186 Canadian Record of Science. 



of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition at London, he was 

 one of the principal promoters of the important fruit ex- 

 hibit then made. 



In 1882, acting upon a suggestion made by Prof. "Wm. 

 Saunders, while president of the Ontario Fruit Growers' 

 Association, and impressed with the need of a better ac- 

 quaintance with the fruits of the old world, in order to de- 

 termine how far improvements in our own fruits could be 

 made through the importation of and crossing with those 

 from similar and colder climates, Mr. Gibb, in company 

 with Prof. J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, visited various parts 

 of Russia and Northern Europe, and brought back informa- 

 tion of great value. The expenses of this journey were 

 wholly met by the private means of these two gentlemen 

 The knowledge gained was subsequently embodied in 

 several valuable articles published in the reports of the 

 Montreal Horticultural Society and elsewhere. In 1888, 

 Mr. Gibb visited California in the interests of fruit culture, 

 and in June, 1889, he started on a journey through the east, 

 for the purpose of more closely examining their various 

 fruit products. Proceeding to Japan by way of Vancouver, 

 he traversed the " Island Empire " from one end to the other, 

 and was particularly interested in examining the resources 

 of the northern Island of Yeso, which, on account of its high 

 latitude, he felt sure was likely to yield many plants which 

 would prove of gi*eat value in Canada. There he met with 

 every attention from various officials to whom he had letters 

 of introduction, and through whose courtesy he was enabled 

 to carefully examine many localities of interest. The notes 

 he took during this part of his travels undoubtedly contain 

 a large amount of material of special value, and it is to be 

 hoped that it may be possible to publish them at some 

 future time. Erom Japan he proceeded to Hong Kong, Cey- 

 lon, Calcutta, Bombay, and thence to Cairo, where his fatal 

 Alness overtook him. 



The work undertaken by Mr. Gibb, in the line of practi- 

 cal horticulture, was of the greatest importance to Canada, 

 and more especially to Quebec, where the kinds of fruit 



