23 



QUEBEC. 



Before making a trip through the Province of Quebec a day was pleasantly 

 spent at Macdonald College at Ste. Anne de Bellevue, where, in company with 

 Professor W. 8. Blair, Horticulturist at the College, an inspection was made 

 of the orchards that have been set out on this fine property. Experiments 

 are here being carried on with apples, pears, plums, cherries, grapes and small 

 fruits, with a view to determining the best methods of employing cover crops 

 and various fertilizers in orchard culture, as well as to further test promising 

 varieties and those of recent introduction. In the course of a few years some 

 very valuable information will be available in regard to the newer fruits which 

 are likely to prove successful in the Province of Quebec. Professor Blair who 

 is a very careful, patient experimenter, has also devoted considerable attention 

 to the establishment of demonstration orchards in various parts of Quebec, 

 with the object of placing before the fruitgrowers in these localities the best 

 methods of orchard practice for their several conditions. 



Como. 



A short distance from Ste. Annes, on the banks of the Ottawa River, are 

 found the large orchards of Captain R. W. Shepherd, a gentleman who for many 

 years has been interested in the development of fruitgrowing in the Province 

 of Quebec. He has about forty acres under orchard and has tried nearly every 

 variety that gives promise of being successful under his conditions. 



He has been very successful in catering to the high class trade of the city 

 of Montreal, and has also for many years been exporting Montreal Fameuse 

 to the Old Country markets. For this purpose he has devised a special apple 

 box, modelled somewhat after the style of the egg case in common use, in which 

 each fruit is placed in a separate compartment. This method of shipment has 

 proved very satisfactory in connection with Mr. Shepherd's own business, but 

 being of a somewhat special character, has not come into general use. 



Underdraining Valuable. 



Fruit trees thrive much better on the higher, well drained land than they 

 do on soil that is in any way of a damp character. Observation seems to confirm 

 the opinion that either severe drouth or undue dampness is detrimental to the 

 ability of a tree to withstand extremes of temperature and shows conclusively 

 that underdraining would be very valuable here as elsewhere in protecting the 

 trees from winter injury. In this vicinity the apple maggot has obtained a 

 foothold and it will only be by heroic measures and united action by the fruit- 

 growers in the locality that this pest can be eradicated. 



La Trappe. 



The extensive orchards of the Monastery at La Trappe, on the opposite 

 side of the river from Como, were looked over, through the courtesy of Father 

 Leonard. On this property there are over one hundred acres under orchard, 

 the principal varieties being Astrachan, Duchess, Wagener, Wealthy, Alexander, 

 Mcintosh Red, Wolf River and Marshall. In one section of their larger orchard 

 there was a tremendous crop of Wealthies, which were very clean and of excellent 

 size and colour. The Marshall is an early dessert apple, a very good grower, 

 hardy and of excellent quality. The Mcintosh Red apples seen in this orchard 

 were perhaps the finest of this variety observed anywhere throughout our trip. 

 A serious mistake has been made on this property in planting too many varieties, 

 some of them of doubtful commercial value. The orchards are being carefully 



