2 24 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



orchards, appeared. I'his was then so little known to fruit growers in Ontario, 

 that it was not recognized as an evil, and trees, so affected, were thought to be 

 of some earlier variety of their kind. Conseiiuently they were not destroyed, 

 and, being thus unchecked, the yellows soon spread over the whole orchard and 

 utterly destroyed it. 



Mr. Pettit then turned his attention to grape growing and soon proved it to 

 be a more reliable branch of industry than peach growing. In addition to his 

 vineyard, he planted a sample row of over one hundred varieties, by means of 

 which he has become well acquainted with their merits and is well fitted to act 

 as judge of grapes at our Canadian fairs. When the Niagara grape was introduced 

 into Ontario he was one of the first to plant a vineyard, under the terms which 

 the company imposed upon all buyers, namely, that the proceeds should be 

 equally divided between them and the planter, until the company had received 

 $1.50 for each vine. The investment was a profitable one for Mr. Pettit ; the 

 three hundred vines planted in the spring of 1882 yielded him in the fall of 

 1S85, not three years from the time of planting, an income of $1.84 per vine, or 

 $553.20 for three hundred vines. The average price was about 12 cents a 

 pound and the proceeds were at the rate of over $800 per acre. 



Mr. Pettit has always shown a public spirit with regard to the interests of 

 fruit growers in general, throughout our country. That this spirit was appre- 

 ciated by his fellow growers is evidenced by his being appointed a director of 

 the Fruit Growers' Association at (irimsby, of which he at one time served as 

 president. He was chosen as one of the deputation from this Association to 

 wait upon the Local Legislature, to secure the passing of the " Yellows Act " in 

 1 88 1, and he was also appointed by the township council as inspector of yellows 

 in his township. 



On the organization of the Niagara District Fruit Grower's Stock Co., he 

 was chosen a member of the first directorate and served either as director or 

 or vice president, until his retirement from the company. For several years he 

 was also a member of the directorate of the Central I'armers' Institute. In the 

 township of Saltfleet he has served for five years as Reeve. His membership in 

 the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association dates back to his first entrance upon 

 fruit culture, twenty years ago. 



It is such men as Mr. Pettit, who have long been members of the Associa- 

 tion, and who have in various ways exerted themselves to further the interests 

 of their fellow fruit growers, who have the first right to be noticed in these pages 

 as prominent Canadian Horticulturists. 



Saunder-s and Woolverton Strawberries. — W'oolverton is a large, 

 productive variety, and is very firm for so large a berry, and a first-class variety 

 to plant with large pistillate kinds. Very valuable ; from Canada. Saunders 

 is from the same source as the Woolverton, and is another valuable berry, being 

 early, firm, of large size and productive. — American Ex. 



