selecting varieties or in caring 

 for the trees after they were planted. But the experience of these early settlers was 

 taken advantage of by their descendants who, with the additional knowledge possessed, 

 were able to make some progress, although scattered as they were in those early times 

 without good means of intercourse. The dissemination of information from one to 

 another and to the new settlers who were coming in was slow until the railways were 

 built. Then fruit-growing became much more general, as trees could be easily trans- 

 ported from one part of the Province to another. In 1859 a few enthusiastic horti- 

 culturists organized the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. Meetings were held in 

 different parts of the Province, and the people were urged to plant more fruit. This 

 organization has for the past 50 years by its meetings, annual reports, the Canadian 

 Horticulturist, and in many other ways, done very much to bring about the present 

 marvellous development in the fruit industry of Ontario. Realizing that more definite 

 information was needed to guide fruit-growers in the planting of varieties and the 

 culture of fruits, the Association in 1893 urged upon the Government the importance 

 of establishing Fruit Experiment Stations throughout the Province. The idea received 

 the approval of the Government, and in 1894 four stations were established, this num- 

 ber being increased to thirteen in the course of a few years. To these were sent many 

 varieties of fruits, which were tested and reported upon each year by those in charge of 

 the stations. As these experimenters were all practical fruit growers, and in most 

 cases had made a specialty of some kind of fruit, much valuable information regarding 

 varieties and their culture was accumulated by the Department of Agriculture. After 

 the stations were established, it was felt that in due time a hand-book should be pub- 

 lished that fruit growers generally might get the full benefit of the information so 

 obtained. 



In 1913 it was deemed advisable to revise this hand-book in order to bring the con- 

 tents up to date and also to provide better illustrations where possible. This revision 

 was undertaken by the Fruit Branch of the Ontario Department of Agriculture, and 

 the present bulletin is a result of this work. In it, new varieties and new photographs 

 have been included, and the descriptions of varieties and cultural directions have been 

 brought up to date. 



The descriptions have been verified by comparison with those given in the works 

 of the, world's greatest pomologists, such as the " Dictionnaire de Pomologie," by Andre 

 Leroy, of France; "The Fruit Manual," by Thomas Hogg, of England; "The Fruits and 

 Fruit Trees of America," by Charles Downing, of Newburgh-on-the-Hudson ; "The 

 American Fruit Culturist," by J. J. Thomas, of New York State; "Apples of New York," 

 by S. A. Beach, of Geneva, N.Y. ; " The American Horticultural Manual," by Prof. J. L. 

 Budd, late of the Iowa State College of Agriculture; "Plum Culture," by Prof. F. A. 

 Waugh, of the Massachusetts Agricultural College; "Apple Culture" and " Plum Culture," 

 by W. T. Macoun, of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa; "The Grape Manual," by 

 Bush, Son & Misener, of Missouri; the Reports of the Michigan Agricultural College, of 

 the American Pomological Society, of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, etc., and 

 many other works. 



These have again been modified by the reports of the experimenters in charge of 

 the fruit stations, when it was proved that certain varieties, otherwise desirable, were 

 not adapted to the districts in which they were tested. 



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