A \KA\{ A.M()\(i TlIK ( K I)S ol' NOVA sro'I'IA. 3 
white. They are generally situated near the high road ; and, as the 
farms are long and narrow, extending often back into the wood and 
down through the marsh land to the river, the farmhouses are many of 
them within a quarter of a mile of one another, wliich enables life to be 
of a sociable nature, if desired. Prohibition of intoxicating drinks is 
rigidly enforced throughout Nova Scotia, with the exception of a few 
towns. There is consequently very little drunkenness. Roughly speaking, 
the area of these farms varies from 20 to 120 acres, consisting of about 
equal parts of grass and arable land, the latter including 1 to 5 acres of 
apple orchard. There are a few farms with as many as 60 or more acres of 
orchard, but a large proportion of this has been planted within the last ten 
years, and is not yet in full bearing. Many orchards are fifty years old, and 
a few apple trees remain which were planted by the French more than 150 
years ago. The apple tree certainly thrives here, and the orchards are 
generally neatly laid out and well cared for ; the growth of the trees is 
more rapid, and they attain a larger size than is common in England. 
The fruit is usually large, well coloured and abundant, and of pleasant 
flavour, particularly the ' Gravenstein.' Owing, no doubt, to quicker 
growth and shorter season, the flavour generally is not quite as nice as 
that of good English apples. Although the shape of the trees, the cultiva- 
tion, and the fruit in the best English orchards equal, I think, anything I 
saw in this valley, the average of the two countries is much in favour 
of Nova Scotia. 
Throughout the valley there is a telephone system which connects 
railway stations, shops, doctors' dwellings, and many of the farmers' 
houses. The charge is =€5 for installation ; £2. 10s. yearly. On one occa- 
sion I sent a cable to England from the sitting-room of the farmer's 
house in which I was staying, and received one back. 
Co-operative cheese and butter factories stud the valley every few 
miles. These encourage the keeping of dairy cattle, which industry 
profitably accompanies fruit-growing. The local agricultural societies 
own pedigree cattle for the improvement of native stock. At Canning, 
in the Cornwallis Valley, there is a vegetable evaporating factory (Kerr's), 
which was busy drying vegetables for the soup of the miners at Klondyke. 
It has in former years fulfilled contracts to the satisfaction of the English 
Government for naval and military supplies, its only difficulty being 
sudden large orders, with very limited time for manufacture. 
Pruning and Training. 
The trees are, as a rule, well-shaped, as the farmers begin early in the 
life of the tree to shape it. They like their trees to have a central 
leader, with the main branches distributed evenly about it, there being 
thus less risk of the tree splitting. The height of the branches from the 
ground is regulated so as to allow horse cultivation under them. 
It is found by experience that it is best to saw off the branches as 
close against the trunk as possible. If it is necessary to remove a large 
limb they commence by sawing in a short distance from below upwards, 
in order to avoid splitting the wood and tearing the bark. Large wounds 
grow over best when the edge is smoothed off with a knife, and then 
B 2 
