THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 121 



the casual visitor. To young, strong, healthy men without much 

 means, who can endure hardships and are not afraid of hard work, 

 tliese western countries offer a homestead and independence in a few 

 years. But let no one who has means, or a comfortable home in 

 southern Ontario, be tempted by the west, either of Canada or the 

 United States. 



There is a great future for southern Ontario. We mean the strip 

 of country bordering the north shore of Lake Erie. Owing to the 

 geographical position of the lake, the prevailing cold west, north-west 

 and northerly winds come from inland, where their force is broken by 

 woods, hills and irregularities of the country, so that it is never very 

 cold in winter ; not so cold as the south side of the lake, where the 

 full force of northerly and westerly gales sweep with all the violence 

 accumulated by an unobstructed passage over the open waters. 



The County of Norfolk is especially favored in this way, being 

 additionally sheltered from the west by the tongue of land stretching 

 out into the lake known as Long Point. The whole of this strip on 

 the north shore of Lake Erie is situated geographically on a limestone 

 formation, the soil being rich in lime, which is one of the essential 

 constituents of most fruits. It is a fact often overlooked by horti- 

 culturists, that conditions of climate being equal, fruit growin<^ will 

 be successful on a limestone soil and a total failure only a few miles 

 distant on a different geological formation. Striking examples of 

 this peculiarity are shown at Montreal, in the valley of the St. Johns, 

 N. B., and around Anapolis and Digby, IST. S., where choice apples are 

 produced. In every instance it will be found that the soil where the 

 apple tree succeeds best is rich in lime. Take the valley of the St. 

 Johns. Apples are grown here which for flavor and beauty of coloring 

 are unsurpassed, and the trees are enabled to resist the rigors of the 

 climate, while a few miles on either side fruit growing absolutely fails. 

 Only a few miles to the south, and no apples can be produced amon(>' 

 the granite hills of Maine. It is useless to look for them on the 

 carboniferous fields which border the Gulf of St. Lawrence, only a few 

 miles to the north. The same is true of Montreal, and of the narrow 

 fruit belt of Nova Scotia. 



On the north shore of Lake Erie we find all the conditions of soil 

 and climate favorable, not only for apples but for the choicest varieties 

 of fruit Peaches flourish luxuriantly so far as they have been tried, 



