86 



l^ropagated by grafting in the neighbours' grounds, but if of the more ordinary kind 

 the tree was permitted to stand and produce its fruit all the same. The growers, 

 acting on the principle, eat the best first,^ and the poor ones will be good 

 when there are no others; and I ought, in justice to our sister Province of 

 Xova Scotia, to say that as the yield of our own orchards was not neai'ly sufficient 

 to supply the demand of our home markets, the citizens of that fine Province 

 (charitably disposed, as they have ever been, towards us) supplied the deficiency 

 with a quality greatly similar to our own production. But while I make this 

 reference to the condition of things as they have existed, I desire to place it on 

 record that ll^ew Brunswick oi-chardists ai'e under a very great obligation to our 

 Nova Scotia friends for the advancement we have made in fruit culture, while the 

 inhabitants of our cities have shown their appreciation of their foresight, skill and 

 labour by a more liberal purchase and consumption of the magnificent and palatable 

 fruit with which they have supplied our markets. There is a feeling, however, 

 among our people, that our friends across the bay, seeing that we have been good 

 customers so many years, should in their shipments send us a larger proportion 

 of No. I's. 



Within the period named, I am glad to say that we have made some progress. 

 The old orchards are dying out through neglect, because their fruit was unsaleable, 

 and new ones are taking their place, made up of grafted trees, which produce the 

 best of their kind. To the gentleman who was invited to be present with us as my 

 co-delegate great credit is due for the valuable assistance rendered by him in pro- 

 moting this industry in the Province. His action has been energetic, his labours 

 unremitting; and I am sure my fellow citizens at home would bear testimony to the 

 fact that to him belongs the honour of awakening our people to the great possibili- 

 ties within our reach in the culture of the apple and plum. His very entensive 

 nursei-ies have been drawn upon by the people to a large extent for their new 

 orchards; while the product of his magnificent plum orchard is to be found in their 

 season in all our cities and large towns. 



I regret to say that we are not yet in a position to supply oui- home markets 

 with even the soft autumn fruit, while in winter-keeping varieties we are sadly 

 deficient. There exists a prevailing impression among our nurserymen (and we have 

 a number of them) that winter fruits cannot be successfully grown with us. I 

 think this impression is not wholly warranted, and for the purpose of dispelling 

 that impression and giving ocular demonstration of the position I take in the matter, 

 I have taken the pains to place before this Convention some samj)les of winter fruit 

 grown by myself. It may be true that they may not be equal to samples grown in 

 those prince of apple-growing districts 'The Annapolis and Corn wal lis Valleys of 

 Nova Scotia or the western portions of Ontario and the favoured districts of Quebec ;" 

 yet I submit they are sufiiciently fine to warrant their extended cultivation in such 

 districts of our Province as may be found favourable to their production. The 

 samples shown are the products of trees secured from Nova Scotia nurseries and 

 from Eochester, N.Y., U.S. 



Beginning at a point say twenty miles distant from the city of St. John, on 

 the valley of the St. John Eiver, and following it until Sheffield, in the County of 

 Sunbury, is reached, a distance of some forty-five miles, lies a tract of beautiful 

 country, which, in my judgment, will successfully produce the best varieties of winter 

 fruits ; and had our people the courage to place even a modei'ate acreage under culti- 

 vation we might be in a position in a few years to supply at least a portion of the 

 winter fruit required in our provincial markets. But in speaking of our possibilities, 

 I should be doing an injustice to New Brunswick did I not state that the early 

 autumn fruits are very successfully grown throughout the entire valley of the St. 

 John, from the point first mentioned until the Gi'and Falls is reached, a distance of 

 some 200 miles. Noi' is their successful culture confined to this district alone, but 

 in the slopes along the valleys of the numerous tributaries of the St. John are to be 

 found many orchards bearing autumn fruits of good qualitj-. 



