The Canadian Horticulturist. 283 



At the summer meeting following, it was our sad duty to pass a resolu- 

 tion regretting his loss, as that of one who "during his long life labored with 

 great industry to advance the interests of fruit culture in this country, and 

 by his efforts to improve our fruits and grains by cross fertilization, and 

 has, while benefiting his own province, gained a world-wide reputation." 



The following valuable notes on Mr. Arnold's labors as a horticulturist, 

 have been contributed by D. W. Beadle, who as Secretary of the Associa- 

 tion, had full cognisance of all his work in this direction : 



Mr. Charles Arnold was, I believe, the pioneer in experimenting in the line of cross- 

 fertilization, with the view of producing new varieties of fruits in Canada. His first 

 attempts, so far as is known, were made with the grape. In his first experiments he took 

 for the mother plant a wild vine of, if I mistake not, the Aestivaltis family, and impregnated 

 the flowers with pollen of the Vinifera tribe. From the seed thus produced he raised a 

 number of seedlings, some of which seemed to be well worthy of cultivation, which he 

 named Othello, Cornucopia, Autuchon, Brant and Canada. These are fully described in 

 the Bushberg Catalogue of 1883, from which we learn that they were much esteemed in 

 many parts of France. However, they do not seem to have been well adapted to the climate 

 of America, being too subject to milldew and rot. The Raspberry received attention from 

 Mr. Arnold, and he raised quite a number of crosses between the Antwerp tribe and a White 

 Cap. None of these proved to be of permanent value, exhibiting often a great tendency to 

 sport bacK to the original Antwerp. His crosses of the Apple has been of more value to us, 

 and one of them, the Ontario, is being grown successfully in many parts of this Province. 



Mr. Arnold gave also considerable attention to cross-breeding of wheat, and produced 

 several varieties of that Cereal. Whether any of these have proved to be of special value, 

 I am not informed. His greatest success was in the production of cross-bred Peas. By 

 crossing the Champion of England with Tom Thumb, he produced a Pea having the rich 

 flavor of the Champion of England, and the dwarf habit of the Tom Thumb. This Pea has 

 been widely disseminated as the American Wonder, and is yet to be found in some of the 

 seed catalogues. 



The above is a brief account of Mr. Arnold's labors in cross-fertilization. He led the 

 way, others have followed ; among them Mr. W. H. Mills, of Hamilton, who died the other 

 day, and Wm. Saunders, now Director of the Experiment Station near Ottawa. Mr. Mills 

 confined his labors to the Grape ; but Mr. Saunders took in the whole field of fruits in his 

 experiments. 



Mr. Arnold thought several of his cross-bred Apples worthy of a name, among them was 

 Arnold's Beauty, Ella, Dora, and already mentioned, Ontario. 



THE GRIMSBY FRUIT SECTION. 



IT was my privilege to spend a few days this season in the Grimsby fruit 

 section. Having received an invitation from Mr. Murray Pettit, of 

 Winona, to spend a day or two at his home — the Mountain Valley 

 Orchard Farm — I accepted his proffered kindness and availed myself of a 

 privilege which I had long desired — to see the orchards and vineyards of this 

 far-famed " Edenic " section of Ontario. To an enthusiast in horticulture, 



