June, 191o. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



155 



m PUBLISHER'S DESK 



Our front cover illustration this month 

 shows a section of the paeony bed at the 

 Guelph Agricultural College. These beauti- 

 ful flowers are becoming more popular every 

 year. They deserve to advance in public 

 favor. 



We take pleasure in welcoming a new 

 horticultural publication in Canada known 

 as Garden Life, the first issue of which ap- 

 peared in March and which is published in 

 Montreal. The publishers have selected as 

 its field the interests of amateur gardeners 

 and poultry keepers. The subscription 

 price is $1.00 a year. The issues of this new 

 publication that we have seen are well il- 

 lustrated and contain well written articles 

 by leading authorities. The cause of horti- 

 culture in Canada should be advanced by 

 the advent of this new publication. 



Last month we announced that in view of 

 the success of our efforts to have the apple 

 recognized as the national dish of Canada, 

 we had decided to offer a prize of ten dol- 

 lars for the best piece of poetry not over 

 four verses in length, extolling the merits 

 of the apple and referring to it as Canada's 

 national dish. This contest is to close on 

 June 20th. Some contributions have already 

 come to hand. We would like to sceive 

 many more. If you are a local poet er 

 know of any who might be interested in this 

 contest we will appreciate it if you will take 

 part or draw it to the attention of others. 



The unanimous opinion among fruit grow- 

 ers that the apple shall be recognized as the 

 national dish of Canada has naturally led to 

 the suggestion being made that we should 

 select a national flower. Already sugges- 

 tions have been advanced that the paeony, 

 the pansy, and certain other flowers should 

 be chosen for this purpose. We would like 

 to receive from readers of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist a number of brief letters stat- 

 ing which flowers they would like to see 

 selected and their reasons for their choice. 



The Canadian Horticulturist desires to in- 

 crease its circulation and for that purpose 

 would like to obtain the assistance of ener- 

 getic, capable representatives in the An- 

 napolis Valley, the leading fruit districts of 

 Ontario, and in British Columbia, as well 

 as in some of our leading cities and towns. 

 In the latter centers a canvass might be 

 made among amateur flower growers. We 

 have a liberal proposition to make to all who 

 may be interested. Agents must submit sat- 

 isfactory recommendations. Let us hear 

 believe have impressed our readers favor- 

 from you. 



Have you noticed the improved type we 

 are using in the headings of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist and the general improvement 

 In the typographical appearance? Starting 

 with the May issue, we made some impor- 

 tant innovations wliir-li we have reason to 

 ably. 



A slight error crept into the article en- 

 titled, "The Growing of Cabbage," by A. W. 

 Cook, of Vittoria, published In our April Is- 

 sue. The article stated that those who had 

 cabbasps had made a good profit last year. 

 The article was one which had been in type 

 .for nearly a year. The words mentioned re- 

 ferred to the crop of 1913-1914. 



The Prairies' View 



(Farm and Ranch Review) 



The British Columbia fruit growing in 

 dustry presents a problem. It is not a 

 pleasanjt task to state this problem or i,j 

 discuss it, but nothing is to be gained by 

 concealing the facts. Briefly stated, it is 

 that fruit growing has been unprofitable and 

 promises very little for the immediate fu- 

 ture with the present range of labor ex- 

 penses, transportation charges, commis- 

 sions and consuming capacity of the natural 

 market. 



Consumers of apples on the prairies do 

 not like to think that the fruit growing in- 

 dustry is in such a bad state or that it can 

 be cured by so simple an expedient as a 

 higher tariff. Consumers naturally claim 

 they had no part in the senseless overcapi- 

 talization of British Columbia fruit land, 

 and object to paying any part of the losses 

 so incurred. They further claim that they 

 have objected to the imposition of the tariff 

 which has added to the cost of the produc- 

 tion of British Columbia fruit. It Is quite 

 plain, however, that there has been waste 

 and loss in establishing the fruit growing 

 industry, and that there is not sufficient op- 

 portunity to recoup that loss from consum- 

 ers. The single tax would have prevented 

 such loss 'by removing the incentive to 

 speculate, and the free trader denies the 

 right of anyone to place the burden of the 

 lass on consumers by means of a high 

 tariff. 



Prairie people are, to a large degree, 

 disciples of Henry George and Richard Cob- 

 den and this makes the solution of the fruit 

 growing^ problem much more complicated 

 and difficult. The natural solution of the 

 problem would be to let the burden rest 

 upon the owners of ithe land and orchards 

 (including those who sold the land to pres- 

 ent owners at high prices) until such times 

 as the prairie market becomes large enough 

 to take all the British Columbia fruit at the 

 then current prices. In time such a market 

 will develop and the fruit lands of British 

 Columbia will not be too extensive for the 

 market hut for the time being the fruit 

 growing industry is like many other thing.s, 

 rather overdone for the volume of trade im- 

 mediately available. 



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SOCIETY NOTES 



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Vacant Lot Gardening 



The vacant lot garden work in Regina has 

 made satisfactory progress. Before the end 

 of April 538 lots were taken up, and it was 

 expected that the 600 mark would be pa.ssed 

 before the planting season closed. Dr. 

 Andrews, in writing concerning this work, 

 states that "the Bureau of Public Welfare 

 is planning to take two blocks of lots for the 

 use of families that they have had to help. 

 They will advance them the seed and pay 

 for the plowing of their lots. The Bureau 

 will hold their leases and expect to be re- 

 couped when the garden stuff Is ready to be 

 sold. In most cases the Bureau may take it 

 off their hands at a valuation and credit the 

 gardeners with it, for their winter supplies." 



Dr. Andrews states that "general interest 

 in gardening will mean about 2,000 more gard- 

 ens in the city than last year. Many back 

 lots are being dug up which were never 

 cultivated before. Many of the best citizens 

 are taking vacant lots to supplement the 

 home garden in the back lot." 



Horticulturists Visit Rochester 



The deputation of members of horticul- 

 tural societies in Ontario, organized by a 

 special committee of The Ontario Horti- 

 cultural Association, composed of J. W. 

 Burgoyne of St. €atharines, F. E. Bennett 

 of St. Thomas, and J. Lockie Wilson of To- 

 ronto, which visited the famous parks of 

 Rochester, New York, on Sunday and Mon- 

 day, May 23 and 24, had an enjoyable trip. 

 The party comprised excursionists from 

 Toronto, iSt. Catharines, Hamilton, Grimsby, 

 Brantford, Stratford, Guelph, Cayuga and 

 St. Thomas. Sunday, May 23rd, was Flower 

 Day at Rochester, and it was estimated that 

 30,000 to 50,090 people visited the famous 

 Highland Park of that city. 



Rochester is a noted floral centre. In its 

 Highland Park may be found a wonderful 

 assortment of the leading shrubs and 

 flowers of the continent, as well as many 

 varieties imported from Japan, China and 

 other foreign countries. Flower Day is held 

 at one of the most favorable seasons of the 

 year for seeing the Park to the best advan- 

 tage. The excursionists from Ontario had 

 a most profitable trip. 



St. Thomas 



The St. Thomas Society recently received 

 an extra shipment of i20,000 gladioli from 

 Holland, the result of a mistake in cabling. 

 Ten thousand were disposed of to the Stra'.- 

 ford and Windsor societies and other 

 places, and the remaining ten thousand to 

 local members, making a total of 30,000 

 bulbs planted by our members, of such va- 

 rieties as Faust, Baron Hulot, Willie Wig- 

 am, America, Lily Lehman, Halley, and 

 Princeps. 



Two flower shows were held in May. The 

 first was for early tulips and other spring 

 flowers. About one hundred and fifty va- 

 rieties of tulips were exhibited and about 

 five hundrfed entries were made. The 

 Darch & Hunter silver cup for largest and 

 best exhibit was won for the second tim'J 

 by Dr. F. E. Bennett, with an exhibit of 125 

 distinct varieties of early tulips. Mr. Frank 

 Arnold won a cut glass vase for the best six 

 bouquets of tulips of six blooms each. The 

 show was for two days. An orchestra was 

 present on both evenings. It was held in 

 the Library Auditorium, and from an educa- 

 tional standpoint was the most successful 

 show ever held. All the tulips were classi- 

 fied and named so that visitors to the show 

 could select the varieties that they fancied 

 and order them through the Society latei 

 on. The second show was for Darwins only, 

 some sixty varieties being shown. Among 

 the largest exhibitors were J. C. Crowbie 

 with about 25 varieties. F. E. Bennett 

 with 49 varieties, and Frank Arnold with 15 

 varieties. This show was purely educa- 

 tional. No tickets were awarded nor judg- 

 ing done. It was held for two days and 

 placed in a store window. The interest' 

 created was even greater than with the 

 early tulips, and St. Thomas' reputation as 

 the Tulip 'City will be well earned next 

 spring. 



Eighteen large cement urns of artistic 

 design, four feet high, with a bowl 22 

 inclies across, are being put on the street 

 corners at suitable places on Talbot St. 

 They are being filled with the choicest 

 geraniums, vines, coleus, etc. 



In the Niagara District, in spite of two 

 heavy frosts which injured the strawberries 

 and early tomato vines, the fruit crop pro- 

 mises to be a large one. 



