July, 1915. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



175 



promptly, as it is that railway companies 

 shall not escape responsibility for acts with- 

 in their control, even although they may 

 have succeeded, through bringing pressure 

 to bear on the grower, in Inducing him to 

 agree not to hold them responsible for such 

 losses. The Dominion Board of Railway 

 Commissioners is one of the most popular 

 judicial bodies in Canada. This is because 

 It has established a reputation for brushing 

 technicalities and superficialities to one side 

 and dealing with each question in a broad 

 way and on the merits of the points in- 

 volved. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK ^ 



Some o£ these readers have advised us that 

 they have never missed an .issue all that 

 time. Two readers whom we have in mind 

 are 'Robt. MdLagan, of Stratford, Ont., and 

 Mr. Daniel IB. Hoover, Aimira, P. O., York 

 County, Ont. We would like to get in touch 

 with as many of these old readers o£ The 

 Canadian Horticulturist as poss.ible aud 

 would appreciate it if they would send us 

 their photographs and a few notes advising 

 us of the conditions under which thev sub- 

 scribed and ai)out their connection with the 

 horticultural interests of Canada. We hope 

 to hear from many of our old friends. Let 

 us have a good-fellowship meeting. 



Our front cover illustration this month 

 shows a bush honeysuckle (.Lonicera) in 

 bloom. Such shrubs have formed beauty 

 spots in many €anad.ian gardens within the 



past few weeks. 



* * • 



Our contest 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 closed on June 20th. 

 A number of contributions were received. 

 These are being judged. The results will 

 be announced in our August issue when the 

 winning poem will be published. 



* » * 



Subscription agents for The Canadian 

 Horticulturist are able to obtain such satis- 

 factory returns in the leading fruit districts 

 and flora! centres of Canada we would like 

 to se« more at work. Any of our readers 

 who have time that they can devote to this 

 work are invited to write us for particulars. 

 We have some good openings lor representa- 

 tives in the fruit districts of Ontario and in 



the Annapolis Valley. 



* « « 



Are there any subjects that you would like 

 to see dealt with in the columns of The 

 Canadian Horticulturist? If so. write and 

 let us know what they are and advise us if 

 possible of parties whom you would like to 

 see discuss them. We desire to make each 

 i.ssue as interesting and instructive as pos- 

 sible and invite suggestions from our read- 

 ers. 



* * * 



The September issue of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist will be our Fifth Annual Exhi- 

 bition and iFall I'acking Number. We are 

 pl-anning to make it the best we have yet 

 issued. It is going to be representative of 

 the fruit districts of Canada and, as usual, 

 well illustrated. We will tell you more about 

 it in our August issue. 



* • « 



-Many of the readers of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist have kodaks and delight to 

 secure illustrations of beauty spots in their 

 gardens and orchards. We would like to 

 secure some of the best of these illustrations 

 for pmblication in The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist. If our readers who have photographs of 

 this character will suibmit them to us we will 

 have an enlargement made from those we 

 accept for publication and will return the 

 enlarged photograph as a premium to those 

 sending us the illustrations. Readers who 

 would like to have their films returned are 

 requested to so state when tliey forward 

 their illustrations and their request will be 

 complied with. » • * 



(Every now and then we experience the 

 pleasure of receiving letters from old readers 

 of The ('anadian Horticulturist who have 

 been taking The Canadiaji Horticulturist 

 ever since it was first published in 1S78. 



Horticulture in Alberta 



(ieorge Harrourt, B.S.A., Deputy Minister of 

 Agriculture 



Alberta has no orchards or vineyards, or 

 fruit plantations — ^nothing but possibilities 

 — and they are so full of poteatialities that 

 mo one can foretell the great things that 

 may come out of these possibilities. 



The wild gooseberry, currant and rasp- 

 berry grow profusely wherever there is shel- 

 ter, while the wild strawberry is found 

 practically everywhere. In addition to these 

 universally known fruits there is the blue- 

 berry, high and low bush cranberry and the 

 saskatoon. The latter is peculiar to the 

 prairies and responds to cultivation readily 

 ibut the fruit is flat tasting and not held in 

 very hig^h esteem. Wliere the wild fruit 

 grows it is generally conceded that the tame 

 or cultivated variety will succeed. It may 

 take a little time and numerous experiments 

 to find just how'to attain success, but sooner 

 or later a way will be found. 



iSmall plots of cultivated strawberries are 

 to be found from one end of the province 

 to the other; while here and there a more 

 enterprising pioneer has large sized plots 

 and is placing strawberries on the market. 



The black, red and wliite currants and 

 raspberries are to be found in hundreds of 

 gardens but have not been grown as yet 

 for sale in any quantity. 



So uniformly successful has the effort 

 beem to grow all of these fruits that there 

 is no excuse for any farmer not having all 

 the strawberries, raspberries, currants and 

 gooseberries needed in the farm home. 

 Windbreaks are necessary and the plants 

 have to be held back in the spring by win- 



ter mulching to guard against late spring 

 frosts. 



Praictlcally all the varieties of the small 

 fruits that have proven most desirable in 

 Eastern Canada have given best results here 

 also. Of the larger fruits a less hopeful 

 report must be made. It is said where the 

 wild plimi, the pin-cherry and the choke- 

 cherry are to be found the apple, pear and 

 plum will grow. The two varieties of 

 cherry are to he found growing in practi- 

 cally every ravine or coulee where there is 

 a good shelter of trees. This would indi- 

 cate that where a shelter hviilt of trees is 

 grown it may ibe possible to grow hardy 

 apples. That there are possibilities in this 

 direction amid that these possihilities de- 

 serve most careful study is indicated by the 

 fact that there are apple trees growing and 

 bearing in the province even as far north 

 as north of Edmonton. 



SOCIETY NOTES | 



MARKDALE. 



The Markdale Horticultural Society last 

 year conducted a campaign to beautify the 

 town. The flrsit step was to plant trees along 

 the principal streets. The owner of the pro- 

 perty in front of whose place the trees were 

 planted had to pay forty cents for each tree. 

 The society paid the remainder. The society 

 planted seventy-flve itrees, the majority of 

 which are living. The work of tree-planting 

 is to be continued this year. 



NEWCASTLE. 



The Newcastle Horticultural Society last 

 year planted one hundred young trees in the 

 spring on the streets. Trees and vines were 

 planted on the High School, church grounds, 

 and power-house. Window boxes were placed 

 on post-office windows. A children's public 

 market was held every Saturday during the 

 summer months. The Government supplied 

 and gave them the choice of flower or vege- 

 table seeds, and the children raised the 

 plants, which were sold on the market, and 

 kept the money so earned. The society 

 judged the display and gave them marks. 

 On the flnal market day pnizes were award- 

 ed for vegetables, flowers, bouquets, and de- 

 signs. 



A group of members of Ontario horticultural societies who vLsited the famous parks of Roches- 

 ter, N.Y., on May 23 and 24, to obtain helpful pointeis. A number of well-known Ontario 



enthu.slasts are shown. 



