436 
Canadian Agriculture. 
the agricultural societies have effected some good, there is still 
much room for improvement in the quality of live-stock, both 
of sheep and cattle. As will be seen from the Census Returns 
of 18S1, there were owned in Nova Scotia that year 300,000 
cattle and 400,000 sheep, of which 63,000 cattle and 151,000 
sheep were sold for consumption. The nearness to the sea- 
board gives to the stock farmers of Nova Scotia an enormous 
advantage over their brethren in Ontario and farther west, in 
so far as the export cattle trade is concerned. In all parts of 
the Province they are within one or two days' journey of 
Halifax, the port of shipment ; there is no wearisome overland 
travelling for the cattle, with its lowering of condition and 
waste of tissue, for the animals can be on board the steamer 
the day after leaving the farm, and Halifax is nearer than 
Montreal to Liverpool by 200 miles. The climate of Nova 
Scotia is more an insular than a continental one, and this is 
an advantage to a grazing country. Sheep in the south-west 
remain out all through the winter, the coldest period of which 
is usually in March, when the east winds blow off the ice floes 
in the Atlantic. The port of Halifax is open all the year 
round, and the Allan steamers run there from Liverpool weekly 
through the winter ; the navigation of the St. Lawrence is 
closed from November to April. 
The trade of Nova Scotia has practically doubled during 
the last twenty years, and the annual imports now represent 
2,400,000/., and the exports 1,800,000Z. In 1883, the agri- 
cultural export was valued at 300,000/., and included cattle 
sent to Europe ; potatoes, for which the Province is noted, 
exported to the United States ; and enormous quantities of 
apples shipped at Annapolis. 
The fruit-growing industry of Nova Scotia deserves mpre than 
a passing word. Thirty years ago the Province imported apples, 
and now the annual shipment to Europe approaches half-a- 
million barrels of three bushels each, and they are worth in the 
English market from '2Qs. to 245. per barrel. The Annapolis 
valley is one of the finest apple-growing regions in the world, its 
fertile soil and sheltered position admirably fitting it to this 
industry. I may here reproduce a few figures which I collected 
while driving tlirough the orchard districts around Port 
Williams. An orchard of six acres was pointed out to me whicli 
would yield 1000 barrels of apples, and they would sell for bCOl. 
Gathering and ]i;i(:king would cost r)f/. per barrel, and 10 barrels 
might be filled l)\ one j)erson in a fair day's work. The barrels 
can be bought at from IQd. to Is. each. Young apple-trees, fit 
for transplanting, cost from Is. '6d. to \s. 8d. each, and to plant 
one acre with trees at the rate of 40 to the acre involves an out- 
