146 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



United States are the result of accidental or intentional crossing of native 

 with European types. In general, the native American parent seems to 

 have contributed vigour and productiveness, while the European has 

 given size and quality to the fruit. Red and yellow Easpberries are 

 especially striking examples of this type of improvement. Our Grapes of 

 the North-East are either pure-bred natives or hybrids between natives and 

 the European, Vitis vinifera. And so it is that nature assisted by man 

 has developed a race of garden and orchard fruits in this country, vastly 

 superior to those the colonist discovered on his arrival, or thosa brought 

 from his European home, but which, after all, may be considered but the 

 foundation of the pomology of the future. 



Vineyard near Lake Ontario, Canada. 



The second striking feature of commercial significance has been the 

 rapid development of certain districts on account of their favourable soil 

 and climatic conditions. Assuredly an efficient transportation service has 

 also been an important factor, but such service usually follows the deve- 

 lopment, of the district, although not infrequently in this country the 

 promoters have been interested in both enterprises. An excellent 

 example of such development is afforded by the great number of Apple 

 trees planted thirty to forty years ago in the counties bordering Lake 

 Ontario in New York State, which have proved eminently suitable both in 

 soil and climate for the cultivation of Apples. Immense quantities of that 

 fruit are grown in this region every year. As an illustration, I may say 

 that in the month of March 1904 it was estimated that fully 3,000,000 

 barrels of Apples were in the storage-houses of one of these counties 

 awaiting purchasers. Two American varieties, Baldwin and Rhode 

 Island Greening, occupy the major portion of the area planted. There are 



