S8 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 191 5 



Extending the Niagara District: Peach Tree* on Farm of Peter Hartley, near Milton, Ont., 



Halton Country 



Notice the low headins and that strawberries are intercropped. 



does not penetrate readily, while on a 

 moist surface it is absorbed almost im- 

 mediately. It is well to have the land 

 thoroughly underdrained so that surplus 

 water may drain away quickly. 



A beginning has been made in this 

 work at the Vineland Experimental 

 Farm, where almost three acres are 



under this system of irrigation. Besides 

 the vegetable crops, we have growing 

 under it strawberries and raspberries. 

 Check plots are grown on adjoining land, 

 and it is hoped that in the course of a 

 few years we will be able to work out 

 something definite regarding the pro- 

 fits of this system. 



Methods of Fruit Culture that are Successful 



p. £. Ellis, B.S.A., Peterboro, Ont. 



NIAGARA and fruit culture were at 

 one time always spoken of toge- 

 ther. The area where small and 

 teiKler fruits could be grown success- 

 fully on a commercial scale was sup- 

 posed to be limited to small sections of 

 Wentworth and Lincoln counties. This 

 district still holds first place for quan- 

 tity of fruit produced, area considered, 

 but many new sections in Ontario are 

 claiming merit as fruit growing districts. 

 Sections of Essex, Lambton and Huron 

 counties have shown that they can grow 

 tender fruit suc-cessfully. StilJ another 

 such district is located around Dixie, a 

 few miles east of Toronto. Whole farms 

 are there planted out to fruit. Still fur- 

 ther west, near Milton, however, look- 

 ing from a Canadian Pacific Railwav 

 train, one would never dream that they 

 were within easy driving distance of a 

 small community, which, though limited 

 m extent, is being developed rapidly as 

 a fruit-growing district. 



Four miles from the Milton Station, 

 near the Milton Mountain, is located the 

 home of W. J. Hartley, of Sunnyside 

 Fruit Farm, the leading fruit grower of 

 this district. Mr. Hartley has 100 acres 

 m fruit of many varieties. Cherries, 

 peaches, and apples are' grown exten- 

 sively and successfully. All of the 

 small fruits are gnma by the acre. 



The number of pickers during the busy 

 season sometimes mounts up to three 

 score. The Hartley fruit farm deserves 

 to be numbered among the most exten- 

 sive fruit farms in Ontario. 



Still another extensive fruit grower in 

 this district is Mr. Peter Hartley, a bro- 

 ther to Mr. W. J. Hartley. On the oc- 

 casion of a visit last summer, I found 

 Mr. Peter Hartley's farm to consist of 

 one hundred acres of sandy loam, the 

 soil which he considers is best adapt- 

 ed to general fruit farming. When the 

 present owner took charge, some seven- 

 teen years ago, it was an ordinary stock 

 and general farm, with a few apple trees 

 near the road. Mr. Hartley was quick 

 to see the fruit producing possibilities 

 of his district, and he gradually increas- 

 ed his fruit area until now the major 

 portion is in small and tree fruits. He 

 still milks six cows raises a few litters 

 of pigs a year, but these are just rem- 

 nants of the farm as it once was. Mr. 

 Hartley was away from home when I 

 arrived, so I started back through the 

 farm to investigate for myself. 



A view of the Hartley farm that one 

 secures from the road gives a false im- 

 pression of the real scale of the fruit 

 plantation. Half way back is a steep 

 embankment and a beautiful grove of 

 trees. Back through this grove is the 



main plantation of small fruits. Here 

 were thirty acres of sandy loam with a 

 gentle slope to the south protected on 

 all sides by mature trees. It was an 

 id'-al situation. There Miss Cora Hart- 

 ley, her father's "right hand man," was 

 found directing a small army of pickers. 

 Having been regretting Mr. Hartley's 

 absence it was a pleasant surprise to 

 find that Miss Hartley seemed to know 

 all details of the business. They had 

 just finished strawberry picking for the 

 day, and the desirability of the various 

 varieties of strawberries first came up 

 for consideration. 



THE STEAWBEREY PLANTATION 



"Altogether we have seven and one- 

 half acres in strawberries," said Miss 

 Hartley. "We recommend the Early 

 Michael for a first early lierry. We have 

 tried the Betterwood quite extensively, 

 but do not care for them. They are a 

 nice looking berry but too soon. Pear- 

 son's Beauty is our favorite late variety. 

 The Williams is a prolific bearer, but it 

 has a green top that does not appeal to 

 customers, and makes it a poor preserv- 

 ing berry. We also favor the Glen 

 Marys." 



TWO OaOPB OF STRAWBEEEIE8 



In one respect the manner in which 

 the Hartleys manage their strawberry 

 crop differs from methods in most other 

 commercial plantations. They take two 

 crop of berries from the one patch. In 

 the second year from setting and as soon 

 as the first crop is taken off, they plow 

 up close to the rows and cultivate. Run- 

 ners are sent out, new plants established 

 and, Miss Hartley, informed us, frequent- 

 ly the second crop is larger than the 

 first crop. 



Still another quirk in the Hartley 

 management appealed to us as being un- 

 usual. As soon as the second crop of 

 strawberries is taken off the plantation 

 is plowed and planted to late potatoes. 

 The soil following strawberries is always 

 rich and in good tilth and a good crop 

 of potatoes is harvested. Hence the 

 Hartleys get three crops from their plan- 

 tation in three years, two of strawber- 

 ries and one of potatoes, instead of only 

 two crops of strawberries in three years 

 as is usually the case. Another source 

 of income from the strawberry planta- 

 tion is the sale of plants in the spring. 

 This source of revenue balances the ex- 

 pense for new plants ; the Hartleys try 

 to change plants each year as they find 

 that the Williams particularly plays out 

 soon. They aim to get their new supply 

 of plants from a farm with a heavier 

 soil than their own. 



Raspberries are perhaps the most 

 important crop. They have twenty 

 acres. Early Marlborough for early pick- 

 ing and Cuthberts for late. There is a 

 small plantation of thimbleberries, but 



