101 



of forests. The wind sweeps across the country without anything to break it. This 

 is a point worthy of consideration, whether or not good wind-breaks around our 

 orchards are not of great value. I think they are. 



Mr. Beodie. — With reference to a good many of our old Fameuse orchards 

 around Montreal, I think the degeneration of the trees is owing greatly to the im- 

 poverishment of the soil. Some of these trees have been cropped year after year, 

 for twenty-five years, in my neighbourhood, and 1 have never seen manure of any kind 

 applied to these trees. These trees are generally cultivated in the garden until they 

 are about ten years old, and then they are seeded down and left that way. I know 

 in our orchard, which was planted by my grandfather, I have taken great care to 

 manure and cultivate the trees. My neighbour has a young orchard, fifteen years old, 

 planted, and speaking to my foreman last summer, be said : " How is it you possess an 

 orchard with such healthy green foliage and the foliage of my trees is so sickly?" 



1 said, the reason was, that his foreman had not taken the trouble to put manure on 

 his garden crop. 



Mr. Starr. — ^I have wondered why our trees were so short-lived while we see so 

 many trees around us. We generally see failures to-day, while the other trees out- 

 live the allotted time. However, those who may come after us may yet live to see 

 in our present orchards some of our trees that will live as long. Those old trees 

 that we are speaking of, we must remember, are scattered; we see no fall 

 Orchards; they are scattered trees here and there. That is the position we found 

 them in. 



Prof. Smith. — I would like to make a few remarks with regard to this root 

 grafting. I do not agree altogether as to that being the cause of the deterioration of 

 our fi-uits. I know a number of years ago there was a practice among nurserymen 

 to cut up seedlings between one and two years, and graft two, three and sometimes 

 four trees from a single root, but the practice of root grafting upon whole roots gave 

 just as healthy a tree as a tree gi-own from the bud that is budded and above the 

 ground. It is a system I have always practised in growing trees, and I think 

 gentlemen in this room will bear me out in the statement that some of the best 

 orchards in the Xiagai'a district were planted thirty years ago, and are now in a 

 thriving condition, were grafted in that way. 



Senator Eeesor. — The experience I have had is that it is not only with the 

 nurseryman but it is sometimes with the manure. I have always taken a good deal 

 of interest in raising fruit myself, and have planted a great many varieties of 

 grapes, pears and apples, and I have found this, and I took the hint from reading of 

 the practice in England. In planting their grapevines there thej'dig the ground 



2 or 3 feet deep and turn the top soil right to the bottom and then fill the 

 balance of the earth in ; if it is not rich enough they put in rotted manure. I have 

 tried it only or. a small scale, and in planting that way I have had as much growth 

 from the grape vine in two years as I would have had in planting it in the ordinary 

 way in perhaps four years, and I got as much fruit off the same vine for the second 

 and third crop as I would have from four or five vinos planted in the ordinary way. 



The Convention adjourned until Friday. 



Morning Session. 



Friday, 2l8t Feb., 1890. 



The Convention re-assembled at 10 a. m., Prof Penhallow, President, in the 



chair. 



The Committee on Organization presented the following report: — 



permanent organization. 



That we recommend the permanent establishment of this convention under the 

 title of the Dominion Hoiticultural Association. 



The officers to be a president and a secretary-treasurer and a vice-president 

 and corresponding secretary for each Province. 



