ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



At the outset I wish to extend my hearty thanks to the officials of the 

 various Departments of the Federal and Provincial Governments, who have 

 placed the facilities of their Departments at my disposal, and who have taken 

 considerable interest in the inquiry; to the many individual fruitgrowers in 

 all parts of the country who have received me so cordially; and to Mr. F. H. 

 Grindley, B.S.A., of Macdonald College, who has accompanied me throughout 

 the entire trip, and in the capacity of Secretary has proved extremely capable 

 and has been at all times willing and efficient. 



I am also under obligations to many correspondents in the different Provinces 

 who have so freely replied to my letters of inquiry and have supplied me with 

 information on various matters of interest in connection with the Fruit Industry. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Fruitgrowing in Canada has passed through various stages in the course of 

 its development, from the days when the early pioneers planted a few. seeds in 

 their little clearings in the woods, Until the present time, when it has taken its 

 place as one of the most important phases of the Agricultural Industry of the, 

 Dominion. 



It has been a matter of surprise to many people of other countries, who 

 claim to be intelligent and more or less acquainted with the possibilities of the 

 North American Continent, to learn that the vast country situated north of 

 the 49th parallel and the Great Lakes can not only grow fruit in large quantities 

 and in widely distributed areas, but as a matter of fact produces the fruits of 

 the Temperate Zone in the most abundant manner, of the very highest quality, 

 and with such regularity and freedom from uncertainty as to make the under- 

 taking from a commercial standpoint, one of the safest and most profitable 

 branches of Agriculture. Of course this statement should be qualified with the 

 proviso that judgment be exercised in the first instance, with regard to the 

 selection of the varieties of fruit to be produced, the markets to be catered to, 

 the available means of distribution as well as the existing soil and climatic 

 conditions. 



Canadian fruit of all kinds, when brought into competition with similar 

 fruits from other countries, has not only compared favourably, but, in common 

 with many other Canadian Agricultural products, has in numerous instances 

 completely outclassed its competitors in the matter of quality and appearance, 

 and has time and again carried away the highest honours. A casual glance at the 

 sales sheets of the various wholesale houses of Great Britain will disclose the 

 fact that, as a general feature of the trade, Canadian apples usually command 

 from one to two shillings per barrel more than those of their competitors. It is 

 perhaps a matter of regret that at times in the past the Canadian fruitgrower 

 has not realized the value of this asset, and in consequence has not taken the 

 pains to adequately safeguard himself in this respect in the public markets, 

 by upholding the reputation for quality and intrinsic value which has been 

 obtained for our fruit at the expense of considerable time and effort. There 

 are many notable exceptions to this criticism, and from one end of the Dominion 

 to the other there are to be found many careful, conscientious, enterprising 

 and successful fruitgrowers who, having devoted their energies to the work of 

 establishing a reputation for their name and brand, have reaped substantial 

 benefits therefrom, to say nothing of the personal satisfaction which such a 

 course carries with it. 



