¥- 



36 



r I' 



I'l 1 



MARKKTING, ETC. 



At first I intended giving directions at length 

 for the proper gathering, pacliing, and market- 

 ing of fruits; but, on consideration, I tliiulvitwill 

 be useless, as the improvements from year to 

 year are so great, botli in tlie packages in which 

 tlic different kinds of fruit are packed, and in 

 tlic mode of transportation to market, that any 

 directions given now would be superseded by 

 better methods long before the fruit from trees 

 planted now would be ready for market. The 

 new beginner must, therefore, when the time 

 arrives, ascertain from the fruit-dealers in the 

 larger cities, the best methods of marketing 

 their fruit. 



As many farmers, however, have large bear- 

 ing orchards of apples at present, it may be 

 well to give a few hints on gathering and mar- 

 keting that fruit ; and Pears, when in sufficient 

 quantity, should be treated in the same way. 



The fruit shoidd Ix", carefiUly gathered by 



hand, and packed as gathejred into new flour 



biirrels ; old Hour-barrels that liavc held flour l)e- 



ing unsuitable, as tiie fruit will neitlier kcefi nor 



look well iu them. Many carefully gatlier tln^ 



fruit from tlie ijouglis, and pitch it carelessly into 



the basket or barrel ; while otliers, after carefully 



filling tlieir basket, emjity it into Uie barrel, 



tluis more or less bruising all the fruit, and 



sjioiling it for long-keepi.'i'r. Ajjplcs should be 



handled as carefully as eggs. As the barrels 



are iilled, they should be gently shaken, so as 



to fdl the barrel quite full, and tlien be lieaded 



up 'ind put into a c;^ol shed or outbuilding till 



time to send to market, or jjut in tlie cellar ; 



which latter should be jjcrfectly dry, cool, auil 



dark. Fruit gathered and packed iu this way 



is worth fifty per cent, more than iu the usual 



way that ii is done iu Canada. 



LETTER T W E T. F T IT 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



In concluding these letters, it may be well to 

 dwell a little more at large on the suitability 

 of Canada for a frnit-growing country, and 

 the benefits to be derived from planting and 

 cultivating fruit. 



The*fruit-growing portion of Canada may be 

 flaid to extend from its southern extremity in 

 latitude 42 to the 4'ith degree of North latitude. 

 Except in very favorable localities the apple 

 will not succeed further north, and iu un- 

 favorable ones it will not thrive even as far 

 north as 46", though some otlier kinds of fruit 

 will. 



Owing to the greater part of Western Canada 

 being surrounded by the great lakes, and East- 

 ern Canada having the valleys of the St. Law- 

 rence and Ottawa, the climate is much more 

 favorable for fruit-raising than at the same lati- 

 tudeSj or even further south in the interior 

 ofthe United States removed from the in- 

 fluences of these waters. It will thus be Sk^en 

 that we have ample space within our bounds of 

 the richest soil, and most favorable climate, for 

 raising the greater part of the finest fruits 

 grown iu temperate climes. 



Montreal was long famsd for the finest and 

 best apples raised on this continent ; its Fauieusc, 



St. Lawrence, Pomme Grise, and others, have 

 never been equalled, let alone surpassed ; and 

 though of late years the trees have not been ap- 

 parently so hardy there, it is not so mucli 

 caused by a change of climate as tlie cater- 

 pillar, which for years back destroyed tlie leaves 

 annually, thereby greatly weakening the trees, 

 and making them unable to withstand severe 

 winters. Laist year this pest had, in a great 

 measure, disappeared ; and tiiere is no reason 

 why both the valleys of the St. Lawrence and 

 Ottawa should not be covered with thriving 

 orchards if projier precautions for shelter and 

 the destruction of insects were adopted. 



There is no difficulty in growing fine frnit; it 

 is both a healthy and pleasant pursuit, and a 

 little practical knowledge after reading these 

 letters will enable beginners to do it with suc- 

 cess, so that they will have abundance for the 

 use of their OAvn families, and a surplus to dis- 

 pose of. 



Ihit, to insure satisfactory results, the plant- 

 ing should be general throughout a locality, as 

 there is nothing more discouraging to the en- 

 terprising fruit culturist who has been the 

 pioneer in planting and cultivating a small 

 orohard in a new part of the country, or where 



*• 



.«=S5g^)jZ=> 



k 



