THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
335 
larger package, unless it be that some progressive grower 
should make a gilt edge grade of mediocre sorts for the pur¬ 
pose of tempting the better class of trade. In British 
Columbia last season Lord Aberdeen, former governor- 
general of Canada, had packed on his estate at Vernon, 
40,000 cases of apples. These apples went as far as Hong 
Kong and even Sidney, Australia, and arrived in very good 
condition. The bulk, however, is distributed among the 
mining camps of northern British Columbia and Alaska. 
While considerable prejudice on the part of the commission 
men exists against the box package for the apple, it is 
bound to come, and the sooner we accept the situation, the 
greater profit in our opinion will accrue to the grower. 
It is very gratifying to the observant 
FRUIT AT THE visitor at the State Fair to find that th’s 
NEW YORK fruit exhibition is improving each year. 
STATE FAIR. This season under the superintendence of 
Prof. C. S. Wilson of the Department of 
Horticulture at Cornell University, the display has 
been exceedingly interesting and instructive. The two 
societies of New York State, the Western New York Horti¬ 
cultural Society and the State Fruit Growers’ Association 
were again keen competitors. It was quite impossible for 
anyone to form an opinion as to the relative standing of the 
two exhibits without adopting some system of scoring 
them. In other words, an examination, however, careful 
which was made without a definite method of obtaining the 
good and weak points of each exhibit, would fail to give the 
examiner any accurate idea of the standing of the two great 
displays. The Fruit Growers’ exhibit was specially strong 
in apples. The collection was large and the specimens were 
particularly fine. The Western New York Society was 
strong in variety of fruit and prominent in grapes and plums. 
The fruit was judged very carefully and conscientiously, by 
Mr. W. T. Macoun, Horticulturist of the Central Experi¬ 
mental Farm, Ottawa, Canada. Mr. Macoun is primarily 
an apple specialist and as this fruit was the predominating 
class of the two exhibits, his selection as a judge was very 
appropriate. The New York State Soc'ety won. 
Among interesting individual exhibits were those shown 
by Grant Hitchings exhibiting the results of sod culture. 
Mr. Hitchings is always able to show fruit with marvellously 
high color. There was also an exhibit of apples grown upon 
Doucin stock by Director L. H. Bailey of the College of Agri¬ 
culture. This included fine specimens of Baldwins, Twenty 
Ounce and a number of the european .Reinnette. 
Mr. Wilson was assisted in the Horticultural Hall by 
Mr. Frank Rupert of Rupert & Sons, Seneca Castle and by 
several senior class and graduate students of the College of 
Agriculture. The New York State Fruit Growers’ exhibit 
was in charge of Mr. H.L. Brown and the Western New York 
Horticultural Society’s exhibit was in charge of the efficient 
secretary of that organization, Mr. John Hall. 
Mr. Wm. Pitkin of Chase Brothers, Rochester, Commis¬ 
sioner for the Department of Fruits at the State Fair, who 
was busily engaged the entire week at the Fair was responsi¬ 
ble for much of the satisfaction among exhibitors and the 
good order which prevailed in the Hall during the Fair 
; Week. 
Almost the whole of New England, New 
THE York and contiguous parts of Canada 
DROUGHT. suffer from lack of rainfall in these latter 
days of September. The drought is not 
unparalleled but it is very severe. Of 
course a drought in the early autumn is not nearly so dis¬ 
astrous as one in early summer, yet it gives rise to conditions 
that may become exceedingly grave.’ The dairyman is 
seriously injured. The nurserymen especially in heavy soil 
districts is absolutely held up in his digging operations, while 
all interests are affected to a greater or lesser extent by 
diminished water supply. 
■In the present instance our forest lands have suffered to 
an extent that dwellers in cities do not appreciate. Thou¬ 
sands of acres of forested land have been denuded, hundreds 
of settlers’ homes have been burned, as an indirect result of 
the rainless period . 
The greatest destruction in forested areas has occurred 
in the North West but the loss in the east has been very 
considerable. Wherever forest lands exist there is danger. 
This danger is vastly increased when the tracts are traversed 
by railroads and invaded by careless hunters. 
Climatic conditions cannot be overcome but must be 
met. Not until our public forest tracts are placed under a 
systematized and properly supported forest service will the 
great danger of destruction by fire be to any extent 
mitigated. In Germany, the Government forests are clean. 
Debris and weed under brush are cleared away by the 
rangers. The kindling wood for the carelessly dropped 
match or the spark from the passing train is not at hand and 
fires are avoided. We may not have reached the period when 
forest management can be thus intensified, but the day 
is surely coming when the problem will'be thrust upon us 
whether we are ready to solve if or not. What a commen¬ 
tary on public service conditions, when we find navigation 
on inland streams and lakes arrested or impeded by the 
dense fall of smoke from the adjacent forest fires! 
Many nurserymen are undoubtedly waiting with all the 
patience they can muster for the arrival of rain to soften the 
ground for digging operations. Let us hope that before the 
above appears in print, the situation has been relieved. 
Later: The welcome rain has come. 
FOSTER & GRIFFITH EXTEND THEIR LAND HOLDINGS. 
m 
One of the largest farm property sales made in this sec¬ 
tion in some years was closed in this city Wednesday, when 
the William H. Cooper farm of two hundred acres of the 
.finest agricultural land in this vicinity, located on Walter 
Street, just west of Laona, was sold to the nursery firm of 
Foster & Griffith of Fredonia. The consideration is private 
but the character of the farm and its location indicate that, 
no small price could handle the deal. 
Foster & Griffith will occupy the place at an early date, 
and will use it for nursery purposes to take care of the grow- 
•ing grape and general nursery business of the firm. The 
land is very level, has been well farmed and taken care of for 
years, and has the reputation of producing as fine crops as 
any piece in the section where it lies, one of the very best in 
the whole grape belt .—Grape Belt. 
