Mnr<'i, 1915 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



7' 



was suffering- from over-production of fruit, 

 due to faulty methods of distribution, Mr. 

 Thompson grappled with the situation and 

 by the formation of the St. Catharines Cold 

 Storage and Forwarding Co., was able to 

 develop distant markets. Thereby he help- 

 ed to save the situation. Elsewhere on this 

 page reference is made to the value of Mr. 

 Thompson's services to Canada. Suffice it 

 here to say that many hearts have been 

 made sad by his loss and that his absence 

 in the circles where he customarily moved, 

 will be felt for years to come. 



THE DUTY ON FERTILIZERS 



The Dominion Government will display 

 wisdom if it decides to pay heed to the pro- 

 tests being showered upon it by fruit and 

 vegetable growers against the increase in 

 the tariff on fertilizers. Practically the onlv 

 native fertilizer material is tankage. At 

 this time when the government is urging 

 increased production it is only reasonable 

 to suppose, now the matter has been drawn 

 to its attention, that it will decide to rescind 

 this duty which otherwise will militate con- 

 siderably against the production of larger 

 crops. 



Australia assists her farmers in the pur- 

 chase of fertilizers to the extent of advanc- 

 img five and a half per cent, of the pur- 

 chase price. The German Government has 

 issued a decree making fertilizers "prefer- 

 red freight," and furnishes tarpaulins free 

 to cover shipments in open cars. The United 

 States and most other countries do mot 

 charge any duty on fertilizers or fertilizer 

 material. To impose a duty of seventeen 

 and a half per cent, on fertilizers imported 

 into Canada under these circumstances, will 

 place a burden cm Canadian growers as well 

 as tend to greatly restrict the use of fertiliz- 

 ers. The early removal of this duty will be 

 in the best interests of both producers and 

 consumers. 



Robert Thompson — An Appreciation 



Officers of cooperative fruit growers asso- 

 ciations throughout Canada have heard with 

 pleasure of the decision of the Supreme 

 Court when it recently awarded damages to 

 the extent of $844.00 to the Oakville Fruit 

 Growers'.Associationinits action against one 

 of its members. The member in question 

 had broken the rules of the .'Vssociation by 

 selling his apples to an outside buyer. The 

 rule of the Association required that mem- 

 bers should pay the Association fifty cents 

 a barrel for all fruit thus sold. Justice 

 Middleton awarded damages on this basis. 

 This decision should be made widely known 

 because of the influence it will have in 

 strengthening the work of cooperative asso- 

 ciations. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



Year by year the interest taken in modem 

 methods of spraying is increasing, and we 

 receive a growing demand for information 

 dealing with this subject. Our front illus- 

 tration this month shows a modern power 

 spraying machine at work in a young or- 

 chard. Such machines make it possible to 

 cover a large area in the least possible 

 time and with a minimum of manual labor. 

 « » » 



The arrangements for our great Fourth 

 ANNUAL SPRING GARDENING AND 

 PLANTING NUMBER next month tare 

 about completed. As we look over the list 

 of articles we have on hand, it is evident 



By W. H. Bunting, 



The sudden death of the late Robert 

 Thompson, which occurred on Tuesday, 

 February 9th, came as a distinct shock, not 

 only to the Niagara peninsula, where he 

 was best known, but also throughout the 

 length and breadth of Canada; as his name 

 had become during the past few years al- 

 most a household word wherever the grow- 

 ing and shipping of fruit has engaged the 

 attention of our rural population. 



Mr. Thompson's career is a striking ex- 

 ample of what can be accomplished in any 

 walk in life by a man who will throw him- 

 self entirely and with his whole soul into 

 his chosen life work. 



During the past few years, a large num- 

 ber of those who have been pioneers in the 

 fruit industry of Canada, and who have as- 

 sisted in securing for this country an en- 

 viable reputation for the production of 

 splendid fruit, have crossed the bar and 

 passed into the beyond ; but not one of them 

 will be more sorely missed throughout th» 

 wide circle of the community whose lives 

 he touched, than Robert Thompson. His 

 was a life of singular and unselfish activity. 

 Notwithstandiftg the fact that for some years 

 he was far from being a robust man, yet 

 up to the last hour of his life he was 

 actively engaged in the work of assisting 

 his fellows in improving their condition, 

 and in laying the foundations for greater 

 achievements in the fruit industry. Pub- 

 lic spirited to an unusual degree, he prac- 

 tically gave his best efforts for others, and 

 it is only now, when his familiar figure W'ill 

 be seen no more at the various gatherings 

 and conventions which he was wont to at- 

 tend, and in whose deliberations he took so 

 active a part, that the severe loss to the 

 community will be realized. 



St. Catharines, Ont. 



Mr. Thompson has received at the hands 

 of his fellow fruit growers and the public, 

 many tokens of the esteem in which he was 

 held. In 1894 he was selected by the Pat- 

 rons of Industry and the Liberals of Lin- 

 coln as their standard bearer for the Pro- 

 vincial Legislature, and although not elect- 

 ed as a member of the House, for many 

 years his advice and counsel was generally 

 sought in matters of public interest, .'^s a 

 member of the Ontario Horticultural Com- 

 mission at the Pan-American Exposition in 

 1901 he was indefatigable in upholding the 

 merits of Ontario fruit in competition with 

 the great States to the South. Elected 

 President of the Ontario Fruit Growers' As- 

 sociation, the Niagara Peninsula Fruit 

 Growers, and many other organizations of 

 a kindred nature, he served the public 

 faithfully and well. 



The most outstanding feature of his life 

 work, however, has been his achievements 

 in connection with his direction of the co- 

 operative work of the St. Catharines Cold 

 Storage and Forwarding Company. As 

 President and General Manager for many 

 years of this successful cooperative fruit as- 

 sociation, Mr. Thompson was known from 

 coast to coast. The development of the 

 shipment of tender fruits cooperatively from 

 the St. Catharines district to nearly every 

 important point in Canada east of Calgary, 

 was largely due to his energy and persever- 

 ence. 



Called suddenly in the midst of plans and 

 projects for the advancement of fruit grow- 

 ing in this critical period, a void has been 

 created which it will be almost impossible 

 to fill. He has left the record of an un- 

 selfish, public spirited, energetic life, and 

 his works do follow him. 



that this, our April issue, is going to be 

 the strongest issue of the kind we have 

 ever published. From cover to cover the 

 articles are going to be exceptionally good. 

 As it will be a special gardening number, 

 articles relating to gardening are to be 

 given special prominence. This year, ow- 

 ing to the cry for increased production, as 

 weJl as in part to the lack of employment, 

 thousands of people are thinking of start- 

 ing gardens in their back yards who never 

 did so before. These people are asking 

 for information to show how they should 

 set about it. Realizing this situation, we 

 have asked Mr. W. T. Macoun, Canada s 

 noted Dominion Horticulturist, to contri- 

 bute a special article on this subject, de- 

 scribing what some city people he knows 

 have accomplished and how they have done 

 it Mr Macoun has consented to give us 

 this article, and it will be one of the feat- 

 ures of the issue. Our readers who enjoy 

 the article in this" issue by Mr J. McPher- 

 son Ross, of Toronto, describing the ar- 

 rangement of different gardens, will be 

 pleased to hear that Mr. . Ross will have 

 another article in our April issue showing 

 another garden plan suited for the aver- 

 age citv residence of persons in moderate 

 circumstances. Mr. Ross will also have 

 another article describing plants suitable 

 for shadv places, and how some unpromis- 

 ing sites for gardens have been transform- 

 ed bv their use. A feature of the floral 

 pages will be an illustrated article describ- 

 ing the garden that won the first prize in 

 the horticultural competition in the city of 

 Ottawa in 1914. This is a small gardes, 

 but it is full of interesting features that 



will be described in the article. An illus- 

 trated article will show how lawns are 

 made, while still another illustrated article, 

 this one by Mr. John Gall, of Inglewood, 

 will describe how amateur gardeners can 

 obtain and apply needed fertilizers to their 

 gardens with a minimum of effort and ex- 

 pense. Would you like to have a water 

 garden this year? ' If so, you will find ano- 

 ther article in our April number, describing 

 how it may be done. There are other feat- 

 ures we have planned for this issue, but 

 space does not permit of our describing 

 them all. 



In the Fruit Pages of our April issue will 

 appear articles full of interest to fruit 

 growers. The third and last article by Mr. 

 L. B. Scott, of the Bureau of Plant Indus- 

 try, Washington, D.C.. will be used. This 

 article will explain, by means of charts, 

 how records of the yields of individual 

 trees may be obtained and recorded. The 

 shortage of potash this year has consti- 

 tuted quite a problem for many fruit 

 growers. Prof. R. Harcourt, of Guelph, 

 will contribute a special article describing 

 sources of potash for agricultural purposes. 

 Prof. F. M. Clement, of the Vineland Ex- 

 perimental Station, will discuss the merits 

 of fall vs. spring planting of fruit trees, 

 while Prof. A. H. MacLennan, Macdonald 

 College, Que., will deal with the inter- 

 cropping of young orchards. One of the 

 best articles in the issue will outline a 

 specialist's success in celery culture. This 

 article, which will be illustrated, will de- 

 scribe one of the largest celery farms in 

 Ontario. It is an issue every fruit grower 

 and amateur gardener should receive. 



