ANNUA}. jmVO-KT OF THE Fruit Growers' Association or ONTARIO 1913 1 . FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Fruit Growers' Association OF Ontario 1913 (PUBLISHED BY THE ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, TORONTO.) PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE . LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO TORONTO : Printed by L. K. CAMERON, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty 1914 Printed by WILLIAM BRIGGS, n-ll Richmond Street West. TORONTO. To His Honour Sir John Morison Gibson, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, a Colonel in the Militia of Canada, etc., etc., etc., Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Ontario. May it Please Your Honour : I have the honour to present the Forty-fifth Annual Keport of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario. Kespectfully submitted, Department op Agriculture, Toronto, 1914. JAMES S. DUFF, Minister of Agriculture.. [»I CONTENTS. Page officers fob 1914 . > 5 Treasurer's Report, 1913 6 Annual Meeting 7 President's Address: W. H. Dempsey 7 Transportation Report: G. E. McIntosh 10 Insects Attacking the Peach: L. Caesar 25 Present Condition of Peach Yellows and Little Peach: L. Caesar 32 The Distribution of the Peach Crop : S. H. Rittenhouse 33 Help in Fruit Picking Time: Mrs. L. A. Hamilton 39 Fruit Handling and Precooling Investigations: A. V. Stubenrauch 43 Apple Scab: L. Caesar 54 Factors which Enter into the Choice of Varieties for a Commercial Planta- tion of Apples: Prof. J. W. Crow 69 The Neglected Orchards as a Source of Profit: R. S. Duncan 81 Currant and Gooseberry Culture: L. B. Henry 94 Canadian Markets: Robert Thompson 106 Address: Hon. Martin Burrell 110 Strawberry Culture: Prof. J. W. Crow 112 Color on Your Fruit: W. F. Kydd • • 119 Co-operative Marketing of Apples in Nova Scotia: S. C. Parker 124 Resolutions 128 [4] Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario OFFICERS FOR 1914. President Robt. Thompson, St. Catharines. Vice-President .Elmer Lick, Oshawa. Secretary-Treasurer P. W. Hodgetts, Parliament Buildings, Toronto. Executive . . . Officers, and C. W. Gurney, F. S. Wallbridge. Directors: Div. 1. R. B. Whyte, Ottawa. 2. C. W. Beaven, Prescott. 3. F. S. Wallbridge, Belleville. 4. Elmer Lick, Oshawa. 5. W. J. Bragg, Bowmanville. 6. H. G. Foster, Burlington. 7. R. H. Dewar, Fruitland. Div. 8. R. Thompson, St. Catharines. 9. Geo. Schuyler, Simcoe. 10. Dr. A. J. Grant, Thedford. 11. J. Mallough, Dungannon. 12. C. W. Gurney, Paris. 13. W. J. Saunders, East Linton. Ontario Agricultural College: Prof. J. W. Crow. Auditor: D. F. Cashman, Parliament Buildings, Toronto. Representatives to Fair Boards and Conventions. Canadian National: Robt. Thompson, St. Catharines. London: D. Johnson, Forest; C. W. Gurney, Paris. Ottawa: R. B. Whyte, Ottawa; Harold Jones, Maitland. Ontario Horticultural Exhibition: Robt. Thompson, St. Catharines; Elmer Liok. Oshawa; H. G. Foster, Burlington; P. W. Hodgetts, Toronto. Committees : Transportation: A. Onslow, Niagara; Geo. French, Sarnia; Elmer Lick, Oshawa; W. J. Bragg, Bowmanville; Robt. Thompson, St. Catharines; G. E. McIntosh, Forest. Co-operation: Elmer Lick, Oshawa; C. W. Gurney, Paris; Prof. J. W. Crow, Guelph; Dr. A. J. Grant, Thedford. New Fruits: W. T. Macoun, Ottawa; Prof. J. W. Crow, Guelph; F. S. Reeves, Vine- land Station. Historical: A. W. Peart, Burlington; W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. 5] TREASURER'S REPORT, 1913 Receipts. Balance on hand, Dec. 31, 1912. $1,674 43 Members' fees 308 75 Show: Entry fees 141 25 Fruit sold 315 50 Grant 1,700 00 Interest 22 85 EXPENDITURE. Annual Meeting $248 34 Committees 50 20 Periodicals 677 90 Printing 105 70 Show 1,309 56 Grants 400 00 Miscellaneous 1,362 87 Balance on hand 8 21 $4,162 78 DETAILS OF EXPENDITURE. $4,162 78 Annual Meeting. Canadian Countryman (1912) . $5 60 Angus & Stonehouse, reporting (1912) 75 00 College Press, printing 51 15 Farm and Dairy, ad 5 60 Weekly Fruit Grower, ad 1120 Canadian Farm, ad 10 08 Weekly Sun, ad 11 20 Canadian Countryman, ad 8 40 Wm. Briggs, printing 5 00 Lecturers expenses: R. R. Graham 6 41 S. C. Parker 58 70 Total $248 34 Committees. Directors' Expenses: W. H. Stainton . . D. Johnson W. J. Saunders . C. W. Beaven . . . D. Johnson F. M. Lewis $4 40 10 00 10 20 14 65 2 95 8 00 Total. $50 20 Periodicals. Horticultural Pub. Co., Horticul- turist $40.80, $332.30, $232.00, $72.80; Total $677 90 Printing. Standard Printing Co., circulars. $60 60 College Press, stationery 9 35 College Press, post cards 35 75 Total $105 70 1912— Show. Express, C.N.R $7 10 Freight 28 84 Manning Cold Storage. 18 38 Canadian Express 125 32 $179 64 Audited this 12th day of January, 1913. (Signed) D. F. Cashman, Auditor. 1913— E. T. Reed, freight, etc. $151 92 Dominion Express 35 S. McElroy 16 20 F. McLeod, express... 7 80 Canadian Express 96 81 Manning Cold Storage. 88 66 M. Elard 6 54 Hendrie & Co 54 89 Fruit Sold— 1912, Mrs. U. Young. . . $2 00 G. H. Martyn.... 3 50 R. Schuyler 15 00 1913, Total amount ... 492 25 423 17 512 75 Miscellaneous — 1912, St. Catharines, supplies $9 00 E. T. Reed, ser- vices 150 00 1913, D. Pike, supplies. 35 00 194 00 Total for Show $1,309 56 Grants. 1912, Northumberland & Durham $50 00 Norfolk, Huron & Essex. . . 150 00 1913, St. Lawrence Valley 50 J00 Northumberland & Durham 50 00 Oakville & Peel 100 00 $400 00 Miscellaneous. G. E. Mcintosh $1,075 52 P. W. Hodgetts *r»— ^^hler Exchange Miss Lester Dominion Guarantee Miss Walkinshaw . . . 10 00 24 00 3 35 150 00 10 00 90 00 Total $1,362 87 (Signed) W. H. Dempset, President. P. W. Hodgetts, Treasurer. [6] Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario ANNUAL MEETING. The fifty-fourth animal meeting of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario was held in the Dairy Amphitheatre, Exhibition Park, Toronto, on November 19th, 20th and 21st, 1913. At ten o'clock on Wednesday morning, November 19th, 1913, President W. H. Dempsey, of Trenton, called the meeting to order. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. W. H. Dempsey, Trenton. The season just closing brings with it several lessons, and some hints of cau- tion which must be heeded, if we would keep our industry up to its' present high standard. Last winter our storages were full of surplus apples from the abundant 1912 crop, and our trees were full of blossom buds for a bumper 1913 crop. Things did look bad for the apple business, but nature interferred, and the slate is clean for another heavy crop next year. The crop in storage sold this spring at prices far under the cost of produc- tion in many cases. This low price was the result of overproduction, and while not a full crop, by any means, it was heavy enough to give a slump in prices, which we hope may not soon be repeated. All our selling organizations seem to be helpless in the face of an over crop, and the prices and profits so long believed in fail. This year, with a crop almost a failure, apples have kept within reason ; hence we begin to feel that the apple business may soon be over done, and caution seems necessary on the part of our fellow investors and ourselves, who already know the business. How it fares with the other lines, let us see? The peach growers last year had good crops and good prices; this year they have had better crops and only part of the planting bearing, but prices have fallen often below that of apples, so that here we feel it time to sound the note of warning to those about to plunge deeper into the game. In the smaller fruits, cherries have not been any higher price than usual. Berries have been higher because of the unusually dry weather which dried up part of the crop. Over much of Ontario the apples have been affected with insect and fungus. Perhaps it was because of the scant crop that spraying was neglected, or other reasons might have increased the injury. At any rate our Dominion fruit inspec- tors have had a very busy season, and much trouble from keeping outside buyers from being beaten by careless or unscrupulous packers. The importance of their work cannot be over-estimated; for at present it would indeed be disastrous if our packers were to lose their reliability, and lose for us the markets we have fought for so hard. [7] 8 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 It is well, therefore, for our Association to give every encouragement to the better grading of all kinds of Fruit, so that our packages may be reliable. As a Fruit Growers' Association our main work is self -protection by : 1. Encouraging the use of fruit. 2. Educating fellow growers to the greatest efficiency in production. 3. Raising standards of package and quality of contents. 4. Protecting fellow investors against over-production. We, as an Association, have been boosting the use of fruit by our Horticultural Show. The great exhibits of fancy fruit, and the visitors coming and going, all tend to stimulate the demand for first-class fruit in good, reasonable packages. We are told that a few years ago Toronto took apples in barrels only from Ontario. Then a few boxes from the Western States came in; after this a compe- tition in boxed Ontario apples at our Show, and now this year Toronto will eat 100,000 boxes of Ontario apples. Thus it is in all our fruits, the more we advertise, the greater the demand. In education of fellow growers, the Government is doing much by its fruit institutes and demonstrations in box-packing. Reports of work done at the O. A. C. and the spraying demonstrations by District Representatives have done much to hold up the quality of fruit in the several counties, and to keep down the heavy annual loss by insects and fungus diseases. The counties, through their District Representatives and local fruit organiza- tions, are helping, too, in the advertising of fruit. At our present iShow one of these county's exhibits is made popular by their distributing pamphlets on the use of the apple, and so we hope through our Associ- ation to reach out in coming years, and by the competition started in the counties, to increase the use of fruit. Our competition in box packages is doing much for Ontario apples. Already we find Ontario packers going into competition with western packers. At the National Land and Apple Show, held this fall in Winnipeg, Ontario box packers carried off the best prize. Again, it is to the credit of our Association and its interest in packages and packing that the Ontario Fruit Branch took the President's Cup at the Apple Shippers' Convention at Cleveland. As to the matter of protecting ourselves and fellow-investors in marketing, we have aided in marketing schemes, and the great co-operation scheme is now on foot and well at work. There are committees and agents representing us striving for concessions from the railways and transportation companies to protect our good stuff once it is well packed and on the cars. Reports from these will come later in our meetings. Lastly, we owe to ourselves and fellow-investors, and planters, some note of warning against over-production. Since this Society was organized we have heard questions on this point. At present we find that it is coming to where a reasonable answer may be easily found. In a report at Ottawa last winter, the Representatives from British Columbia, in asking for tariff on apples, sounded a warning from the far west. Now, with the last two crops of apples, one not a full crop — that is, not all that the orchards could produce — and the last what is generally called a failure, which did not put prices out of sight, we conclude that there is immediate danger of over-production in apples. 1914 FBUIT GROWEKS' ASSOCIATION. 9 From peach crops of 1912 and 1913, and prices, with the fact that this year rhere was not so full a crop as might be reasonably expected, it appears that it is time to say : " go carefully." Mr. Thompson, (St. Catharines) : When you refer to the danger of over- production you refer also to the fact that Toronto will take 100,000 boxes of apples this year. That is certainly a very large increase over some years ago, for they took very few, in comparison to that, only a few years ago. But that emphasize? the fact that all over the Province — not only in regard to apples, but in regard to all fruits — the people are not getting one-quarter enough fruit, nor one-quarter what they would take if they could get it. The President: I gave it as my impression, and I might say that the figures from British Columbia will bear me out. For instance, in their report last winter to Ottawa, before 'the Agricultural Committee, the increase in the Okanagan Valley alone was shown to be in 1909, 76 cars; in 1910, 176 cars: and in 1911 an increase of 800 cars. A Member : Was that apples or all kinds of fruits ? The President : It was principally apples. That is from the Okanagan Valley; Okanagan Valley shipments. Then he has made a very creditable report on the increase in the States lying directly south of British v Columbia : Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho. This increase runs up somewhere to about 100,000 cars as the expected crop for 1915. From the States I have mentioned, that shows an increase over last year of 100 per cent. Then take peaches alone. This is the first year we have sold very many peaches in our small towns and villages, and these products were selling in the town of Trenton at 10 cents a basket, and that certainly is far below the cost. Mr. Thompson : Were apples a dollar a basket in Trenton ? The President: Yes, in the early part of the season apples were selling for a dollar a basket, but with the present methods and knowledge that we have of making our orchards produce apples the crops are bound to be larger every year, and to hold a good average crop every year. There are orchards in my section — I do not know how it is in others — where the growers apparently know how to handle the matter, and they manage to get good fair crops year after year, and this knowledge is fortunately gradually extending to others, and it certainly look? as though there was an excessive production coming. Mr. Armstrong: In regard to peaches I might say that we have done con- siderable advertising — I am speaking of Niagara Township and that district — and buyers we never heard of before have been making enquiries for carload rates from all points. It is just possible that considerable business will result to our credit. 10 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 TRANSPORTATION REPORT. G. E. McIntosh, Forest. This subject of transportation is at any time a very delicate one on which to prepare a paper, because of the accuracy with which all statements must be made, but I want to assure you that at no time have'I been timid in presenting a paper of this nature to you. This morning, shortly after my arrival in the city, I was handed' a newspaper clipping containing a report of Sir William Van Home's address to the Canadian Club, of this city, about a week ago. Now, Sir William, speaking of the agitation that has been created or is being created by the different Boards of Trade and other organizations, etc., says : " I do not know the reason for these prolonged attacks, but they have created a dangerous situation. It is this precarious situation of the American railways that is the great cloud overshadowing business conditions in North America to-day. " We have seen in recent years such things as the New York Central Railway being compelled because of the false statement of an employee who swore he could not see a certain red light — a condition known by the railway officials to be otherwise — to spend fifty or sixty millions in completely changing their New York terminals. We have seen the New York, New Haven & Hartford hounded by ignorant public opinion to the very verge of bankruptcy. " Now all these things are catching, and sometimes — in fact too frequently — Canada has shown a tendency to follow suit, though up to date there has l>een very little of this illiberal tendency. I will only cite one instance, and that is the legislation which ten years ago wiped out the small independent local elevator system, with the result that Western farmers are getting less for their wheat than ever before. * But I want to plead for more liberal, intelligent and friendly consideration of the railway interests of Canada, and against any attempt on the part of blatherskites to put through ignorant legislation such as has been passed in the United States." Now, Sir, I want to say this with all due respect to Sir William Van Home and the railway interests that he represents, that he has evidently overlooked the fact that the agriculturists of the Dominion of Canada are second only as revenue producers for the railways of this country. Because of the agitation that has been created or is being created by the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, by the different Boards of Trade of the cities of the Dominion, by amalgamated Boards of Trade all over the country for the increased taxation on railway property; for all this agitation to better the commercial conditions of this country we are classi- fied by Sir William Van Home as "blatherskites.'*' Now, Mr. President, I want to say that in my efforts on behalf of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association I am quite willing to be stigmatized by Sir William Van Home as a " blatherskite." The remarks I am about to address to you I have put in the 'form of a paper on Transportation. It is a report on what the Transportation 'Committee has been doing, and it contains some recommendations as to what they probably should do in the future : It is something over a year since I was honored by your Association with this appointment of Transportation Agent of your Association, with instructions to look into the conditions governing the transportation of fruit, 'and the facilities afforded by the different carriers. I may say the work has become deeply interest- ing, and personally I am satisfied it is high time the education being advanced by the various rural fruit growers' associations, and also by the mother association, be not directed only towards production, but to transportation and 'marketing — two of the greatest constituents in the success of this great industry which you repre- sent here to-day. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 11 The fruit grower must prepare his fruit for the consuming public in accord- ance with certain legislation, under a penalty, and no matter how great the quan- tity, or how good the quality, the success of the industry is then largely dependent upon the condition in which the common carriers of this province deliver it to the various markets. I want to point out that the products of ( agriculture in this Dominion are second only in quantity of railway tonnage to the products of the mines, and that fruit and vegetables, of which the railways carried over a million tons last year, are third highest in the list of agricultural products contributing to the railways' receipts. In other words, the agriculturists are the second best customers the rail- ways of the Dominion of 'Canada have, and are therefore entitled to at least equal advantages with the shippers of other commodities. * ,The problem of rates — and we believe they are all the traffic will bear — is not the essential point, nor is it the most important of the many complaints or grievances of the fruit growers and shippers to-day. It is, briefly speaking, lack of railway equipment ; inefficient terminal facilities ; a service in transit that assures no certainty of reaching a market in proper time ; delays in supplying cars ; rough handling; lack of shelters; pilfering; neglect in icing cars or attending heaters, according to season, and certain privileges that are accorded shippers of other commodities, but not for fruit. These are a few of the more important matters, attributable to some of which are the serious losses several of you have experienced, and to which the Province as a whole is suffering because our Ontario fruit is not reaching the markets, especially the western market, in a proper condition to meet the competition it is subjected to there. The task, therefore, confronting your Transportation Committee is one of great importance ; one that is somewhat discouraging because of the apparent slow progress to be made. I beg to submit herewith as briefly as possible a synopsis of what has been attempted and accomplished the past year, both on appeal to the Railway Commission and by conference with railway representatives. Completing Part Carloads In Transit: Application was made to the Railway Commission to compel the railway companies under their jurisdiction to allow part carloads of fruit charged at carload rates and weight from original point of shipment to final destination to be stopped in transit for completion of load at an additional charge of $3.00 per car for each stop. In support of this request it was pointed out that British Columbia fruit shippers had the advantage of an inward rate, covering a sixty -mile radius, of 10 cents per 100 pounds, for assorting carloads, and that shippers of horses, cattle, hogs, sheep, live poultry, grain, canned goods, lumber and poles were permitted to ship part carloads at carload rate and weight from point of shipment to desti- nation and stop for completion of load for $3. The ruling of the Board upon this request was given on March 6th, 1913, and was as follows : " That the application for the stop-over privilege be and is hereby refused." " It is established by various decisions of this Board," says Commissioner McLean, * as well as by decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission, that the transit practice is a privilege, not a right, and the Board is without power to direct that this privilege be given by the railway." Section 317 of the (Canadian Railway Act reads: "No company shall make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to or in favor of any ^_ THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 particular person or company, or any particular description of traffic, in any respect whatever.'5 Yet the Board of Railway Commissioners allow such to exist, and have ruled that they have not the power to compel a railway company to extend such privilege, preference, or advantage, whichever you may call it, to the fruit shippers, who are paying a rate double that of live stock, two and half times that paid for lumber, three times the rate paid for grain and four times greater than that on poles. Minimum Inward Hates: From December, 1904, when tariffs were first filed with the Railway Commission, down to March 28th, 1911, both the G. T. R. and C. P. R, carried apples to concentration points for storage, inspection or com- pletion of carloads and re-shipment at a reduction of one-third from the local tariff rates. The combination of the in and out rates not to be less than the through rate from the first shipping point to the final destination, plus 2 cents per 100 pounds; and if to the concentration point a joint route had to be used, the reduction applied only to that portion of the earnings of the company that received the second haul, or re-shipment from that point. On March 29th, 1911, the arrangement was modified by withdrawing the completion of carloads concession, and restricting the storage and inspection privilege to carloads. The Commission was asked jointly by the Simcoe Fruit Growers and your Transportation Committee to order the re-establishment of these concessions above referred to, in the event of not granting the stop-over privilege. The Board's ruling on this request, dated March 6th, 1913, was as follows: " That the railway companies subject to the jurisdiction of the Board re-establish the arrangement formerly in effect, whereby apples were carried to concentration points for storage, inspection, or for completion of carloads and reshipment, subject to certain conditions, at a reduction of one-third from the local tariff rate to the concentration points, so as to become effective within thirty days from the date of this "order, the railways having not satisfactorily justified the abrogation of the arrangement which has been shown to have been in existence in Ontario for a number of years." On July 5th, 1913, I was informed by Mr. Cartwright, iSecretary of the Com- mission, that the railway companies had applied for permission to refer this ruling to the Supreme Court, on the grounds that the Board had not jurisdiction to issue such an order. Their request was granted, but I am given to understand that the order issued by the Board on March 6th, as above read, remains in effect until either quashed or withdrawn, and the rebate concession is therefore available for those requiring it. Slatted Floors: As several shippers were annually paying out large sums of money for providing slat floors for refrigerator cars or box cars when refrig- erators could not be supplied, to protect their shipments, the Commission was asked for a ruling compelling the railways to pay shippers for providing such. This request was granted by an order, issued June 30th, 1913, number 19,570. reading as follows : " It is ordered that where shippers furnish slats for the floors of refrigerator cars not equipped with permanent slatted or double floors, or for the floors of box cars tendered to and accepted by shippers in lieu of refrigerator cars, for the carriage of fresh fruits, railway companies subject to the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada shall allow the shipper $3.00 per car for the said slatting: the shipper to be permitted to deduct the said allowance from the freight charges payable by him upon the shipment in such car in which the said slatting has been furnished; the shipper's receipt for the amount so allowed to be given the Railway Company's agent at the forwarding station, and to be accepted by him as so much cash in the prepayment of the freight charges on such car." 1914 FKUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 13 This is $3 better than it was up to the time this order went into effect, but your Transportation Committee are not yet satisfied in this matter. Some shippers put in floors, and have done so this season, that cost considerably over $3, and weigh probably 1,000 pounds, but under the Canadian classification no reduction is allowed off the minimum carload weight for these floors, and consequently the shipper has to pay freight on same. We might take the case of a Sarnia shipper fitting a car as outlined, he gets no allowance from his freight minimum for put- ting in that floor. The shipper in Port Huron — only a mile away — fits a car, and under, the official classification he is allowed 1,000 pounds for such fittings from the car minimum. Reciprocal Demurrage: The Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, the Toronto and Montreal Boards of Trade, the Canadian Millers' Association, The Associated Boards of Trade of Ontario, The Ontario Coal Dealers7 Association, and the International Harvester Company were heard in Ottawa, June the 16th and 17th, by the Railway Commission on the question of reciprocal or average de- murrage. It was my privilege to also represent your Transportation Committee at this hearing, to endeavor to show the great need of something being done to ensure a better service in the supplying of cars, a better mileage rate in transit, and a more prompt delivery at terminals for fruit shipments. At present a shipper who allows his car to remain more than twenty-four hours of free time at terminals before unloading is fined $1 per day for every day beyond such free time. Last winter the Board raised this to $2 and $3 for the first and second day, for four months as an experiment, but the experiment did not bring about the results which the railways claimed would be forthcoming, viz., that cars would be released by consignees and could then be supplied promptly to the ship- pers. The fact then is apparent that the fault is really congestion at terminals, which can only be remedied by the railways in providing better terminal facilities. Our request was for reciprocal demurrage, that is a system by which the rail- way as well as the shipper would be fined for delay in unloading, according as one or other was responsible. The same would apply in the ordering of cars. If cars were not supplied in forty-eight hours, the * railways would pay the _ shipper demurrage for each day's delay thereafter, and if supplied and not loaded in proper time, then the shipper would pay the same rate. Delays in transit or in placing would or should be in the form of a penalty. By the average demurrage system the charge on all cars held for loading or unloading by shipper or receiver would be computed on the basis of the average time or detention to all such cars released during each calendar month as follows : 1. A credit of one day allowed for each car released within twenty-four hours , of free time, and a debit of one day charged for each twenty-four hours beyond the first forty-eight hours of free time. 2. At the end of the month the total number of days credited will be deducted from the total number of days debited, and $1 per day charged for the remainder. In supporting the reciprocal plan, I believe its adoption would be a fair settle- ment of the question, whereas the average plan would discriminate against the small shipper in favour of the big one. Let the railway as well as the shipper be penalized, but we must be prepared and willing to accept any ruling whereby the service will be improved. 14 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 From returns furnished me by shippers who kept records of shipments as requested, last season, I was enabled to present to the Board accurate data show- ing losses sustained by shippers through delays in supplying refrigerator cars, etc. Out of forty shippers, requiring 1,186 refrigerator cars, twenty-six experienced delays of from four to thirty-eight days in getting them, and in some instances were compelled to use box cars. An instance may be given of one shipper, who ordered 8 refrigerators from the M. C. R. Company on October 24th.. He received 2 on November 28th — 35 days; one on November 30th — 37 days; 1 December 1st — 38 days, and no more until December 13th. Another ordered six refrigerators from the P. M. Ry. Company on November 4th, and received the first car on December 10th. So on through the list such ridiculous delays were recorded. Regarding delays in transit, the evidence submitted covered everything required by the fruit grower, from the nursery stock to the orchard product, includ- ing spray material, etc. On fruit shipments to the western market, Winnipeg shipments travelled as slow as two and three-quarter miles (2%) per hour; Bran- don from 4% to 10 miles per hour; Regina, 4%, bl/2, and 6 miles per hour, and several other points about as bad. Conditions at export points were also referred to instances being quoted where cars were held a full week and more during severe cold weather and were badly frosted. Fifty-seven shipments of nursery stock by one shipper to points in Ontario during the month of Miay was even acknowledged by the railway representatives to be a most shameful condition of affairs. Some of these required 17 days going 23 miles, 15 days going 28 miles, 22 days going 37 miles, 26 days going 72 miles, etc., throughout the whole fifty-seven shipments. Similar reports to the above were submitted on the placing of carload ship- ments o% fruit after arrival at destination. In reply to Chairman Drayton's inquiry as to what rate of transit the fruit shipments should be given, my suggestion was ten miles per hour, and J am satis- fied this is not an unreasonable request, considering the freight rate, and the volume of business we tender. For instance, the run between New Orleans, La., and Chicago, with fruit and vegetable shipments is made in 55 hours, a distance of 922 miles, or an average speed of 16 miles an hour, while the actual running speed would be greatly in excess of this. The schedule for banana trains between these points is 47 hours and 30 minutes, an average of 20 miles an hour. Fruit trains from Southern Illinois are run from Centralia, 111., to Chicago, 252 miles, in ten hours and five minutes, about 25 miles an hour, and this service dates back as far as 1901. In the district comprising Delaware and the eastern shores of Maryland and Virginia, which ships probably 90 per cent, of its production north of Philadelphia, they have the accommodation of specially constructed cars for fruit, and a service almost on passenger schedule. From Wilmington, N. €., to New York, fruit trains average better than 16 miles an hour. Florida, like other Southern States is provided with a special fast freight service for the transportation of fruits, trains making the run between Jacksonville and New York, including all delays, at a rate of over 17 miles per hour. So on all through the fruit-producing States we find similar service provided. From the Jacksonville, Palestine and Tyler districts in Texas, to New York, 1,523 miles in five days, and even to Montreal we find delivery of peaches and cantaloupes made for sixth morning market. Between Southern California and New York, 3,200 miles, an average speed of nearly 13 miles an hour is attained. Now, if this long run between California and New York, a distance of 3,200 miles, can be made at the rate of 13 miles an hour, our suggestion for a ten-mile- 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 15 an-hour rate cannot be met with the kind of arguments we are given— that it is too high a rate to expect. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, competitive States in Western Canada with our Ontario producers, also have a special schedule during the heavy movement, and in some instances fruit shipments are handled on pas- senger trains. To the great fruit industry of this Province, then, the decision of the Railway Commission upon this problem means considerable, as it is a stepping stone to the more important requirement— that of better service in transit. We pay a high rate because of the perishable nature of our commodity, and deserve, therefore, the service for which we pay. The reports now coming from Ontario shippers are an improvement over last year's, but show a serious state of affairs yet. No Company obtaining its right of operation from the Government, which in reality is the people, should be allowed to so serve or humbug those who make their opera- tion possible. When the decision of the Board will be given, I cannot say. I was in hopes it would be in time to apply this season, but am advised, under date of October 13th, 1913, by Secretary Cartwright, that it will be some time yet before the question can be disposed of. m Heated Refrigerator Cars: By an order of the Railway Commission dated December 6th, 1912, the railways were compelled to furnish to any shipper, or combination of shippers, a heated refrigerator car or cars for the carriage of fruit or vegetables in less than carload quantities, the same to be loaded by the shipper, provided the total weight is not less than 12,000 pounds, or a less aggre- gate amount in freight charges than for 12,000 pounds distributed over the various shipments in the car, and a few other provisions in regard to the number of car openings, liability, etc. The service will probably be of some advantage to rural snippers, but particularly beneficial to wholesale dealers. Shelters at Shipping Points : Complaints having been made that no shel- ter was provided for express shipments at St. Catharines and Forest, and for boat shipments at Niagara-on-the-Lake, these points were inspected, and the matter brought to the attention of the proper officials. Mr. Biggar, .chief counsel of the G. T. R., advised the Commission that at Forest a siding and a covered shed would be provided for next season, while assurance was also given that the present unsat- isfactory condition at St. Catharines would be remedied in the near future, as they expected to make extensive alterations there, and would include an express shelter in the proposed improvements. In regard to a shelter at the dock at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Probably at no shipping point is a protection more needed. The Richelieu and Ontario lines have during the past season greatly improved the service, and the shippers appreciate Mr. Gildersleeve's work in this respect, but they require a shelter over a portion of the dock to ensure protection from rain, and avoid losses occasioned thereby, as was experienced early the past season. The storehouse owned by the Company will not serve the purpose, because of the extra handling necessary and a slow process of reaching the boat. Mr. Gildersleeve has replied to our request in terms sug- gesting that the shippers may expect nothing being done in the matter. It is compulsory for railway and express companies to provide these shelters or protection for shipments, and the late Chairman of the Railway Commission went so far as to suggest that where such were not provided it be reported promptly to him. Certain navigation companies, however, which are not owned, chartered, It) THE REPORT OE THE No. 44 used, maintained or worked by a railway company subject to the jurisdiction of the Kailway Board for the carrying of traffic, are not under the Board's control, and unfortunately, the Richelieu and Ontario Company is one of these. This is an- other instance of need of legislation to extend the jurisdiction of the Railway Commission. Man in Charge of Heated Cars : A year ago the Transportation Committee conferred with representatives of the different railway companies on several matters of complaint. One request was that shippers be permitted to send a man free with heated cars to attend heaters, and he be returned at 1 cent per mile. The final decision on this request came from Mr. Ransom, Chairman of the Canadian Freight Association, stating this was already in effect. However, we find it is in effect on all rail shipments only for the shippers from the Maritime Provinces. Since Septem- ber 22nd, however, the railways will carry a man from the head of the lakes to points Vest and return free when in charge of heaters placed in box cars when refrigerators cannot be supplied. At the present time I have a request before the C. N. R., C. P. R., and G. T. R. companies that the privilege of sending an attendant free with all rail shipments west of Port Arthur, and return him free, be given. This is not an unreasonable request, when you consider the fact that the Oregon- Washington Railroad and Navi- gation Company, Camas Prairie Railroad Company, Southern Pacific Company, and Yakima Valley Transportation Company in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, allow this privilege to points in Western Canada. In tariff number 140-A of the Oregon-Washington Company, page 14, item 75, this clause appears: "Rates named herein will also apply on shipments loaded in box or refrigerator cars equipped with stoves to prevent damage by frost or freezing, and will include free transportation both ways for party in charge of one or more cars m one ship- ment." . T This is surely a clear case of discrimination against the Ontario shipper. It means that Nova Scotia shippers and your competitors from the three states named have an important advantage that you have not got. I feel confident the railway companies will rectify this, but if not, the Commission should be asked to do so. With this privilege there would be less risk on the carriers and certainly less anxiety for the shippers, with a certain assurance that our apples would reach the market in proper condition. Carload Express Rates: In 1910 the Association asked for a reduction of express rates on carloads to the west. The Board saw fit at that time to reduce the rate covering Winnipeg and main line points to $2. To-day the bulk of the busi- ness is on the branch lines, which demand the old rate of $2.40 and $2.65. Referring to this condition, Messrs. E. D. Smith & Son write as follows: "The great problem before the fruit trade at the present time is that of distribu- tion and by the plan which we have followed for several years trying to work up business in' all the small towns on the branch lines we were able to get in touch with the consuming public in the quickest and most economical manner, but the rates are prohibitive." This matter was looked into to some extent, and facts presented to Mr. .Burr, of the Dominion Express Company, with reference to the fact that the rate to St. John, or to Halifax, was $1.25 and about the same mileage as to Winnipeg. Mr. Burr's reply to our request was as follows : — 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 17 " I do not know on what basis the shippers assume that the express rates on fruit in carloads to the North-West are too high. No doubt a lower rate would benefit the grower in that it might give him a greater profit on his product. I have understood, however, that it was a matter of competition, and I beg to point out that a decrease in the rates from Ontario points would undoubtedly be followed by a decrease in rates from other producing centres, and it seems to me that nobody would be any better off, excepting perhaps the middleman or retailer. " When this matter was before the Railway Commission two or three years ago, we were required to put the Niagara grower on the same basis as the British Columbia grower, and the $2 rate from the Niagara district to Winnipeg was thus established. If the rate from the Niagara district to Winnipeg were lowered, the rate from British Columbia shipping points to Winnipeg would have to be lowered to the same basis. We do not consider the rate from either of these districts remunerative. They were put in to assist the development of fruit raising districts. They have answered that purpose completely, I think. A very large business has been established. The traffic has moved for several years under the rates in effect, and it is assumed that it has been profitable to the shippers. " As to the Manitoba rate compared with the rate to Maritime Provinces, I beg to point out that the special rate to main line points in Manitoba and the special rate to Maratime Provinces are about fifty per cent, of the general special rates to the same districts. It is a well known fact that the transportation rates in the East are rela- tively lower than those in the West, and lower than the rates from the East to the West. For instance, the first-class freight rate from Hamilton to Kirkella is $1.72, while the first-class freight rate from Hamilton to Sydney, N.S., is 76 cents. " I should add that any reduction in the rates from Ontario and British Columbia would be followed by similar concessions to the shippers in the States of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, who have tried very hard for several years to get lower rates to Canadian points. This Company, has, however, opposed the movement strenuously, believing that any such concessions would not be in the interest of the Canadian growers. The present rates are fairly well balanced as between the shipping points and the markets. A change in one would undoubtedly upset the whole situation, and there is no telling where it would lead to, but my view of it is that the American shipper would profit by it to the disadvantage of the Canadian grower. " As suggested before, we do not think that the present rates are remunerative — the traffic would not be attractive to us at lower rates. We believe that we have dealt liberally with the shippers and it is not clear to me on what grounds we can be expected to make any further concessions." It therefore is evident that this will be one of the important matters to be dealt with by the Transportation Committee, and one that will probably have to go to the Railway Commission for final settlement. One outstanding fact in regard to express rates is this: While the Dominion Express Company has running rights over practically two-thirds of the railway mileage in Canada, some of our most extensive fruit districts are served only by the Canadian Express Company, and these shippers are compelled to pay rates greatly in excess of those from competitive points. To outline how this affects the shipper from a non-competitive point. Take, for instance, shipping points in the Niagara Peninsula, west to Berlin, north to Streetsville, the local commodity express rate on fruit to Winnipeg is $2.65 per 100 pounds. From the Leamington and Essex district and from Sarnia and other points where two express companies operate, the rate is $2.90. Exclusive points, however, have been paying enormously high rates, such as from Forest, where only the Canadian Express Company operates, 2o miles less haul than from Sarnia, the rate was $4.20. This was brought to the attention of the Express Com- pany officials, and they issued a tariff June 7th, 1913, allowing these exclusive points the $2.65 and $2.90 rate, plus 30 cents in the former and 35 cents per 100 pounds in the latter instance. There are many complaints of high express rates to points within the province, but this matter has not yet been presented to the Express Companies. 2 F.G. 18 THE REPOBT OF THE No. 44 Refrigerator Car Requirements: An effort was made to get an estimate of refrigerator cars that the fruit shippers would require this fall at the different shipping points, with a view of supplying the different railway car distributors with the requirements for each division, between certain dates. I regret to say that only thirty-three shippers responded to our request for information. These were, however, compiled and sent to ihe proper officials from whom a reply was received stating such information was of great assistance in arranging for the supply. I have reason to believe the greater portion of these thirty-three° shippers, requiring 692 cars between October 24th and November 10th, received much better service than they would otherwise have received. With this information the rail- ways could better estimate their requirements, and they have promised to co- operate with us in an effort to improve the conditions of last year. The shippers were not mindful of their own interests in this matter, but I hope when occasion again demands they will be prompt and be more unanimous in their response. Less than Carload Lots Freight Shipment : Another matter of a monetary benefit to many fruit shippers in some districts was an arrangement made with railway representatives, whereby L.C.L. shipments were carried on freight rate* instead of by express on the same train. For instance, in the Lambton° district, the shippers at Forest and Thedford were shipping to Stratford at an express rate of 50 cents, per 100 pounds, and Loudon 60 cents per 100 pounds on a mixed train. It was my privilege to take this up with the divisional agent at Stratford, and he consented to placing a car for 6,000 pounds minimum at a rate of 22 cents and 24 cents respectively. The service was used to good advantage because the shipper or shippers doing the handling received the same despatch, and save! 2S cents and 26 cents per 100 pounds respectively on their shipments. Where similar conditions exist if shippers would report to the Committee or myself they would receive attention. I am sorry there is not a larger attendance here this morning, as I would like to have impressed these facts on every member of the Association. These are some of the matters which have received the attention of the Transportation Committee and myself the past year. The concessions granted have been made possible by your assistance in furnishing records, and just here may I impress the necessity of keeping the records asked for from time to time oy circular. The power under which your Committee can work successfully is in your hands; we must have these facts well substantiated. The companies must have these facts and they must have them well substantiated. It only remains then for you to make this keeping of records one of the first things attended to on each shipment. I want to assure you the railway companies are beginning now to realize that the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association is a body alive to" their rights and can substantiate a request with something behind it. Evidence which you shippers can produce will demand a hearing at any time, and I sincerely hope if this work continues your committee will have the co-operation of every shipper in the Province. There are- several matters requiring constant attention, and to some of these ! wish to direct your attention for a few minutes. Rough Handling: This is one of the most shameful injustices with which the shippers have to contend, and this statement applies both to freight and express handling. No excuse that the grower may give will exonerate him from the penalties of the Act under the terms of which he must prepare his fruit for tho 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 19 market, but that same fruit may be made unmarketable before it leaves the chipping point, and no recourse for the shipper except by the route of filing a claim. I contend this is not a just condition of affairs. In freight handling, I believe the greatest complaint is with lake and rail shipments, where the shipper is utterly helpless, and also with export shipments. I venture to say if many of our growers could see some of their apples after placed on a boat at, say, Mon- treal, they would not believe the apples were their pack. I have seen cars opened there, sufficient taken out to allow the trucks to enter the car ; the bottom barrels then pulled out, and handlers run for safety while the four or five tiers came tumbling down. It was my privilege to have one of these barrels opened, it belonged to S. G. Dudley, Colborne, and in the middle of that barrel apples freshly bursted in halves were taken out. Barrels piled two high on their ends in the shed are often loaded on trucks by the top barrel being allowed to drop its height on the cement floor. I have followed these barrels to the hole of the boat and they were given another shameful jar when the sling reached the bottom, barrels be- longing to Clapp-Littlejohn, Dutton, and Brant Fruit Association being broken in this way. This did not' occur only in one shed, but in several. Express in L.C.L. shipments are subjected to almost equally as rough hand- ling. It is both annoying and discouraging to spend a day following the fruit special from St. Catharines to Stoney Creek. This is supposed to be a special express service, and by that is meant express cars running on express schedule and charging the shippers express rates. It was my privilege to follow this train from Vineland to Winona in August. On this occasion, I must say, the handling was quite satis- factory, and the train was composed of cars quite suitable for the fast run. But it so happened that Mr. Allen, of the Canadian Express Company, and a G.T.R. train official were also along that day. On September 12th I again stopped off at Grimsby. The fruit special on this date might be classified anywhere from a circus train to a way-freight. It comprised: Two G.T. box cars, 15891 and 17894. Two Can. Express cars, 406 and 517. Two G.T. refrigerator cars, 46536 and 46719. Two Arms Horse cars, 3054 and 3049. In horse car No. 3'049 the baskets were piled ten high and on top of this baskets were thrown in like sticks of wood from a buz saw, upside down, on their end, and in every shape, almost to the roof. There were stamped W. H. Carnovsky, Kingston. In car No. 3054 the conditions were not much better, some addressed to Cherney Grocery Company, Windsor. I called upon this firm on September 27th, and was informed that their fruit shipments were arriving almost daily in a badly damaged condition. Handling of express at other points was very bad, but at such points as are not served by the fruit special, where the agent is in charge of the express, there is some chance of having this work pro- perly done because he is responsible, and must provide sufficient help to have it done properly. If shippers will note this, and insist on proper service, or report the agent to your Transportation Committee, it can be remedied. Or report to myself while I am in charge of that work. Owner's Risk: There has been some misunderstanding among the shippers as to the railway companies' rights to issue bills of lading with the notation: "Owner's Risk Freezing." In some instances shippers have refused to allow this to be done. 20 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 The classification, however, provides that apples are carried only at "Owner's Risk Freezing/*' and Rule 7 says: "No special mention to that effect shall be necessary on the bill of lading." This condition covers only such risks as are necessarily incidental to transportation, and does not relieve the railway from liabilility from loss, damage, or delay which may result from any negligence or omission of the company or its agents. In order to be brief, I want to state that they have the right to put "Owner's Risk" on the bill of lading, but the fact that that "Owner's Kisk" is on there does not in any way relieve the railway company from responsibility for any damage that may arise through carelessness in shipping in any way, shape, or form. There is apparently quite a misunderstanding on that point. If you refuse to put "Owner's Kisk" on the bill of lading then you. are shipping under Section (B) of Rule 7, which says: — "Should the shipper decline to ship at 'Owner's Kisk/ as specified and de- fined in this classification, any articles shown as to be so carried, the articles will be carried subject to the terms and conditions of the bill of lading approved by the Board of "Railway Commissioners for Canada, in which case 25 per cent, over and above the rates which would be payable if such articles were shipped 'Owner's Risk' will be charged." A Member: Can you put anything on the bill of lading that would relieve them from liability? Mr. McIntosh : Oh, no ; it would not relieve them at all from any negligence, etc. Here is the clause : — " No special notation to that effect shall be necessary on the bill of lading. This condition covers only such risks as are necessarily incidental to transporta- tion, and does not relieve the railway from liability for loss, damage or delay which may result from any negligence or omission of the company or Its agents." Refrigerator Cars: I think it was at the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, in January, before the short course students, I made a statement in refer- ence to the number of refrigerator cars in the service of the G.T.R. in Canada being less in 1912 than in 1908. It appeared in the press, and was disputed by different divisional freight agents of that company. Again, before the Agri- ' cultural Committee, in Ottawa, Mr. Johnson presented the following figures, relative to the G.T.R. refrigerator cars:. . In service for the year ending June 30 : 1908 955 cars. 1909 948 cars. 1910 946 cars. 1911 944 cars. 1912 941 cars. This time exception was taken to the statement by Mr. Charles Dewey, freight agent at Winnipeg, who through the Winnipeg Telegram said : "The statement of Mr. Daniel Johnson that the refrigerator cars in the service of the G.T.R. Company are fewer this year than last year is not true." The figures referred to are taken from copies of railway statistics, issued by authority of the Minister of Railways and Canals, and are compiled from sworn returns supplied by the different railways. To be even more accurate I applied to 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 21 *■ the Deputy Minister of Eailways and Canals, Mr. A. W. Campbell, and his advice is as follows: "In railway statistics for 1912 the Grand Trunk Railway is reported as having 941 refrigerator cars and the Canada Atlantic 24. These figures agree precisely with those in the sworn return made to this Department Iby Mr. W. H. Ardley, General Auditor of the Company, for the year ending June 30th, 1912." My contention was that with a falling off in refrigerator equipment and a largely increasing tonnage of fruit being hauled, this Company at least was not providing an efficient service for fruit handling. I present these facts here to-day to show you that neither your former President nor myself had made statements unfounded, as Mr. Dewey would lead the public to believe. I want to speak plainly to you growers and shippers on the importance of keeping records. You have all read no doubt the newspaper report given out by Mr. E. M. Trowern, secretary of the Dominion Board of the Retail Merchants' Association, regarding the inferior condition of the apple pack on the western market. From personal observation at Port Arthur and Fort William, I must concur with Mr. Trowern to some extent, but let me tell you the fault is not all that of the grower or shipper, but is about equally shared with the carrying com- panies. They, however, unless you do as many other associations such as the millers, coal dealers, etc., do — keep a very accurate account of their shipments — will make the public believe that you and you alone are responsible. There is no end to this work confronting your Transportation Committee, but they must have your help. Reports for last season's crop were received from 78 shippers, a little better than one-half of those to whom circulars and appeals were repeatedly sent. I hope there will be a better percentage this year. I cannot impress this upon you too strongly for your benefit, and also because it is of vital importance to the industry that responsibility for poor shipments should be placed in the right quarter. Mr. Trowern intimates that there is danger of the Ontario fruit grower being crowded off the western market. It really looks like it, and to my mind the greatest reason for this will be traced to the railway companies; first because of that blanket rate now in effect from the Western States, covering nearly all the Canadian West markets, and second, because of the enormous raise in rates for the Ontario shipper to reach that market, after leaving Winnipeg. For instance: — North Yakima, Wash., to Calgary 75 cents. North Yakima, Wash., to Winnipeg 75 cents. Lewiston, Idaho, to Calgary 75 cents. Lewiston, Idaho, to Medicine Hat 75 cents. Lewiston, Idaho, to Winnipeg 75 cents. Hood River, Oregon, to Edmonton 90 cents. Hood River, Oregon, to Calgary 80 cents. Hood River, Oregon, to Winnipeg 80 cents. Compare for a moment this uniformity of rates with that being paid by the Ontario shippers. Take for instance the following : — Oshawa to Winnipeg $0.53 Oshawa to Medicine Hat 96 Oshawa to Calgary 1.04 Oshawa to Edmonton 1.04 I have said through the press, in reply to Mr. Lanigan, of the C.P.R., who took exception through the Winnipeg Telegram, to statements made by Mr. John- son before the Agricultural Committee of Ottawa, that this is an unfair dis- crimination. There is no extra charge on these Washington, Oregon, and Idaho 22 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 shippers for that haul from Calgary to Winnipeg, on a through rate, but there is a charge of 51 cents per 100 pounds for the same haul, only in opposite direc- tions, for the Ontario shippers. Mr. Lanigan contends the Ontario shipper has an advantage over the shippers of the U.S. or B.C. from a mileage 'basis, and gave these figures as proof of that assertion : — From To Miles Rate per 100 pounds St. Catharines Winnipeg 1383 53 rents Yakima, Wash Winnipeg 1502 1228 1740 1325 1030 890 75 cents Kelowna, B. C St. Catharines Winnipeg Regina 75 cents 83 cents Wenatchee Winnipeg 75 cents Yakima Regina 75 cents Kelowna, B. C Calgary 58 cents But I have also some rates here, selected on a mileage basis Miles Rate Yakima to Fort William . Oshawa, Ont. to Regina . . . Hood River to Port Arthur Brampton to Medicine Hat Yakima to Montreal St. Catharines to Calgary . Hood River to Montreal . . . Forest, Ont., to Lethbridge . 85 cents 87 cents 90 cents 96 cents 1.00 1.04 1JQ0 1.00 It is, therefore, obvious that the freight rates, even on a mileage basis, give no advantage whatever to the Ontario producer. But suppose they did, it would not be fair in this case to draw a comparison solely from that standpoint. Con- sideration must be given to conditions that help to make these rates. Take, for instance, the haul from Yakima or from Okanagan to Calgary; compare the costly nature of construction of that piece of railway with that from Toronto to Winnipeg, consider also the heavy expense over that mountain haul of keeping up auxiliary power; the enormous expenditure on snow sheds and other preventitives from slides, and finally the fact that the 180 per cent, type engine which would haul, say, 411 tons over that roadbed from Okanagan to Calgary, at a rate of 58 cents per 100 pounds, would haul nearly 2,000 tons, or about five times the load from Toronto to Winnipeg at 53 cents per 100 pounds. Thus handling the Ontario shipments from say St. Catharines to Winnipeg or from any other Ontario point at a greater profit than the American or B.C. shipments to Calgary. In other words, a train crew can handle 30 cars about as well as fifteen on long-haul business; and expenses for fuel, etc., do not increase proportionately to the load. The effect of this is that an increase in the paying train load very materially decreases the cost of operation per ton, thereby enabling the railroads to profitably transport the Ontario fruit at a much lower rate than that of the Western States or British Columbia, which is handled in much smaller tonnage over a more costly and a high grade, roadbed. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 23" No complaint is made by Ontario shippers of the freight rates from Ontario points to Winnnipeg, nor do they think the British Columbia or even the American shipper is charged an excessive rate to Calgary, because conditions demand that rate. Taking the above points, Winnipeg and Calgary, into con- sideration, the rates are probably fair to both, with certainly no advantage or preference to the Ontario shipper. With Winnipeg, then, as an entrance to this western market for the Ontario shipper, and Calgary as an entrance point for the Western States, or British Columbia shipper, all on a fair rate basis, we find the territory lying between these points as has been pointed out, or to give further instances as follows: — The Okanagan shipper pays on a through rate 60 cents to Calgary and 75 cents to Winnipeg. The Washington, Idaho, or Oregon shipper 75 cents to both, while the Ontario shipper pays 53 cents to Winnipeg and $1.04 to Calgary. The C.P.R. makes a charge of 8 cents per hundredweight for the haul of 657 miles between Medicine Hat and Winnipeg to the British Columbia shipper, and for the same haul charges the Ontario shipper 48 cents per 100 pounds. From Spence's bridge to Medicine Hat a rate is given of 79 cents and to Winnipeg 85 cents or 657 miles for 6 cents per hundredweight, but the Ontario shipper pays 48 cents for the same 657 miles. I do not think it is the wish of any Ontario shipper to seek an advantage, nor yet a preference over other shippers. The competition from the United States in Western Canada, is, however, becoming very strong. The total quantity of apples marketed in the three western provinces for the season of 1912 was ap- proximately 495,000 barrels, of which Ontario supplied 238,000; the United States, 164,000; British Columbia, 75,000, and Nova Scotia, 18,000 barrels. By this you will notice the American and British Columbia shipments together exceed that of Ontario. We are not, as has been said, endeavoring to raise a howl against the rail- roads, we cannot afford to do that; but we must insist on having what we believe are our rights. In this report it would be impossible to go into any very great detail on the question of rates. It is a huge and complicated problem, requiring a thorough investigation, especially in regard to rates west of Winnipeg, and this with a view of determining a just and equitable basis upon which the tariffs should be framed. High railway officials tell us that rate schedules are a deep and intricate mystery, not to be understood or rashly meddled with by anyone save themselves. I quite agree with them that the tariffs are all they say, and the instances I have referred to might be said to be a few of these great mysteries in rate making that are helping to crowd the eastern grower off the western market. Recommendations. In conclusion, I beg to submit for consideration the following recommenda- tions : — (1) That an effort be made to have all navigation companies handling freight, and operating upon Canadian waterways, placed under the jurisdiction of the Railway Commission. (I think this is one of the most important matters be- fore your Transportation Committee. I think if the fruit shippers had the power to bring these handlers, who are now outside the jurisdiction of the Board of Rail- 2 I THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 i — — ■■ way Commissioners, under the authority of that Board, or one competent to ad- judicate in the same manner, you would get your fruit into Liverpool markets in far better shape than is being done at present.) (2) That power be given the Railway Commission to adjudicate claims against railway or express companies not settled in 60 days. (o) That the Railway Commission be given jurisdiction in the matter of fixing a penalty for rough handling and pilfering of freight and express shipments. (4) That fruit inspectors be also cargo inspectors. (5) That the express minimum be reduced from 20,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds. (6) That, if necessary, the Railway Commission be asked to compel the rail- way companies to allow free transportation both ways for man sent in charge of heated cars. (7) That the railway companies be asked to provide a special fruit train service from central points in Ontario to Winnipeg, during the shipping seasons. A Member : Referring to what Mr. Mcintosh says with regard to having the Railway Act amended in ofder to make it more effective and of more value to the Fruit Growers, I believe that would help greatly. Me. P. W. Hodgetts (^Secretary-Treasurer) : I have a recommendation here Jrom Mr. D. Johnson, Forest, Ont., and he says : — " Mr. Mcintosh and myself have been talking over putting forth an effort to have the Railway Act amended so as to throw greater responsibility on the rail- ways while carrying fruit; also to have the powers of the Railway Commission en- larged to deal with claims against the railways not settled within 30 days after presented to them." Mr. Lick: I think that the recommendations Mr. Mcintosh has made at the end of his paper on Transportation, should be sent to the Resolution Committee, perhaps for some additions and slight alterations, and to be then sent on to the proper authorities; Secondly, that as Mr. Mcintosh has been doing the work of the Transporta- tion Committee for the past year it would be just as well to leave it in his hands unless we have a strong Committee to work with him; and, Thirdly, that anything we can do to make transportation matters or facili- ties more favourable to us ought to be done, and that we should be united in seeing that all that can be is done. The following resolutions were then moved and adopted: " That the recommendations Mr. Mcintosh has made to the Transportation Committee be sent to the Resolution Committee for what additions and altera- tions are necessary, to be then sent to the proper authorities. " That as Mr. Mcintosh has been doing the work of the Transportation Com- mittee for the past year the work be left in his hands." "That this meeting unite in supporting the Transportation Committee in their efforts to improve the transportation facilities for the Fruit Growers of Ontario." 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 25 INSECTS ATTACKING THE PEACH. L. Caesar, Provincial Entomologist, O.A.C., Guelph. The following are the chief insects attacking the peach in Ontario : Peach- Borer, Lesser Peach-Borer, Plum Curculio, Fruit-tree Bark-Beetle or Shot-Hole Borer, and San Jose Scale. There are a number of minor insects sometimes found but doing very little damage, viz. : Green Peach Aphis, Black Peach Aphis, Peach- Twig-Borer, Tarnished Plant Bug, and Red Spider. The insect that I have been asked to pay special attention to in this address is the Peach Borer. Pig. 1. — Adult moths of Peach Borer: The upper right hand one and the lowest one are females, the other two are males. (After Slinger- land.) Peach Borer. — (Sanninoidea exitiosa Say.). This Borer when full grown is a rather stout, cream-coloured or yellowish larva, about an inch long. It nearly always attacks the trees just at or slightly beneath the ground. Frequently it is necessary to remove the earth around the trunk to be sure whether one of the insects is present or not, but usually its pre- sence can be suspected by seeing the dirty gum mass that exudes from the part where it feeds. The injury is caused by the borer or borers (there may be several to a tree), working just beneath the bark and girdling or partly girdling the tree. A tree thus affected becomes sickly in appearance somewhat as if attacked by Yellows, and may die the same season or be killed by the succeeding winter. Young and old trees are alike attacked. Fortunately in a great many orchards *6 THE REPORT OE THE No. 44 this insect is very scarce, but this is not true of all districts, and in some it is far the most destructive and difficult enemy the peach grower has to contend with. It often seems to be worst in districts where there are comparatively few peach orchards. Kinds of Plants Attacked. In addition to the peach it attacks to some ex- tent the plum, cherry and apricot, but the peach is its favorite. , To intelligently understand the methods of combating the pest it is necessary to give briefly its life history. Life History. The winter is passed as a partly grown, usually about half grown, larva, beneath the bark. In spring with the return of warmth this larva begins to feed ravenously and increases rapidly in size. By the end of June it is usually full grown and then soon leaves its tunnel or burrow to form a brown cocoon on the outside of the bark or on the ground close to the trunk. About the end of July the pupa changes into a pretty little steel-blue moth, about one inch long, looking to most people more like a wasp than a moth. The female has around her abdomen a broad orange band that makes her conspicuous. Moths may be found from about August 1st to the end of September. They soon lay their eggs, placing them on the trunks, branches, leaves and even weeds growing close to the trees. In about ten days these hatch and the tiny borers drop to the ground or crawl down and work their way into the soft inner bark, often through crevices. Here, as said above, they feed on the inner bark against the sap-wood. At first little brownish sawdust-like castings are thrown out where they feed, but after a time gum exudes. Large masses of this may sometimes be seen. Gum, of course, in peach trees tends to be produced by any wound especially in early part of "the summer; also from the disease known as gummosis. There is but one brood a year. Means of Control. There is no easy means of control and many that are advocated are useless or dangerous to the health of the tree. The best method I know of is to combine the practice of digging out the borers by means of a knife or wire, with mounding up the earth around a tree, or wrapping the base of the trunk with paper. The digging out with a knife should be done twice a year; first about the end of May, so that as few borers as possible may escape to trans- form into moths and lay eggs, and again about the end of October to destroy the new larvae. Mounding up the trees with earth to a height of about 10 inches has been found very useful. Such trees are freer from attack than unmounded trees. The mounding also causes the borers to attack near the top of the mound instead of down at the crown, so that when the earth is removed their presence can be easily seen and they can be readily killed with a knife. The mounding to be of value must be done about the end of July and left on until about the middle of October, that is during the period when the moths are flying around and eggs being laid and hatched. Wrapping with paper may be substituted for mounding. Two or three ply of common newspaper placed around the tree to the height of about 18 inches is very satisfactory. This should be tightly fastened with a cord at the top and loosely the rest of the way down. To secure against larvae getting in below it, a little of the earth should first be removed to let the paper lower down and then earth heaped up about four inches around the base of the paper. Com- mon building paper is also good and is more durable. Tar paper is often used but may do some damage to the tree. Replace the mound as protection against winter injury. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 27 Many kinds of washes have been tried to keep out the borers; most of these are either useless or dangerous. The only two that have given satisfaction are, ordinary gas tar, and asphaltum. The former of these has been known in some cases to injure the trees, the latter is highly recommended by a Californian entomologist, who says that in four years it has done no damage whatever and has given excellent results. I have not myself had an opportunity to test asphaltum. It is a cheap substance, costing, I think, from 2 to 5 cents per pound, and should be procurable through any of the wholesale drug stores. It is applied warm with an old paint brush. In applying remove the soil to a depth of about four or five inches, then cover this to a height of about six inches above ground. It is better to put a light coat on first. This dries or hardens almost at once, then put on another coat so that there will be an unbroken coat all around. It is necessary to retouch the part each year. Some sort of heater is necessary to melt the asphaltum or keep it liquid when melted. See Bulletin 228, Berkeley, California. The Lesser Peach Borer. — (Synanthedon pictipes G & R.). The larva of this insect looks just like that of the ordinary Peach Borer, and the adult also closely resembles it, but the female has not the orange band around the abdomen. The life history of both insects is very similar. The main differ- ence is that the Lesser Peach Borer attacks chiefly above ground, including the larger branches as well as the trunk. It regularly enters only where there has been a wound. This suggests that the proper means of control is to dig out the larvae when present and endeavor by careful pruning and orchard practice to have as few wounds on the trees as possible. Where wounds are made they should so far as practicable be cleaned out with a knife and painted with white paint diluted with linseed oil. This insect as a rule is not very common. It attacks cherry and plum trees as well as peaches. Plum Curculio. — (Conoirachilus nenuphar). The Plum Curculio is a small, stout, hard, rough-backed, black or grayish- black beetle about one-quarter of an inch long. It has a long snout at the end of which are the biting mouth parts. As fruit growers are well aware it attacks not only the peach but also the apple, pear, plum, cherry and apricot; I have also seen gooseberries attacked by it. It attacks the peach fruit soon after it is set in spring, about the time when it is nearly the size of a hazel nut, and for a couple of weeks later. These early injuries are chiefly in the form of egg-laying with the attendant crescent-shaped cuts which regularly are made about the egg punctures. From these eggs in about a week there hatch little legless, whitish, curved larvae with brown heads. These work their way into the fruit towards the pit and cause the fruit to fall. The larvae develop in the fallen fruit and becomes full grown in about three weeks, then they enter the earth to pupate, and about August a new brood of beetles begins to emerge. These do considerable damage by feeding on the peach fruit and causing small masses of gum to exude from the injured areas. They do not, however, lay eggs, and when the severe frosts begin to come they go into winter quarters amid long grass, or under rubbish, or in any good hiding place. Thickets and woods near orchards are favorite wintering quarters and Curculios are always worse in orchards where rubbish, weeds, grass and other hiding places are allowed to exist. 28 THE KEPORT OF THE No. 44 Means of Control. (1) If possible get rid of good hiding places, cut down useless thickets along fence corners, do away with old snake fences and burn all rubbish. (2) Cultivate the peach orchard carefully up to August. This is of great importance and will usually result in controlling the pest, because it not only removes winter quarters, but it also kills the pupae in the ground by stirring them. Cultivation in July is best for this purpose. (3) Spray the trees thoroughly with two or three pounds of arsenate of lead in 40 gallons of water when the fruit is about the size of a hazel nut. A little lime is usually added to the arsenate of lead as a precaution against burning. Note. — It is not safe to use the ordinary home-made or commercial lime- sulphur or Bordeaux mixture on peach trees after the leaves have come out, as they usually burn them. The new soluble sulphur will also burn. The only safe fungicide known is the so-called self -boiled lime-sulphur. See Bulletin 198, or Spray Calendar. Pig. 2. — Plum Curculio: (a) larva; (6) pupa; (c) adult; (d) crescent cut and egg puncture within it on small fruit. The lines beside the figures show the natural size. Pig. 3. — Gum exudate on green peach caused by Plum Curculio. (After Quaintance.) Fruit Tree Bark Beetle, or Shot-hole Borer. — {Eccoptog aster rugulosus). This insect is a tiny black beetle about one-tenth of an inch long. It injures trees by boring little holes through the bark and causing gum to exude from the holes. This is not, however, by any means the only cause of gumming on peach trees. To tell whether the gum has been caused by this insect or not, all that is necessary is to cut off a thin slice of bark beneath the gum and see whether there is a little hole where the beetle entered. If there is no hole the beetle was not the cause. The beetles cannot remain in the holes nor lay eggs in them in healthy peach trees because the gum drives them out too soon. It is only an occasional year that this insect attacks a really healthy tree, though about five years ago many healthy trees were severely attacked. The re- gular habit of the insect is to attack only much weakened, dying or dead trees or branches. They will live also in the trunks and branches that have been cut and piled for firewood. It is only in the dead and dying trees that they can breed. 1914 FRUIT GKOWERS' ASSOCIATION. 29 Not only peach, but also plum, cherry, apple and pear are regularly attacked, plum, cherry and peach being the favorite hosts. Life History. The insects pass the winter as little white grubs in the tun- nels under the bark. This fact is very important when considering means of con- trol. About June these grubs have pupated and transformed to beetles and come out, eating their way through the bark and leaving shot-like holes wherever they emerge. They soon begin to select suitable trees to bore holes into. Once the beetles have eaten through the bark they make a tunnel between it and the wood extending about one inch in length and in this lay a large number of eggs. From these the little white grubs hatch out and make little burrows at right angles to the main one. They feed as they burrow and when full grown pupate each at the end of its burrow or tunnel. About August the new brood of adults begins to emerge and the beetles may be seen from this date until the severe frosts come, feeding and egg-laying. All adults, however, die before winter. The bark under which the insects have been reared is often much engraved by their work. t> c d Fig. 4— Fruit Tree Bark-beetle: (a) adult; (&) side view of the same; (c) pupa; (d) larva. The Lines indicate the natural size. Means of Control. Ordinarily the only measure necessary is to keep watch on the orchard and cut down all dead or dying trees, prune off dying or dead branches, pile these together and burn during the early spring before the middle of May. The grubs will be in these and so be destroyed. It is important also to see that there are no brush heaps left around. Of course, all kinds of fruit trees should be treated the same way as the peach for this pest. If the beetles are seen attacking a weakened tree in summer, do not cut it down but leave it until they have laid all their eggs and then cut and prune before spring. In this way the insects are trapped, and the adults, as said above, die before winter. Peach trees cut for Yellows or Little Peach, if meant for firewood, should be used before the end of May, otherwise the beetles will attack and breed in them and the new brood from these may from lack of food attack and greatly injure nearby healthy trees. To ward off beetles from healthy trees when seen to be attacking them, one may use a thick whitewash made of fresh lime and water to every pail of which about 14 of a pound of ordinary salt has been added as a sticker. Put this on the larger branches and trunk with an old whitewash brush or broom. Heavy spraying of trunk and branches in spring with lime-sulphur may help somewhat. 30 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 San Jose Scale. — (Aspidiotus perniciosus) . San Jose Scale is a very dangerous enemy to peach trees, and as it can thrive wherever the peach will thrive, it is likely to be found sooner or later in every peach-growing district. As I am preparing a Bulletin on this pest and will soon have it ready for press, I shall not go into any details as to its life history, but merely mention that on peach trees it is easily controlled by a single thorough application of lime- sulphur of the strength of the commercial wash, diluted one gallon to about 8 or 9 with water; that is, add |7 or 8 gallons of water to each gallon of commercial lime-sulphur. This application should be applied as early in spring as one can get on the land and should be done before the buds begin to burst, because it is very important that the one spraying should control not only the scale but also the Leaf Curl, a very prevalent and destructive disease especially in wet, cold springs. For the Scale alone the spray would do equally as well just before the buds burst, but as late as this would not control the Leaf Curl. Of course, the trees should he. pruned before spraying. (See Bulletin 219, Ont. Depi of Agriculture). a yb Fig. 5. — Engraving of wood caused by Fruit Tree Bark- beetles: (a) tunnel made by adults for egg-laying; (6) tunnels made by larvae when feeding; (c) areas where larvae pupate; natural size. Fig. 6. -San Jose Scale: (a) scale on fruit; (b) a single scale much enlarged. Peach Afiiids. There are two species of aphids that attack the peach; the Green Peach Aphis (Myzus persicce) and the Black Peach Aphis (Aphis persicce-niger) . Neither of these do any appreciable damage. The former is common on nursery slock in late autumn and may be seen here and there on bearing orchards in the spring, causing a few of the tender leaves to curl, but it migrates from the peach or disappears very soon after the leaves are fully developed. The Black read) Aphis attacks chiefly the roots of peach trees and is a serious pest in the light sandy peach lands of Michigan, but I have heard of only a very few cases in Ontario. For these reasons no remedies need be discussed. 1914 PEUIT GEOWEES' ASSOCIATION. 31 Peach Twig-Borer (Auarsia lineatella Zell). The Peach Twig-Borer does very little damage in Ontario and is seldom seen here, but on the Pacific Coast and in British Columbia it is frequently seen, and attacks the fruit there as well as the twigs. The adult is a tiny moth, and the larva a little pinkish or brownish caterpillar about two-fifths of an inch long when full grown. The larvse pass the winter in little silk-lined cells in the soft bark of crotches of branches and in the spring tunnel into the tender twigs as the foliage is opening. They kill the twig. Later generations bore into the fruit, sometimes right into the pit. The pest seems to be satisfactorily kept under control by careful spraying with strong lime-sulphur in early spring at the same time as for Peach Leaf Curl. Tarnished Plant Bug (Lygus pratensis). This is a very common, light brown or greyish brown sucking insect about one-third of an inch long. It is found everywhere in the garden and fields and attacks a host of plants. On the peach its chief injury is caused to nursery stock, through the habit of puncturing and destroying the buds. When the top- most buds are attacked the shape of the tree is greatly injured, because its growth at the point is retarded and new side buds come out, giving a bushy top. Attacked buds become black, gummy and stubby. The only suggestion I can give for control is not to plant peaches near woods or grass fields, but out in the middle of the nursery field. Those near grass or woods seem to be worst attacked in my observations. Eed Spider (Tetranydrus bimaculatus) . This is a tiny mite varying in colour from almost white to light red. It works on the under surface of the leaves, causing them to take on a sickly reddish or brownish tint, sometimes a little suggestive of Yellows or Little Peach. Peach foliage as a rule is not a favourite food for this pest and no remedy need be discussed. Eed spiders are, of course, very destructive to many other kinds of plants which need not be named here. Summary of Spraying Peach Orchards for Insects and Diseases. 1st Application, before the buds swell. Use lime-sulphur strength 1.030 or if San Jose Scale is present 1.035. (Commercial one gallon diluted to about 8.) This is far the most important spray and controls San Jose Scale, Peach Leaf Curl and to some extent Brown Eot. It is usually the only spray given. 2nd Application, when the peaches are about the size of a hazel nut or a little smaller. Use 2 or 3 pounds arsenate of lead to 40 gallons of water and add a couple of pounds of lime. This spray is for Plum Curculio and apparently helps some against diseases such as Brown Eot and Scab. 3rd Application, about a month or six weeks before the peaches ripen, use self-boiled lime-sulphur. This is for Brown Eot chiefly and helps against Scab. THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 THE PRESENT CONDITION OP PEACH YELLOWS AND LITTLE PEACH. L. Caesar, Provincial Entomologist, O.A.C., Guelph. 1 am very pleased to be able to report that there is a continuous, rapid decrease in the number of trees that have to be destroyed each year for Yellows and Little Peach. In 1911, between 50,000 and 60,000 trees were destroyed; in 1913 between 20,000 and 25,000, and in 1913, a total of 5,901, or roughly speaking, 6,000, a decrease in two years of from 50,000 or 60,000 to less than 6 000 This will be good news to peach growers and it gives us all hope for a still further reduction. We ask the growers not to grow over confident, but recognizing that the work is progressing well, to give us their hearty, intelligent support year after year that we may, if possible, exterminate these diseases or at least come near doing so. We should not forget that it is very probable that the last two seasons have not been at all favourable for the development and spread of these diseases. If so, we are glad that we have been able to take advantage of nature's aid and so reduce the danger of rapid spread in future seasons more favourable for the disease. Mr Biggar, the provincial inspector, and myself are well pleased with the work in' practically every township but two, Grantham and Niagara. The toease is only moderately common in these townships, but the territory is too great for any one man to cover satisfactorily, no matter how experienced he may be. the inspector, however, in each of these cases was an inexperienced man. 1 here should be two of the very best men that can be secured appointed m each of these town- ships at least, for Yellows and Little Peaeh. We hope this advice will be acted upon' next year. Mr. Biggar and I, so far as it is possible, will try to give these townships the larger part of our time, so that the work may go well. We have been fortunate in retaining most of our best inspectors, and are glad to be able to report that they have done loyal and excellent work for then townships, better work than most growers are aware of. .. . .. To Mr. Biggar, the Provincial Inspector, whose energy and enthusiasm in the work is unfailing, and whose tact and knowledge are of the greatest value, oh to inspectors and growers, very great gratitude should be fel b; .every - who is interested in the welfare of the peach industry. °™8 * *e * ~ of the new work of nursery inspection, and to numerous o her du les I entru ted to Mr Biggar this year almost the total supervision of the Yellows and Little Peach inspection work, knowing that he would do it well. The Results or Investigation. (1) Observation of the results of --called cures of the disease have not led me to change my opimon that all such cure are only imaginary-they have all failed. The only remedy yet seems to eradication- dig out the diseased trees at once and burn them. 2 Experiments last year, repeated this year show that if peach pits are taken from trees that do not show the disease until late on m the season, and if Ehole pHs are cared for in the best way and cracked in »^ ^^g^S out in rows, often as high as 7 or even 8 per cent, will gemmate I have tested I now over 3 000 diseased pits. Some of these from lack of experience I allowed to b me too dry before planting, and consequently a very small percentage grew This wartrue'of healthy pits kept as checks, but of the others , that were care for properly from one lot of 100 in 1912 there grew 7, and from another lot oi 750 in IS, 59 grew, or nearly 8 per cent, Mr. McCubbin, the Dominion Plant Pathologist, of St. Catharines, got very similar results. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 33 (3) So far the seedlings from these pits have shown no signs of disease. Mr. McCnlbbin and I have now about 160 of these seedlings in one lot, and will watch them to see whether they will show disease, and if so, how soon. (4) More than 200 buds from diseased trees were budded into healthy seed- lings and four year old trees a year ago. Only one tree, one now five years old, shows possible symptoms of disease. The rest are still healthy. I have budded 200 more seedlings this fall, believing this a most important and instructive line of work. I expect a considerable number of the trees budded in 1912 will begin to show disease symptoms by next September. I am not at all surprised that they have not done so earlier, as the trees are all growing vigorously. (5) From inoculation of blossoms, from inoculation of trees with sap, from pruning tests, bark rubbing tests and the other experiments up to the present no disease has followed, but this is no proof that none will follow. Before repeating these experiments I think it is much wiser to wait a couple of years for results. The work has been carefully done and covers pretty well the field which I thought most desirable from the standpoint of important informa- tion on the control of the disease. (6) No new discoveries, I believe, have been made elsewhere on these diseases, and apparently no one is much nearer the discovery of the real cause of either Yellows or Little Peach. (7) My intention of removing trees to parts of Norfolk for investigation work has had to be abandoned for the present at least, because of the difficulty of looking after them at such a distance. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PEACH CROP. S. H. RlTTENHOUSE, JORDAN HARBOR. I am very much interested, as you may know, in the growing of peaches and in the very low price that we, as growers, have been forced to take in the last year. I am also very deeply interested in the question, which is frequently asked : Is the peach industry over done; has planting been over done? Now, before I go any further with my talk on this subject let me say that I only consented to give an address in so far as I might be able to start a profitable discussion. I think that we as an Association can very profitably discuss this question. Because of the very low prices that many of us have been forced to take in the last year, the question naturally arises : Can we, as growers, do anything to remedy the situation? I have been asked the question very many times in the last two or three years whether we as growers were, not planting too many peach trees; my answer usually is no, and yes; it won't be my answer this afternoon. I say without hesitation we are not over planting and that with good conditions for marketing, our product would be more than taken up for many years to come. While we are probably making great advances in producing good fruit, with our improved methods, to my mind I think our system of marketing is very crude; if that is the proper way to put it we have no system of marketing. I am only expressing my opinion on the question, and I hope that what I have to say will provoke some discussion along this line. 3. E.G. 34 THE KEPORT OF THE No. 44 It may just be possible that the reason I was selected to open this discussion was because the committee knew something of my conditions and circumstances. I happen to be one of those unfortunate small growers and I am also unfortunately not identified with any co-operative associations or organizations, and that I consider unfortunate because I see that the peach growers, especially in the Niagara district, are, through their united exertions, getting about in the position where apple growers in almost all sections of Ontario are at the present time. You may know it is a fact that a small grower in almost any locality in Ontario cannot profitably market his own apples. That is to say by the small grower I mean those people who produce less than 200 barrels, that is less than a carload. I say again it is practically impossible for the grower of 50 and 100 barrels to profitably market his apples. Now, that is just the condition or state of affairs that has confronted the apple growers, and has forced into existence co-operative organizations which they have to-day r and yet I do not think in their present shape that they have reached anywhere near perfection, whereby the marketing of apples in this province has been put on a very much better basis than it has been in the past. Now, I do not think I will venture to suggest any schemes or plans by which the situation in reference to the peach industry, or distribution of fruit, may be im- proved. I have ideas in my mind but I am not quite as clear as I would like to be as to how best they may be carried out, There are a lot of operations in connection with the production of fruit for market, especially picking and packing. I am not now referring to the marketing of fruit in baskets, but other operations which go hand in hand with the distribution of the crop, but which I will not take time to discuss. My sympathies have always been with the co-operative idea, and we have come to the point in the peach industry where a very large percentage of the crop must go out in carload lots. I am referring now to the Niagara District particularly, and of course that system handicaps at once the small producers so that that idea could only be carried out effectively and to the advantage of small growers by putting into effect co-operative schemes. I have no criticism to make of the dealers. They handled a very large percentage of our crop last year and in previous years, and, if anything, I believe they have done more for the peach industry than any one body of men because they are continually developing new markets which would otherwise not have been reached by the grower. I might refer to some instances that have come to my notice, but I do not know that there is time. There is however, an important question connected with the consuming end of this business and it is this : that there is too wide a margin between the price paid bv the consumer and that paid to the grower; and this in every town and city in the province. That is a problem for the growers to deal with as they see fit, and I do not know of any organization better qualified to deal with and over- come this difficulty than the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. Along that particular line I think considerable time might be spent to advantage discussing how best to overcome that difficulty. We, as growers, are very much interested in the comparative price paid by the consumer and that paid to the grower. 1 have not much to suggest myself, for I had no time to prepare an address or think out any line of argument. I would very much like to hear some discussion on the few points I have enumerated, and if any one wishes to ask me any ques- tions I shall be glad to answer them if in my power. I live in the Niagara District and so am familiar with conditions there. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS5 ASSOCIATION. 35 Mr. Bunting: I can, perhaps, enlarge on a few points. In the first place, as peach growers I think we have 'been too anxious to get great crops of peaches, I mean in point of numbers, and not sufficiently anxious to raise crops of peaches of the very highest quality. Growers of peaches in a season when they realize the fact that they are face to face with a large crop of peaches in all the districts should endeavour to reduce the quantity and increase the quality of their output; that would have a great deal to do with bringing them better returns for their crop; they will get a higher price and have less handling. There is no doubt in the past few years, owing to the high price that has been paid for peaches, there has been a great temptation to enlarge, in some cases, their already large orchards, and to increase those orchards of an acre or so to 20, 30, and 40 acres, and there have been some very large individual orchards planted and coming into bearing within the past year or two. There have been also a large number of varieties planted, and a very large proportion of the peaches put on the market have been of a very ordinary quality. Of course, the past season has been one of very peculiar conditions owing to the fact that the one large consuming factory is not in the market for peaches this year — the eanners' factory; that is, they are not in the market to any extent. Growers not expecting that condition have been confronted with circumstances they could not be prepared for. However, I think our growers realize the value of quality rather than quantity in their crop of peaches, and that being understood will to a large extent prevent a recur- rence of the situation of the past season. As an illustration of the effect on returns the quality of peaches grown may have, I point to the fact that in my own business in one day, in Toronto, I sold one variety of peaches at 15 cents a basket, and the very same day I sold another variety of peache- at To cents a basket; in the one case I made a loss and in the other case I had a satisfctory return. That was simply because in the case of the poorer variety, that had not been properly thinned, they had nine or ten dozen baskets, while the five or six dozen baskets of the better variety properly thinned produced a profit and the others of a poorer variety a loss. My own practice in the distribution of my crop has been that at springtime I have endeavoured to forecast the prospects for the season, and where I have expected a large yield all round I have thinned out my peaches to get the very best quality on each tree, and I have found that practice to be very satisfactory. I have endeavoured at all times to give my customers the very best quality. I have heard of orchards that had previously only got the one order having repeat orders regularly, owing to the better quality of fruit produced. With reference to putting your crop in the hands of dealers or market- ing direct to the consumer, that is for the grower to decide. The Toronto market is perhaps the best consuming market of peaches in large quantities we have in Canada. It is as good a market as we can get for large quantities. Peaches are shipped in here by the thousand and tens of thousands of baskets, irrespective of grade or quality, and the condition of affairs produced is not always satisfactory to the peach industry as a whole. Sow, in regard to the towns and villages, and country districts, that are within easy reach of the pro- ducing centre, I do not think they get nearly the supply of peaches that they could consume; not yet at any rate. vVe could have a better distribution of the crop by the wholesale dealers, who cater to the retail trade in these various towns, or by endeavouring to work along co-operative lines ; growers making up carloads 36 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 and shipping to towns that are large enough to take them. By running an advance advertisement in the local paper stating that first-class quality of peaches would be in evidence on such and such a date you would create a demand for them and the people would regularly look forward to the peach season. Better transportation facilities are a very serious need in the case of the peach grower, or for that matter in the case of the grower of any fruit. The peach re- quires careful handling; quick despatch to reach the markets as rapidly as possible, and I do not think at the present time that we are growing more peaches than the country requires. If the transportation facilities were such that all who want peaches could get them, within a reasonable distance, I think every peach that is grown in Ontario would bring a price on the market. I am not advocating a high price for peaches. I think the people of this country should be able to get large quantities of peaches at a reasonable price. I am prepared to do my part to bring about that condition of affairs. I consider we are making good profits, and that by selling at a reasonable price. When we get $1.00 and $1.25 a basket for peaches we are getting good money for them. We can ship good fruit for less money and still make a profit. I do not like to sell them for 50 cents a basket, but in selling round 50 cents, a basket I think we could make a living. The prices for peaches in the past few years has been such that the public is getting accustomed to pretty high prices, and the grower does not care to accept the lower price now. I think we can put a good face on the matter and be prepared to accept a reasonable price. Do all we can to have good trees, and give the crop careful attention for the first six weeks. During the last six weeks or two months that crop should be carefully thinned out in order to produce the very best quality of peaches. The President : When do you thin your fruit trees ; and how many baskets would that lessen the crop per tree? Mr Bunting: I do not think it lessens the volume of the crop if it is done judiciously, but if it did, I would rather have one basket of fine peaches than three or four baskets of the quality I have referred to as being poor. Mr. Hodgetts: How do peaches compare with apples in the cost of raising? MR. Bunting: It takes a life-time to bring an apple orchard into bearing, but you can get results from a peach orchard in three or four years. Peach land is limited in this country and very limited in Ontario, but apple land is not so limited. As to the relative value of a first-class peach orchard and a first-class apple orchard under equal conditions, I do not think I could say there is very much difference. Mr Hamilton : There is a conundrum I would like to have answered. About ten years ago a number of us living outside the peach belt round Lome Park dis- trict planted a numher of peach trees, and we have a splendid showing of peach trees so far. I think during the nine years they have been growing I have gathered some six peaches until this year. This year the spring opened under unusual con- ditions. We had very heavy spring frosts, with the result that as far as our straw- berry crop is concerned it suffered very materially, and I believe this was true oi a large section of the country. That is probably the reason we had such a short- age in strawberries, as well as in the apple crop. I went through the Niagara dis- trict during the height of the peach season— that is, within the commercial area— and our trees were all heavily laden with finer peaches than were growing in the 1914 FEUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 37 Niagara district. Now, this seems to be an extraordinary condition of things, when the peach tree, which is the t'enderest tree, escaped from the effects of even these heavy frosts that we had this spring, while the other hardier fruits went down under the very same conditions. I do not know whether that has been the experience of others that have been growing peach trees outside the commercial peach districts of Ontario, but it was so in Mr. Hodgett's own section. It was a surprise to see the peaches which were growing there; the quantity of peaches grown there under the conditions that prevailed. That is in regard to the spring crops. I do not know whether there is anyone who can explain that to me. The problem I wish solved is this : The frosts of last spring came when my peach trees were in full bloom; other years, when I have had what I considered a successful season, with a large showing of blossoms upon the trees, they bore no fruit, but this year after exceptionally heavy frosts, that I say hurt the hardier fruits, we had as large a crop as I saw on any peach trees in the Niagara district. What would account for this condition of affairs? Mk. Caesae: I think, perhaps, I can partly answer that; I may not be able to give you a full explanation. The peach tree blooms before the apple tree. If a peach tree has flowered and has once become fertilized ; the pistil, being the part of the flower that receives the pollen, after receiving the pollen very soon forms a little short tube-like structure which runs down straight with the pollen into the ovary. Now the frosts came somewhere around the 9th, 10th, and 11th of May, and your peach trees were out in bloom at the end of April, that is they were pretty well out. Apple trees were coming out in bloom up to the first of May. Now your peach trees had been fertilized and this pollen tube, as we call it, had run down and fertilized the ovary so that when the frosts came along and at- tacked the trees of that district the work of fertilizing had been done and the ovary is protected by a covering which is called a stigma; the tender part, the part subject to frosts, is well hidden. Now this took place before the frosts of which you speak came to attack those peach trees. The apples, on the other hand, in some districts, were just coming out at that time, and were just nicely out to bloom when the severe frosts came; those that were just out in bloom were in many cases destroyed. In regard to these conditions as they affect an apple tree, the blossoms do not all appear at the same time ; blossoms of the same bud open at different times. The centre one of these will open first, then a lower one next and again certain other buds later, so that a severe frost coming might get two- thirds of them, and yet there might be one-third left for an apple crop. The stigma of a peach will not stand one degree of frost, and stamens of the peach will not stand two or three degrees of frost, but when a peach tree is once fertilized it will stand a number of degrees of frost. Mr. Thompson: I do not agree with Mr. Rittenhouse that the peach is such a tender fruit it will not stand handling. I think the peach will stand considerable handling, but not perhaps what apples and hardier fruits will. Now, as far as we are concerned as dealers, I may say that I have endeavored to reach right out into the small districts where peaches are not grown, and where they are not in close touch with large towns. I think there is a great deal of work to be done in opening up such territory. Even yet, in the majority of cases, the dealers are in- clined to charge very high prices. That, of course, militates against the districts where the peaches are not grown, as under those conditions it is only the wealthy who can afford to indulge in them. Mr. Armstrong made quite a point this morn- 38 THE EEPORT OF THE No. 44 ing when he said that the low price of fruit was, he thought, of great benefit to the trade in so much as there is a large class of people who cannot indulge very freely in luxuries, but who were enabled this year to buy peaches, and once having tasted them the chances are that they would another year make a greater effort to obtain the better class of fruit. As a preserving fruit it stands out at the head of the list; there is nothing that comes up to the peach in taste. Tt should be our endeavor as growers to have the market spread out and create a demand for the fruit Mr. Parker, who was here this morning from Nova Scotia, said that in his town and in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia generally he did not see a single peach brought in from outside, and the peach land in that part of the country is very limited, and there are not many peaches grown there to compete with what shipments we might make. He claims that what few peaches were of- fered were sold for enormously high prices. As Mr. Rittenhouse says, there is far too wide a margin between what the consumer pays and what the grower re- ceives for his fruit, , ' I have often thought it would be a good thing for some of the horti- cultural societies, preferably the horticultural society of the Niagara district — because the association of that district sends out bulletins all over Ontario —to start a campaign which would reach all over the country, relative to the peach and other fruits that are grown in the Niagara district, and try and stimu- late a demand. What do other commercial enterprises do? When a manufacturer is putting goods on the market he does not wait for people to come to him and ask for grape nuts or any other patent food, but he advertises far and wide, in all sorts of ways, and the advertising creates a demand. We are doing absolutely nothing for our fruit along that line. We simply rely on retail dealers and people asking us for what they want; if they fail to ask us for it the fruit is palmed oft on some local market, and shipped to them whether they want it or whether they have enough. There is absolutely no regard paid to the business end of the in- dustry when we do not get the orders we think we should get. It seems to me that this Association, or a similar association, might do something to improve matters along that line. Take some definite line and advertise freely and create a demand for our fruits. The same thing could be carried on in regard to apples. It has always occurred to us that something could be done along that line and could be better done by an association than by one or two dealers. The dealer is only anxious to retain the good-will of his customers, he does not wish to encourage the development of the industry. But if we all worked together to promote the fruit industry there would be a very much better atmosphere in the trade. We have our own ideas; we manage to distribute the fruit that is grown m our own immediate vicinity. There are some sections where they are perhaps not quite so successful, and the improvement of this condition of affairs requires a good deal of careful thought. Mr Armstrong: I think I can offer a few suggestions in the way of remedy- ing this bad distribution of our peaches especially. I remember some twenty or twenty-five years ago instead of shipping to Toronto I used to ship east all the way to Montreal, Peterborough, Prescott, and so on. I began to notice that the market would only accept a certain amount of fruit and that then there was a slump I then decided that I would either have to give up that market or go to Toronto as well. Toronto was what I would consider my legitimate market tor the township of Niagara. The township of Niagara has no outlet except by boat, and that reaches Toronto, as you all know-the Niagara boat. Now, I was speak- 1914 FEUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION". 39 ing on the question some fifteen years ago to a number of growers round Grimsby, Jordan and that neighborhood through the Niagara district, and this question was asked in regard to the distribution of fruit: Was it right for the Niagara town- ship and those on the main line to compete with each other in the eastern market? We decided it was not. I finally decided that I would give up both east and west and stick to Toronto and there take my chance. That conclusion was a good one for me, for I have done well ever since; I do not think I could wish to do better. This year a change has occurred. Instead of the Niagara grower shipping en- tirely to Toronto they have branched out and are competing with the Winnipeg and Montreal markets, and so on; what is the result? You know it. I think that as an organization we are in a position to follow the plan of rinding out whether a certain market will receive a certain amount of fruit in one day, or in a week, or in two weeks, and let that market have the quantity that they can handle and no more. It is up to the railways, of course, to make the means of distribution better. This transportation problem is a very serious one with the fruit growers. The people want the fruit, and are willing to pay a fair price for it. The railway people are really the men who should look into this question more seriously. We can only suggest the changes we think necessary, it is up to the railways to make them. Now, that fact of my changing from shipping east and west and shipping only to Toronto has been worth thousands of dollars to me, because before I was competing with my neighbors from Grimsby and Beamsville in the same market. Just as soon as I changed my tactics I made money, previous to that I lost money. I lost money in Montreal several times I remember; I lost money in Winnipeg, and this year I have received no such prices as 15 cents a basket for fruit. HELP IN FRUIT PICKING TIME. i Mrs. L. A. Hamilton, Lorne Park. I will not say that I do not know anything about farming, for I have been ten years on a farm, and I think my husband will sustain me when I say I have tried to do my full share of the work of the place. While there I have had oc- casion to see the great difficulty that assails every grower of fruit, especially the grower of small fruits, in the getting of necessary help at picking time. Not only the question of getting enough help, but the quality of the help is one I think every farmer pretty nearly has had occasion to find fault with. We do get, in every dis- trict, a certain amount of help. I would like to ask if there is any fruit grower present who gets enough help? Mr. Armstrong: I get enough help. Mrs. Hamilton: Well, then, I think that you are the exception that proves the rule. I think certainly, in regard to our district, that we never did get enough help. We got a certain number of young people from the cities who lived in shacks and boarded themselves, but people coming out from the cities, away from all restraint and supervision, are apt to be very difficult to handle. Some local pickers — and very good they are, too — pickers who have had years of training, we are only too glad to have, and we all clutch after them; but they are also apt to 40 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 be uncertain. These local pickers, good as they are, have their preferences, and very often yon will hear this remark when yon have started some three or four of them on a patch : " The berries are thicker over there at So-and-So's farm ; that will pay the best; I am going over there," and you are left in the lurch. Now, some years ago in our district one of my neighbors employed three English ladies who happened to be in this country; one was a graduate nurse, and the other two came out for a holiday, and to spy out our land and see for themselves the condi- tions. They did very well, although they had not been brought up to this kind of work, and knew absolutely nothing about the fruit picking industry. So we wondered, if we really tried, if we could not get a class that would be useful to us. Besides these young people there might be more of such a responsible class that we might get hold of. These ladies have proved that to us. We got in touch with those we thought would be interested in this kind of work, and who would be likely to hear of girls who wanted to get away for a country outing ; willing to come out and pick fruit, and spend two, or three, or four weeks in the country. Several came the following year and worked for the season, boarding in a shack and cooking for themselves. They were all very superior girls, prepared to do their part of the work well; but we found that at the end of the day cooking was rather too hard work after ten hours in the field. We found them so excellent and so steady at picking we thought perhaps we could do something towards getting this class of girls again. We therefore tried a little experiment which I am going to tell you about. A friend in the City of Toronto, interested in the development of the country districts, was kind enough to give me five hundred dollars with which to try my experiment. I rented two cottages and talked to various people who knew young women in factories; domestic servants, stenographers, any likely per- son we could find out who would prove responsible; and then through my con- nection with the Old Country, and other connections there I was constantly having letters from young gentle-women who wanted to get into the farming districts in Ontario. I was able to distribute my pickers among the farmers; I think there were six to each farm. In one or two cases when there was a slack time at one farm T would send them to another. I may mention that some of the farms had very large patches, and when one man's patch became slender I would send the girls to another patch, and in this way I managed to keep these girls employed the season through. They also in the intervals did hoeing and weeding, and this year they picked tomatoes and dug potatoes. They all became extremely useful to us. A little organization is necessary in order to distribute these girls; that was done by myself. I think that could be done very well by the matron of such a home or by a committee of ladies. Now I am happy to say I have had two very successful seasons. We employ a capable cook matron to care for the home comforts of the girls, and try to give" them some fun and enjoyment after working hours. One great point in regard to this work is this : These pickers that come to this hostel are given board at three dollars per week, and are thereby responsible to us; that is to say, if we take them into the hostel they undertake to pick where we say they shall pick, and not move off from one farm to another. We allot a number to each farmer for the season. If he is slack he is willing to allow them to go on to other farms, but in general where say six pickers are allotted to one farm it is for as long as they may be required on that farm, which is generally, in the Lome Park dis- trict, a season of ten weeks. 1914 FEUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 41 At the end of the season I sent, last year, eleven of these girls to other districts ; to the Niagara and Grimsby fruit sections; this year I distributed twenty-five. So that a centre of this kind may act, I hope, as a distributing agency for the benefit of the fruit grower who cannot find enough help. I must emphasize one point in regard to this work. We do not want the wrong class of help. You have all, pos- sibly, had the experience of a lot of inexperienced young women in your community, and in such a case it would be quite impossible to make the experiment a success. You will be pleased to know that in this experiment, where we charge the pickers three dollars a week for their board and lodging I have come out both years with a substantial balance on the right side of the working account. I tell you this because I am suggesting to you that this experiment might be carried out in other districts, but it is absolutely necessary where it is attempted that some responsible woman should be in charge, and one who would take a motherly interest in the girls. I think in an association such as the Fruit Growers' there would be ladies, perhaps members of the Women's Institute, who would be glad to do so. It is only a seasonal thing; it does not last the year through. Of course, with proper organi- zation, work might be found of a suitable nature for those who wanted to work the whole year, if they were willing to go on into domestic work. I believe that this is not the entire solution of the fruit problem, but it is in the nature of an auxiliary. I found that in two years, with very little advertising, I have got in touch with quite a number of channels through which to secure workers; educated girls; girls from big stores or factories; ladies from England who have written to me, or written to friends of mine, and many others who have heard about my work at Lome Park. I have a good many applications from all sorts of people. There should not be very much difficulty for a district like Grimsby, near a manufacturing centre, to get this type of woman; the type we want for fruit picking. There is another side to this which I want to recommend for your careful consideration. In connection with this work we get some very desirable girls amongst us. There is one in the room to-day; I am extremely proud of her. for she has gone on to Guelph, and I believe she is doing some very good work at the College. We are proud to think that an Association of that kind can bring just the type of young woman who is going to be a valuable adjunct to our com- munity. Now, I want to speak of one or two things in regard to the buying of fruit. Much has been said about the producer here, also much about the consumer, but not a very great deal has been said about the buyer. Now the buyer in nine times out of ten is a woman, and I think perhaps you would like to hear just what women think along that particular line. We all know very well that attractiveness ha? very much to do with buying of fruit, and women will buy a basket of fruit that has been put up attractively when she might not consider the buying of one not taste- fully packed. Then, if I might suggest it to you, your packages are very much too heavy for women. When we women are coming back from a day's shopping we would very much like to have nice little baskets of fruit instead of the heavier ones to carry home. Then I think that the packing of the individual fruit might be im- proved, and when we get the type of women I speak of more interested in the fruit packing business, perhaps more suggestions will come from the packers and pickers themselves. I have already had valuable suggestions from twenty-five girls out in the Niagara district this year, so I think from what I have gathered that it 42 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 would pay you to get the right class of girls to do the picking. You want to get a more educated, intelligent girl. The domestic servant type that has had so much to do with fruit and vegetables is particularly intelligent along this line. I have had a lot of valuable suggestions from such girls. Last year, that is the season just before the one past, we illustrated what turned out to be a most successful experiment with Bartlett pears. I want to bring the woman's point of view on this subject before the members of this Asso- ciation. I had identical pears assorted in two lots which I sent in eleven-quart baskets. The same grade of pears. The wrapped pears brought 75 cents per basket and the unwrapped 35 cents per basket. Now, I think I would like to see in con- nection with the peach industry rather more quality and somewhat smaller quantity of carefully picked and properly wrapped peaches. When a buyer, say from a hotel, wants to buy three or four peaches for each table he wants to have something attractive, wrapped in charming little pieces of paper. Peaches carefully wrapped in tissue paper look so delieiously attractive that any man or woman, I think, would be inclined to pay a little more in order to possess them. There is one more point in regard to the packing of peaches. Let me suggest that you cannot think too much of the cleanliness and comfort in the place where the packing is done. If we want to attract the best kind of pickers and packers, then we want to think a little more of their comfort in order to get their best efforts. By doing this we make better friends of the pickers. Now in prune and plum packing in California the women are seated at a specially constructed table. I should like to see all packers have seats. I think seats for packers might be a little more general. Ten hours a day is a long stretch for any woman or man to stand at work. I think the work can be done quite as well when the packer is seated. So that when you are rebuilding or reorganizing the packing houses, have seats arranged for the workers, which I think will be of advantage in giving you work- ers who are not overtired. I have some reports of my work which I am leaving on the table here for those who want a copy. I am happy to say that my very much better half has thro wff himself into this work with me, and was good enough last year to give me several buildings. He felt so strongly that it was a good work: this finding con- genial employment for girls who were struggling to get into the country. He gave me a lot of buildings last season, the year before I rented, and now he is adding to the place considerably. The buildings have done admirably for me, and that is his contribution to the work. In regard to the working expenses I have made the hostel pay its own way, and any surplus goes for improvements. The girls pay $3 a week for their board and lodging; we paid the matron $30 a month, and she hired her own help, a little girl for half a day. Of course the growers call for the girls that are going to pick with their wagons and take them to and from their work. I think similar houses to this hostel could be put up all round the country and the distribution of pickers could be carried on and would not be at all difficult for associations of farmers. I should be delighted to have people come out and see what we are doing. I hope I have made some useful suggestions, and that it may be possibly one of the little ways of attacking this question of the fruit picking. Please think of what it is going to do for girls shut up in stores, factories, and kitchens, if you can "give them buildings where they can be looked after, where the hardships and toil of the 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 43 housework will be taken off them, where they will be cared for, and where they will be enabled to earn a little money for their board, and get the country outing, which they very much need ; surely " they will rise up and call you blessed." Mr. Dempsey: That is a very interesting address we have just listened to, and it contains a number of suggestions which might be advantageously adopted in many of our districts besides Grimsby, St. Catharines, and around Niagara, for they are not the only pebbles on the beach. There are a great many districts lying east and north of here who would have employement for just such a class of pickers for at least six weeks, and I am sure they would be glad to know of this hostel and employ some of the girls. FRUIT HANDLING AND PRECOOLING INVESTIGATIONS. A. V. Stubenrauch, Expert in Charge of Field Investigations in Pomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Paper Read by R. R. Graham, O.A.C.. Guelph.) It is impossible to discuss precooling without reference to the importance of the handling given the fruit, and a large part of the discussion will be devoted to handling problems. The term "precooling" has been applied to the method of promptly and rapidly reducing the initial temperatures of produce intended for shipment. The work requires special equipment aside from that needed to maintain the low temperature after the initial heat has been removed. Precooling. or chilling, has been used for a number of years in preparing meats for shipment, or storage, but, as far as is known, the first application of this process to the handling and shipment of fruits was made in 1904 by Mr. G. Harold Powell, who was then in charge of the Fruit Transportation and Storage Investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry. The first work consisted of the precooling of peaches intended for shipment from Georgia to Northern markets. The equipment used was necessarily rather crude; yet some very definite results were obtained. Later on, the process was applied to oranges and deciduous fruits in California, and since Mr. Powell's early work special attention has been given by the office of Field Investigations in Pomology to the investigations of the problems connected with the precooling of different fruits. In addition to oranges and peaches, these investigations have been extended to table grapes in California, and last season work was begun on cherries and fresh prunes in Oregon and raspberries in Washington. Special equipment has been supplied in order to enable the work to be carried on at different points in the United States. In an article on the Precooling of Fruit in the Year Book of the Depart- ment of Agriculture for 1910, a general discussion of the subject was pre- sented and the following paragraphs are quoted from that article: — The Reasons for Precooling. — During the maturing of a normal fruit on the tree certain chemical and physiological changes are constantly taking place within the jfruit itself. These changes, which result in the acquirement of quality and flavor, constitute the ripening process. After a certain point is reached the fruit becomes over-ripe, quality and flavor is lost, and deterioration progresses until eventually the fruit is destroyed by fungous decay or fermentation, or through destructive physio- logical changes. 44 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 A fruit may be considered as a living organism which has a definite span of exist- ence, the length 'of this span depending upon the conditions surrounding the organism. The most important factor which modifies this span of life is temperature. When the fruit is removed from the parent plant the life processes constituting ripening are materially hastened and the life span is greatly shortened if the fruit is allowed to remain warm for any considerable length of time. Hence, the importance of reducing the temperature as promptly and rapidly as possible after the fruit is picked. The length of the life span differs with the character of the fruit. It is shortest in the soft fruits, such as berries, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, and most pears, and longest for the harder fruits — citrus fruits and apples. It varies with different varieties within the same group of fruits. Some varieties of apples, for example, keep longer than others; lemons keep longer than oranges. The importance of quick and prompt cooling — precooling — then, is greatest in the case of the soft fruits and least for the harder fruits. Experience so far confirms this rule. Aside from the breaking down from over-ripeness, fruits are subject to premature decay, due to the attacks of various fungi. The most common forms of these fungi, however, have not the power to penetrate the sound, unbroken skin of a healthy, normal fruit. Most of the decay occurring in fruits in transi.t and storage starts at injuries and breaks in the skin, caused almost entirely by rough handling in preparing the fruit for market, either in picking, packing, grading or hauling. Wounds, bruises, scratches or abrasions of any kind allow the organism of decay to enter. Other fungi which are not dependent upon injuries to start, attack fruits in transit and storage; but these forms of decay are much less prevalent. The germination of the decay spores, whiich are analogous to the seeds of higher plants, is dependent upon proper moisture and temperature conditions. Germination does not take place while the fruit is perfectly dry or when the temperature is low. After the spores have germinated, however, and the decay has started within the fruit, even as low a temperature as 32 deg. P. will not wholly check it. Growth of the mold is only retarded and the decay continues slowly to develop. The prompt and rapid reduction of the temperature below the point where decay spores germinate prevents the development of disease. Some fruits which have been rendered susceptible through mechanical injuries occurring in handling may be transported with only slight loss from decay when promptly cooled. It is not safe, however, to depend upon precooling to prevent decay which follows improper handling. Precooling should never be expected, to replace proper work. The fact that it does not always effectively replace careful handling is shown by the Bureau investigations with table grapes. The results of this work will be discussed later on. It has been the policy of the Bureau to advise conservative caution in the application of precooling on a commercial scale. It was realized that precooling would not prove a panacea for all the troubles which the different fruit industries were experiencing in transporting fruit to market. The importance of careful -handling was consistently urged and all efforts were made to emphasize the necessity of handling the various fruits in a manner to insure their sound carry- ing qualities. The Bureau work has shown there is a consistent relation between the type of handling given fruits in preparing them for shipment and their behaviour during transit or storage. There is practically no way to avoid the possibility for the occurrence of decay and deterioration due to the careless handling on the part of the grower or shipper who prepares the fruit for market. To use precool- ing as a means to overcome difficulties which ordinarily can be eliminted by pack- ing the fruit in sound condition, is not only poor policy, but is dangerous to the reputation of the product. Precooling does not absolutely prevent decay. The reduction of the temperature simply arrests the development of mold, and therefore the deterioration due to thes^ agencies occurs after the fruit arrives in market. Such fruit will soon gain a reputation for poor shipping qualities. The correct- ness of this early conclusion regarding the uses of precooling has been emphasized by later work with table grapes. With this class of fruits, results of three con- 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 45 secutive seasons show that precooling does not effectively replace careful methods of handling. There was in some instances a slight reduction in decay due to injuries or to other causes in cars which contained precooled fruit, but the benefits from the precooling process without -attention to careful handling were not sufficient to justify the extra trouble and expense. In order to emphasize the results from the table grape handling and precooling work, the accompanying tables and charts, giving summaries of the three seasons' work on Tokay grapes from California, are presented : Table I. — Average Percentages of Decay in Shipment of Tokay Grapes from Lodi, California, to New York City, Seasons of 1908, 1909, 1910. On arrival Two days after arrival Season of 1908 :— Packed in ground cork Carefully handled in crates Commercially handled in crates Season of 1909 :— Packed in Redwood Sawdust . . Carefully handled in crates Commercially handled in crates Season of 1910 :— Packed in Redwood sawdust . . . Carefully handled in crates Commercially handled in crates 1.6 4.2 9.6 0.2 0.9 4.4 2.2 4.0 6.5 4.2 7.8 14.7 0.6 2.6 7.4 3.6 5.8 9.6 Four days after arrival 6.6 16.2 33.9 0.7 5.1 15.8 4.2 9.3 15.8 A glance at the figures shows that by careful handling, aside from precooling, the decay in grapes shipped from California may be held at a minimum. The figures presented comprise the results obtained from the systematic handling, shipping, and inspection of a large number of crates of grapes produced under a wide range of conditions. The figures also show the behaviour of this fruit after arriving at market. Inspections were made on the day of arrival, after holding two days, and after four days; the fruit being held under open market conditions and without refrigeration. The consistent effect of careful handling after the fruit arrives in market is strikingly shown. The importance of having such perishable fruit hold up after it arrives in market need hardly be emphasized. Grapes which arrive with as low a percentage of decay as is shown in the figures from the carefully handled lots on arrival in New York may be reshipped to neighboring "cities with perfect safety ; whereas, the commercially handled lots deteriorate so rapidly after arrival that they must be immediately consumed, other- wise a large proportion of the fruit is wasted. The figures also show the per- centages of decay obtained from grapes packed in ground cork and redwood sawdust. The use of a filling material in packing California grapes reduces the decay per- centage to a minimum. It has not been thought wise to advise the change from the old method of packing crates to one using a filler because of the difficulty of introducing a new style of package under commercial conditions. From the last season's experience, however, there is some indication that at least the best grades of grapes may be packed with this filler, and no attempt will be made to introduce this new system of packing for ordinary commercial shipment. -If, THE KEPORT OF THE No. 44 Table II. — Average Percentages of Decay in Precooled and Non-precooled Commercial Shipments of Tokay Grapes from Lodi, California, to New York City, Seasons of 1909, 1910 and 1911. On arrival Two days after arrival Four days after arrival Season of 1909 :— Precooled Non-precooled Season of 1910 :— Precooled — Non-precooled Season of 1911: — Precooled Non-precooled 6.(5 7.5 7.5 8.7 6.5 8.1 12.7 10.9 11.1. 12.2 12.2 12.8 16.8 15.1 15.1 17.5 16.7 17.0 Table II. shows the results from comparable shipments of precooled and non- precooled table grapes to 'New York during three consecutive seasons. No attempt was made to handle these grapes carefully; the ordinary commercial pack was used. The precooling was accomplished by means of a cold-air blast circulated through the cars until the average temperature of the fruit was reduced to a point near 40 °F. The figures show that decay was slightly less in the precooled cars, but the differences are not sufficient to warrant any considerable extra expense. A greater reduction in decay was accomplished by careful handling without pro- cooling than by precooling alone. This is a most important point and one which cannot be too strongly emphas- ized. The tendency to regard precooling as a means to overcome all of the diffi- culties which are experienced in transporting fruits is wide-spread, and while we feel that this system of preparing fruits for shipment over long distances is a most important one, and one which will have a very great influence on the carry- ing qualities of fruit after the grower, the packer, and the shipper have done their share to insure the preparation of the fruit for market in sound condition, pre- cooling must not be depended upon to replace all of these special efforts. The fruit handling investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry have been in progress several years. During this time a very comprehensive study has been made of the relationship of handling various kinds of fruit to their behaviour in transit, in storage, and while on the market. This study has been extended to the California orange and lemon, the California table grape, the Georgia peach, the Florida orange and pomelo, and in 1911 investigations were begun with red raspberries in Washington, and cherries and fresh prunes in Oregon. The results of these studies covering a wide range of fruits are consistent throughout and show a very definite relation between the methods of handling the fruits and their behaviour after packing. I will not attempt to give all the data which has been accummulated along these various lines. It is, however, important to present some of the results in order to show how conclusive and how consistent the work has been: — 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 47 Table III. — Florida Orange Shipping Experiments, Seasons of 1910 and 1911, Average Percentage Decay in Eighteen Experiments in Seventeen Packing Houses. On arrival At end of 1st week At end of 2nd week At end of 3rd week Careful pick and pack 0.7 2.9 6.7 1.4 5.3 12.1 1.7 7.0 15.3 2.0 Couimerciai pick , careful pack 7.9 Commercial pick and pack 16.6 In table III, the results from the shipping experiments with Florida oranges during the season of 1910-11 are shown. The fruit used in these experiments was obtained from seventeen packing houses located in various parts of the Florida citrus districts. The fruit used there- fore, was produced under a wide range of conditions and the investigation was continued throughout the entire shipping season. The data is therefore the result of a large number of experiments consisting of a sufficient number of boxes of fruit to place the work on a commercial basis. A glance at the figures and the diagrams, shows the consistency of the general principle expressed above. Of all of the series of oranges picked, packed and shipped by the Bureau workers, the percentage of decay was only 7 per cent, on arrival at Washington, D.C The fruit was held for three weeks, inspections being made at the end of the first, second and third weeks. At the end of the first week the carefully picked and packed fruit showed 1.4 per cent, decay, while at the end of the second and third weeks, respectively, 1.7 per cent, and 2 per cent, decay developed. Contrast these figures with the fruit picked and packed under ordinary commercial conditions. On arrival the commercially picked and packed fruit had 6.7 per cent, decay, and after holding one week 12.1 per cent., after two weeks, 15.3 per cent., and after three weeks, 16.6 per cent. Bed Kaspberry Handling and Precooling Experiments. This work was begun during the season of 1911, and records from only that season are available. All precooling was done after the fruit was loaded into the cars. The data obtained were clear-cut and arc consistent with the general principles developed with other fruits; they are presented as additional corro- borative evidence. This work will be continued and extended until full and con- clusive records shall have been completed. Table IV. — Red Raspberry Handling Experiments, Puyallup, Washington, Season of 1911. Carefully handled Commercially handled On withdrawal 1 day after withdrawal On withdrawal 1 day after withdrawal 4 days in Refrigerator car • % Decay 0.2 0.3 % Decay 0.6 3.5 % Decay 1.4 7.2 % Decay 12.2 6 days in Refrigerator car 27.6 !S THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 Table V. — Red Raspberry Precooling Experiments, Puyallup, Washington, Season of 1911. Precooled Commercially handled Non-precooled Commercially handled On withdrawal 1 day after withdrawal On withdrawal 1 day alter withdrawal % Decay 2.1 9.1 18.4 % Decay 9.5 19.1 35.2 % Decay 5.9 15.4 27.4 % Decay 16.5 28.8 8 days in Refrigerator car 45.8 It was impracticable to obtain the inspection data after shipment to eastern points. The raspberry crates were therefore held in an iced refrigerator car at Puyallup, Washington, and the lots of fruit were withdrawn after holding periods, which represent trips of 4, 6 and 8 days respectively. The conditions for rapid cooling in the iced car at Puyallup were considerably more favorable than obtain during a transcontinental trip. The car was kept fully iced through- out the season, and at no time was a full carload of fruit on hand. The fruit held without precooling was therefore cooled much more rapidly than would have been the case under actual shipping conditions. It is necessary to take these factors into consideration in making comparisons of precooled and non-precooled crates. It is only fair to assume that under shipping conditions, the decay in non-precooled berries would be higher than shown by these experiments. The point to be drawn from these figures is the consistently clear-cut results from careful handling with this very perishable fruit. The two tables should be con- sidered separately and are not comparable. Only the data obtained from actually comparable series- of experiments are included in the figures shown in each table, and the series for the handling and precooling experiments are not the same. The figures for the percentages of decay in the precooled lots do not tell the whole story. The precooled berries presented a much brighter and more favorable appearance than the non-precooled, and the concensus of opinion of all who examined the fruit was that a material benefit resulted from the precooling. This need not in any way detract from the importance of the results from the handling experiments. Cherry and Fresh Prune Handling Experiments. This work was begun in Salem, Oregon, during the season of 1911. The results are given in order further to emphasize the consistency of the careful handling principle. Table VI.— Average Percentage of Decay in Carefully Handled and Commercially Handled Cherries at Salem, Oregon, 1911. 5 days in Refrigerator Car 10 " 15 " Carefully Handled. Commercially Handled. At with- 2 days after drawal. withdrawal. At with- drawal. 2 days after withdrawal. % Decay % Decay 0.5 3.5 1.5 3.5 4.3 7.3 % Decay 2.8 12.3 16.0 % Decay 10.8 21.4 26.1 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 49 Table VII. — Average Percentages of Decay in Carefully Handled and Commercially Handled Fresh Prunes, Salem, Oregon, 1911. Carefully Handled. On with- drawal. 1 2 days after withdrawal, Commercially Handled. 4 days after withdrawal. 6 days after withdrawal. 10 days in Refrigerator Car — Carefully handled Commercially handled 15 days in Refrigerator Car — Carefully handled Commercially handled 20 days in Refrigerator Car — Carefully handled Commercially handled % Decay 0.7 3.5 0.4 7.1 2.7 6.8 % Decay 1.2 5.6 1.2 3.8 9.7 Decay 1.6 9.3 2.1 11.5 4.7 19.3 Decay 2.1 8.7 3.7 16.6 b.9 23.3 As in the case of the raspberry experiments, it was impracticable to make inspections after actual shipment and the lots were held in an iced car periods representing trips of ten, fifteen and twenty days respectively. The conditions were only approximately those of a car in transit, as owing to the car being only partially filled, the temperature conditions in the car were more favorable than during shipment with full car-load. The fruit was held after withdrawal from the car, under open market conditions. Careful handling in the work with cherries and prunes consisted not only in using care in picking and packing, but in grading or culling out all imperfect fruits. The season was very unfavorable, there having been considerable rain during the shipping season^ and a large proportion of the fruit was cracked and otherwise damaged. These were carefully culled out as far as practicable in the carefully handled lots; in the commercial packs, little attention was paid to culling out the imperfect fruits. Important Factors Governing the Successful Storage of Apples. The importance of cold storage as a factor in the profitable marketing of apples has been recognized for some time, especially in the older settled com- munities. Its importance has not become so urgent in the districts where exten- sive orchard planting and development are more recent, but as the large orchards come into bearing in the Pacific Coast districts, a growing proportion of the crop will have to be placed in storage in order to equalize distribution and to lengthen the marketing season. Therefore, a discussion of some of the principles under- lying the successful storage of apples is most opportune. The production of this staple fruit has already assumed proportions too large to be sold and consumed during the normal season and with the still larger crops to come as time advances, the problem becomes more and more acute, if we are to avoid alternate seasons of plenty and scarcity with disastrous effects both to the producer and consumer. A steady supply of good fruit throughout the season obtainable at steady and reasonable prices, places the fruit within the reach of the masses, and thereby gives a stability to the demand not otherwise possible. Apples are now practically obtainable the year round. Without some successful means of storage this would not be possible. The storage house has become an actual necessity in the apple industry. The cold storage warehouse must ibe considered as the ally of the producer and the shipper. 4 F.G. 50 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 Fruit Storage Investigations op the United States Department of Agriculture. During the past eight years the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture has carried on an extensive investigation of the cold storage of fruits and especially of apples. From these investigations many important facts and principles have been developed, most of which have had an important bearing on the storage and warehousing of fruits. These investiga- tions are still in progress, as there still remain important problems to be solved. Some fruits have not yet been studied, and furthermore, all sections of the country have not yet been included. Naturally, the first work was done on Eastern and Central Western fruits, and as funds have been provided and experience has been gained the work was extended to the other sections of the country. Last season work was begun in the Pacific North-west, comprising the important fruit pro- ducing districts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Montana. It has been found that the condition of the product at the time it is stored has a most important influence on its behaviour in storage and the length of time it may be held in good condition. This has reference to the regions where the fruit is produced; to the orchard conditions and treatment; to the stage of maturity of the fruit at the time it is packed ; to the care with which it has been picked, handled and packed; to the promptness with which the fruit is placed in storage and cooled. All these factors are under the control of the producer, the packer, or the shipper. The duties of the warehouseman or the cold storage man follow these and have reference to the proper regulation of the temperature of the rooms, ventilation and handling in the cold storage house itself. It is the warehouseman's business to see that the proper storage temperature and proper conditions of humidity are uniformly maintained. A fluctuating temperature — if it fluctuates to a considerable extent — may be most injurious. Another im- portant factor in the successful storage of fruit is the maintenance of uniform conditions throughout the storage rooms themselves. This is plainly the duty of the warehouseman. Where the rooms are improperly piped or insulated the temperature will not be uniform. Parts of the rooms may be too cold, and parts too warm. This is especially true in very large rooms. This does not necessarily mean that small rooms are most desirable and efficient. Quite the reverse. Under proper conditions it is relatively easier to maintain a large room in a uniform condition than a small one, because of the smaller proportion of wall space to air volumes. It is beyond the limits of this paper to describe the various types of storage houses. There are two classes of storage houses; Common Storage houses and Cold Storage houses. The former are not provided with equipment for artificial refrigeration, cool temperatures in the rooms being maintained by opening the rooms during cold days and nights and closing while the outdoor temperatures are high. Naturally, the temperature conditions possible under these conditions are not as uniform as can be maintained in artificial cooling. This equipment may consist of ice, ice and salt, or of machinery for producing the refrigeration. The Common Storage plants are located on farms, and are operated by the producer. Cold Storage plants are usually located at railroad points, and as a general rule are operated by commercial warehousemen, although some large producers operate their own cold storage plants. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS5 ASSOCIATION. 51 The standard storage temperature for apples has been found to be 32 deg. Fahr., and this temperature has so far proved satisfactory for all varieties with possibly only one exception. This is the Yellow Newtown produced in the Pajaro Valley of California, which holds best at a temperature near 35 deg. Fahr. The various factors which have been mentioned as having important influences on the keeping quality of fruit products will be discussed in the order named. Influence of the Place of Production. There is a widespread opinion that the region producing a variety of fruit has little or no influence upon its behaviour in storage. The investigations of the Department show that such a view is erroneous. A great many varieties of apples have been studied, and these have been obtained from different districts of the United States. It has been found that the place and conditions of production have a material influence on the keeping qualities of different varieties. Moreover, the soil upon which the fruit is produced affects its keeping qualities in cold storage. Differences of from one to three months in the length of time a variety may be held in good condition have been due to the influence of different places of produc- tion. Influence of the Method of Culture. The methods of culture and care in the orchard are also factors affecting the keeping qualities of the fruit. The character of the tillage, the pruning, the age of the trees and the climatic conditions may be governing factors in the behaviour of the fruit in storage. Large, coarse and sappy fruits produced by young trees do not have as good keeping quality as the same varieties grown on older trees. It has been found, especially under eastern conditions that trees with thick heads and branches which prevent the fruits from maturing uniformly, may yield a large proportion of green, poorly colored fruits, which do not hold well in storage. This is plainly a factor which may be controlled by a different orchard treatment. Opening up the trees in order to give more light and air will materially influence the length of the cold storage season of the product. It has been found also that late cultivation, keeping the trees in active growth late in the season prevents the proper maturing of the fruits. This is not likely to be so important a factor in this region except where climatic conditions similar to eastern humid summer condi- tions prevail. In irrigated sections the moisture conditions are under the control of the grower. If he irrigates and stimulates growth at the time the fruit is maturing, he will bring about conditions which may result in the production of sappy, poorly colored fruit of low keeping quality. In sections having dry sum- mers, but depending upon tillage for maintenance of proper soil moisture condi- tions, the effect will be opposite unless cultivation is carefully done. In orchards where cultivation and tillage are not thoroughly done there is likelihood of the trees being under stress from lack of moisture at the end of the dry season. Fruit from such trees has low keeping quality in storage. Any condition of soil, climatic or orchard treatment which results in the production of abnormal fruits may be governing factors in their cold storage behaviour. These factors are ordinarily not considered in selecting fruit for stor- age. If they could be taken into consideration, much loss would be avoided. THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 It may not always be practicable for the warehouseman to consider these fac« , tors, due primarily to the conditions of growth and production. Fruit is mostly purchased by jobbers and wholesalers who do not, as a rule, know anything about the history of the fruit prior to the time it is received by them. The only way that loss from deterioration may be avoided in these cases is to keep close watch on the fruit during the season, and to dispose of it before it has gone too far. A fruit is a living organism, which has a definite length of time for carry- ing on its life functions. As long as these life functions are active, the fruit remains in a vital condition and is fit for food. After the life processes have be- come weakened and exhausted, death of the fruit takes place, rapid deterioration results, and the fruit is unfit for food. The vital processes of the fruit go on nor- mally while the fruit is on the tree, unless the tree is in distress. When the fruit is severed from the tree the life process is hastened while the fruit remains at relatively high temperatures, so that when the fruit is picked the ripening and life processes are quickened, and unless some means is taken to control or to slacken these processes, the death of the fruit ensues within a comparatively short time. When the fruit is stored at a low temperature, the vital processes are very materially retarded; they do not entirely cease, but continue slowly, the rate depending upon the character of the fruit and the temperature at which it is held. It follows that when the life processes are materially reduced, the fruit will remain in good con- dition a greater length of time. This is the principle upon which the cold storage of food products is based. The low temperature may also retard the growth and development of various forms of decay or rot, clue to fungi, which grow upon the fruits and destroy them. Most of these fungi cannot germinate at the low storage temperature (32 degrees F.) but when once started, they continue slowly to develop, and may entirely destroy the fruit in the storage rooms. The most common forms of decay, ^however, are dependent wholly upon the character of the handling which the fruit receives in preparing it for market. Other form of decay which are not dependent upon abrasions in the skin to gain entrance into the fruit are dependent upon proper moisture and heat condi- tions for their germination and growth. By reducing the temperature to a point at which the fungus cannot grow, disease can be held in check. Under orchard treatment and conditions we must consider spraying for the control of insects and fungus diseases. Where the spraying work is not thorough and efficient a considerable proportion of the fruit may be injured by insects and consequently rendered susceptible to decay. All such injured fruits should be religiously excluded from packages intended for storage. Where the insect or disease injury is primarily not to the fruit itself, it is just as important that the spray work be efficient. Any insect or disease which interferes with the normal vitality and growth of the trees, likewise affects the quality of the fruit. This is a fact well-known to all up-to-date orchardists, but the effect on the storage quality of the fruit is not so well appreciated. Seasonal Influences. It is a well-known fact that during unfavorable seasons the quality as well as the quantity of the fruit produced may be affected. In case of unusual drought the man who irrigates has some advantages over the grower who is wholly dependent upon natural weather conditions. Following destructive frosts the crop may be 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 52. thinned to such an extent that the remaining fruits are overgrown and sappy, and consequently of low keeping quality in storage. On the other hand fruit produced by over-Jaden trees has weak storage quality, and a spring frost may thin the crop just to the desired point. Fruit produced under favorable seasonal conditions must be carefully watched during the storage periods, so that it may be sold and consumed before it has deteriorated to any great extent. Pkopeb Stage of Maturity foh Stokage Fruit. The investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry have shown that fruit which is fully matured and well colored holds better and longer in storage than immature, poorly colored fruits. When the Bureau investigations were begun, the common practise was to pick fruit intended for storage before it was fully mature. A systematic study on a large scale has shown this to be erroneous. Green, imma- ture fruit is subject to scald, and if very green, will shrivel in storage, while the same variety fully matured holds much longer and in better condition. This prin- ciple has been found to hold true for all kinds of fruits except pears and lemons. These are apparently the only fruits which are better when picked before full maturity or ripeness, as the term is ordinarily interpreted. By full maturity is meant full color with firm flesh and the seeds fully grown and colored. Over- ripeness must be avoided as much as immaturity. In some sections it is a general practise to allow the crop to remain until all the fruits are fully colored. There is danger when this is done that part may become over-ripe and consequently have low storage, or even shipping quality. It is best, especially with the earlier ripen- ing varities, to make more than one picking, selecting each time the fully colored fruits and allowing the undeveloped to remain. The fruit grown on the outer branches develops more rapidly and consequently ripens first. Much more uniform storage-holding quality can be obtained by keeping these fruits separately, unless the trees are open-headed and there is a uniform development throughout. Influence of Handling on Keeping Quality. The Bureau investigations have shown that a direct relation exists between the type of handling and the occurrence of decay in both storage and transit. \s has already been mentioned, the common forms of decay are caused by fungi which gain entrance through some form of mechanical injury to the fruit. Fruit is most commonly injured in preparing it for market, in the picking, grading, hauling and packing operations. In general, most growers appreciate that fruit must be care- fully handled, but they have no conception of the amount of injury ordinarily done unless extra care is used. In the course of the Bureau investigations many instances were found where growers who had the reputation of handling carefully were really injuring a large percentage of their product through ignorance or over- sight. From ten to fifteen per cent, of apples were found to be injured, and in the case of citrus fruits the percentage of injuries was often much higher. The apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry and grape are far more easily injured than the orange or lemon. The necessity for great care in handling these fruits is therefore all the more urgent. In California all up-to-date citrus growers and handlers use gloves in all picking, grading and packing operations. If this prac- tise does not prevail in Ontario apple orchards it should be adopted, as in this way 54 THE REPOKT OF THE No. 44 many types of injury may be avoided. In the citrus investigations, sand, gravel, dried twigs and dirt in the packing bags and field boxes were found to be respon- sible for much abrasion of the skin of the fruits, which was always followed by serious decay. The tender skin of the apple and pear is very susceptible to this type of injury. For this reason if these fruits are wiped before they are packed, great care must be used to avoid abrasion of the skin; the slightest scratch or puncture is sufficient to allow the fungus to gain entrance. The urgent necessity for the greatest care to avoid injury in preparing fruit for storage or shipment cannot be too strongly emphasized. This is the founda- tion upon which rests the successful marketing of fruits intended for immediate consumption or for storage. Influence of Prompt Cooling. As has been mentioned above, a fruit is a living organism, during the normal growth and development of which certain physiological and chemical changes take place within the fruit itself. These changes constitute ripening, as the term is ordinarily interpreted. Up to a certain point, flavor and quality improve and the fruit is considered as ripe. After this point is reached there is a gradual decline, and death and deterioration take place. Flavor and quality are lost, and if the process continues the fruit breaks down physiologically or is destroyed by decay or fermentation. It has been further shown that when the fruit is removed from the parent tree or plant, these life and death processes are materially hastened while the fruit remains at relatively high temperatures. A reduction of temperature retards these vital processes — they go on very slowly in storage ; if they were entirely stopped the fruit would soon die and break down physiologically — and gives the fruit a longer term of life. The promptness with which the cooling is done has a material influence upon the length of time the fruit will remain in good condi- tion. The Bureau of Plant Industry investigations have demonstrated that apples placed in storage and cooled promptly hold in good condition from one to three months longer than the same varieties delayed ten days or two weeks, if the tem- perature is rather high. This point is therefore of the utmost importance, especially with a variety like the Jonathan, which ripens in the early part of the season while the weather is warm. APPLE SCAB (Venturia pomi). L. Caesar, Provincial Entomologist, O.A.C., Guelph. First of all, scabby apples can never be sold as No. 1. Apple Scab or Black Spot, or " Fungus," as it is sometimes called, is far the most destructive apple disease found in Ontario, and occurs in every part of the province where the apple grows. It is not the same disease as the Pear Scab, so common on Flemish Beauty and some other varieties of pears, but is very closely related. Its presence is, of course, most familiar to us in the form of the black spots on the fruit, the skin of the apple always being destroyed beneath these spots. That it attacks the leaves just about as readily as the fruit is a fact perhaps not so 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION". 55 well known to fruit growers. On the leaves it causes at first small, nearly circular areas about % of an inch in diameter and of an olive colour. After a while the affected parts often become somewhat elevated, making the surface of the leaf irregular or more or less crinkled. Before long thse spots die. Sometimes there are numerous spots on the leaves. I have seen leaves of crab apple trees so badly attacked on blade and petiole or stem that most of them fell off, and by about the first of July the tree was entirely defoliated. A fresh set soon took their place. Occasionally, but not ordinarily, the tender twigs themselves are attacked. Loss Caused by the Dtskask. The loss comes in the following ways : 1. Scabby fruit must be rejected as culls, or at any rate can never go as No. 1. 2. In moist, warm autumns the scabby areas on apples in a barrel will soon become attacked by a whitish or pinkish mould, known as Pink Rot. This makes the apple not only unsightly but unmarketable. Greenings are especially subject to the rot. Even apart from this disease, scabby apples will not keep so well as clean apples. 3. The scab fungus commonly attacks the stems of the fruit while it is still small, and causes large numbers to fall. Sometimes it is evidently in a large degree responsible for the failure of a crop. 4. By attacking the leaves and killing areas on these it not only interferes with the power of a tree to manufacture food (the food of a tree is manufactured chiefly in the green leaves), but also permits spray injury around the areas where the protecting skin has been destroyed. Consequently the vigor of a tree may be greatly lessened by these combind injuries to the leaves. The following year the chances of a good crop are, therefore, greatly lessened through the failure of a tree to form fruit buds. This is one of the reasons why well sprayed orchards regu- larly yield larger crops than unsprayed, and are healthier unless injured by over- cultivation or over-fertilizing and consequent winter injury. Life History of the Fungus. The fungus which causes apple scab is a very small microscopic plant which, unlike green plants, cannot manufacture its own food but feeds entirely upon other plants, or, in other words, is a parasite. It passes the winter almost entirely upon the old leaves, on the ground beneath the tree, or wherever they may be blown by the wind. Occasionally it may also winter on the twigs. In the spring about the time the leaves are expanding, the diseased spots on the dead leaves by a peculiar device begin to shoot out into the air, in moist weather, tiny little spores which are carried by the wind especially to the lower leaves. These spores correspond to seeds, and like seeds they cannot germinate unless they get an abundance of moisture; hence if the days are bright and sunny they will not grow, but if rain falls and does not dry off for about eighteen or forty-eight hours they will germinate, and begin to enter the leaves. Once the germ tube has worked through the skin of the leaf it grows rapidly and forms many little threads or rootlets as we may call them. From these in a few days a host of little threads burst up through the skin and keep producing, on their tips, crops of countless spores. 56 THE KEPOKT OF THE No. 44 These are constantly being blown by the wind from leal' to leaf, and every- where through the orchard, and get also on the stems of the young fruits, and on the fruits themselves. They are only carried a comparatively short distance, so far as we know. Here again, if given sufficient moisture, they will germinate and pro- duce scabby areas on all these places. It is while the fruit and leaves are still small that the fungus spreads most. Once the fruit is three quarters of an inch in size it is not nearly so subject to the attack. This is probably due to two rea- sons. First, the skin has been growing thicker, and so is more difficult for the fungus to penetrate. Second, the weather is warmer and brighter, the nights are shorter, and so there is seldom a sufficiently prolonged period of moisture for the spores to germinate. Fig. i, a. Microscopic appearance of a section through a scab spot on apple: (a) The cuticle or skin broken and raised by the fungus beneath; (&) fungus threads bear- ing spores on the top and with dense thread© (mycelium) beneath; (c) and (e) cells of the* apple beneath the fungus B. Section through a leaf that has lain over winter on the ground; (g) spore case containing little sacks in which are spores. Bi One of these spore sacs greatly enlarged, showing several two-celled spores which are shot out from the tip of the case in wet weather. These spores are different from those in A, but start the disease in spring. As to the time necessary for this, I have had them in the laboratory at a tem- perature of about 60 degrees F. germinate in between twelve and eighteen hours; at about 50 degrees F. they were a little longer and outside at a temperature vary- ing from a little below freezing to 40 degrees F. they had just begun to germinate in forty-eight hours. It is probable the germ tube very soon enters the apple after beginning to grow. Once it enters it cannot be killed by any spray, hence spraying is to cover leaves and fruit and prevent spores from germinating. From about the middle or end of June until the last week in August there is seldom any noticeable increase in the amount of scab, but with the return of longer nights and lower 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 57 temperatures, if there is an abundance of continuous wet foggy weather, as happened in the fall of 1912, we may look for a fresh outbreak of the diseases and should spray to prevent it. The Inky Spot or Sooty Fungus of the fruit is also favored by this kind of weather. Leaves are apparently more subject to this late attack than the fruit, and hence there are always plenty of these diseased to carry the fungus through the winter. A Member: You say it will develop faster in a temperature of 60 degrees F. than it will at 40 degrees F. ? Mr. Caesar: Yes, it will develop faster at about 60 degrees than it will at 40, and that brings up a very interesting question. It has often been observed year after year that scabby apples develop from the time when the leaves are nicely Fig. 2. — Scab on apple. unfolded and expanding until the fruit is about the size of a grape or say three- quarters of an inch in diameter. After that in most seasons, and in most districts, there is scarcely any new development on the leaves or fruit until late in the fall. That is the average season. The reasons for that, I suppose, are two-fold. First of all the skin of the fruit becomes thicker as it grows, and it is harder for these little spores that germinate to penetrate that skin. Secondly, the conditions for moisture are usually less favorable, because then the days are becoming longer and the nights are shorter and there is more heat and therefore a more rapid evapora- tion of the moisture that produces conditions that tend to make them. A Member: Wihat are the apples most likely to be attacked, or are they all equally subject? Mr. Caesar: That suggests another point here. You all know that Snow Apples are particularly subject to scab, while the 'Spy is scarcely ever attacked by it, and there are some others. In a journal which published an article on the subject I read that the Ben Davis was not very subject to Apple Scab. What is J8 THE KEPOKT OF T Ill- No. 44 the reason for that? I cannot entirely explain that, but I have a theory that appeals to me. I have been experimenting with the structure of the skin of various apples. If you compare the Snow Apple with the Ben Davis, the Ben Davis has a skin one and two-third times as thick as the skin of the Snow Apple. Those who have gone into that a little more fully corroborate what I say. I have read all the works I could get on the subject, and in one I found that others experimenting along this line have given a whole list of apples subject to Apple Scab. The varieties that were immune from attack were in all cases thick-skinned, while those subject to the disease were thin-skinned. A Member: What effect would plowing the leaves under have, if any? Mr. Caesar: There is some value in plowing the leaves under, but there will always be plenty of leaves left in fence Gorners, in your neighbor's orchard and other places, to create the disease. Personally, I do not think it pays a man to try to destroy the leaves in which the plant winters, and nearly all plant path- Pig. 3. — Scab on leaves. ologists will tell you it will pay to do that. In any ordinary season you can control it without taking special pains to destroy all the leaves; you never can destroy all I he leaves either in your own orchard, or, as I have said, in surrounding orchards from which leaves would be bound to find their way to your own. A Member : Would spraying in the growing stage help to stop the spread ? Mr. Caesar: The question is whether it would be of value to spray in the germinating stage and let the spray fall upon the leaves; both the higher and lower leaves. There would be some value in that, but no such value as some would think. But even in this season we could have controlled the Scab in nearly every district by applying the first spray before the leaves burst, and in districts where it was not controlled it was that the first spraying had not taken place before the leaves burst. The first and second of the three applications, as I shall show a little later on, are i'he ones above all others the most important in connection with the destruction of Apple Scab. A Member : Would plowing in, say three or four inches deep, not prevent the spread of the disease from the leaves? 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 59 Mr. Caesar : Oh, yes, but there are always plenty of other leaves. Of course, I believe in getting into your orchard just as soon as you possibly can, the first day that it is fit for cultivation. 'Cultivation is the means whereby we conserve the moisture. There is no time of the year when you will have the same amount of moisture in your ground that you have early in the season. Get into your orchard and cultivate it just as soon as you possibly can; that will help your orchard to withstand drought and will also help some against this disease. It is scarcely ever that scab germinates in summer.. A Member: In our section of the country that is the time when I noticed it did germinate. Mr. Caesar : You can get it, but it depends on what you consider or mean by midsummer. Scab will scarcely ever give you any trouble from about the 20th of June; that is in all these districts. I do not say that statement will hold away down in the St. Lawrence Valley ; but in this district and the fruit districts in most other parts of the Province, Scab will scarcely ever give you any trouble from June until the last week in August ; the trouble will have been done before that, Why Some Varieties are More Subject to Attack than Others. We are all aware that certain varieties such as Snow and Mcintosh are par- ticularly subject to scab, while other varieties like Blenheim, Duchess and Golden Russett are rarely attacked. The reason for this is not entirely solved, but a microscopic examination shows that the cuticle or skin on nearly immune varieties is decidedly thicker than that of the other varieties. For instance, I find the cuticle of a Blenheim about one and two-third times as thick as that of a Snow. How Scab Varied in Different Districts This Year. I have had occasion to visit a good many counties in Ontario since the first of August, and everywhere I went have made a mental or written note on the preval- ence of this disease. I have also written to a great many persons in other parts as to the facts in their districts, and then have compared the weather reports to try and reason out the cause of the difference in degrees of injury. In Eastern Ontario, near Morrisburg, where the Snow and Mcintosh (very susceptible varieties) grow, well sprayed orchards were nearly clean, at least over 90 per cent. Some poorly sprayed orchards were quite scabby I was told. In Leeds County the orchard sprayed by Mr. Smith, the district representative, was also practically free from scab. In Hastings the orchards of Mr. Mcintosh, the representative, were clean ; so also were the best sprayed orchards ; others were quite scabby. In Durham six well sprayed orchards visited were over 90 per cent, clean ; unsprayed showed from about 10 per cent, to perhaps 50 per cent. scab. Three of these clean orchards had been sprayed by Mr. Duncan, the district representative. In Ontario County only two orchards . were examined. One sprayed by Mr. Kydd, of the Department of Agriculture, had over 90 per cent, free from scab, the other along side of it, had nearly 99 per cent scabby, and most of the apples had fallen off. because of the scab. In Peel and Halton counties many sprayed orchards had scarcely any scabby fruit even on Snow trees. Unsprayed orchards had also in most places very little scab. In Wellington, around Guelph, well sprayed orchards were nearly clean. Unsprayed varied from about 10 per cent, to 50 per cent, scabby. In Lincoln and Wentworth the really well sprayed orchards were nearly free from 60 THE REPORT OF THE \<>. 44 scab. In some cases, near Hamilton, there was a late attack of scab on Greenings. Unsprayed apples (Spys, Baldwins and Ben Davis alone examined) had from 5 to 10 per cent. scab. In Oxford County an orchard sprayed by Mr. Kydd was over 95 per cent, free from scab. The neighboring unsprayed orchard ran from 20 to 90 per cent, scabby. Mr. Harris, of Ingersoll, had some orchards almost totally clean; others quite scabby. In Brant County reports came to the effect that most sprayed orchards were scabby. In Norfolk, where the orchard of the district repre- sentative was over 90 per cent, clean, the same condition of affairs prevailed. In Middlesex most sprayed orchards had considerable scab, unsprayed were badly attacked. In contrast to these was the demonstration orchard of Mr. I. B. Whale, which was almost totally clean. In Lambton County a few well sprayed orchards were moderately clean, but many were 40 per cent, scabby. In striking contrast to this 1 have just been informed was an orchard sprayed by Mr. C. A. Good, of Guelph, for the Department of Agriculture. This orchard was from 95 to 97 per cent, free from scab. In Bruce the orchard sprayed by Mr. McKay, the district representative of Bruce County, is over 90 per cent, clean, a neighboring orchard sprayed at the same time by a different man but with a power machine was quite scabby. Mr. McKay says well sprayed orchards are fairly clean. In Kent County well sprayed orchards are nearly free from scab. In Georgian Bay district Mr. Laughland, the district representative of Simcoe, states that as a rule well sprayed orchards are clean; cleaner than usual. Why Some Counties Were Less Infested Than Others. From what has been said above it will be noticed that several counties, notice- ably Peel and Halton were much less attacked by scab than other counties. I have no hesitation whatever in stating that the reason for this is solely that jn the coun- ties where scab was worst there were much more favorable weather conditions for the germination of the spores of the fungus than in the other counties. In Peel there was a moist period sufficiently long continued in May or June — the two most favor- able months for scab — to produce a general infestation of the fruit except in specially sheltered orchards or in old unpruned ones where sunlight and air circu- lation could not act to cause fairly rapid evaporation. In Norfolk, Brant, Lambton, Middlesex and Oxford counties, there were two or three very favorable moist periods when scab could make such headway that every variety subject to it was likely to be infested. Cool, wet weather is known to be ideal for scab development. It is easy, therefore, to understand why some counties were much more affected than others. Why Many Well, or Apparently Well, Sprayed Orchards Were Scabby tn the Worst Infested Counties. So far as I can see there was no reason for the failure of spraying, if well done at the times recommended in the spray calendar, to control scab thoroughly in any orchard in most parts of the province, but this was evidently not true in Norfolk and some neighboring counties. The explanation is, apparently, that in these counties there was a long period of approximately three weeks between the application just before the blossom buds burst and the one after the blossoms fell — the Codling Moth spray. During this period the scab got a start. Now, so far as scab is concerned the object of the spray just before bloom is to keep the fungus off the leaves and opening blossoms and blossom stems until the next application 1914 FRUIT GKOWERS' ASSOCIATION. 61 can be applied. Usually the period between these applications is only about eight to twelve days. The spray before the blossoms burst in these counties was applied in many cases as early as May the 1st. For five days after this, up to May 7th there was much new growth of leaves and bloom. A large part of this new growth could scarcely be at all affected by the fungicide on the sprayed part. On May 7th the weather turned very cool with severe frosts on the night of the 10th and 11th, frosts which possibly injured somewhat the skin of the leaves and young forming fruits and made it more easily penetrated by the spore germ tubes. Cold weather with very slow development of leaves and blossoms continued up to at least May 19th, when the blossoms had mostly fallen and early varieties at any rate were ready to spray. On looking over the weather reports and one or two diaries kindly loaned me, I find that during this long period between sprays — a period of about three weeks, twice the usual length — the first favorable opportunity for the development of scab, especially on the lower leaves, where it nearly always first begins, occurred between May 14th and 18th, when there was a considerable rain and foggy, dark weather. Under these circumstances many of the lower leaves would become infested, and the affected areas about a week later would in turn be producing crops of spores which the wind would be carrying, to every part of the trees and orchard. If then another wet season should come before the spray after the blossoms could be applied, these spores would get a start on the leaves and young fruit which would in most cases be well formed by this time. The weather records show us that such a wet time did come from about May 20th to 23rd, with occasional showers in some cases up to May 28th. These rains made it impossible to get the spray mixture on promptly, therefore, the scab had a chance to get a start on the young fruit and once started it could not be killed. Spraying can only prevent, it cannot cure. The scab spots on the apples could not be noticed at all until early in June, and many would never think of looking for them till the apples were some size. Then alarmed at the sight they would feel sure it was a late attack, and that they should have sprayed again. This, then, is in my opinion the reason why in many cases scab was bad in well- sprayed orchards. It was a case of getting a start between the 2nd and 3rd sprayings. Should There Have Been an Extra Application in June? All the first part of June, up to the 19th, was fine and dry and thus unfavorable for further infection. In some places from 19th to 21st of June there may have been some new development of the disease, but I doubt whether there was much, in fact I have no proof that a fourth spraying in any of the western part of the province did any good so far as scab was concerned. I do not mean that it never would. I should certainly advocate a fourth spray any year in which there is much wet weather in the early part of June after the 'Codling Moth spray. It should usually be put on about two weeks after this application. In the district along the St. Lawrence Valley I should always spray a fourth time, because there is more moisture there, and the varieties grown are very subject to scab. , But let me give a word of warning — do not spray with lime-sulphur on a bright, calm, hot day after the fruit has become half an inch or more in diameter, as you will be almost sure to have severe sun-scalding of the apples exposed to the sun. This makes a very unsightly injury. Choose a dark day or at least a windy or mod- erately cool one. M THE REPORT OF THE ]SFo. 44 Would Bordeaux Have Given Better Results Than Lime-Sulphur This Year? I find it very difficult to answer this definitely, because very few really good sprayers used Bordeaux. I saw two Bordeaux-sprayed small orchards in Norfolk County that looked cleaner than the other orchards with the exception of the orchard of Mr. Johnson, senior, who used lime-sulphur. I could not get the necessary data on these two orchards to form any sound judgment on the question. The other day I saw a letter from Mr. Harris, of Ingersoll, in which he states that when he substituted Bordeaux -for lime-sulphur for the spray just before the blossoms burst he had much better results than when he used lime-sulphur for all three applications. Unless there is some other simple explanation of this it would appear to suggest that under very unfavorable circumstances Bordeaux- may give better results. If any one cares to test it next year, let him substitute the Bordeaux for lime-sulphur on half of his orchard in the second spray, the one just before the bloom. I should not advise him to use it after the blossoms fall on account of the russeting of the fruit. I do not, however, see any good reason for losing confidence in lime-sulphur. I have in bad seasons for scab tested it side by side with Bordeaux and got equally good results. I have sprayed an average of two orchards, old, uncared-for orchards usually, each year for scab, for five years in succession and have never had less than 99 per cent, of fruit free from it even on Snow trees. Mr. Kydd and the various district representatives in their demon- stration orchards have been using it, not Bordeaux, and have I believe had unfail- ing success. The Importance of Thorough Spraying at the Right Time. The one thing that has impressed me most this year and for several years is the great importance of spraying very thoroughly at as nearly the right time as possible. You will remember that in Lambton County it was the orchard sprayed by Mr. C. A. Good for the Department of Agriculture that alone had 95 to 9? per cent, clean fruit. In Middlesex it was the orchard sprayed by Mr. I. B. Whale, the district representative, that had a similar result. In Oxford it was the orchard near Woodstock, sprayed so thoroughly for San Jose Scale, under Mr. Kydd's directions, that had over 95 per cent, clean fruit. These indicate just one thing, namely, that most of the spraying is not really thorough, or else is not applied at the right time. In fact, too many men are trying to cover too much ground with a single spray outfit. I believe in gasoline outfits for large orchards, especially for large trees. You can spray such trees much more thoroughly and easily with these outfits. Keep your machine in excellent condition. Spray at the right time ; miss none of the first three applications; cover every leaf and young fruit or open- ing blossoms thoroughly, never mind how much the tree drips. Do not stop until you are satisfied it is done right, and instead of being discouraged by failure in a single year like this, remember that James E. Johnson, of Simcoe, our most experienced apple grower, says he has never in his life before seen a. season when good spraying would not thoroughly control scab. It is not probable if he lives for thirty years longer, as we hope he will, that he will again see another such season. I might perhaps mention here in passing that good pruning, allowing plenty of light and air circulation will help in making it easy to keep off apple scab. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 63 SUMMARY OF RULES FOR SPRAYING APPLE ORCHARDS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO APPLE SCAB. First Application. — Before, or as leaf buds are bursting. Use lime-sulphur, hydrometer strength 1.030 (1.035 for San Jose iScale). Second Application. — Just before blossom opens. Use either lime-sulphur, strength 1.010 or 1.009, or Bordeaux mixture 4-4-40 formula, and to every 40 gallons of either wash add 2 to 3 pounds arsenate of lead. Third Application. — At once after the blossoms have nearly all fallen (say 80 per cent. off). Use lime-sulphur 1.008 and 2 pounds arsenate of lead to every 40 gallons. Note. — The second and third applications may begin with early varieties as the bloom on these opens and drops first. Fourth Application. — About two weeks after bloom falls. Use same mixture as for third application. This should be applied in the St. Lawrence Valley on varieties subject to scab every year but in most parts of the province may be dis- pensed with, if we have fine, warm weather beginning a week or ten days after the third application. Autumn Applications. — These should be applied only if the weather becomes wet or foggy and cool, the latter part of August or early in September. Use lime- sulphur 1.008, or Bordeaux 4-4-40. Hydrometer reading Lime-Sulphur 1.030 Commercial Lime-Sulphur 1 gallon. Water 9 gallons 1.035 " " " " 7| " 1.010 " " " " 29-30 " 1.009 " " " " 32-35 " 1.008 " " " " 37-40 " A Member: You spoke of an orchard sprayed by Mr. Kydd in Ontario County. Mr. Kydd is the man who does the demonstration work for the Depart- ment of Agriculture. "Were the two orchards from which you drew the com- parison equally cultivated? Mr. Caesar: Part of Mr. Kydd's orchard was cultivated, the other part was not cultivated at all. A Member: What would be the percentage of scab in Peel County? Mr. Caesar : In Peel County whether the orchards are sprayed or unsprayed, there is not more than 10 to 30 per cent, scab, and the well sprayed orchards have no scab you may say. Coming down to Niagara district, I heard of three orchards with no scab. Mr. Fred Carpenter, at Fruitlands tells me he sprayed for Codling Moth and his orchard was almost free — 95 per cent. free. In Wellington County, the county in which the City of Guelph is, I examined Snow apples on the open market and found more than 20 to 40 per cent, of scab. Brant County has a lot of scabby apples; we are coming now to the scabby district. Nearly all the orchards in Brant Count sprayed or unsprayed are pretty scabby. 64 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 Then in Oxford, Norfolk, Brant, Lambton and Middlesex we had one of the worst attacks we have ever had. The explanation is merely this : That in the early part of the season, in May and June, there were weather conditions most favor- able for the development of scab in the badly infested counties, and in the other counties there were none. There were seasons of wet weather occurring in May in these counties, to come to real facts, that were much more favorable than any seasons of wet weather in any other parts. A Member: Does the weather make a difference between one county and another from the standpoint of scab; that is, how did it occur that well-sprayed orchards in some counties are free from scab and in other counties are not free from scab, but are very scabby, if you say spraying controls the scab? Mr. Caesar: That is where men are discouraged. Now let me try to en- courage you. I should say in all parts of the Province, with the exception of Brant, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Lambton; with the exception of these counties there is scarcely any excuse for failure to control the scab, except that a man might have been too busy to get the spray on at the time he knew it should have been put on. Real thorough spraying, so far as I can see, in every one of these cases was responsible for 95 per cent, being free from scab. A Member: Was that the lime-sulphur spray? Mr. Caesar: Yes, lime-sulphur was used in nearly every case. Some Exceptions. In Norfolk, Middlesex, Brant, Lambton and Oxford, in many orchards that I believe were well sprayed and in a number of orchards that were only moderately sprayed there were cases of bad attacks of scab. In all these districts many a bad attack of scab was found on a well sprayed orchard. Now, let us get to the bottom of that. Here I think we have it. I have been consulting the weather charts from all over the Province, and 1 have some diaries, none of them quite so com- plete as 1 would like to get for an explanation of this kind. Now in these counties I have mentioned — Oxford, Norfolk, Middlesex, Brant and Lambton — I find that there was a period from the time of the second application, the application before the blossoms came out, up to the time when the Codling Moth spray can be applied, that is, after the blossoms have fallen, of fully three weeks. We ordinarily have eight or ten days. Here you have a period of the best weather conditions in which any spray can be put on or between two sprays, the one before the blossoms burst, and one after the blossoms fell. A Member: Was there three weeks between the time the blossoms burst and the time the blossoms fell ? Mr. Caesar : Yes, there was a period of three weeks in this case, in the case of these counties I have mentioned. The first spray was put on about the first of May. Well from the first of May till the 7th of May you had beautiful weather ; everything developing ; warm, sunny days ; blossoms bursting and leaves developing. If you put on your spray on the first of May, followed by five or six days of beau- tiful weather — ideal weather for developing — you are going to cover all that leaf for a short time only. The leaf develops so rapidly that soon fresh surfaces on which there is no spray are exposed, and they are going to remain uncovered for 1914 FKUIT GKOWEKS' ASSOCIATION. 65 two weeks more after that. Then, on the 7th of May the weather turned cold, and on the 10th and 11th you had severe frosts. That frost may have done something to weaken the epidermis and to make it easier for scab to get in. While these frosts and wet weather continued for a period of two weeks everything was at a standstill, and you wondered if your fruit trees were ever going to get any blos- soms. If you can get moist weather before spraying comes you have ideal condi- tions for an outbreak of scab, because you cannot kill the disease once it has pene- trated through the skin. Well, on looking at the weather reports I find that on May 14th and 17th, in these counties, there was a decidedly wet season. What would happen? These low leaves lying on the ground, would begin to shoot up from the affected areas spores which would be blown around to every part of the orchard and would first of all attack the lower leaves. They would not attack the fruit just yet, but would go to these lower leaves, and forty-eight hours of pro- longed moisture gives them a chance to germinate. Having germinated inside of two weeks' time they are ready to shoot off spores, and crop after crop of spores is ready to be carried all over the orchard from May the 14th to 17th. Then, supposing another rain should come, the spore is going to get to your young fruit, and once it has germinated there it is impossible to control it. Now, let us see if any rain came; look up your records. By the 24th of May there was another decidedly damp season, foggy weather with intermittent rain and fog every day — the most favorable weather for the development of scab. That is the explanation of scab in these counties, and why you have had such a bad attack in these coun- ties compared with other counties. In the other counties there were not a suffi- cient number of moist periods to allow development; there were one or two periods, there may have been only one, but two periods would do the whole thing. In an- other instance a man found it almost impossible to get that spray on at just the right time. Of course if a man had say 40 acres, and had not a perfect spraying apparatus, he would find it very hard to cover all his orchard in a short time, and that would give a still more favorable opportunity for the development of scab. I believe when you come down to the district representatives and take the trees of Mr. Whale's orchard or those of Mr. Good and a number of others, that they got on their sprays much more thoroughly and much more nearly the right time. Another point I might mention. The district representatives say that in these counties I have mentioned the blossoms would not come out so soon as in the others. A Member: Do you find scab as prevalent in well pruned orchards, and do you consider that pruning helps as a preventive ? Mr. Caesar: Yes, pruning helps in this way. It gives a better chance for the sunlight to enter, and for ventilation to dry out the moisture. Should there have been an extra application in June? I am very doubtful whether an extra application in June for the worst affected districts would have amounted to much. June is generally a fine sunny month, and sunlight is opposed to scab develop- ment. A Member: If sunlight is opposed to scab development, how do you account for the trees being attacked on the sunny side? Mr. Caesar : The explanation is this, that the scab developed during the wet weather, and when there was no sunlight. I think the belief that an application in June would have prevented the development of the disease is largely based on 5 F.G. 66 THE KEPOKT OF THE No. 44 erroneous judgment. I have a letter from a grower who says the scab did not develop until the first of September. He says : " If we could have sprayed the last week in August or the first week in September the most of the fruit would have been clean down here and free from scab, black spot, and fungus." So, then, just watch the weather more from the middle of August, and if you find it getting cool with a lot of foggy nights and a considerable amount of rain, then you had better spray your orchards that are subject to scab. A Member : Can you put on spray strong enough to control that fungus ? Mr. Caesar : "Well, I should think it would. Do you know that if you put a scab spore into lime-sulphur, or Bordeaux mixture diluted one thousand times it cannot grow, but of course on a leaf it dries and there is a very small quantity put on in solution. It takes a comparatively weak mixture to kill these spores. A Member : Does the nature of the soil make a difference ? Mr. Caesar: It will make this much difference. Some soils dry off more rapidly than others, and we have found that cold wet conditions are favorable to scab development. A Member : Will the Codling Moth spray control it ? Mr. Caesar: Yes, at some seasons of the year, but won't be as effective as lime-sulphur or Bordeaux. A Member: Would spraying in September affect the apples? Mr. Caesar: I do not think there would be any danger at all. Let me men- tion one thing here: Do noti put on spray in hot weather, or on a bright day. especially lime-sulphur spray or you may sun-scald the apples that are exposed to the sunlight, and that makes an unsightly disfigurement; that is the effect of spraying on a bright day with lime-sulphur; I think perhaps the same thing would apply to Bordeaux. Spraying on a bright day will cause many of the apples to be sun scalded. You want to spray in the early morning or late in the afternoon when there are no (clouds; that is, if you must spray on a bright day, but you should spray, if possible, on a day when there is a good deal of breeze, a day in which there are a good many clouds. The spray wants to be dry before the sun gets on them. It is these quiet, stagnant days, with great heat, especially where there is no circulation of air in the orchard, and where there are a lot of dead air spaces that it would be hard to get the spray to dry. A Member: Would Bordeaux mixture have given better results than lime- sulphur this summer? Mr. Caesar : I have found lime-sulphur and Bordeaux mixture to give about the same results. A Member: Do you know of any orchards sprayed with Bordeaux mixture this summer? Mr. Caesar: I will give you some of the orchards that were sprayed with Bordeaux. I found the orchards, but I could not find the owners at the time to make enquiries as to the exact times they sprayed, but these orchards I mention were rather cleaner than the neighboring orchards with the exception of the orchard of Mr. Johnson, senior. But I cannot judge from the data, because I cannot tell what this man did ; what times they sprayed ; what were the conditions 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 67 of the bloom. Then, in Brant County, Mr. Harris, of Ingersoll, in a letter, states that where he applied Bordeaux and sprayed just before bloom came out he had almost totally clean apples. He used lime-sulphur for the Codling Moth, but where he used lime-sulphur for all three sprays he had quite a percentage of scab. Now, if Mr. Harris gave both orchards equally fair treatment and the orchard sprayed with Bordeaux is cleaner than the one sprayed with lime-sulphur, the assumption is that in really bad seasons Bordeaux is giving better results than lime-sulphur. A Member: Would you advise us to go back to Bordeaux? Mr. Caesar: I think a man who changes suddenly because of any little ex- ception to the general rule has not reasoned things out very well. For four or five years I have been spraying with both Bordeaux and lime-sulphur and I have never had less than 99 per cent, clean with lime-sulphur; I never could beat that with Bordeaux. In most of these instances, in my belief, the main trouble was that the scab developed in the time between the two sprays; they were not able to get the second spray on when it should have gone on — a day or so earlier — and the consequence is that you have the scab developed in spite of any spray you could put on. Still, a man would be wise, if he thinks Bordeaux is much superior, to put a Bordeaux mixture on in the application just before the blossoms come out on half his orchard, and treat the other half with lime-sulphur, and then contrast them. After the blossoms fall I should say use lime-sulphur, because you know yourselves that Bordeaux has done a decided amount of injury in many seasons to the surface of the fruit. I could see that down in your district, Mr. Roberts. Mr. Roberts : It injures the fruit in what way ? Mr. Caesar : It gives the fruit a rusty appearance. Mr. Roberts: I think that was because I did not spray well. Mr. Caesar: No, I don't think so. I have seen in some orchards where Baldwins were growing the fruit so badly deformed with Bordeaux that we could not recognize that they were Baldwins. A Member: We had something of the same effect and we did not spray at all. Mr. Caesar : That might be ; but if you had sprayed with Bordeaux the con- ditions would have been much worse. You know that in the worst infested dis- tricts, with the exceptions I have named, that the orchards sprayed by the district representatives have given 95 per cent, free from scab. In some of the districts of course the men had an advantage in being able to spray just at the right time, and most of these orchards are clean, or 95 per cent, clean. Spraying at the right time and with thoroughness in the worst seasons for scab will give you excellent results. I have given a set of rules for spraying apple orchards with special reference to apple scab, but I do not think there is any use of my reading these, you can find them in the report and in the spray calendar. Now, there is another point I want to touch on. In the press and everywhere else we are all the time hearing that it is getting to be an awful problem to com- bat all the new pests. I feel like writing a protest whenever I see that in any newspaper. How many new pests in the last twenty years in Ontario have made their appearance? I doubt if you can name one new pest. They only increase OS THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 in number. I repeat again that we have had practically no increase in the number of pests in Ontario in the last twenty years. What about our power to combat these pests ? We certainly know quite as much as they did twenty years ago. So that instead of men being discouraged with the idea that pests are getting so bad, and diseases getting so numerous, there is not a pest that I know of that we need be specially alarmed about. Peach Yellows and Little Peach are the most dangerous. A Member: In spraying apple trees do you cover both leaves and fruit? Mr. Caesar: Yes, cover every part of the fruit and tree thoroughly. A Member: What about soluble sulphur for San Jose Scale? Mr. Caesar: I can only give you my own experience. I tried soluble sulphur on the worst San Jose Scale infested apple trees I could find in the Niagara district. I took the orchards that had the worst cases of Scale I could find, and the result was that the San Jose Scale was cleaned out in one application. Ordinarily lime-sulphur did the same thing; that is on most trees, but not on all. But two or three trees are hardly a fair test. I would say, however, if lime-sulphur were used this season and proved effective it would do in any season, as this was a very extraordinary year. I do not feel safe in saying to you men to use this spray next year, because I have to be exceedingly careful in these things. I do not believe in recommending any spray, at any rate for two years, where there may be different climatic conditions. I think you will find that lime-sulphur will give good re- sults as a rule, but it may burn in some seasons, A Member : What proportion do you use of soluble sulphur ? Mr. Caesar : Well, I have used as much as 10 pounds to 40 gallons of water, but I find that 1% to V/2 pounds to 40 gallons would probably be plenty. A Member: I used V/i pounds in a solution and it burned considerably. Mr. Caesar: That was in August or July? A Member: Yes. Mr. Caesar : It is always wise if you are spraying in August to weaken the spray. A Member: Would the same thing apply to lime-sulphur? Mr. Caesar: It all comes down to the same point. We do not feel like recommending a spray until we are dead sure of it. A Member: There is one point I wanted to bring to your notice. In an orchard of Greenings that was scabby, some trees were 75 per cent, scabby and others were 75 per cent, free from scab. How do you account for that? Mr. Caesar : Well, I don't know. If I were in your orchard I would possibly be able to help a little. The one tree was perhaps much more sheltered than the other by some neighboring tree, but I really could not tell unless I was in the orchard. A Member : I had the same experience with my Baldwins. My Baldwins were particularly clean except one tree. That was in the west end of the orchard, and the tree next to the one affected was out so that the tree affected was particu- larly isolated; that was the worst tree I had in my orchard. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 69 Mr. Caesae: Which tree bloomed the first? A Member: Well, the tree affected may have bloomed the first. Mr. Caesar: The trouble probably was that the scab was there, and got too far on after your first spray. Here is a peculiar thing about that. You cannot expect to cover everything with spray. Supposing you have that leaf covered, and the one next to it is not quite covered; if you have plenty of moisture little by little the spray will be disseminated over the rest of the leaf, and will help to prevent an attack of scab on the parts not covered; so that if you did get real spraying like these district representatives did on say that large leaf here it might break out again. If you can prevent the first attack of scab you may possibly prevent any other attacks. The second attack comes from leaves on the trees that have not been sprayed, more than from the earth. I feel if we had time it would repay us to supply the scab mixture and see the spraying done, for every year we have got 99 per cent. free. But let me say to you: Go on with your investiga- tions; when you have got 99 per cent, free you know you are doing the work prop- erly, and cannot expect more than 99 per cent. I have had trees 99 per cent, scab, and after treating them I have had 99 per cent, free from scab. A Member: I sprayed an orchard in Norfolk County with Bordeaux, and got 97 per cent, free with that mixture. Mr. Caesar: Yes, and last year you got 97 per cent, free with lime-sulphur. . A Member : There is one orchard owned by a neighbor of mine. He had his place this year perfectly clean, while a man about two miles north of him had his orchard so badly affected that his Snow apples were not fit for packing. Mr. Caesar: In making these comparisons, I would have to know the condi- tions under which the orchards were treated; at what stage of the bloom; the nature of the soil; the weather conditions, and, better still, I would have to examine both orchards personally, otherwise I could not answer questions like that. You would have to have those particulars in order to form a judgment. One thing I can say. Mr. Johnson has told us he never saw a season like that in Norfolk, so there is great reason to feel hopeful about the future, and try next year to do our spraying better, and do not try to do too much with too little machinery. Spray just before the blossoms burst, and after the blossoms fall, about ten or twelve days apart, and if you expect a shower put on another application. If you have done your spring spraying well, you will be safe then until late in August. THE FACTORS WHICH ENTER INTO THE CHOICE OF VARIETIES FOR A COMMERCIAL PLANTATION OF APPLES. Prof. J. W. Crow, 0. A. C, Guelph. I would like to broaden out somewhat from the subject as outlined by the chairman, although the subject as it appears on your programme is of my own choosing ; but the question of the choice of varieties is only one of the factors which enters into the situation, and which requires careful consideration. I feel that the choice of varieties is one of the most important, probably the most important, question which comes up for consideration; because other matters may be changed 70 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 or modified during the time you are caring for your orchard; but it is not so easy. In fact it is impractical for the most part to change your variety if once started, and the change itself has such an important bearing on the yield and of course the price, which suggests our making it the first question requiring to be settled. Now in discussing the question of variety, we can take up any one variety, or we can take up the problem in a broader sense if you like — the question of fruit growing. You might discuss it, I suppose, under six heads. First of all, anyone who is looking towards fruit growing as a means of making money will consider the supply and demand in general. 'Secondly, I think you should look into the cost of production. That is some- thing we have not paid much attention to so far. But there is something which I think is very important. Next to that comes cost of marketing. I hope to be able to say something on these three points : Supply and demand ; cost of produc- tion; and cost of marketing, not alone with fruit growing in general, but in con- nection with varieties in particular. First of all to take the subject of supply and demand in apples. What I wish particularly to say to you may be of a somewhat wider application than apples alone and may refer to peaches. There is rather a noteworthy fact in the case of peaches. Taking the Niagara district as the centre of peach production, I think it would be quite correct to say that the Niagara district has not experienced what you would call a real case of over-production for a good many years. I think probably it would not be out of the way to go back as far as 1896, to find the last real case of over-production, or real glut on the market. Now, that point is of interest here in this connection: it shows us, I think, that in the increase of acres of peaches planted, consumption has increased in the same way. We do not realize sometimes that the extent of market within bur reach has increased probably in almost the same proportion as the acreage and crop produc- tion. Now it seems to me an important fact that the markets have extended sufficiently to take care of the increased production. Under any ordinary condi- tions we will say with the staple market, or market of biggest size, there would be a cycle of over-production in peaches that would come around about every ten or twelve years. There is a cycle of over-production which can be traced in every farm product or food product; a period of low prices and a period of high prices; high production followed by a short crop. In peaches we have gone for seven years without a sign of it. We have signs of it at the present time, but part of the trouble at the present time, I think, is due to other causes. For instance, referring further to the field part of it, the trouble in the case of a too large peach crop. It is due to the fact that so many peach growers have planted very largely of varieties that ripen in what you might call the Elberta season — within a week or ten days at the outside. Now that is simply, I think, a mistake in the choice of varieties; the planting of such a large proportion of varieties that ripen at the one time. The fact that peaches have gone to waste as we see them in the Niagara district, is not the result of over-production at all, in certain cases it means simply that there are too many peaches ripening within a given period of time. It is a very difficult thing to handle all the peaches that come on the market within a week or ten days, there are so many. So far as over-production is concerned, I do not think we have had over-production in peaches in the Niagara district since 1896, and that fact under the conditions is very gratifying. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 71 Taking apples, the case will be somewhat different. In apples we have first of all to distinguish between two classes of trade. First of all in the mind of the average consumer is the dessert apple — the high-class dessert apple. Then we have on the market a large number of varieties which cannot be classed higher than second grade. Now you are, of course, quite aware that the price of these two classes of apples shows quite a margin in favor of the high-class dessert apple. Now, personally, I have not the slightest fear of an overproduction of high-grade apples. For instance, take Northern Spies; there never was a time and never will be when we will get enough first-class Spies. In Snows we have never had too many, in fact we have never had enough first-class Snows or Mcintosh, but I do expect to see the time, and that probably before very long, when we shall have too many Baldwins, no matter how good they are; too many, that is, in order to get satisfactory prices. I do expect to see the time when we shall have too many apples of what we might call second class. Now in that I would include not only the second grade varieties, but also the second grade of first class apples. The No. 2 Spy comes into about the same class of trade as a No. 1 Baldwin; sells for approximately the same price; goes to about the same class of trade. In saying that I quite expect to be called up, and to have my opinion questioned, but I do feel perfectly convinced in my own mind that we may look for periods of settled low prices, and that probably very soon, for the second grade of apples. My argu- ment is based on these facts : If you will take the list of varieties sold by nursery- men you will get a pretty fair indication of the extent to which each variety is being planted, and you will find that for two or three years past the Baldwin has been planted in larger numbers than any other variety in this province. Pre- vious to that time we planted more Stark and Ben Davis types than any other kind, so we can look for a very large increase in production of these varieties. At the present time some nurserymen tell me they are selling more Spies than they are Baldwins, but in general, I think, there are more Baldwins being planted this year, and at the present time, in the Province of Ontario than Spies or any other one variety. That means that within the next ten or twelve years at the outside we will have coming into bearing a very largely increased acreage of that variety. Personally I would not advise any man to plant Baldwins, for the simple reason that I think there are enough planted at the present time to more than supply the demand for that grade of apple. I do not put Baldwins into the first grade of apples. There are other varieties which might be discussed in that connection. For instance, the Ben Davis. There are some parts of this Province where the Ben Davis is still the leading variety planted, and where it has been the leading variety planted for a number of years. In Northumberland County and along the north shore of Lake Ontario the Ben Davis is being planted at the present time, I think, more largely than any other variety, and has been the leading variety for a number of years. I do not think it is a wise move. If a man wants to make money in that part of the country, wants to make the best money out of apples, he would do better to choose some other varieties. , A Member: I think that men in that district will tell you that the Ben Davis has made money for them. Prof. Crow: Yes, but some other variety would have made more money for them. The Stark is another. Quite a number of men are recommending the planting of Stark, because they claim it will pay on land where other varieties will not. That may or may not be wise. At the same time I do think that the 3 2 THE EEPORT OF THE No. 44 Stark is not an apple which will command the best price; it does not go into the first class trade, and it goes into a class of trade where we caa expect low prices. If I were planting a commercial orchard of apples I do not know of any seotion of the Province where I would include the &tark in the list, as other varieties make more money. In connection with this question of supply and demand it is difficult to get actual figures on the matter. You know, of course, the usual difference in price so far as No. 1 Northern Spies and Baldwins are concerned. Of these two classes the grower gets more for a barrel of Spies, and the consumer pays more than he pays for a No. 1 Baldwin when he buys that variety, and there is quite a difference in price all the way through. The extent of the demand for the high class apples is still harder to get. At the present time I am told that first-class Northern Spies, and first-class Snow apples are selling in the cities of Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa, at from $5 to $7 per barrel, and the price is sometimes a shade higher than that. We all know there is a class of trade which will pay a higher price for a good article; there is a limited class of trade which will pay almost any price for an article that satisfies. There is no question in my mind at all that our markets for many years to come will take all the Spies, Snows, and Mcintosh we can grow, provided they are good — and they will take them at good prices. I would feel perfectly safe with any one of these varieties from a com- mercial standpoint, whereas I would hesitate to plant certain other varieties, some of which I have named. I do not know to what extent Mcintosh will turn out to be a satisfactory apple, for the Province of Ontario, but the indications are that it will become suited to more than our fruit districts. It is a variety that has proven very well adapted to grow in many districts ; in fact, it seems to be an apple that will thrive in a pretty wide range of territory. As to its productiveness it is in the same class there, I should say, as the Northern Spy ; that is' to say, it is not one of the heaviest cropping varieties. I do not think that on an average it bears so well as the Snow, from what I have seen and heard regarding it. But that point regarding locality requires rather careful attention at this time. Now, I have referred sufficiently to the question of supply and demand. I do not know what your ideas are on the question. There is one more point I would like to refer to before I get to the question of yield of apples, and that is the new arrangement which has come into effect as between Canada and the United States by the removal of the United States tariff. If you are at all familiar with New York State, and other rich apple producing districts of the Eastern States, you will know that the class of apple of which they grow the most is the class I refer to as second quality. That is to say, they do not produce, so far as I have seen, a large proportion of apples which can or which will compete with our first class Spies, Snows, and Mcintosh. I may not be correct there, but my knowledge of the situation leads me to think that in the matter of tariff arrangements which might be made between the two countries we have the United States market now available to us for apples. Whatever arrangement may be made in regard to throwing down the Canadian tariff wall I do not know. But at the same time the Eastern United States do not produce a large proportion of apples of the same class, and same value, as our first-class Snows, Spies, and Mcintosh. The leading apple in the New York State is the Baldwin. By long odds it is the leading variety grown, and that is creating a contingency we are going to have to face. We will find it more than difficult in a year of large production to sell our Baldwins in the United States, or even in our own market in the face of their competition ; 1914 FRUIT GKOWEKS? ASSOCIATION.. 73 whereas, if the American market is thrown open, and there is no reason why it should not he, I think there will he an auxiliary market for No. 1 first-class Snows, Spies, and Mcintosh. I would not expect to find a market there for many of our other varieties. In regard to the question of the cost of production. It does occur to me that any man who is going into the business of apple growing at the present time ought to go rather carefully. I think the boom is past. That is to say, the greatest wave is past and the market is going to subside now. The market conditions in the future, say in the next ten, fifteen, or twenty years, are going to be practically about the same, with more severe competition than we have had so far. It has been pretty easy money so far. I am not thinking of the men who have apple orchards at the present time. I am thinking of the men who are planting apples; it will take ten years to get these trees bearing; the situation in ten years' time may change in several very material ways. The man who is planting apples at the present time ought to study the question, I think, very carefully, and I have sometimes, more than once, hesitated to advise a man to plant apples unless I knew he was the kind of man that was going to do the thing right — use the latest methods, and follow the thing right through from the start properly. There are one or two points which come to my mind in regard to the cost of producing apples. First, the quantity of each variety and the number planted. One important point for the Ontario apple grower to bear in mind is that the minimum quantity we should think of in planting varieties, in regard to apples, is a carload of each variety. Of course, where a man is shipping his apples through a co-ooperative society, and where the association does the assembling of varieties in carloads, a man may, of course, grow profitably a smaller amount, but the future of the business from now on is carloads of each variety so far as possible. Our competitors in Western Canada and in the United States are working on the carload lot principle straight through; they can put up carloads of any variety they have. We have to meet them in the western market. Now, I do not know what is the best size of an apple orchard for a man to plant. I would hesitate to advise on that subject. But at the same time I feel that we have reached a point in the Ontario apple growing where a man who is going into the business at all ought to go into it on a moderately large scale, at least when he is by himself. If he is outside the assistance of a co-operative association he could, I think, handle 40 acres to better advantage than he could 20, and he might find 50 or 60 acres would mean more profit to him on the money invested than a 10, 15, or 20 acre orchard. I mean to say that the equipment that will handle 20 acres will handle 40 acres. The labor required to handle 20 acres in the rush season, of course, will not handle 40 acres, but you can get better value out of your labor and equipment on a large acreage. There is, of course, a limit in size. You do not want to have a larger acreage than you can properly pick. At the same time I feel that the small orchard is going to be subject to very strenuous competition, and the man who is producing apples in a large quantity will make more money. That applies to individual varieties and also to the orchard collectively, taking all the varieties in the orchard. Then there is another item which enters into the cost of production, and that is the distribution of varieties. One of the most difficult points in farming, so far as I can observe, is this : To distribute evenly throughout your entire year the labor you employ; the most important item which enters into the cost of production of any crop is labor or wages. Where, of course, the farmer charges a salary against 74 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 the farm for his management oi it in addition to the regular wages, that will make a difference in the cost of production as usually figured. And another point, you should not forget that horse labour costs just as much, or more, proportion- ately, than man labour. The most important item which enters into the cost is the wages of labour. I am speaking now of man labour entirely, not with equip- ment such as horses and machinery, and I have seen very few farmers who have been successful in distributing the labour throughout the year; there is the most difficult point. In some lines of farming it is a very difficult matter, in apple growing especially. Apple growing is carried on ordinarily at seasons of the year when a large amount of help to handle other crops is required. The way to get over this, and this is the case to which I have referred already in connection with peaches. There are some men who have planted 75 and 80 per cent, of Elbertas, while other men choose varieties which distribute labour of handling over the season. In any place it is possible to distribute the labour of field crops over two months instead of trying to crowd it all into two or three weeks. A good many seem to have the idea when they are going into apple growing that the proper thing to do is to grow one variety of apple only. I do not agree with that. In the first place, a large orchard of one variety of apples necessitates too much labor and too much rush to get the crop off; it is impossible sometimes. If you are going to grow a large acreage of apples you want to spread out your labor and you will reduce the cost of production. In apples the labor harvest may be spread out by starting in with earlier varieties, such as Duchess. In certain districts there is no better variety to plant. In the northern districts where you have good facilities for reaching, we will say, the large markets of Ontario and the markets of the west, there is an excellent opportunity in the planting of Duchess apples. Southern Ontario can put an early apple on the market ahead of apples from any other locality in Canada. We have the Northwest "markets, and large markets in Ontario and Quebec asking for early apples. At the present time there are men even in the middle section of Ontario making an excellent profit out of Duchess. In the future, I think they are going to feel probably the competition of the southern counties more, but I think that in some districts of this Province the Duchess would be the most desirable variety. Then the other varieties that follow the Duchess in order of ripening — of course the list is subject to change according to locality and according to your own choice — would be Alexander, and Wealthy if you like. Wealthy, however, is an apple which must be thinned in order to get the best results, although we ought to thin everything I believe; then Snows and Mcintosh, and before you get through your winter varieties, Greenings, Baldwins, if you still insist on planting them, and Spies. So far as I can see you will find with that arrangement of these varieties you do not need to start with Duchess unless you like, but you will find that a choice of varieties of that kind will distribute over a longer period of time your labor of picking, and thereby greatly reduce the cost of growing apples. We figure the cost of production at so much per barrel, and you will be surprised if you just take a paper and pencil and figure out the difference in cost in connection with the time compared to, we will say, the cost of handling a crop which ripens gradually, separately, and at different seasons. The next important item entering into the cost of production is, so far as I can see it, the use of fertilizers. The most important item which enters into the cost of production is the yield or crop secured. Now, that depends of course, on varieties, some varieties are more prolific than others; it depends a? 1914 FEUIT GEOWEES' ASSOCIATION. 75 well on some other matters, tillage, spraying, and pruning and so on, and it depends on the use of fertilizers. In this connection I have come across recently some figures which interested me greatly, and which to my mind had an important bearing on the agriculture of the Province of Ontario, and to a no less extent on the fruit growing of the Province of Ontario. Prof. Hopkins, of Illinois, interviewed by letter some of the leading authorities on agricultural matters in England, Germany, The Netherlands and France. He put the question to them in this way: "Statistics indicate that crop production, field crops of course is the crop production of your country, has increased during the last century from 80 to 100 per cent. ; what proportion of that increase is due to the use of seedsj rotation of crops; improved tillage and fertilizers?" What, supposing you were asked that question, is most likely to be the answer ? And just in this connection, which one of these two things, tillage or fertilizers, if you were asked that question in regard to the increase of fruit production in the Province of Ontario, would you say was responsible for the greatest increase ? The answers given — and they are given by responsible authorities, some of the best men in Europe — put good seed as being responsible for from 5 to 10 per cent, of the in- crease. The rotation of crops in most cases has not improved and not varied to the slightest degree in the last 100 years; it is not responsible for anything; the tillage methods are estimated to have increased the yield in some eases 10 per cent., in some cases 15 per cent. But for the most part the authorities consulted stated that the methods of tillage of farm crops in Europe have not improved to any appreciable extent in the last 100 years. Now, here is where the most interesting point comes. They stated that from 50 to 70 per cent, of the increase in crops is due to the increase in the use of fertilizers. That does not mean only commercial fertilizers. It means also that they include with the commercial fertilizers which are largely used, farm yard manure, and some of them have also included with them the use of legumes with farmyard manure for the purpose of increasing the supply of plant food. They used red clover for the purpose of enriching the land, and that comes in as part of the fertilizers, you see. But from 50 to 70 per cent, they state of the increase of crop is due to the increased use of fertilizers; commercial fertilizers and stable manure, with of course such crops as legumes thrown in in addition. Now, to my mind there is a hint as to the conditions which are likely to arise say in the Province of Ontario. I do not know to what extent that will be eventually worked out in field crops in Ontario, but I do know that without exception the men I have come across in fruit growing who get large crops of fruit and got them annually, are men who are using the largest amount of fertilizers. That state- ment is positive, and I feel that I can be positive on that point. I believe that the men who are getting the largest crops of fruit in the Province of Ontario, and getting them annually, are the men who are using the largest amount of fertilizers. I do not mean to say it is the men who are using the fertilizers properly, but using the largest quantity. As an instance of that I would like to give you the practice of one of the fruit growers in Ontario. I will tell you what he uses. This is Mr. George A. Eobertson, St. Catharines, and the crop he uses this on, the crop- to which I am referring, is one we ordinarily think of as not requiring much fertilizer. We think of cherries as a crop to be put on poor land, we do not think often of the necessity of feeding a cherry crop. This is what Mr. Eobertson uses on only three acres of cherries: 600 pounds of bone 76 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 meal; 200 pounds of muriate of potash and 17^2 tons of ordinary barnyard manure. Mr. Kobertson can show you in dollars and cents the result of using tliat fertilizer; there is no question about it. Any man who can get 2,500 baskets of cherries off three acres is not doing so badly; he is getting his money back. 1 am positive that this is one of the most important points. A Member: Is that over the three acres? Prof. Crow : No, that is the quantity per acre ; 200 and 600 per acre. Now, T could give you other figures from other fruit growers right along the same line. The men who are getting the crops are the men who are using fertilizers. It is quite apparent, I think, to me it seems apparent, that many of our fruit- growers have reached a point where they cannot improve on their tillage methods. A great many of them are already, I should say, almost perfect in methods of tillage and general cultivation; also in Tegard to spraying and pruning. They have got those matters down now to a pretty fine point, and generally not capable of much further improvement, but I do not find that many fruit growers are using fertilizers to any appreciable extent. Now, when I speak of fertilizers I do not mean to say anything that he may use indiscriminately, I mean to say if a man is going to start out to use fertilizers he requires a certain amount of knowledge if he is going to do it intelligently and use the right material in the right proportion; that requires some little study. It would not do for him to apply barnyard manure and nothing else; that might be of value, but it is not the point I have in mind; it would be possible to overdo the use of barnyard manure. I was very much interested on noticing a week or two ago in the "Weekly Frvit Grower," a farming paper published in Grimsby, a statement to the effect that in this season of short apple crop the growers are getting more money for the crop, and that crops turning out well will bring more money to the fruit grower than last year's larger crop. That, to my mind, is interesting, in that it indicates something which is frequently observed in connection with farming proceedings. I do not know that we can say that the value of a short crop is greater than the value of a crop in a good season, but it would appear that there is something in that point. What I mean is this. Statistics show that where the whole crop increases the total value of the crop goes down, while where the crop is short it is worth more money to the grower individually and to the country. What I am getting at is this, that so far as the individual fruit grower is concerned what' we want to get is a crop when the other man has not got any, because a crop when everybody else has it is worth less money. If we can manage in fruit growing parts to be with a good crop when the other man has not got it we are a long way ahead, because you know in the present case, the man who has got a crop of apples this year is going to get the very best price. Supposing that the fruit growers advance in their methods, and I am looking forward to the time when the crops will be more uniform, they are getting more even every year and they are going to continue to improve in this respect every year, and there will not be the shortages we now hear of. But it is the clever men who take advantage of these conditions. Take the peach crop. Peach growers have certain advantages in that peach land is more restricted in area than apple land. Now, a number of peach growers have these matters, I think, under excellent control; they have the business down to the point where they can and do regulate the production of their orchards annually; that is to say, there are men you can almost bank on having a crop of peaches every year. 1914 FEUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 77 A Member: I have got pretty even returns for some years. A Member : Yes, but you could not lay that down as a general _rule, for there would be some who would have no chance at all of doing that. A Member: Yes, I think if they tried hard enough they could all get there. I think the apple grower stands as good a chance as the peach grower. Prof. Crow: I am quite convinced of that. It is possible, I believe, by the use of proper methods, and the judicious use of fertilizers. And another thing that comes in here, in the regular crop handling, is the practice of thinning. Now, a good many people are highly amused when you talk of going all over a tree in June or July and picking off all the surplus apples. I remember the chairman of a meeting in Lamb ton County laughed outright when I spoke of thinning by picking off the surplus apples; that amused him immeasurably, and he thought it was pure foolishness. I am firmly convinced it is one of the most important things in orchard practice so far as handling and the value of the crop is concerned. If we allow an orchard to overbear in one year we simply get a few apples on the next year's crop. It is bad orchard practice to allow the trees to overbear. We should never allow it. A moderate crop in one year is a pretty sure guarantee of a greater crop the year following if conditions are right. Now, I think that probably I have covered most of the points I enumerated.. There is, however, one point I would spend some time on, and that is the last point — the cost of marketing. There is food for thought in the question of the cost of marketing. There are some men here who are connected with the co~ operative associations who can give you figures which will show that by working together it is possible to reduce the cost of marketing; simply to reduce the cost of selling. We are working very rapidly towards that end. The co-operative associations have progressed this year, and I have no doubt they will continue to progress. There is one thing which may not be in order just here, but which stands out prominently. Probably we fruit growers do not see it quite as clearly as we might, for if we did we might be able to get the other fellow to see it to the benefit of all concerned. There have been figures published recently showing the cost of marketing peaches under ordinary conditions, giving figures also showing what had been accomplished by individuals from shipping out their carloads to, say, any point like Berlin. Here is what these figures show. A man at Grimsby gets an order at 30 cents a basket at the station; it costs us 4 or 5 cents to bring that basket to Toronto; another 5 cents commission, that will bring the cost here to 40 cents laid down in Toronto. Now, you trace that basket of peaches to the retail store, any one say in Toronto, and you find the retail price is double or more than double what it costs to lay it down here; if it costs 40 cents to lay it down in Toronto the retail price will be 80 cents or a dollar, and if it costs 80 cents to lay it down here the cost retail will be higher. The cost of marketing lies more on the side of the consumer than it does on the side of the grower. We could by co-operative effort reduce the cost to a certain extent, but probably 60 per cent, of the ultimate really retail selling price takes place on the consumer's side of the fence. I simply want to point out this problem for the benefit of the consumer. 1 hope to see the time when the consumers in our cities will take this matter up and cut down the cost of marketing on their side. I know you would be immensely interested. You no doubt are acquainted with the work that is being done in some big cities across the line by Womens' 78 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 Clubs simply to reduce the cost of marketing. In Los Angeles the women found there were no open markets in the city, strange as it may sound. They started an agitation with the results that three markets were supplied, and the dates fixed for the opening, and on that date 2,000 women went down with their market baskets, but nobody came to sell ; the farmers did not show up. They found out what had happened, for the wholesalers of the city had sent men and wagons to the routes leading into the city to waylay the farmers as they came in, and they bought them out or jollied them so that they went home ashamed of themselves. The women found out what had happened, and they simply hired automobile trucks and automobiles and sent these conveyances right out to the farms and truck gardens and brought the loads right into the market, and it was not long before they had three good markets in that city. They brought all other expenses down in the same way. I would like simply to point out that a great deal of the high cost of living is on the consumer's side. They blame it on the farmer, and say the farmer is reckless and exorbitant in his charges, etc., but the larger portion of the expense of marketing farm produce takes place on the consumer's side of the fence. A Member : There is a point here in the comparison of two orchards, one belonging to Mr. Stewart and the other to Mr. Robertson. Now, apparently both orchards are under the same conditions and receive practically the same attention. The orchards are in close proximity. Mr. Robertson has always a splendid yield while Mr. Stewart has only a fair crop. Can you explain that, or do you know the orchards? What would you say was the cause of failure on the part of the poor orchard? Prof. Crow: I do not know, what do you use as fertilizer, Mr. Stewart? Mr. Stewart: I use manure sometimes, and the very best of commercial fertilizers; I use manure every year. Mr. Gregory is here and he has an apple crop which has been regularly good for the last few years. What do you use, Mr. Gregory? Mr. Gregory: I use manure, barnyard manure. Prop. Crow: No commercial fertilizers, Mr. Gregory? Mr. Gregory: No commercial fertilizers. A Member : Now, the other question was as to the cost of Handling the crop. A year or two ago someone asked me about the cost of handling the crop and at that time we had quite a conversation. The question has come up before, but just for the moment I forget. I thought for a moment, and then I said : Well, I understand that boxing the apples has reduced the cost of handling considerably. A great many large growers have boxed all their winter apples this year. Mr. Johnson has boxed his apples this year. We have found that apples carry better in the boxes. The three past seasons we have boxed practically all our apples (winter apples) and the cost of packing a box of apples is 5, cents, that is wrapping them; 5 cents a box we paid our girls. Perhaps we paid them too much for they made $4 per day. At first when we started to pack in boxes we had a great deal of difficulty in getting girls. We assured them we would give them one dollar a day, and as much more as they could pack at 5 cents a box. They became very expert and packed 60 to 80 boxes a day, wrapped and packed the 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 79 fruit. One girl went as high as 80 boxes in 9 hours. The complete cost of handling, I think, to nailing down the boxes, in the cars costs 40 cents a box f.o.b. That will give you some idea of the cost of packing boxes. Prof. Chow: That is the cost of handling from the picking to the car? A Member: From the picking to the consumer. That includes the cost of paper and everything else? A. — No, not the picking, but as far as the packing is concerned. A Member: It includes grading? A. — Yes. Sorting, wrapping, the paper, hauling to the station. I have five or six wagons hauling apples to the station and that way perhaps it may cost a little bit more. A Member: In supplying floors for the cars to ensure safety in carriage, what does that cost? A. — Eight dollars a car. Every box is laid on its side so as to prevent them from bruising which, I believe, is the practice of the western apple growers. Everything included costs 40 cents. Forty cents will more than cover the com- plete cost per box from after picking to the time they are placed in the car, in fact I 'believe 37 cents is about right. A Member: Do you find Snow apples a good annual bearer? Prof. Crow: As a rule they bear better perhaps every second year. I have known certain cases where Snow apples and even Spies are bearing annually under good care. For instance, I was in an old orchard this year, and saw the finest apples I have ever seen, and the owner showed me Spy trees, not only one, but numbers, which had produced ten barrels a year for the last three years. A man that can get ten barrels of apples annually off a Spy tree is entitled to our respect. A Member : Yes, his methods must be first-class when he can get ten barrels of Spies from one tree. A Member: Can you thin them out to make them bear annually? Prof. Crow: Yes, I should say so. A Member : I think you spoke about Snows and Spies bringing $5 and $7 a barrel this year? Prof. Crow: Yes, I understand they are selling in Montreal at that price at the present time. A Member: Where would that be f.o.b.? Prof. Crow: I think Montreal. Where are you located? A Member: In Dundas County. Prof. Crow: Do you find Mcintosh as productive as Snow apples? A Member : I think it is a more regular bearer, but not the same number of barrels per acre say in a ten year period. A Member: Nothing like Snows for bearing, but Snows do not seem a hardy apple. 80 THE REPORT OP THE No. 44 Prof. Crow : I think perhaps Mcintosh is hardier, and experience shows they keep better. A Member: They are liable to fall off. A Member: No, we do not find that they fall; the trees, of course, are properly sprayed. Prof. Crow: Of course that is peculiar more or less to all varieties. A Member: Now, it seems to me the Baldwin still holds a place for the export trade and also the western trade; I do not feel like turning the Baldwin down yet. Prof. Crow : How soon are you going to, that is my point ? A Member: Not at all, not even if it is worse than it has been, but I do not think we are going to have to. Prof. Crow :* If you were going to plant I think you would do better to plant Mcintosh Red rather than Baldwin; that is the position I would take. A Member: Well, I do not think so. The Baldwin is hard to beat in a general way. A Member: It brings a high price in our local market. Prof. Crow: Does it bear well in your district? A Member: Yes, it is the largest annual bearer; they are almost all No. 1, and of good size. Mr. Dempsey: I am sorry we have not more time for the discussion, but it is a subject we could spend the whole day on, but before closing it there is one point I would like to bring up. I would like to ask Prof. Crow in view of the higher price paid for "Rome Beauty," where would he place that in point of varieties? Prof. Crow: Where does it come from? Mr. Dempsey: Well, it is a western apple. Prof. Crow : The point the President brings up is rather out of the ordinary in this sense. It may be correct to say that the Rome Beauty brings a high price in our retail market at the present time, but that is largely a question of the cost of laying the Rome Beauty down in Toronto at the present time. It comes, you say, from the Western States and that would account for the price. But as for the Rome Beauty coming in here and cutting a hole in our apple trade, it cannot do it. There are a certain number of people who will buy the Rome Beauty simply because it comes from the Western States, and I have no doubt that the man out there would buy the Ontario apples if he came from Ontario. There are always a certain number of people who will buy a small quantity of apples like that at fancy prices. I do not think there would be an ordinary demand. I think the people from the west would probably be the only ones who would want to pay the higher figure for the Rome Beauty because it came from the West. Mr. Dempsey: My point was as to quality. Prof. Crow: Well as to quality that is all right enough, but it is not the quality of the Rome Beauty that sells it at the higher figure — in quality it is not a high class apple at all — but because in this locality it is rather rare. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 81 Me. Dempsey: I examined the Rome Beauty last year. The flavour is simply not to be compared with our apples. It is what you would call a good looker. I would class the Rome Beauty with our Ben Davis, not a bit higher. I do not think you can raise it one bit higher. The Rome Beauty grown in Ontario is far superior in quality to the Rome Beauty you buy in one of those little baskets for 60 cents a basket in Toronto to-day. It is too bad, in my estima- tion, that Toronto is taking such a poor variety of fruit and paying such a price for it when they can get Mcintosh and Fameuse of much superior quality and at a much lower price. THE NEGLECTED ORCHARDS AS A SOURCE OF PROFIT. R. S. Duncan, Port Hope, District Representative for Durham County. In view of the fact that so many of the old orchards in the Province of Ontario were being seriously neglected, a campaign for better orchard management was commenced in the spring of 1911 in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham. Four demonstration orchards, one each at Colborne, Cobourg, Port Hope, and Newcastle, which had been very badly neglected, were taken in hand for a period of three years to be treated according to the best orchard practices. The orchards were situated near the main road where they could be under observation by passers-by throughout the season so that the results of the demonstrations could be noted. Conditions of Orchards in 1911. — These orchards have been planted some thirty or forty years, but had been almost totally neglected as to pruning, cultiva- tion, fertilization and spraying. In fact, they had never been sprayed, and hence the quality of the fruit was of a very low grade; the percentage of No. Ps varying from 30 to 60 per cent. They were full of bark lice and blister mite, and had suf- fered severely from canker and sun-scald, but it was hoped that with careful man- agement, liberal feeding, and thorough pruning and spraying, that they Would respond and give satisfactory results. Two of the orchards were in sod and had not been plowed for years. The soil in the Colborne orchard is a light sandy loam, and in the others a clay loam. Treatment. — The orchards were all pruned in 1911, not very severely, but more of a cutting out of the dead wood and a thinning out of the top. In 1912 the greater number of the high trees were " dehorned/' as much as 12 feet being taken off. Our object in doing this was to make a more spreading tree, have the fruit borne on the lower branches and thus economize in picking. In 1913 a lot of small twigs and branches were cut out to open up the trees thus giving the fruit a better chance to color. All cuts of 1% inches in diameter and over were given a coat of white lead and oil. The rough, loose, shelly bark was scraped off the trees to facilitate spraying operations. The orchards were all manured each year at the rate of 10-12 tons of farmyard manure per acre. In two orchards the manure was sup- plemented by an application of 200 lbs. of muriate of potash and 400 lbs. of acid phosphate per acre. 6 F.«. S* THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 The orchards were plowed in each year as early in the spring as it was pos- sible to get on the land, and then they received thorough cultivation up to the middle of June when a cover crop of red clover, buckwheat or hairy vetch was sown. The orchards were sprayed very thoroughly three times each year as follows: (1) Before or as the leaf buds burst, with commercial lime-sulphur, 1 to 10, to control oyster shell bark louse and leaf blister mite. (2) Just before the blossoms opened, with commercial lime-sulphur, 1 to 35, with 2 lbs. of arsenate of lead added per 40 gals, of mixture to control apple scab, caterpillars, case bearers, canker worms, bud moths, etc. (3) Immediately after the blossoms fell with commercial lime sulphur 1 to 40, with 2 lbs. arsenate of lead added per 40 gals, mixture to control codling moth and apple scab. in spraying we used a double-acting hand pump and a tank, a home-made affair, holding 200 gals., with a tower attachment for reaching tall trees. We used two lines of hose and two angle nozzles of the " friend w type on each line of hose. One man was on the tower equipped with 15 feet of hose and a rod 8 feet long; the other man being on the ground with 30 feet of hose and a 10-foot bamboo rod. Two men acted as power on the pump, giving a pressure of from 100 to 150 lbs. All solutions were strained into the tank. The arsenate of lead was first brought into suspension before being strained into the spray tank. We always endeavored to spray with the wind and do as much of the treees as pos- sible. One side of the tree was sprayed as it was approached; we then drove directly opposite and sprayed the central parts thoroughly; then we completed the other side at the third stop. We aimed to cover every portion of the tree though not wasting any material. For the spray after the blossoms fell we tried to do most thorough work — our object was to fill every calyx cup. 90 per cent. of the codling worms enter the apple in the calyx end, hence it is important to have the poison placed where it will do the most effective work. We used from 5 to 8 gals, of mixture on each tree for each spraying. Results. — Accurate accounts have been kept of all expenses pertaining to each orchard in each of the three years. All labor with the exception of pruning, which is valued at $2 per day, has been calculated on the basis of $1.50 per day per man, and a man and a team at $3 per day. Farmyard manure has been valued at $1 per ton. These figures, I think you will agree, are quite reasonable. In figuring out the results no allowance was made for rental of land as it was difficult to arrive at a fair valuation of the orchard: it differs in different localities. No account was taken of the interest on the investment or overhead charges, nor depreciation in value of the implements used. I append herewith a tabulated statement of the expenses and receipts for the orchard of Mr. F. W. McConnell, at Colborne, in each of the past three years. The number of barrels, the percentage of No. 1 apples and the receipts are also given for the three years previous to our taking charge. This will be a basis of comparison between the orchard when in a neglected condition and after being properly cared for. 1914 FKUTT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 83 Table No. 1. — Northumberland and Durham. Demonstration Orchards. F. W. McConnelPs orchard, Colborne; 117 trees, approximately 2% acres; soil, light sandy iloam; orchard 32 years old. In neglected state After cared for Expenses : — Scraping Pruning Painting wounds Gathering brush Spraying :— First Second Third Cementing holes in trees . . . Bracing trees with wire . . . Removing dead wood and thinning suckers Fertilizer : — Manure Muriate of potash, 500 lbs. Acid phosphate, 1,000 lbs . Applying Freight Cultivation Cover Crop Total expenses Expense per acre Yield in barrels Receipts from sale of apples Per cent No. 1's Net profit Net profiteer acre 1908 1909 1910 1911 $ c. 11 25 34 00 10 28 6 75 25 90 15 75 23 17 25 00 13 00 11 00 1 00 300 $300 00 30-60 250 $200 00 30-60 73 $100 00 30-60 18 00 7 50 202 60 81 04 331 740 55 87.6% 537 95 215 18 1912 $ c. 22 00 7 05 4 00 21 90 15 70 23 35 1 25 1 37 90 30 00 11 70 11 00 1 00 9.00 18 00 178 22 71 29 333| 449 80 80.5% 271 58 108 b3 1913 $ c. 39 00 20 55 13 13 15 60 1 80 30 00 12 60 16 00 1 00 2 75 12.00 5 70 174 63 69 85 234 493 58 82.5% 318 95 127 58 Figures from the other orchards could be given as above, but this will be sufficient to show in detail the expenses and returns. The following table shows the comparisons of results before and after treat- ment in each of the orchards under my supervision. The results obtained are in striking contrast to the small and indifferent crops yielded in unsprayed and uncared for orchards of the same locality. The quality of the fruit in each of the three years was exceptionally high — the per- centage of No. l?s being raised from 30-60 in 1908, 1909 and 1910 prior to our having charge, to 75 to 87.6 per cent, while under our care. Further from 95 to 98 per cent, of all the apples grown in these orchards were absolutely free from any insect pest or fungus disease. Scarcely an apple could be found with a worm in it, and it was only an odd apple here and there that showed a spot of scab. Under the heading, "selling price," these figures are the actual returns from the sale of the arjples after deducting an item of $1 per barrel for expenses of barrel, picking, packing and placing on market. 84 THE REPOKT OF THE No. 44 Table No. 2. — Nobthumbebland and Dubham. Demonstbation Obchabds. Tabulated comparisons of results before and after treatment. Orchards Years Yield bbls. Selling price Per cent. No. I's Expenses Net Profit Total Per acre profit jper acre F. W. McConnell, Colborne In , '08 neglected J '09 state ( '10 After , '11 cared '12 for ( '13 300 250 73 331 333£ 234 $ c. 300 00 200 00 100 00 740 55 444 80 493 58 30-60 30-60 30-60 87.06 80.05 82.5 $ c. $ c. $ c. $ c. 117 trees, 2\ acres Sandy loam soil 202 60 178 22 174 63 81 04 71 29 69 85 537 95 271 58 318 95 215 18 108 63 127 58 W. G. Noble, Port Hope In , '08 neglected J '09 state * '10 After , '11 cared J 12 for ( 13 lump lump *200 131 167 211 200 00 70 00 255 00 302 65 259 25 572 25 30-60 30-60 30-60 84.7 86.8 78.2 135 trees, 2\ acres Clay loam soil 158 08 137 85 141 20 62 23 55 14 56 48 144 57 121 40 431 05 57 83 48 56 172 42 Nathaniel Nichols In , '08 neglected J '09 state 1 10 After , 11 cared < 12 for <• 13 307 140 101 233 174 258 275 00 150 00 126 25 475 70 253 25 603 50 30-60 30-60 30-60 82.0 78.7 77.1 i 72 trees, 1§ acres Clay loam soil 150 50 96 39 130 12 90 30 57 83 78 07 325 20 156 86 473 38 195 12 94 11 284 02 James Stanley In , '08 neglected J '09 state 1 10 After , 11 cared J 12 for 1 13 lump lump lump 38 t t 75 00 75 GO 75 CO 63 60 30-60 30-60 30-60 66.0 - 71 trees, \\ acres Clay loam soil 81 85 54 56 *18 25 *12 16 W. H. Gibson, Tr. ( '08 In '09 neglected -l , , q state 1 ,,i After ' f 12 cared for { 13 145 trees 2.\ acres Clay loam soil 54 246 100 95 621 20 75.0 80.9 146 95 164 77 58 78 65 90 *46 00 456 43 *18 40 182 57 Loss t C. P. R. surveyed through orchard In the orchard of Mr. W. H. Gibson, it will be noticed that 54 barrels was the yield in 1912, this being about the highest number of barrels this orchard ever produced. After losing $18.40 per acre in that year, and then spending at the rate of $65.90 per acrej in 1913 in pruning, spraying, fertilization and cul- tivation, a yield of 246 barrels was obtained, and a net profit per acre of $182.57 is the result. This is truly remarkable for an old orchard in such a neglected state. A cursory glance at the above table will show the yield, selling price, per- centage No. I's, expenses, and net profit per acre. The percentage of No. l7s varies in McConnell's orchard from 80.5 to 87.6, an average of 83.5; in Noble's from 78.2 to 86.8, an average of 83.2; in Nicholls 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 85 from 77.1 to 82.0, an average of 79.2; and in Gibson's from 75.0 to 80.9, an average of 77.9. This is an average of 80.9 per cent. No. 1 apples packed in these orchards in the past three years. The expenses per acre for pruning, spraying, fertilization, cultivation, etc., vary from $55.14 to $90.30, or counting the four orchards an average expenditure of $67.52 per acre. The net returns vary from $48.56 to $284.02 per acre — McConnell's gives an average net profit per acre in the three years of $150.46 after deducting all expenses; Noble's, $92.93; Nicholls', $191.08, and Gibson's, $82.08. These figures are quite interesting, in that they show what can be accomplished in the old orchard. Another tabulated statement has been prepared showing the cost of spraying the apple orchard, the number of gallons applied per tree and the cost per tree. The table is worthy of careful perusal. From the figures it will be noticed that from 4^ to 11 gals, of spray material were applied per tree for each spraying. The cost of spraying, including labor and material, averaged 44.4c. per tree in each of the three years. Thinning Experiments. — We conducted an experiment in thinning the apples on a few trees to see if we could not get rid of the culls and secure the desired size in apples. A few Snow trees were selected in F. W. McConnell's orchard at Colborne, and thinning was commenced when the apples were a trifle larger than hickory nuts. Our intention was to thin all clusters to one specimen and leave no apples close enough to touch each other or in such a position that they would rub against a limb or twig when mature. We used small thinning shears and worked from a ladder. Result: — Thinned tree: 6 barrels No. l's, % barrel No. 2's, 1 peck culls. Unthinned tree: 3 barrels No. l's, 3 barrels No. 2's, 2^2 barrels culls. The quality of apples on the thinned tree was much superior to that on the unthinned tree. In N. Nicholls' orchard, at Welcome, another experiment was conducted on some Duchess trees. 6 thinned trees: 17 barrels No. l's, 3 barrels No. 2's. 1 unthinned tree : 2 barrels No. l's, 2 barrels No. 2's. The three barrels No. 2 apples on the thinned tree were as good as No. l's in size on the unthinned tree but lacked color. Scarcely a cull could be found on the 6 thinned trees, but 14 of a barrel of culls was the result from the unthinned tree. Our conclusion is that thinning should have been much more thorough and more severe. We figure that a man can thin a fairly good-sized tree in three hours at 20 cents per hour, or 60 cents per tree. In conclusion let me say that as a result of these demonstrations the old orchards are being cared for in a manner as never before, and carloads of spray material and a great number of spray machines, both hand and power outfits^ have been sold to fruit growers in the counties of Northumberland and Durham. The demonstration orchard method has proved its effectiveness as a means of stimulat- ing interest in up-to-date methods. Special requests now reach my office asking me to take charge of an orchard for a period of years. The lesson has had its effect. A Member : The amount you expended on the land would depend largely on the value of the land. THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 < CO M H B OS H - r-l Q Oi fc m H < a 3 r4 < o rH si « 5 o (0 1 0 H ED B J & o OQ V, 14 fe £ 1 O M 1. so 3 4 Q B o m £ f- 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 87 Mb. Duncan : It is a rather difficult matter to arrive at any definite decision as to the value of the land. Some is valued at $100, others at $200, others $500. and some at $1,000 per acre. A Member: In regard to fertilizers, what amount did you use? Mb. Duncan : 200 pounds of muriate of potash, 400 pounds of acid phosphate per acre. A Membeb : Any barnyard manure ? Mb. Duncan: Oh, yes; that is in addition, 10 or 12 tons of farmyard manure. A Membeb : Was that soil sand or clay ? Me. Duncan: That was a light sandy soil. A Membeb: Muriate of potash would act better on that than on some soils. Mb. Duncan : That may be so. I know we tried 200 pounds per acre, and it has certainly responded. A Membeb: Do you prefer acid phosphate to bone meal? Mb. Duncan: Yes. A Membeb: Would not basic slag be all right on some soils? Me. Duncan : It contains a considerable amount of calcium or lime, and lime has a beneficial effect in liberating potash in the soil. A Member: Has the manure any value on the light sandy soil? A Membeb: In cutting back, how far did you cut back? Me. Duncan : We cut some limbs that were 1, 2, 3, and 4 inches thick. A Membeb: Would that grow over? Me. Duncan : Yes, it is at the present time. A Membeb : I suppose that would only be one or two limbs at a time ? Mb. Duncan: Yes, not enough to stagnate the growth. A Membeb: On what do you rely for your supply of nitrogen? Me. Duncan: I think I would get sufficient nitrogen in a bearing orchard from the manure I would use; that is barnyard manure. It is stronger in nitrogen than phosphoric acid and potash. A Membeb: How much manure would you use? Mb. Duncan: Ten to twelve tons of well rotted manure per acre annually. A Membeb: Would you advise cultivating an old sod orchard? Mb. Duncan: Has it been in sod for a good number of years? A Membeb : Forty-five. Mb. Duncan: According to my ideas I would plow it over very early in the spring, then thoroughly cultivate it up to the middle of June; then sow a cover crop of red clover, buckwheat, or hairy vetch, whatever will give you the best results. A Membeb : Some of my neighbors are cultivating orchards of the same kind of soil in the same locality which probably has been in sod a great length of time, and my experience would go to show that they grow larger apples, and I think, perhaps, better quality. Mb. Dembsey: Well, how about the quantity? A Membeb : Well, I think about the same quantity of apples, but the orchard I have reference to is a better orchard than my own. Me. Duncan: To what do you attribute the large yield of apples and the quantity of the yield in each of these orchards? A Membeb : Fertilizers and cultivation. This orchard of Mr. Noble's has 'been cultivated for three years, and there you will get a fairly good color of apples. I 88 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 am speaking of Mcintosh and Baldwins and Gravenstein. What I want to get at is this: Is it possible to grow too large a Mcintosh? Me. Dempsey: Yes, it is possible to grow too large apples of any kind. A Member: Tne Mcintosh Red is not a very large apple. Mr. Dempsey: It should grow considerably larger than the Fameuse. A Member: Yes, I find when they grow so large in size and quantity they do not take on so good a colour. Mr. Dempsey: There are three or four orchards of Mcintosh in the county of Hastings that have come under my observation for the last seven or eight years. One is on light, gravelly, rich red loam, and I have never seen finer Mcintosh apples. There are a number of trees, and it produces in the neighborhood of 400 or 500 barrels per year. The other orchard is a heavy clay, and the windfall Mcintosh apples are practically useless they are so bruised, so you may know what class of soil is there. That soil has never had anything else but barnyard manure. The apples are a fair size, somewhat large and very highly colored, as much so as any I ever saw grown in the St. Lawrence Valley. The great, large, overgrown Mcintosh has not much flavor. That applies to all apples that are overgrown; they are worse than nothing. All overgrown apples should be dis- couraged. A Member : How do you regulate them to the size you want ; or is it possible to do so? Mr. Duncan: Yes, to get them the proper size you allow a few more apples to produce on your tree and then you do not have so many large ones. Of course, you are bound to have some large ones. A Member: Then you think that cultivating an orchard produces a better quality and a larger crop, from the dollars and cents standpoint? Mr. Duncan: Yes, it Gertainly has the effect of producing more, and when it comes to dollars and cents there are more dollars and cents in cultivated orchards. In all my observations, both on the other side and this side, this is the case, with the exception of Mr. Harkness's orchard, which is a law unto itself. I do not know of another orchard equal to it for sod cultivation. His orchard is on the side of a hill, covered with wood; it is snowed under every year about three or four feet deep, and the moisture cannot get away, but has got to come down gradually from the woods on the crown of the hill. He has moisture there the year round coming down gradually, and I do not know of another orchard so well or fortunately situated. The trees are planted just where he thinks they will grow. If there is a hole in the pasture field he sticks a tree in there if it will grow; there is no regularity about the planting at all of that orchard. In a case of that kind I certainly would not attempt to plow it. A Member: I do not see that we should discuss the point as to whether cul- tivation is the proper thing or not. Of course, cultivation is the proper thing. Those that cultivate get good returns and those that do not cultivate do not get returns they can rely upon. Mr. Duncan: Jnst a word in conclusion as to the results of these demon- strations. The results obtained are in striking contrast fo the small and in- different crops yielded in unsprayed and uncareri for orchards of the same locality. Orchards of which we have had control in regard to the percentage of No. 1 apples certainly show a great improvement over the apples grown in unsprayed and uncared for orchards, and this fact alone is a great commercial advertisement. Carloads of spray material and a great number of spray machines, both hand 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 89 and power outfits, have been sold to fruit growers in the counties of Northumber- land and Durham as a result of these demonstrations. I think they have proved their worth and effectiveness. Even the men who own these orchards are now going to buy spray pumps. One man asked me if I would sell him the small outfit I have been using for the past three years. lie says he will continue to spray with that same outfit in the orchard for years to come. There is no doubt in my mind of the beneficial effect of these demonstrations in the neighbourhood. They all now believe in spraying. A Member: What do you say gave you the best results in cover crops? Me. Duncan: The best cover crop we have had so far is red clover sown at the rate of 15 or 20 pounds to the acre. Hairy vetch did not give such good results. Buckwheat when we tried it seemed to have a very good catch and seemed to give almost as good results as red clover. The last year or two we have had an exceptionally good growth of red clover, and we had a good crop of humus to turn down. A Member: Do you use carbonate of lime? Mr. Duncan: No, we have used simply manure, muriate of potash, and acid phosphate. A Member: Would carbonate of lime do in the Niagara district? Mr. Duncan: It might give very fair results, although it would contain nothing but calcium of lime, no direct manurial value. Lime has a poor manurial value; there is no plant food in it of any kind. Of course some plants require a little Mme. A Member: Is that the best form of lime? Mr. Duncan : If I were going to use lime I would take basic slag and phos- phoric acid; the basic slag contains from 30 to 40 per cent, lime, and some sulphur. A Member: What time of the year do you plow the cover crop down? Mr. Duncan: In the early spring. A Member: Would it not be better to leave it till June? Mr. Duncan: Well, then it would not get the benefit of the cultivation it should have; I would like to sow the cover crop on the 15th of June. A Member: Will you explain the manner in which you handled your cover crop all through? Mr. Duncan: We sowed buckwheat from about the middle of June to the 20th of June; I forget just exactly the amount we sowed per acre. However, we sowed it, and just simply left it until the fall, when the picking of apples took place. In one case we ran the mower over it so that the pickers would not get their legs and feet wet in going round the orchard; in the other orchard we let it grow. A Member: Do you not find that the buckwheat dies in the shade of trees? Mr. Duncan : I do not think it will altogether. A Member: I understand all the trees were sprayed; how much spray do you think you used per tree? That is for each application? Mr. Duncan: The number of gallons per tree varied from 4!/2 to 11 for each spray. A Member: That last figure would be for a very large tree, of course? Mr. Duncan: Yes, trees 30 to 35 years of age. Mr. Dempsey: A member raised a point that is not understood by a great many people, it seems to me; that is leaving on your cover crop in May right on DO THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 until late in June, until you have got a tremendous growth on the soil and then turn it under. I am convinced, from personal observations, that when you do that, and start cultivation so late in the season, you have lost all the advantages of cultivation. Cultivation should start in the spring, just as early as you can get on the soil to cultivate it; it should be thoroughly cultivated and not half- heartedly. Now, the question is as to just the time to turn your cover crop under. Probably there are some other questions to be raised on that? A Member: What about the moisture that the cover crop consumes? That is one point I intended to make in my remarks before: that you had lost the moisture that you had wished to conserve in order to get this great growth of tiumus, and had not got the growth of tree that you would have by earlier culti- vation and conservation of moisture. Mr. Duncan : A great deal depends on the locality and the nature of the soil ; the locality for the natural supply of moisture, and the soil as to its retentive qualities. In that district they would not be dried up in June. Then when you turn that other crop in you can control the moisture. Mr. Dempsey : If you plow them under early in the spring there is not much to turn under. I am afraid that the speaker has one of those favoured locations such as Mr. Harkness, and that the rest of us are in a less fortunate position. We have not a soil that will carry sufficient moisture for a crop of clover. The experimental farm at Ottawa has one of these favourable locations. They have any amount of moisture there. That applies to favourably situated orchards, but m my estimation most of the orchards m Ontario cannot stand that. In some places not only do they not plow late in the spring, but they will not grow a :over crop that lasts through the winter. They think it is much better to put in vetch or oats, and to get a moderate stand of some cereal in the early part of the fall, and let it die before the winter comes. They think that holds the moisture just about as well. A Member: Would you get as good a catch of clover on a newly turned sod as on one that had lain for some time? Mr. Duncan: You would not get such a catch on a newly turned sod. Of course the season has so much to do with whether you get a good catch or not. This last year we did not get as good a catch of clover as we had been getting for some years past. A Member: What kind of a crop did you have? Mr. Duncan: About three or four inches. Mr. Thompson: Prof. Crow stated that the man who could get a crop in years like this was singularly fortunate, because he could come out ahead. Un- fortunately that does not apply to anyone who has planted an orchard that is not yet bearing. But taking the apple orchards both old and young, and it is the old ones I am interested in at present, because they are, of course, worth more. I have a young orchard, planted just a few years ago which has fetched in some small returns, but not much yet. I suppose apple orchards are of the same value as peach orchards, that is from $500 to $600 an acre. I think, myself, if anyone offered me a good apple orchard or a peach orchard I would take the apple orchard. A Member: Apple orchards are not worth anything like the money that good peach land is down there. They are asking a great deal more for peach land. Mr. Thompson: That does not make any difference. 1914 FKU1T GROWERS' ASSOCIATION". 91 A Member: Do you mean to say seriously that you would take an apple orchard in preference to an equally good peach orchard? Mr. Thompson: Yes, I would take an apple orchard in preference to a peach orchard every time, right in my section of the country. The men who are in the apple-growing business are making more money. A Member: Yes, but in regard to the comparative price of orchards that is outside the question. Mr. Thompson: Yes, but it follows Prof. Crow's line of argument in this way, that by following his suggestions as to the choice of varieties you have a longer season with apples, and consequently can handle them more advantageously. Prof. Crow stated that first he would plant a few varieties, two or three, then he started in to plant Duchess — an apple coming on at a different time to the three varieties he suggested — that was to cover the season. Unfortunately in the Province of Ontario the San Jose Scale has cleaned some of the orchards out, and for that state of things the orchard owners ought to be ashamed of themselves, but still they can make more money out of apples. Prof. Crow: The reason they are making more money — those who are — is for the reasons I have mentioned. If a man has a few varieties only he can sell his Duchess every year without any trouble, but if he has a great many varieties, and only 30 or 40 barrels of each he cannot make up a carload. Now, it must be taken into consideration when planting, what the nature of your marketing facili- ties is going to be; whether by co-operative methods, in which case a number of farmers or growers can make up a carload, or whether you are going to make up your own carloads. Mr. Thompson: The same thing, I think, applies to peaches. The next question in regard to these old orchards is the use of fertilizers, and the necessity for cultivation. I think there is no question about the necessity of fertilizers. Prof. Crow has stated that, leaving out the few spots of land that are naturally fertile, and that do not need fertilizers, fertilizing is one of the principal helps in the increase of our fruit production. Then, again, a large proportion of our orchards require cultivation in order to get and conserve the necessary amount of moisture to produce a heavy crop. In regard to whether the trees should be planted close together, and what size and so on, I only have a few words to say along the line of my own experience. If trees are planted close together and low you cannot get your horses under them; you cannot get even your hand spraying machinery under them to properly spray them, nor your cultivators, etc., and if you neglect your orchard for a few days the grass and weeds get ahead of you or the ground gets dry and hard. You must get the necessary amount of moisture there, but as to the exactly best methods of handling the orchard for that purpose, I think it will require some years yet for us to know just how to do it. I do sometimes think that possibly the better way to do it would be to work the whole orchard except a few feet around the tree; work it both ways and if the grass or weeds come up have them mowed down and left as a mulch. Of course you must remember that the more you are able to work the orchard with horse labor the cheaper you will do it. It is a case of labor. We all know what we would like to do if we had the necessary amount of labor. If you cannot get sufficient help to properly clean your orchard it is going to get rank with wild growth, dry and hard. With the necessary horse appliances able to work freely in the orchard we can get them in shape in a very few hours. I have been looking at some orchards cultivated that way, and I have 92 THE KEPORT OF THE No. 44 been anxious to find out whether the owners were making money out of them, for they would certainly get sufficient moisture there. A Member: That is with the orchard pruned and planted to allow horse machinery to do all the work. Mr. Thompson: That, I think, was the idea with the orchards I have re- ference to. But I do not say definitely whether it is better to plant the trees six or eight feet apart or twelve feet apart. In our section of the country we cannot get a mulch because straw is worth more than hay, and manure costs $1.50 a ton. Mr. Dempsey: Yes, but there is the question Prof. Crow brought up of how you are going to plant the trees. Suppose you plant 200 or 300 Spies, with some other varieties, how are you going to plant them so that they will be fertilized and enabled to fruit? Some trees are self fertilizers arid some are not. Would you plant the rows in such a way as to have them alternate or in a block? Mr. Caesar: I think the spray tests of the blossoms during the last five years will bear me out in saying that the best one for the Spy is our old favorite the Ben Davis. Mr. Pattison: The Duchess. Mr. Caesar : Mr. Paterson says " Duchess," but I am afraid it comes on somewhat earlier. Mr. Dempsey: You have a lot of orchards through the country; how does it work out ? Where it is not necessary for them to be together you have them mixed up; is that a fact? Mr. Duncan: As far as the question was asked about putting them to- gether I would say : We want to have varieties that would bloom at the same time together so that we can spray them at the same time. Mr. Dempsey: But that question is not altogether settled yeL We have here a number of solid Baldwin orchards which will not bear. We know for a matter of fact orchards like that that bear good crops. A Member: Do they bear annually? Mr. Dempsey: They will not do it under some circumstances, that is one thing sure. But I was trying an isolated Spy block. Mr. Pattison: That celebrated Spy orchard of Mr. Dinwaddie's is prac- tically entirely isolated from any other variety or orchard. He has an orchard of 12 acres which has cleared him thousands of dollars within the last five years; seven thousand one year, and for years two thousand a year. A Member : All Spies ? Mr. Pattison : A solid block of Spies. Not only that, but it is on the bank of a creek, and has nothing near it except a very small orchard. A Member: Absolutely no other varieties? Mr. Pattison: He has one or two others, but practically none except Spies. A Member : What is the size of 'the orchard ? Mr. Pattison : There is about thirteen acres of land, but only twelve acres of orchard. He is cutting these trees down something in the shape of greenings. They were originally 40 feet high, but now they can be easily picked. I was in it twice at bearing time and the yield was something tremendous. We failed to find a wormy apple. There was some slight scab, but very slight. A Member: How did he cut them down? Mr. Pattison: He took the centre right out. Professor Shaw and his brother planted that orchard some twenty-five years ago, and Mr. Dinwaddie has 1914 FKUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 93 had to spend some money on it, but he has made well. One of the chief methods was girdling. Some trees were girdled three and some four times. A Member : Is that to prevent the growth of wood ? Mr. Pattison : That is to promote (the bearing of fruit. I am one of those who think that trees form habits something like people; that is to say, if you plant an apple orchard, and never allow it to overbear, your chances, with good treatment of the orchard, are good for regular bearing trees, but if you once allow the orchard to overbear you are going to have some difficulty in getting it back to the normal. I may say that this year I managed to put a 20-acre orchard in shape in Northumberland county. I also planted 2,000 trees for a syndicate, and while there visited a number of orchards. Blocks of Spies will not fail to bear if their treatment is right. A Member: When you were cutting down your 40 foot trees and taking out the centre, did you cut down to the crotch? Mr. Pattison: No, he did not go right down to the crotch; he went down about 20 feet in some cases without going down to the crotch and took the centre almost entirely out. He cut down to where there were arms and buds coming out. A Member: What preparation do you use for painting the cuts? Mr. Caesar: We have been using this last season a preparation of gas tar and after examining the trees have found no trace of injury. A Member : What is the general rule for cutting back ? Mr. Caesar : You want to cut back to where there is a good strong limb left. You thin these out leaving the first or last one. You want a certain proportion of these left there to form the centre for the future; that is with your growing trees. Keep the head of the tree as close down as you can. Do not cut all the suckers away, as that keeps the wound from healing up. There is no danger of A Member: Where you know there is going to be a certain amount of decay would you still cut the tree down ? Mr. Caesar: Yes, even if we were certain that a number of these limbs would decay we would still lower our tree. The cost of spraying a high tree is1 greater than the cost of thinning the tree. The picking and everything is so very much easier on a low tree than it is on a high tree, it would pay to do it. A Member: In nine cases out of ten where you girdle as Mr. Paterson has suggested your orchard would die out. Mr. Pattison: I think myself that Mr. Dinwaddie has shortened the life of these trees somewhat. I think if he had taken this process many years before that his trees would not have been very long lived. I simply say this because I think, perhaps, there has been a loss of vigor in some of them. A Member: Due to girdling? Mr. Pattison- : Yes, I think so. I think you get very good results for some years, and in the case of this orchard which was not bearing at all, he was abundantly justified. Prof. Crow: I would certainly not recommend even beginning it unless the orchard refuses to bear. 94 THE KEPORT OF THE No. 44 CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY CULTURE. L. B. Henry, Winona. Currants and gooseberries have not been veiy largely cultivated in the past few years, but at the present time there is quite an increase in the acreage being planted out. A few years ago the price of currants went down so low ihat they became unprofitable. Black currants were selling in 1899 and 1900 at 65c. for a 20-pound basket, and at that time you could not sell red currants at any price. But from that time up to the present prices have steadily risen, until in the last two years we have been getting very fair results from these crops. In fact as high as 10J4 cents per pound; lately some at 6y2 and red varieties less. There has also been quite an increase in the number of varieties planted out within the last 13 years. Currants. -Currants are very easily grown, but to obtain the best results they must be carefully cultivated and looked after the same as any other fruit. The best soil is a rich clay loam, and besides this it must be well drained and at the same time retentive of moisture. The idea of its being well drained is this: Currants leaf out very early in the spring, and we must be able to get on that land early enough to cultivate it thoroughly; to have it in a good state of tilth before the leaves get out, otherwise the currants will receive a severe set back. If we allow the leaves to get out very far before being cultivated a heavy crop of fibrous roots shoot out ; the cultivation destroys this crop of fibrous roots and gives the plant a great set- back. The idea of the soil being retentive is this: About the time the fruit is heading out very rapidly it is using a good deal of moisture, and usually about this time we have a severe period of drought; and if we have a soil that will hold moisture in sufficient quantities to tide the crop over this dry spell we have gained another point towards success with these fruits. You can easily see what a great disadvantage there would be with a soil that would dry out too quickly at this period. If you have a soil that will not retain moisture you will suffer a great loss just as soon as dry weather sets in. Propagation: The propagation of currants, I suppose, is not of very much interest to fruit growers generally; it is, as a rule, carried on by nurserymen. Cur- rants are nearly altogether propagated from cuts, and these cuts may be taken at different times of the year. The old method is to take the cuts about August or September and plant them right out in the nursery row, and if the fall is favorable enough they will be ready to start a good growth by the next spring. If this method is adopted the cuts should be covered by a strong mulch to prevent them from heaving. If the winter is mild, and we have many frosts with mild and wet weather intermittently, the plants will heave out if not well mulched and will not start well in the spring. A Member : Would it not be better to set the cuts out early in the spring ? Mr. Henry : I am just coming to what I consider the best method. There is another method, of course, that of taking the cuts in the late winter and storing them in sawdust in the cellar; they are thoroughly covered with sawdust and this encourages a mass of rootlets to start at the base of the leaf. Early in the spring these cuts are then set out. The best method, in my own experience, is this, and we have tried two or three methods of taking cuts — fall, winter and spring. 1914 FKUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. '95 If the spring is favorable for fast growing, we have taken the cuts right out in the spring and set them out, but even under favorable circumstances that method has not been the success that the other two have. In starting the cuts it has been my experience that they should be sprayed to keep out mildew and also other diseases such as leaf spots, and others that attack currants; they should also be cultivated well for the same reason. Selection of Plants: Now, in selecting plants for planting out in our patch there are many differences of opinion as to which is the best plant to settle on — the two or one year old. Many people prefer the two year old for the reason that it is a larger plant and has fibrous roots slightly more branched and makes im- mediate growth on being set out. It is certain that if a plant is a two year old No. 1 and has been a No. 1 one year old, it is better for planting than a No. 1 one year old. But the point of view is this: Many plants are sold when they are one year old and at that time they are graded into ones and twos. The ones are sold as No. 1 one year olds; the twos are planted back again and next year sold as two year old No. Ts, and by this method you see two year old No. l's are really one year old culls, and for this reason I prefer No. l's one year old. In all the patches we have set out we have used those plants. The nurserymen charge a higher price for two year olds, and, as I have said before, if they are good they are certainly better than No. 1 one year olds. A Membek: Should the sawdust be dry or moist? Mr. Henry : Keep the sawdust moist. A Member: How would sand do? Mr. Henry : Well, sand is not as good as sawdust, but you can use a mixture. A Member : Does the sawdust hold the moisture better than the sand ? Mr. Henry : Oh yes, sand dries out very quickly, while sawdust will con- serve the moisture. Planting : Now, as to the time for planting out. That again is a point for discussion. Many people prefer to plant in the spring; in fact it is a very hard matter to persuade anybody that they should plant in the fall, but in the Niagara district it has become the practice of some of the best growers to plant in the fall. The reason for planting in the fall is to get the currants set out and to let them become established before winter sets in, and if they are planted out in this way they will be in first class condition for a rapid and vigorous growth in the spring. They do not receive any setback, as they would if planting were postponed on account of a late spring. As I said before, currants leaf out very early, and if the spring is at all wet the leaves come out and growth starts, and the roots use up a certain amount of plant food that is being stored in the branches and bush and when the plant is set out in the spring it is not as vigorous or strong as it would have been had it been set out in the fall. Of course where the spring conditions enable you to get the plants out early and later conditions do not give the plants a setback, this spring planting is just as good as fall planting, but we cannot guarantee these conditions. We recommend fall planting for currants, both red and black, and when I treat of gooseberries it will be the same. •There are two methods of planting out, and in a commercial plantation we want to do the thing as cheaply as possible; but at the same time we want to have as satisfactory a method as it is possible to get. The last planting we put out was done in this way: The patch was measured at both ends for rows about nine m THE EEPORT OF THE No. 44 feet apart, and long stakes about five feet set up. Then from these stakes we set lines all the way down the field to the other end. This merely served as a guide for the men to furrow out by and we furrowed both ways from the stakes where the row was to be set. We found a good plowman could plow a furrow almost as straight as a line could be drawn. When the furrows were plowed the required distance apart for planting we put in the row and had a man mark a hole or just scrape it out with a shovel, but by having the furrows properly made we reduced the shovelling to a . nnimum. The plants are to be set very firmly; the earth to be shaken in among the fibrous roots and then tramped down and loose earth put on it to conserve as much moisture as possible. Of course thai; is not the only method, but it is a cheap and quick method. If one wanted to be accurate, very accurate, the patch could be measured out with the exact distances between plants and each plant set the exact distance apart in the row, but when planting on a commercial scale I do not think it is necessary. A Member: How many feet apart do you plant the rows? Me. Henry: In that patch 9 feet apart by zy2, but we have found since that 3% feet is altogether too close. The patch is a five-year-old growth, and when replanting a patch we made it 9 by 7 feet, and we find that is a fairly good distance. The planting should be fairly deep, so that the earth comes up to within an inch or so from where the first branch joins the main stem ; that is, we plant somewhat deeply. We had another patch 22 years old, originally planted at 7 by 3^, but about seven or eight years ago we dug it over and replanted at 7 by 7. From the experience gained by our own mistakes we set out another patch of black currants, about two acres, four years ago, and it was done in this way: We started on one side of the field and planted three rows 7 feet apart, then we left a space 9 feet, and then planted three more rows 7 feet apart. Now you will wonder what that space of 9 feet was left for; it is this: We have found from experience that that strip of land does not grow black currants with the best success, so we left that 9 feet bare for the purpose of driving a sprayer down there. On land that would stand it that strip need not be left and the rows could be set out 7 feet apart. Now, as to the best distance for the plants to be left apart in the row, we have found 5 feet a very satisfactory distance, and I really do not think that they should be planted any closer. If you set them out at 7 feet it is a little too much room and if the land is expensive it is not economy. Cultivation: As with all crops of fruit, we must cultivate currants very thoroughly and start very early. Our method is to plow in the fall. I suppose in some northern districts you would not be able to plow in the fall, but it is generally practiced in the Niagara district. We plow late in the fall, and leave a deep furrow in the centre to take up all the surplus moisture. Then in the spring we put a two-horse spring tooth cultivator to work the soil up. This pul- verizes the soil very well, and leaves it in a good friable state. ' A one-horse spring tooth cultivator is used to cultivate cross-ways. After this cultivation we culti- vate at least once more to keep the dust mulch and top soil in good condition. Some people, I believe, practice a mulch system, but so" far as my experience goes I do not know many who have tried it. Mr. Thompson, have you tried a mulch system for currants? Mr. Thompson: No. Mr. Henry: I know it is the practice in some districts, but not on a com- 1914 FKUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 97 ruercial plantation. The cultivation should cease a week or so after the crop is taken off, so as to allow the young shoots to become ripened and matured by the time the winter sets in; that is, thoroughly hardened to stand a rough winter. If any stable manure is applied it should be applied at this time, just before plowing down, and have time to become partially rotted and available as plant food when the growth begins in the spring. Fertilizers: As far as the use of commercial fertilizers "or currants goes, 1 have no definite results to give you about their benefits; we have not used them to any large extent; we use barnyard manure entirely. We know of one man who used a commercial mixture of 2 of nitrogen, 8 phosphoric acid, and 10 parts pot- ash, at the rate of 500 pounds per acre, and he got very good results in connec- tion with barnyard manure Iwhich he used at the rate of 10 tons per acre, but further than that result I cannot give you anything definite. But in any case I think if commercial fertilizers are used they should be used in connection with barnyard manure, because if used alone in time the proper chemical condition of the soil is bound to be injured. A Member : In using that quantity of barnyard manure, could you not leave the nitrogen out of the commercial mixture? Mr. Henry: In using large quantities of commercial mixtures it is not necessary to use so much barnyard manure, and we have used a larger quantity of barnyard manure and no commercial mixtures. Pruning : The pruning of black and red currants is absolutely necessary if large crops are to be obtained. In pruning them a system of renewal is practised. In the case of black currants the fruit is borne on wood of the preceding year's growth. The object aimed at is to get as much of this wood as possible, cutting the bush fairly well down. In pruning red currants the object is to get as much two-year-old wood as possible, as the fruit is borne on spurs growing on wood of that age. All branches which are much older have passed the age of the greatest productiveness. When between three and five years have passed, or per- haps four and five years, they should be removed and young canes or branches allowed to take their place. Now I might be a little bit clearer on this. I spoke about pruning young bushes. The idea is to develop fruit buds, and fruit bloom all along the branches, instead of just at the ends. Red currants develop very extensively; perhaps you will find them developing fruit just towards the end of the branches more than they do down further along the branch. If the young shoots are cut back slightly the fruit will develop further down the branch and thus the load of fruit will be more evenly balanced all over the bush instead of being at the ends. When you have a heavy crop of fruit it is liable to bear down and break the bush. Of course all broken branches should be removed, and all surplus young shoots that have a tendency to make the bush too thick should also be taken off. The best time to prune is a point to be argued. Most of it is done in the late winter, about the latter part of January and in February, and a lot is done in March. It is safe to prune any time after the leaves fall off and the wood has begun to ripen. Pinching back the young shoots in summer is not practised in this country as far as I know. The object of it is to develop fruit spurs, but its bene- fit is a little doubtful, especially in this climate. It is liable to force buds into growth which will not become well ripened by winter, and will likely be winter injured. 7 F.G. 98 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 ^ — — _ ^_ ^_ — •_ Varieties: I suppose it would be rather difficult for me to name any one variety as absolutely the best. As regards black curants I only grow one variety, having found it to be the best with us, that is the Black Naples. It is a strong and vigorous grower and very prolific. The buds are borne on short clusters and very well distributed over the bush, and it is an old standard variety, in fact it is one of the oldest varieties on the market. The Black Champion is another black currant, but is not so vigorous; it ripens about five days to a week later than the Naples, and this may be a point in its favor, as it can be planted along with the Naples and will make a yield that will surprise you. But we have found one fault with it — the fruit does not ripen evenly; that is to say, the fruit may be ripe on some parts of the bush and partly green on the other sections, and for that reason it requires more time to pick the fruit properly. The Victoria is another black currant which is very well known. It is very vigorous, perhaps more so than any other variety I have mentioned, but in our district it is not as heavy a cropper as Naples or Champion. I have no doubt some of you will think that is wrong, because I have heard that Victoria in some districts is one of the best currants there. A Member: Which is the larger berry? Mr. Henry: Well, you will find that towards the base of the bush Champion berries are large and tapering out towards the end to smalt, but Naples are uni- formly large. A Member: I think Champion are the largest berries grown. Mr. Henry: Perhaps you will find a few Champion berries larger, but taken as a whole the Naples are larger berries. A Member : Have you tried them lately ? Mr. Henry: We do not grow it, no, and I do not know of any patches in our district. The Cherry and Fay are no doubt the most extensively grown red curarnts in Ontario. The Cherry is a large, bright red currant, and is a very heavy crop- per. The bunch is large but very compact, and the difference between it and the Fay is that the bunch of the Fay is long and loose towards the end. Some people will tell you that the Cherry is far the best kind, and others again that the Fay is the best. As a matter of fact there is very little difference between them; the Fay is almost as large and a heavy cropper. * A Member: How do they compare in price with the Gem? Mr. Henry : If you are selling them you obtain the same price for the Gem that you do for the Fay and Cherry. A Member : I generally market the Cherry currant under a higher price. A lot of people do not know the difference between the Cherry and Fay; they are so very similar. A Member: Have you any experience with Perfection? Mr. Henry: There is a patch near us, a small patch, which has just come into bearing, and consequently I have not had an opportunity of studying it very closely. A Member: In my experience the Fay is more easily picked; the bunch does not grow so close, and in picking you can get your finger and thumb in between the bunch and the stem more easily. A Member : Do you think the Perfection is a slow grower when young ? Mr. Henry: Yes, it is rather a slow grower. This little patch that I am speaking of is bearing well, but was a slow grower. when young. It is more vig- 1&14 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION"* 99 orous lately and a good cropper. The Chateauqua is another currant of the same class. We planted an acre of Chateauqua currants out five years ago, and they made very slow growth until last year, when they shot right ahead, but they pro- duced a good crop last year. Prince Albert is another currant which is not very widely planted, but which will stand heavier planting than it is receiving at the present time. The Raby Castle is a smaller currant than any of the others I have mentioned, but a more vigorous cropper than any of them. There is a little dif- ference in price when you come to sell them, for the reason that they are a little smaller. They are not being planted so largely as they were ten or fifteen years ago. A Member: In some sections in the States they think Wilder is better than Cherry or Fay; in New York State they use it to a large extent. Gooseberries. A Member: What is the reason for the large increase in the planting of English gooseberries? Mr. Henry : There has, I know, been some large increase in the plantations of English gooseberries that have been set out. Perhaps the stimulus to the grow- ing of English gooseberries in particular has been given by the building of jam factories. The factories have caused more demand for this fruit. Then a stimulus has been given in the last five years by growers being anxious to adopt the best methods. At one time we could not control gooseberry mildew. English goose- berries can now be grown with almost no sign of mildew. Besides the market we have for them in the jam factories, there is also a good market for them in the western provinces, and also in the east. Last year quite a number of growers shipped large quantities of gooseberries out west and received good prices for their fruit, and if that market is carefully developed no doubt we can ship more and more out there as the years advance. During the last few years English goose- berries have been quoted somewhat higher than American varieties. A Member : What is the reason of that ? Mr. Henry : I cannot tell you exactly the reason of that, unless it is because the English berry is larger and a more handsome-looking berry, but no better quality; it is hard to get a better quality than that of some of the American varieties. A Member: You cannot get a single American variety to compete with the English gooseberry for a moment in flavor. Mr. Henry: The difficulty with some of the English gooseberries, some of the varieties you have mentioned, is that the skin is hard, especially when they are green. A Member: Some kinds are hard, but others are not so. Mr. Henry : Most of these gooseberies are picked when they are green ; they may be transparent but yet tough. Gooseberries are picked when they are green for making into jam, and in cooking up some of them will be found to be rather tough. A Member: They should succeed here just as well as they do in England? Mr. Henry: Well, perhaps it is only a claim that they do not succeed here as well as they do in England. They have not the same advantage of damp atmos- phere. They are not in their natural habitat. One difficulty with English goose- berries in this country is the difficulty of protecting them from the sun in the hot 100 THE REPOKT OF THE N"o. 44 months, and sometimes they have become scalded. They will scald very easily if left out in the hot sun or if the bush is very open. I remember a case three years ago. One of our patches was almost destroyed during one hot day. We had the patch half picked on a Saturday, and the Sunday following was a very hot day. As a result these gooseberries had started to ferment and you could smell them two hundred yards away. That patch was in the open. We have another patch of the Whitesmith variety in the peach orchard planted in the rows, and on account of the shade afforded by these peach trees the crop was entirely saved. We have also found that by planting under the trees the bushes will become larger; the picking of them is much more agreeable because you do not have to get out in the sun, and it is certainly not a very pleasant job picking berries with a hot sun beating directly down. We have found it satisfactory to have them planted in the peach orchard. It is done very easily and it does not interfere with the cultivation. The rows can be cultivated lengthwise when the peach orchard is cultivated, and cultivated crosswise with the spring tooth cultivator. This does not mean any extra work, and the fertilizer applied for the gooseberries does not lessen the peach crop. This peach orchard which I have mentioned as having the goose- berries planted there also, did not suffer very much when we got an average of 13 baskets of peaches per tree. It is my experience that the English gooseberries thrive best on a sandy loam soil, while peaches must have a soil of a heavier nature. In this particular peach orchard, where we have the gooseberries, there is a sandy loam streak running through the centre from east to west. You can tell the difference in the soil just as soon as you look at the orchard. While these gooseberries should have a soil of a sandy nature the American gooseberries can be planted on soil of a somewhat heavier texture. As with cur- rants the soil for gooseberries must be well drained and of a retentive nature. Gooseberries, the same as currants, leaf out early in the spring; it is absolutely necessary to get on the soil early, so that the plants will not receive a setback by late cultivation. It is the practice of some growers to use a mulch system with gooseberries and this conserves the moisture and keeps down weeds and prevents mildew, but the use of the mulch has largely disappeared of recent years. One of the most important things in connection with gooseberry culture is spraying. We can almost control mildew with good spraying. A mulch system in comparison with spraying is very expensive. Generally straw is used for the mulch, but in some cases I have used tan bark, but that is out of the question at the present time. Straw is too expensive to put on as thickly as the patch should be mulched — about four inches and better, six inches thick if you can. A Member: Would sawdust do for that purpose? Mr. Henry: Sawdust would work all right, but it is hard to get these daya for putting on such a large area. The English gooseberries are not propagated to any extent in this country, as it is very hard to get the plants to ripen properly. In the United States they are propagated by mound-layering. This mound-layering consists of. plowing up to the bush after the young shoots have started into growth, which is in June. In this orchard which is plowed up the young shoots root and they are left on the stools for a year or two years. American varieties leaf out after a year and English varieties after two years. They are then cut and some men plant and set out in a nursery row, and leave them for another year so that they make really good plants after this treatment, having a good fibrous root system. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 101 In choosing a plant we must look for one with a large fibrous root system and with a thrifty top on it. There is no use in using a cutting from a root; you are sure to be caught, as such plants never thrive. Although American varieties can be produced from cuttings, the method by which the best plants are produced is that of mound-layering; that is the method most largely used. Planting: The same method of planting gooseberries may be used as for planting currants, and speaking for the Niagara district, the fall planting is certainly the best. In northern districts it might be safer to plant in the early spring, but I do not see any good reason why they should not be planted out in the fall, even in a northern climate, provided, of course, that they are covered up with straw or manure to prevent heaving during the winter, and also to protect them from the cold. The same method of laying out and planting a currant patch may be used for gooseberries. For English gooseberries the distances should be about 10 by 4 feet or 10 by 6 feet; this space is to allow the power sprayer to go between the rows. Of course a few do not use power sprayers, and in that case you could use a space slightly closer, or about 7 by 4 feet, or even in some patches 5 by 5 feet. It depends on the conditions under which you intend to grow and cultivate them in future years; there should never be less than 4 feet between the plants. These distances may seem large when the plant is started, hut they fill up a great deal as the bush grows. Now, if you intend to plant out gooseberries under trees, let us suppose that the trees are planted 20 feet apart. Plant two bushes between each two trees, making these 61/" feet from each tree, with a 7 foot space in the centre. This gives you more room than when planted in the open, but they will grow to larger bushes when planted in the shade. I am allowing considerable space but you will find that you need it. Pruning : The pruning of gooseberries is a rather difficult problem, in fact I do not know that very many people understand it fully. We once had an Eng- lishman who understood all about English gooseberries; he undertook to prune our patch so that it would bear heavily. He went to work and pruned it and next year the crop was considerably decreased and also the next year following that again it was lessened, so we came to the conclusion that he did not know what he was doing. His idea was that gooseberries are borne on the previous year's growth, something like a quince; but gooseberries are borne on two-year-old wood, and in pruning we must try to develop as much of this two year old wood as pos- sible. Young shoots should be cut back for say about one half their growth, so as to develop fruit blooms all down the stems. If this is not done — we find it is the case with currants, too — the fruit buds will develop more towards the end, and as the years go on the growth will not become as vigorous as if the bush had been cut back each year. It is not good practice to leave the bushes without cutting for two years. A far better plan is to cut back a little every year, and so get that much more Vigor into the plant. Of course all broken branches, and those that are] too close to the ground, should be taken out as they are detrimental to the development of the plant and will tend to make the fruit very dirty. It is a mistake to thin out a gooseberry bush too much, as it allows the sun- light in. We do not prune gooseberry bushes on the same plan that we prune an apple tree; we don't want any more sunlight than we can help. Gooseberries, as I have already said,, are very easily scalded, and we can get good fruit without 102 THE REPORT OP THE No. 44 having the sun shining on them all the time. With English gooseberries, leave about five or six good bearing canes and we should have five or six more heavy shoots coming on at the same time to take the place of the old canes which are to be cut out. As a rule one or two old canes should be cut out every year. When the canes are about five years old the berries become small and they will not pro- duce as heavy or as satisfactory a crop as young and vigorous bearing branches will. Now, as to the different varieties of gooseberries. The principal English varieties are Industry. Lancashire Lad, Crown Bob, Keepsake, and Whitesmith. The Industry is a very strong growing bush; the berry is oblong, large and red when it is ripe. But they are generally picked green, and is altogether a very satis- factory variety to plant — one of the best. Crown Bob is considered very good by some, but we do not think very much of it. We had about 600 bushes once; we left them for about four years and then took them all out. The reason for this was that a week or so before we got the crop off we found leaves all dropping off. This was not because they were attacked by any disease that I know of, because gooseberries of other varieties growing right alongside of them held their leaves right along. Another reason is that they never bear nearly so heavily as other varieties which we had, and we did not find them profitable. They are red, rather large, and also hairy. Lancashire Lad is another red berry, roundish in form and smooth. Keep- sake is a greenish yellow gooseberry; it is not so well known as Whitesmith in this country, but is a very promising variety withal; it is a very strong and vigorous grower. Whitesmith is, in my opinion, the best gooseberry — English gooseberry — that we have. It is a large berry, it is extremely nice, being a greenish white berry, and the veins are very plainly marked; the berry is smooth and of an oblong form. The bush is very vigorous, throwing out young shoots every year in old bearing branches. There are various varieties of American gooseberries, some of which I will men- tion. I will take what I consider the three best — the Pearl, Downing, and Smith's Improved. The Pearl is considered by a great many to be the very best American variety. It is a good vigorous grower, a white berry and the veins are clearly marked, and it has a brownish bloom. The Downing is very similar, and in some sections it is just as good a berry as the Pearl. The Smith's Improved is a variety propagated very largely on the other side; it is well recommended by American growers and it is grown now quite a bit in Ontario, but it is not as well known as the Pearl and Downing. A Member: What about the Red Jacket? Mr. Henry: The Josselyn or Red Jacket? Well, it is a very good berry, but it is not as good a variety as any of the other three I have mentioned. I have only named the three because I do not want to mix them up, and, as you know, there is an interminable list of varieties. A Member: I think you could give it second place? Mr. Henry: Well, of course, that is a matter of opinion. The Red Jacket or Josselyn is considered by some to be the best, but there is very little difference between it and some other varieties I have not mentioned. A Member : What is your objection to it? Mr. Henry: My objection to it is that it is not as productive, as far as my experience goes, as the Pearl, for instance. A Member: Do you put the Pearl first? 1014 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 103' Mr. Henry : Yes. The other varieties do not hold their leaves as well. A Member: Cannot you hold the leaves in the other varieties by spraying them as well? Mr. Henry : Well, of course there are a great many differences of opinion as to the best varieties, in fact more different opinions than there are varieties, and as I was saying there are perhaps fifty American varieties that are thought well of in their locality, but I just picked out these three knowing them to be very good varieties to plant. Picking : The picking problem is getting to be a very serious one in nearly every district, especially to a grower who has large quantities of small fruits. A grower who has a line of fruit commencing with gooseberries and ending up with blackberries can obtain a number of pickers and keep them right through the seasons with very little difficulty; but the man who has a small quantity and of varieties that do not require the services of the pickers through the whole season will find, he is often up against it in obtaining pickers, as they have not steady' work through the whole year. A large grower can obtain Indians from different sources and keep them right on the farm, and that is the practice with a great many men. They find when they want pickers they are there. The Indians knowing they can have two months5 steady work are ready to come back next year, and the grower is in that way very much benefitted by having a variety of fruits following one another in stage of development and extending over the whole season. A Member: We have tried Indians and they were not satisfactory; they went away. Mr, Henry : Why did the Indians go away ? A Member : Because they did not want to work steadily. Mr. Henry : One gentleman here says the Indians will not work steadily ; we have not found that to be the case in our district. Sometimes Indians rove around from one patch to another, but we have found them to be very satisfactory berry pickers. A Member: They will have all their money spent by the following morning. Mr. Henry: We use a system of books. Every night we give them books in which to enter what they have picked that day, and they get them cashed when they want it. Bringing them from the Reserve, we pay their fares and deduct it from their books, but if they stay the whole season we make an equivalent addition to their books. We have found the book system a very good one. Other people use a punch card and that is also a good -system, but I do not know that I would advise paying the Indians over night in cash. The price for picking red currants is usually 15 cents a basket; if they pick in crates it is generally a cent a box and pickers can make fairly good money on this basis. The price for the fruit varies quite a deal from 35 cents to 40 cents. Gooseberries are picked at 15 cents for 11-quart basket, and as the crop is generally pretty uniform they can make good money. From about 12 to 15 baskets a day is a very good average for a picker. Insect Pests. In some patches that have been more or less neglected San Jose Scale has become very bad. Especially is this the case with black currants, and it is rather hard to control, because the branches are so close together, so that the spray does not get at them thoroughly. The bushes should therefore be well sprung out in 104 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 pruning. The plants should be well pruned out and all the branches which are badly attacked cut out and burned and then the bushes should be sprayed thor- oughly, that is after the pruning has been done, and the bush is more open to receive the spray. There should be no difficulty in ^controlling the scale and wip- ing it right out. We have had a number of apple and peach orchards fairly badly infested. We pruned them out, all the badly infested branches, and used lime- sulphur spray fairly strong. Green Aphids are sometimes very bad, on red currants particularly. These little plant lice are found underneath the leaves, causing the leaves to become very badly discolored and curled — a yellowish green color. They are sometimes so bad, and curl the leaves to such an extent, that you can scarcely see anything of the aphids, and it is almost impossible to get at them with any spray. They will get on the bushes in the early spring. About the time the buds are bursting is the time to spray the plant. Spraying them at that time with kerosene emulsion, whale oil soap, and with lime-sulphur later on in the spring will kill all the young aphids. If left for a week or so later before the first spray, it is almost impossible to kill them with lime-sulphur, whale oil soap or kerosene emulsion, while if treated a week earlier you will, as I say, kill all the young aphids. After the leaves come out, if you do not notice them before, if you see aphids on the leaves spray them then with such sprays as I have mentioned, but it is useless to spray them when the leaves have started to curl, as the spray will not reach the aphids. This insect must be killed by contact with the poison and if you are unable to reach them with the spray it is useless using it. The currant worm sometimes causes a lot of damage. This last year it was rather bad in a gooseberry patch I know of, almost entirely defoliating some bushes. It also attacked some red currant bushes. The insect spends the winter in the ground, and in the spring it comes out and the female adults lay eggson the under side of the leaves, glueing the eggs to the leaves. If you look for them when the leaves are well out you will notice little greenish white eggs glued all along the leaves on the under side. These hatch out into a greenish white little worm which rapidly grows, and all the time is feeding. As it grows it becomes more voracious, and if it gets very bad it will eat all the leaves off a bush. When the worm is full grown it is about three-quarters of an inch long and a kind of greenish yellow color. It goes down in the ground and pupates- and about the latter end of June it attacks the bushes again. This attack is usually the worst, as by this time the worms have become much more numerous. However, it is very easily controlled. The only spray necessary for this worm is arsenate of lead. Have this thoroughly put on at the time the worms are first noticed on the bushes and you do not need to worry any further, as this spray will thoroughly clean out these insects. The American Currant borer is another insect which causes a great deal of damage. The adult is a club-winged moth, the little worm or grub which does the damage is a kind of yellowish white color with a black head, about half an inch or perhaps a little longer. The adult lays its eggs on the leaf and then crawls back and feeds on the cane, attacking the older canes worst. It spends the winter at the bottom of the plant, and in the spring it pupates and comes out again. The best way to determine if the old canes and branches have been attacked is to examine them closely, and if attacked you will notice a sickly, unhealthy looking yellowish tinge on the leaves of the plant. These branches that are affected should be cut out and burned. The only thing we can do, since there is no 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 105 method of spraying which will control this insect, is to watch for their appear- ance on the branches, and then by careful pruning out and burning of the diseased branches, we may eradicate them. If this practice is followed there is not much danger of the insect becoming very serious. There are other insects which attack currants, such as the four line leaf beetle, but they are not considered important in their injury of currants. Then there is the Red Spider, but I have never seen an attack from this insect. Have you, Mr. Caesar ? Mr. Caesar: Yes, it is very common. The best thing to be done if found would be to use lime-sulphur, sp. gr. 1.008, applied to the under side of the leaves. Diseases. The only diseases of importance are the Currant Anthracnose, Gooseberry Mildew, and Red Currant Leaf Spot, which attacks the leaves in the form of a clear spot, very brown looking, somewhat large, and there may be spots of grey also, and you will notice little black specks which produce the fungus. It some- times becomes very bad, causing the bushes to become entirely defoliated. It can be destroyed by spraying with lime-sulphur, specific gravity 1.009 ; that is the same spray that they use for the first summer spraying. Currant Anthracnose looks very much like the Currant Leaf Spot. In this disease you will notice a little brown spot, and if the leaf is badly attacked the whole leaf becomes brown. As with the other disease this disease can be con- trolled by spraying a little after the fruit sets with lime-sulphur, so that one spray- ing will do for the two diseases. As well as attacking currants it is sometimes found on gooseberries. The most serious disease we have to deal with is the gooseberry mildew. Besides attacking the fruit of the gooseberry, it also attacks the leaves, stamens and young shoots of the currants, sometimes causing the growth to become spotted and very yellow. The gooseberry mildew up to a few years ago was thought to be very hard to control, but it is now considered as a disease which we can almost eradicate, and clean gooseberries are now the rule. The first spraying should be put on in the winter, using the ordinary winter spray of lime-sulphur. It is best put on just before or about the time the buds are bursting. The bushes should be sprayed again just before the blossoms open with lime-sulphur at a specific gravity of 1.009; just the same strength at which you use lime-sulphur for the Codling Moth spray. Then to make a complete job you should spray the bushes thoroughly again about three weeks later when the gooseberries become about the size of marbles. That is when about half an inch across or a little smaller they should be sprayed again with a spray 1.008 which is a little weaker, and if it is done thoroughly you will find there is not much trouble from mildew, in fact we have found we can thoroughly control it, and before we started to spray, mildew was very bad. A Member : What yield of gooseberries did you get per acre, on an average ? MR. Henry: I could not tell you to the acre. We have about 3,000 bushes, and last year we got 680 baskets. A Whitesmith patch of 'only 600 bushes averaged 6 quarts to the bush; that is, 300 baskets, about. The other patch which consists of Industry and Lancashire Lad averaged 3 quarts to the bush; that is a patch which is in the open, and we consider that patch would do much better if it were in the shade. JUb THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 CANADIAN MARKETS. Robert Thompson, St. Catharines. The question of markets is a pretty serious one. Our President referred to it yesterday in a rather pessimistic mood. He thought we had about as many apples and more peaches than we could take care of. In the long line of years that have gone past, and I see a man before me who was in the busi- ness long before I was, I am taken back some forty-three years, for I started forty- four years ago. Not very many years after I started growing grapes, for that was one of the first crops I grew, a man was talking to me who was one of the leading growers at that time. He was a man who grew as many grapes as were usually grown, for grapes were grown by very few parties then. Mr. Stewart and other old heads here will bear me out that we were receiving from 10 to 25 cents a pound, and then somewhere in the seventies or a little later 10 cents a pound. This par- ticular grower, who happened to be a friend of mine, did not think farmers ought to plant grapes when we were then beginning to plant them by the acre, as it was taking the business from the gardeners, who were planting only portions of acres here arid there along with their garden crops. He got very indignant when I said we could grow them at five cents a pound. Time went very fast, and Prof. Crow when he spoke of the cycles we would have, brought this back to my mind. We have gone through several of them when grapes have got down to $12 a ton. Another time Mr. Bunting and myself bought a carload at 12^ cents per twenty- pound basket, baskets included. Notwithstanding these low periods you will remember our late President, Mr. Murray Pettit, in a discussion not very many years ago, said that the con- clusions were that grapes were as low as they could be grown for. Notwithstand- ing all this a very large number of growers have continued to plant grapes, and are keeping right on at it, as well as new growers coming into competition, knowing that prices would always change, that one year we would have low prices, and then a period, perhaps, of high prices. That was what Mr. Pettit said. There has been a change even in grapes. We have not exper- ienced the crops of four or five years ago. We will always have these lower and higher prices, and the man that gives up when the prices are low in any line, and will plant whatever line of fruit that is high at that time will always be the under dog. He will always be planting when prices are high and his orchard coming into bearing when prices are low. If a man is an apple grower he should set right out to grow apples no matter what the price; and if a grape grower, then grapes or whatever the land is suited for. He may choose to grow several lines of fruit, and by starting in a small way and learning the business as he goes along he will find that worth a great deal. In the securing of markets my experience goes back forty years. Another fact I have noticed is this: In periods of low prices the public are induced to take the fruit because it is at such a low price, and this extends the business so that the next few years they keep on taking the fruit no matter what the prices may be; that creates a market. Prices are going to be low, and they are going to be high, and we must expect that. The fruit business is in as good shape now as it ever has been, and we want to look after it and see that it remains so or advances. I use the word Canadian markets in regard to all the fruit that is grown in that section of the country I represent, although in speaking particularly of apples, 1914 FETJIT GBOWERS' ASSOCIATION. 107 I may say that we get rid of our fall apples in the same markets as we get rid of our grapes, plums, peaches, and other fruits; that remark applies as well to winter apples. There is a market for our apples in the Northwest, if they were placed there in the hands of the people who want them, without too much middle- men's profit, and if we can let these people know where our apples are to be had. Under these conditions there is a population in the Northwest to eat all the apples we can grow for years to come. The first of our Canadian markets is the Province of Ontario, while at present large quantities of the tender fruits are shipped to the principal towns and smaller lots to the small villages. This market could be greatly increased by shipping from three to five tons to the smaller towns and villages say once, twice or three times each week by freight. The fruit would arrive in better shape, less expense and retailers could afford to sell to their customers at less profits because of the greater quantities handled and less loss. The larger towns and cities could take car lots. If our large growers and shippers would follow out some such system the quantities consumed in Ontario could easily be doubled and even quadrupled. The second market is our lower provinces, and these have not been supplied to any extent. There are only one or two of our large shippers that have been sending any quantity of fruit down east. Very few others have bothered with it: this market has never been properly worked. We do not realize that we can ship to them. There are many large villages and towns in these provinces that scarcely ever see a Canadian peach or grape. The shippers do not have to lower their prices in proportion to the lowering of prices in the Ontario market. The third market is the Canadian Northwest. I have felt annoyed time and again in reading statements in our own papers from people coming back after visiting the prairie provinces. They have listened to statements made io them by those interested in the American houses or branches of that firm established in every large city and town in the West. These firms are interested in bringing in and selling fruit from the Western States, and of course knock Canadian fruit every time they get a chance. They want from two to three hundred dollars' profit on every car they handle. They will tell you that this is the case without any hesitation, a7id try to make you think that it is nothing out of the way. I have known them to want a profit of one dollar a box on pears. Now after these jobbers have sold the carload of fruit to the wholesaler, the wholesaler sold to the retailer, the retailer again to the consumer, each has to have their profit in proportion to what the jobber charges. This in many cases has made the fruit prohibitive to a large class of people out there, and this is why we have not been shipping more fruit to the Northwest. We have, of course, outside of these American houses a number of firms friendly to Canadian fruit. They buy whenever they can from Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario, and their sympathies as well as the sympathy of the majority of the people in the Northwest are with the Canadian people. We sometimes hear complaints from customers out there of fruit that has been poorly packed. This may be due to several causes; first, the fruit may have been picked a little too ripe, but owing to poor transportation facilities cars do not arrive in time, and even when properly picked and packed owing to excessive delays the cars may arrive in bad shape; but the proportion of fruit that is badly packed is very small in proportion to the fruit that is sent out with which no fault could be found. Whenever a Canadian dealer out there has had one or two cars of Ontario fruit you want to hang on to that dealer and supply him with what he wants. I wish to refer particularly now to boxed apples. Saskatchewan 108 THE KEPOBT OF THE No. 44 and Alberta want our apples in boxes, and in this connection I* am pleased to see the progress made in boxing by our Ontario growers. Three years ago the directors talked of getting up three hundred box lots for prizes at the Exhibi- tion. The majority of the directors did not think it wise to give a prize for three hundred box lots. Well, a prize was given this year for three hundred box lots, and out in the Transportation building there are three hundred box exhibits that will compare favorably with those from any part of the world — just as good as any from British Columbia or the Western States — and I wish our press that has been praising Western methods of packing would come and inspect the products of the Ontario packers as exhibited in the Transportation building and then give them credit and help us to come into out own. The conditions as far as our ex- hibitors are concerned are different from those of British Columbia or the Western States. The majority of the people in the West who are growing or shipping fruit have land to sell; they are controlled by syndicates there; nearly every man has a price on his farm and they spend time and money gathering fruit to make exhibits. Our people are too busy in gathering and packing their fruit. They are busy men who get up our exhibits, and all honor should be given them for the time they have spent in helping to keep Ontario fruit in the front. I think I have a right to speak with some confidence when I give you this information, viz., that the St. Catharines Cold Storage Company has been giving this western market special attention for over ten years, that the shipments have increased year by year until in the past season we sent out to the West 178 car- loads, containing 2,430 boxes and 44,480 baskets of peaches, 91,450 packages of tomatoes, 1,550 boxes and 58,220 baskets of pears, 860 boxes and 10,300 baskets of apples, 57,530 packages of plums, 1,460 baskets peppers, 1,200 'baskets of crabs, 1,570 baskets of quinces, 149,400 packages of grapes, besides several hundred baskets each of egg plants, onions, cucumbers, beans, melons, black and red currants, cherries and gooseberries, making a total of 423,320 packages or very nearly one-third of the total shipments from the companies' shippers. If Ontario is not holding her own, then all I have to say is that this company is steadily shipping more each year. We have been selling to the same firms year after year, and at the end of each season very flattering letters are received from purchasers of these cars in the West. Now, I wish to make myself clear. While I say that the West presents a great opening for Ontario fruit, and while this Company has made a great success in supplying a portion of their wants, it has been accomplished only after years of patient watching. The only way that shipments to the West can be successful is for a number of growers to arrange to plant the varieties that will carry well, to agree in the early part of the season that they will pick their fruit at the proper stage of ripeness, to furnish a stated regular supply, have it properly packed, placed in good cars that have been well cooled, and see that these cars are loaded so that the fruit will carry safely. If this is done, then all of the Niagara District will not furnish too much fruit. The railways will then give us regular or special fruit trains making the trip as far as Winnipeg in from 3 to 4 days, and more rapid and cheaper transportation to more western cities and towns. Of the shipments I have mentioned about one-half were sold by our house in Winnipeg; that is practically as far as we are concerned better almost than direct sales and in dealing through them we got more money out of it than if we had sold directly; the other half was all sold outright. Of course we keep posted on the state of the markets there all the time. 1914 FKU1T GROWERS ASSOCIATION. 109 Our western market is a great one, and it will always be there for us. We cannot afford to lose it. We cannot afford to let it fall into the hands of a combine which is strongly against the use of Ontario fruit. I would advise those here who have before this year supplied a western dealer, to send him word that you are prepared to fill his orders. If you do not do this you will lose him, as the syndicate is securing control of all the independent jobbers as fast as it can. A Member : Do you ship in full cars ? Mr. Thompson: Not necessarily. A Member: What is the minimum? Mr. Thompson: They have rates less than carload rates, five ton rates. The rate is the smallest matter, the despatch is what we are concerned with more. A Member: What minimum do they give you for a carload of fruit? Mr. Thompson: To the West we have to have ten tons. A Member : 24,000 pounds is the minimum ? Mr. Thompson : That is on apples, but on smaller fruits it is 20,000. Where we were selling direct they wanted 20,000 pounds, and sometimes we could not make up the full minimum. A Member: You have got to pay the freight on the full minimum amount when you get the minimum rate? Mr. Thompson: That is what they claim. But I would rather take chances on paying the difference in freight between 18,000 pounds and 20,000 pounds to have the fruit arrive in good condition. In shipping peaches and plums if you go beyond a certain number of tiers high it is liable to damage some of the fruit. I would, of course, like to be at both ends to see the fruit shipped, follow it in transit, and then be at the other end when it arrived. I have seen American fruit shipped under conditions when they packed it beyond a certain number of tiers high and it always spoiled, and we must not load our cars so that there is the slightest chance of the fruit spoiling. It is better to pay for 20,000 pounds and put in only 18,000, and have it arrive in good condition, than it is to put in 20,000 pounds simply to make up the full minimum. A Member: You spoke about Lake Michigan? Mr. Thompson: That is a short cut. A Member: From where? Mr. Thompson: From Grand Haven; it is a regular route. A Member: How does the time compare with that road and going by the C. P. R.? Mr. Thompson: With the C. P. R. we cannot always get cars, and I would rather take six days in making the shipment, and have them regularly, than I would have irregular shipments running from five, six, and seven to eight days for delivery. A Member: You mean to Winnipeg? Mr. Thompson: To Winnipeg. And if you put your fruit in green enough for seven days and it arrives in five days it is too green for market. Mr. John Broderick (St. Catharines) : What Mr. Thompson has told you to-day in regard to planting is a fact. The man who is going to plant fruit for commercial purposes should plant the fruit that will be required by whoever might be going to superintend the shipping. Then, to come to the interesting question of whether the price is high or low; have confidence enough in your shipper to handle it for you and you will make a success of it. There is another question I think that is very serious. The question of 110 THE EEPOET OF THE No. 44 what growers of Ontario pay commission men to-day to sell their goods. I have every respect for the commission men, for we are paying then $5,000 a day, but would it not pay us better to find a more direct means of reaching the consumer and thus save to the grower or consumer a large part, if not the whole, of his $5,000 a day? ' ADDEESS. Hon. Martin Burrell, Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa. I have not come here to make a speech, and I can see the look of relief on your faces when you know you are not going to have a speech from me. Mr. Hodgetts wrote me asking me to address this meeting. I told him I was going to try to get up, but would rather be allowed to wander hither and thither peace- fully, shaking hands and renewing acquaintances with as many old friends as I could. This is an association in which I have always taken the deepest interest, and I have been watching especially the many problems that you are facing at the present time. I am particularly glad to see my old friend, Mr. Parker, speak- here to the members of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, because I think one thing that makes for success is the interchange of ideas between men of Mr. Parker's experience from the different fruit districts; men who have had to deal with the handling of fruit in the broadest sense, and there is no doubt that what has been illustrated here this afternoon as being successfully carried out in one province may similarly prove a success in another province. Now, I would not care to take my seat again without just touching on the work you are carrying on. As you all know I am speaking now as a fruit grower. There are two or three classes of problems that we have to face if we are going to be successful in our business. The first is possibly to produce a kind of fruit that every purchaser will want, and then when we have done that to get our orchards into shape to produce a first class yield. Secondly, to put it up in such a way that it will stand, the handling it must before it reaches the market, and at the same time put it up in such a way that it will appeal to the most epicurean taste; that having once gained a purchaser we will be able to retain him. These questions of producing and marketing will always be great problems. It is most gratifying to know at any rate that you are surmounting so many of the difficulties that face you both in production and marketing. I think you all recognize, too, the fact that the Government is trying to do everything it can to advance the interests. not only of the agriculurists but of the horticulturists. Now, as to packing, I want to say just one or two words of congratulation. You are all practical fruit growers, and are making very marked progress from year to year. I am referring to box packing, for that is the only packing we are concerned with in the West, I had the pleasure, I think three years ago, of attending an exhibit held down in the old St. Lawrence market, when, I think, probably you made your first fairly large attempt to exhibit box packing, and the difference between that exhibit and what you are exhibiting to-day is very marked. I have no doubt that I shall even find an improvement in the packing of this year over last. Perhaps one looks on these things somewhat critically. We have had competition in British Columbia from the nearby Western States, and that has improved our methods. The achievement of the Province of Ontario along the packing line is such that I consider the heartiest congratulations are 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. Ill due you for the class of packing you are now putting out; the uniform fairness with which the apples are put up. I examined some of the packing, and I did not go to the bottom layers because I am satisfied of the uniform quality of the pack. In regard to the other questions that come up from time to time, and on which now and then the Government can help you to meet competition fairly in your own market, I think many of you here know we were striving very hard to amend our Fruit Marks Act. Mr. Parker has touched on these things and the subject of co-operation, and there will always be problems coming to the front that you will have to deal with. Well, we did think we could help you, and we succeeded, and that in the face of every kind of opposition, not from fruit growers, but from gentlemen who are not interested in fruit growing. All we did was to see that every consumer in the North-west when he bought a package of apples should know what he was buying. We altered the Fruit Marks Act, and on the whole I am } repared to say from our experience in the Northwest this year, that there has uot been any very great complaint. There is a marked increase in the numbers of American competitors who have entered our markets, and we are making them Live up to the statutory requirements of Canada. After all, all we did was to see that every consumer in the Northwest when he bought a package of apples would know what he was buying; that anything sold in that market would he sold under uniform conditions. Now, as o transportation problems. You gentlemen know just as much, and perhaps 1 >:e than I do, but 1 believe, and always did believe, that just as soon as the _pwers can show that the traffic is such that it will pay the railways to equip their road with facilities that will handle all you can produce in such a way that it will be landed in the markets in the best possible condition, I believe the transportation companies will meet every reasonable request put up to them. I believe a very fair attempt on behalf of the big transportation com- panies to meet the changing conditions has been made ; they have met the demands made upon them in a very fair spirit, and that just as soon as the growers can show that the traffic is such that it will pay the railways to equip their road especially for handling this class of goods they will do so. Let me again thank you and say to my old friends in the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, and to those I do not know personally, but know as members of the Association, I wish you again the most hearty success in all your efforts. I can assure you of the hearty co-operation of the Department of Agriculture, and any assistance that I may be able to give you. Mr. Dempsey: We have another old friend here that we are always pleased to hear, and I hope he will speak to us for a few minutes now. I have much pleasure in introducing Mr. C. C. James. Mr. C. C. James: For many reasons I would not at this time at all presume to take up your time. You gave the Minister of Agriculture fair warning, but you did not give me any. At the same time I could not possibly deny myself the pleasure of acceding to your request if only to wish you well. As I look around this gathering I see men whom I knew in this Association at least twenty-five years ago, and they have been pretty faithful members all through these long years. Looking back, however, it does not seem so very long. As I said when I look around and see men who have been here for twenty-five years they must think with me of the vast amount that has been accomplished. As the Minister said no one could look on the exhibit in the Horticultural Building LIS THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 without knowing that it had taken years, that it was the work of many years. Some of you men who have laboured so long and so faithfully in this organization will perhaps have your work recognized by the fruit growers of this Province if not by the public. I have no speech prepared and it would be presumption on my part to talk generalities. I will simply say again, in the words of the Minister, that I wish you well in your work and trust that the members of this Association will prosper in the future as they have done in the past, and that each succeeding year may see some advance, some step forward in the interests of the Association. Mr. J. A. Euddick (Ottawa) : I am not going to attempt to make a speech, but I just want to say a word or two on one or two points. First, I think this Association at this meeting should appoint delegates for the next Dominion Con- ference of Fruit Growers. It has been suggested that the next Dominion Con- ference should be held in the fruit season, and in a fruit growing district, and as far as I have mentioned that to fruit growers in different parts of the country it has met with their approval. I think if you could be sure of attracting a gathering of prominent fruit growers from different parts of the country into one of the principal districts where they could get out through the orchards and see the work that is going on and get enlightenment in that way, that it would be a considerable help. There is no reason why the conference should be held at Ottawa as it always has been in the past. I would like to have an expression of opinion on that point from the growers interested. STRAWBERRY CULTURE. Prof. J. W. Crow, O.A.C., Guelph. There are a few points in the practice of some of the best strawberry growers which probably it would be well to bring to the attention oi the growers in general. The average commercial practice could no doubt be vastly improved. The question of variety in strawberry culture is one which seems to be settled according to the district or locality. I was talking with Mr. Bunting yesterday afternoon on the subject of varieties and I have a fair idea of what he was going to say. The variety grown most largely is the Williams. It is very vigorous, and is very largely grown for shipments to points outside the district. It is a very firm berry, gives an excellent yield, of first class keeping quality, and forms the leading variety of the entire Niagara section; in that district it does seem to thrive extremely well; in other districts it is not so satisfactory. In Norfolk County, Mr. James E. Johnston, who grows strawberries successfully, uses a very large proportion of Sample, and counts it one of the best varieties. Now, the Williams does not seem to do at all well in Norfolk County; it may be on account of the soil, as the Williams is not satisfactory at Guelph, and has never given anything more than a very ordinary yield under our conditions. The variety which does best with all things considered from the standpoint of general market value with us is the Parson's Beauty, and wherever that variety has been tried— at least so far as I know, it has always given excellent satisfaction. I do not know that in the Niagara district it would outyield the Williams, probably it would not ; but with us it yields twice as much. I do not think it is the same as the Gibson, but I believe the berry grown in the Oakville district as a Gibson is the Parsons. So far as I can see they are much the same. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 113" A Member: What would you name as the distinguishing feature? Prof. Crow: Well, I do not know that I can give it to you offhand. The berry they grow in the Oakville district is very like the Parsons. A Member: It would be very helpful if we could find out the distinguishing features. Mr. Dempsey: It is a point that I have been trying to clear up and as far as I have been able to learn what the Oakville growers call the Gibson is the Parson's Beauty. Prof. Crow: It is a very satisfactory berry and gives a very satis- factory yield. Wherever the Parson's Beauty has been tried it has been found to be a very heavy cropper and an exceeding vigorous plant. Very hardy; it will stand more wet, more cold, more rain, and will stand bad conditions in general, better than any other variety which we have got, and it will outyield any of the others. A Member: Has it a good colour? Prof. Crow: It has a perfect flower, is an extremely vigorous plant, a large yielding variety; the colour is not so pronounced, but is medium. A Member: How does it compare for development? Prof. Crow: It is rather late. If you have a district which grows Williams satisfactorily, as it is grown, for instance, in the Niagara District, you would find it hard to beat. The Williams as grown in the Niagara district at its best will yield all the way up to 10,000 and 15,000 boxes per acre, and some records have gone beyond that. It is doing fairly well, I think, where it is grown on a large scale. There is one point in particular regarding strawberries, which, I think, should be emphasized and that is the question of manures and fertilizers. The straw- berry is a plant that will give returns without a very large amount of fertilizers. We do not, as fruit growers generally, feed our plants enough and as far as the strawberries are concerned we often consider it just as well to let them take care of themselves in this respect. This attitude is taken with regard to strawberries possibly more than it is with any other fruit. The strawberry is a plant which will respond to a liberal application of fertilizer. If you are going to go in for strawberry culture the one important thing you have got to aim at is a larger and better yield of crop. To put thirty, or forty, or fifty acres under straw- berries is wholesale strawberry culture, and the crop per acre would not be as large as where you devoted your energies to a smaller area; it would simply be out of the question to get a big yield per acre with that acreage. I prefer a smaller acreage well worked, and supplied with plenty of fertilizer. Strawberries will stand heavy applications of stable manure, and by heavy I mean allthe way up to 15 tons per acre, and in the mineral fertilizers probably acid phosphate, or bone meal, and muriate of potash. Some growers are using a complete mixture of these fertilizers at the rate of say 1,000 to 1,200 pounds per acre for strawberries; and that is not too large. Yesterday morning, after my address on apples, a fruit grower from Queenston was speaking to me about fertilizers for peaches. I gave you some figures for applications of fertilizers to cherries as 800 pounds per acre.. This fruit grower tells me that in peach culture he has used 1,200 pounds per acre of commercial fertilizer ; that is to say, home mixed fertilizer in addition to a large quantity of stable manure. Now, I simply give you that to follow up what was stated yesterday as applying right here in connection with 8 p.g. n *^*rr*n 114 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 the application of fertilizers to strawberries. Strawberries will, as I have already stated, stand very heavy feeding. A Member : It would be very much harder to keep the patch clean where you are using large quantities of farm yard manure? Prof. Crow : Well, barnyard manure, of course, carries a good many weed seeds, but the usual practice is to put that barnyard manure on the strawberry ground a year ahead, and the commercial fertilizers go on somewhat later. Some make an application of nitrate of soda just about the beginning of the fruit season. The nitrate of soda is used in order to increase the size of the berry. Application of mixed fertilizers should be made either at the time of the setting of the plants or later. A Member: When would you make that application to plants in their second year ? Prof. Crow: I would put that on just as soon as the crop is off ancT when you are working up that patch for the following year. A Member: Nitrate of soda? Prof. Crow : I would put on a complete mixture, and there is a good heavy quantity of nitrate of soda in that. As soon as your crop is oft you are taking up your beds to get ready for a second crop. A Member: When would you put your strawberries on sod; with what cultivation ? Prof. Crow: Well, I had better go back to the beginning of my remarks. The usual practice of the best commercial growers who put their strawberries on sod is this: They prefer to cultivate for one season to get rid of the weeds. If they are using stable manure it gives them, too, a chance to kill the weeds which might develop from that source. Then when the plant is well started they will use a little superphosphate and muriate of potash in moderate quantities, I suppose 600 pounds per acre at that time. Then, when the crop is on, some growers apply nitrate of soda in order to bring up the size of the berry at the last of the season. Then I should say, as soon as that crop is off, when you are work- ing up that patch for a second crop, then is the time for the application of fertilizers in order to prepare it for a second crop. I should say when your first crop is off, and you are narrowing down the rows for a second crop, would be the time to use a good heavy application of complete commercial fertilizers and that application should contain, I think, a fair percentage of nitrogen ; you cannot apply stable manure on account of the weed seeds and you do not want to encourage any growth of weeds. A Member: What mulch covering do you put on for the winter? Prof. Crow : Well, I should prefer to use clean straw. A Member : We have been using only stable manure and we have been getting too many weed seeds. Prof. Crow: There is a point there in regard to mulching for the winter. A good many people, I think, put on too much covering. The object in covering strawberries, so far as I can see is not so much to keep the cold out, because the strawberry plant will stand a. good deal of hard freezing. The object is to prevent injury to the plants from heaving consequent on alternate freezing and thawing. Then I should say, put on just enough covering, putting it on evenly, to prevent the heaving of the plants from alternate freezing and thawing; that does not mean a covering four inches thick. I would, of course, rather use clean straw in order to avoid weeds. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 115 A Member: Would corn stalks, shredded or cut do? Prof. Crow: I have never seen them used on a large scale, but I should say shredded corn stalks would work very well. A Member: How fine do you cut the corn stalks? Prof. Crow : I suppose experience should guide you in that matter. A Member : I have used them and put them on thinly with a manure spreader. Prof. Crow: I should say that shredding would put the corn stalks into better shape for using a mulch than cutting, but cut corn stalks would probably make a fair cover. Of course, everybody cannot have shredded corn stalks, but nearly every one could have cut corn stalks. Another important matter in regard to strawberry culture is the proper cleaning up of the plantation. I have seen Mr. Bunting at work at that operation, cleaning up an old plantation for another crop. I have also seen that carried on by different methods in different parts of the country. Mr. Bunting's system, is, as I recollect it, to plow a light furrow on either side of the row, throwing the furrow right on the row in plowing away. His practice is to practically cover up the row. Then he goes crosswise with a spiked toothed harrow; that breaks up your furrow slice, and destroys the plant life between the row; that is his plan and it makes, I think, a very satisfactory plan to follow. A Member : Will that keep the patch clean ? Prof. Crow : It will, provided it is clean to start with. A Member: Clean in what way? Prof. Crow : When you have no weeds coming on that will grow up through it. It will eradicate some weeds but it won't work in all cases. A Member: How are you going to clean it when the land has been formerly sodded to grass and clover? Prof. Crow : Go through it with a hand hoe. A Member: Do you practice burning at all? Prof. Crow: In running the mowing machine over the patch it is well to gather up all the refuse and burn it and in this way you may get rid of a good many weed seeds, but I scarcely think it is generally practiced. Do you do it, Mr. Rittenhouse? Mr. Rittenhouse: Sometimes I burn the patch over, but I do not think it is a general practice. Prof. Crow : Do you pick any weeds during the fruit season ? Mr. Rittenhouse: We would like to then if we could. , The only time we cannot weed successfully is when there is bloom ; you can do a great deal of damage by weeding when there is bloom by disturbing it; the weeding should be done before you have the bloom, when the fruit will not be damaged at all. Now, to clean up the patch for another season we are doing all our work by hand. It looks like a lot of labour, but we try to keep our help employed as regularly as possible, and when the picking season is over we do all we can in the weeding line, and that helps us out. We get rid of quite a quantity of material that way and haul it away ; then we put in a cultivator and rip the centres up between the rows. Prof. Crow: Do I understand that you furrow down the row by hand with a hoe? Mr. Rittenhouse: Yes. Prof. Crow : Do you do that in order to keep your people employed ? 110 THE BEPOBT OF THE No. 44 Mr. Bittenhouse : We might do it more quickly, but it is not so long a job as you imagine. A Member : Mr. Bittenhouse has the same trouble as myself. You cannot work every place by the same methods. 1 had one man to help me, and I held the plow, as I would not trust the ordinary help to plow these furrows. If they were not qualified or particularly careful they would be very apt to destroy them. To put them in with a hoe cost a little more. And now as to the method of cleaning up. Cleaning up a patch depends on what it is going to cost you whether it will pay or not. We have figured on about two acres of what it costs to cultivate it, I mean with hand work. It costs us in the neighbourhood of $30. I would not consider that a very extravagant expense for cleaning up two acres, which yielded last year about 800 crates of strawberries, and we have it in good shape i'oi next year. A Member: How do you treat the plants until they come into bearing? Mr. Bittenhouse: The first year's growth is clean cultivation and lots of hand labor in the shape of hand hoe. Some growers hoe their strawberry planta- tions by hand as much as seven or eight times during a season, and that is quite a lot, but they need it. A Member: They need it. I might say one of my neighbours cleaned his strawberry patch this year in this way. He had V/2 or 1% acres of old plants starting a very fair patch of berries; they were nice and clean, and when through with them he just runs a mower over it, rakes the leaves up and takes them away and there is very little work to do. Prof. Crow : WTiere did he throw the furrow, on the row or away from the row? Mr. Thompson: He plowed away from the row and then cultivated them down ; it took very little labour. A Member: Then did he hoe in the row? Mr. Thompson: Yes, he hoed them out. He then plowed them over; that is better than mowing and better than cultivating. You can clean up thoroughly by going up one row and down another. A Member: Can you explain that method? Mr. Thompson : As I understand it, you plow say a 3-inch furrow on each side away from the row you have got on the land side on each side of that row. You cultivate thoroughly; going over the area three or four times with a sultivator. I have followed out this general plan exactly of hoeing and then cul- tivating. The soil makes all the difference, and in some cases you have to dis- pense with the hoe, as by its use you would pull everything to pieces. Prof. Crow: There is no doubt a good deal in what Mr. Thompson says- about the different soils, because in some soils you find it is a pretty difficult matter in some seasons to do the work with a hoe. If you have a soil that is in- clined to get hard you will gain more with a judicious use of the plow. Just try it: Bun a plow through different patches of soils; hard and soft, dry and moist, and you will be surprised at the difference. The method of cultivation will depend on the nature of the soil. There is one more point in connection with strawberry growing: It is scarcely, I suppose, part of our regular practice at the present time, but would improve conditions to those growing strawberries in a large way, that is the question of irrigation. We have had at Guelph for three or four years a small Skinner irrigation plant, and our experience is that there is only one way by which you can guarantee a regular yield of strawberries or get a crop during 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 117 a dry season, and that is by an artificial supply of water during a dry season. In four years out of five we have had, as you know, a spell of dry weather, and that irri- gation plant has increased our yield, in that dry spell, from 25 to 50 per cent, or more. Now we usually get a crop of strawberries amounting to 300 or 400 or 500 crates per acre, and the addition of this 10 per cent, is a very serious matter, and a reduction of 25 to 50 per cent, of your crop does away with your profits. I suppose if a grower could get water without too much expense it would pay to install an irrigation system even for a moderate sized acreage. A Member: What is the cost per acre? Prof. Crow : I cannot give it to you probably the way you want it, but I can give it to you in a sense. The best system, so far as I can see, for the use of strawberries is the overhead sprinkling system. Strawberries might be watered by allowing the supply to run down the furrows, but that takes a larger quantity of water and is apt to break up the furrow. We get the best results from turning on our overhead sprinkler system say for two or three hours each day, that does not use any large quantity of water for it simply sprinkles the plant lightly every day or every second day for two or three hours. Mr. Clement (Macdonald College) : As an experiment, this year we erected about 2% acres and we have it so arranged that we can irrigate 2% aqres of strawberries next year, and that 2% acre plant cost us $227, if that will be of any assistance to you. We constructed the laterals, and connected the latteral main with the college main. A Member: Was that for strawberries? Mr. Clement : No, we used it on celery this year, but we will turn it in •the opposite direction and irrigate strawberries next year. I will give you our plan. We run 300 feet of latterals from the college main and we divide that into eight or nine hydrants: we put two laterals from each main lateral and we allow the water to run for ten hours. A Member : Is that surface irrigation ? Mr. Clement: That is surface irrigation. We allow the water to run for ten hours, a regular working day before we cut it off; 10,000 gallons of water, and if we wanted to we could run 20,000 gallons a day from each lateral quarter acre; the next day simply transfer these latterals for 300 feet and work the next section and so on, and in this manner we get over an acre in 4 days. We had no rain from the 1st of June till September; in fact, a little less than % inch, and but for the irrigation we could not have done this at all. Prof. Crow: The water we put on does not actually get into the soil more than one-half inch by sprinkling every day for two or three hours. It keeps up the size of your berries, it keeps the plant from feeling any ill effects of drouth, and my opinion is that the proper application of water used in that way, say every day, will go a long way in the increase of your crop; it will increase your crop many times over. A Member : Would you put water on right in the hot season ? Prof. Crow : Yes. even on the hottest day. A Member: Ra.ve you any idea of the cost of that plant? Prof. Crow : Well, if you have your irrigation system, the cost of the irriga- tion pipes themselves and the nozzles, that is the equipment if you have got your water connection, will probably cost from $70 to $100 per acre. A Member: What do you do when your strawberry crop is over? 118 THE KEPORT OF THE' No. 44 Prof. Crow : You move your irrigation system to wherever you are going to have your strawberry plantation. A Member: Would that water system have paid this year? Prof. Crow : Well, I will tell you what that system would have done for us this year if we had known. We had frosts during the blooming season and we did not know enough to use our irrigation system to protect us from frost, but we found by experience this fall what use the sprinkler system might have been to us during these frosts. We turned our irrigation system on at night and we found that the water was a perfect protection against frost on the tomatoes, but I do not know to what extent we could do that on strawberries during the blossoming sea- son. I think it would be safe. I suppose our crop was cut down 60 per cent, by the frosts this year, and we only had light frosts, and I think we could have saved a large proportion of that crop by sprinkling at night; I am quite satisfied we could. Mr. Paterson: Was the water quite cold? Prof Crow : No, I think about 54°, that would be the temperature. With a small area, where you have sufficient water, if you have the power, by the proper use of the moisture you could, I am sure, avoid frosts. A Member: Now we are speaking about moisture; would you recommend the use of salt? Prof. Crow : I do not think I would recommend the use of salt on straw- berries; what is your idea m suggesting the use of salt? A Member : To help to retain the moisture in the land. Prof. Crow : That is a new idea to me, to use salt on strawberries. It would retain the moisture, but I do not see how it would increase the supply of moisture for the strawberries. The use of salt on soil would be more likely to take away the moisture than to supply it. For instance, the soil in which the salt is in solution would not readily give up its moisture to the plant. If you add salt to the soil it makes it that much harder for a plant to get moisture. Those are the the actual facts of the case: adding salt to the land helps the land to retain the moisture but not to part with it. A Member: What do you think of plaster? Prof. Crow : I do not know that plaster has any effect on the moisture content. If you want to follow the best practice it is continual clean cultivation. I do not know of any point in horticultural practice which is ordinarily more neglected than the simple operation of cultivation ; stirring the soil and getting and keeping it in a good state of tilth ; that is the best moisture conserver you can use. A Member : I suppose if you can get water so much the better. We have found the use of salt to give the best results. Prof. Crow: That is very interesting, but it is a question whether the use of salt increased your supply of moisture. The probability is that the application of salt in that case increased the food supply of the plant. It is a fact that if you use common salt it has the effect of releasing potash in the soil ; it has an indirect effect the same as applying potash. Salt will have no effect on the supply of moisture as far as I know. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 119 COLOR ON YOUR FRUIT. W. F. Kydd., Department oe Agriculture, Toronto. This subject that I have been asked to speak upon is one that it seems hard for one in my position to tell about. Anything that I may say along the lines indicated by the title of my address will be said with the hope of getting some of you apple-growers to experiment along these same lines, and if you do so I have no doubt you will get beneficial results. We apple-growers must admit that color on the apples is of the greatest import- ance in selling the fruit. What sells one box and one barrel of apples before another is sold? Color. In judging the barrels and boxes of apples in the Transportation Building, what has given certain apples first place instead of second? In almost every case, color? I was in Montreal last week, and I saw boxes of Snows retail- ing as high as $4. What made them retail for such big money? Color. Then apples of the same size, and the same variety, right alongside, did not sell for more than $2 a box. Why? They were without color. What usually makes an apple a Number 2 ? Is it because it is scabby or worm-holed ? It is usually lack of color. I was told the other day, by a man in the position to know, that 50 per cent, of the apples coming in for market are No. l's, and the balance are No. 2's and culls. Now, I do not think there is any trouble at all for any grower to bring his percentage of No. l's far higher than that. I know of some orchards taken up by the Government in Simcoe County six years ago. They had never been cultivated, pruned or sprayed previously, but the first year they packed 85 per cent, of No. l's ; that is a very big advance over 50 per cent. We hear that Ontario fruit lacks color. I am comparing Ontario fruit with fruit from the Western States and British Columbia. What makes that fruit of theirs sell so well? Is it the quality? No, it is the color. If a woman is passing along the street and she sees a box of well colored apples in the window she will usually step in and buy the box. With apples the color counts for so much, for the buyer nine times out of ten is going to take a good looking article. Now, Ontario fruit has been doing very well in competitions. Last August Ontario won first prize at Cleveland, and Ontario has been winning first prizes at Winnipeg in competition with British Columbia, Is it the average specimens that go to these exhibitions? You take this special exhibit that is shown here, and is it a fair specimen of the average output of Ontario? Very far from it in color. Our apples are said to be very good in flavor. That is always what we hear ; it is the flavor of the apples that we brag about in Ontario. Suppose you take a Mcintosh grown in British Columbia and a Mcintosh grown in Ontario, and you peel these apples and hand them to some authority. I am not so sure that he could tell where they came from. I have eaten Wealthies off the trees in British Columbia, and I have eaten Wealthies off the trees in this country., and the British Columbia Wealthies were mighty good apples. I am not praising up British Columbia and running down Ontario, but I want to put the matter straight before you. Color is a more important feature than anything else at the present time in the apple industry. Western States apples are getting a footing in our country to a very great extent, particularly in the western markets, and the chief point that 180 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 sells them is their color. Also, when they buy these apples from the States that are so carefully graded they know what they are getting. Very often when they get ours they don't know what they are; but if you put up our fruit as attractively and packed as well as they pack theirs they cannot hold the market. At the Winni- peg show this year there were thirty boxes of apples in competition from Ontario, thirty-five boxes of apples in the competition from British Columbia, and after the prizes were awarded these sixty-five boxes were put into one man's hands and disposed of for the Association. The management only asked $3 a box, where they could have sold them for far more money. There were twenty-eight out of the thirty Ontario boxes sold before any one asked the price of British Columbia apples at all. If our apples as a whole were put up as the Ontario apples at the Winnipeg exhibition were put up we could sell any quantity at $3 a box. I do not dread British Columbia competition, and we need not dread competition from the Western States, providing we pack as they do, and get the color on our fruit. There are a great many things that affect this color; certain districts affect it greatly, you get a damper climate in some parts of Canada than in others. Frost has a great deal to do with it, and cultivation; there are so many things that have an influence with color. Another thing Prof. Crow mentioned yesterday. He said varieties should be planted in certain districts — varieties that will mature in those districts. There are certain varieties you can get plenty of color .on in valleys, and others you cannot. I think we try to grow apples in some parts of Ontario where it is far harder to get color than in some other parts. There are different strains of apples; there are some varieties that will color far better than others. Certain apples are of a better color and better shape than others. Climatic conditions have a great deal to do with the shape of apples. Will anyone tell me why the Baldwin, Greening, and Mcintosh are longer this year than previous seasons? I could take you to a Mcintosh district, and I could show you more Mcintosh apples of the pear shape than of the usual Mcintosh type. Why is it? There is one man in Amherst who made a careful study of that subject, and his conclusion was that in seasons when the nights are cool following warm days during the blossoming season, for say two weeks, or in any district where that condition of affairs prevails, the apples are longer in shape. There is no doubt something in that theory. Prof. Crow : Is it not a fact that as you go west the apples are longer ; the same varieties grow longer on the Pacific? Mr. Kydd: I am talking now of Ontario. Prof. Crow : That condition I speak of is peculiar to the Pacific coast dis- trict : you get that as you go east, and it does not matter where you go as long as certain conditions prevail. Mr. Kydd: I do not believe that you can do anything to affect the color of apples with fertilizer. I have never found anyone prepared to say for a positive fact that the use of fertilizers would affect the color of your fruit; some people say it will do it. I have seen it tried, and 1 cannot say that I saw any influence of the fertilizer on the color of the fruit. But I do think by pruning and cer- tain methods of cultivation you can influence color, and these are, I think, the only things that color will be influenced by. A Member: What do you mean by cultivation influencing color? Mr. Kydd: I said the only way we could influence a color was by pruning and cultivation, and by cultivation I mean sod, which I will deal with shortly. Now pruning must be done to a certain extent before you can get color on your 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 121 apples. 1 do not believe in high trees; Lower your trees. I have in mind an orchard that has been primed successfully, and the top is 6 feet lower than it was before it was pinned. Take a tree of 30 feet, how can you prune that tree? You can take a little, off it and gradually work it down. We have got to prune if we would have color on the fruit. Do not take out .large branches, tat let the sun in. If I were asked how far apart to plant I would advise 35 feet for per- manent trees, and never permit them to fill that space, but cut them back. If they are 35 feet apart and most of the branches are 17 feet you will have the limbs dragging and you will have fruit that has no color; is that not so, Mr. President? Mr. Demfsey: I do not think so. Me. Kydd : The President says it is not so and what the President says must be so. (Laughter.) Me. Dempsey : Where will you get or be most likely to get your green Spies ? Mr. Kydd: On the limb that bends down. As far as you can keep the limbs up you get color on your apples, wherever they bend down the lower branches are shaded. In cutting off these branches to keep them from bending down you must cut them off at a strong lateral. Remember, you need not do all your prun- ing at once, but you have got to keep pruning pretty nearly all the time. If you have these great big trees, lower the heads of them. I was in Prince Edward county, and among the trees I noticed was one some 3'5 feet high, and for over 10 feet of that tree there was not a, leaf on it. You cannot spray your trees pro- perly at that height, and it is next to impossible to prune them at all, and there is the greatest difficult in picking them. Bring your trees lower down and cut them back until you have got rid of these overhanging branches. Now I am coming to a point of my address that I want you to think seriously about. I hope this time next year you will have experimented. We speak of cutting off branches, and the natural question is: Where are you going to cut? I am going to cut these all back (indicating). Prop. Crow: You would not cut them all off the same distance? Mr. Kydd : Thank you for bringing that up. No, I am not going to cut them off all the same distance, but the object is to have none of your fruit in the shade. A Member : You said to cut the lower ones back ? Mr. Kydd: No; if you cut the lower ones back and left the high branches you would have all the tree practically in the shade, but if you cut the higher ones well back and the lower ones are longer they will all get a certain 'amount of sun- light. A Member : How close would you allow these limbs to be ? Mr. Kydd: If I had the making of that tree I would like to have it in tiers of branches, spreading out at the bottom and gradually cut back to the top, and where possible have the branches as it were break the joints. For instance, that one would go in between these two (indicating with hand) three tiers of branches on every side of the tree. A Member: Did you ever try cutting them off in the summer? Mr. Kydd : I think I have tried cutting, them off in every month of the year. A Member: Did you trim them off 10 feet. Mr. Kydd: I have cut that much off the top of a tree. Mr. Stewart says there is nothing but a few apples on the outside. I would like to see apples on this tree clear up to the trunk. They never break down with the load. There is 122 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 hardly a fr.uit spur for eight feet. These limbs should be covered with fruit spurs. A Member : How about young trees ? Mr. Kydd: I am glad we are getting back to trimming young trees. I want to see you getting these trees bearing young. There is another man in here, though, that I think could help you out in that. I have changed my opinion greatly in this apple business. 1 think any man has a right to change his opinion as soon as he is convinced he is on the wrong track, and I own up that I have made some mistakes. Five or six years ago when I was sent out on this particular work I preached cultivation; we told them you cannot get good results without cultivation; but to-day I think you can cultivate too much. You can get better color without so much cultivation and with much less labor. I have in mind an orchard that has been in sod for the past twenty years and never got the least cultivation or fertilizer. I believe some of us would have better results in clover, if it would stay in clover, but I believe it should be put into some kind of sod, fertilized on top and left in sod and that will help to mulch the orchard. I' feel satisfied that with that practice followed out you will get far better color in your apples. Am I right or wrong in that? A Member: My orchard has been in sod for the past twenty-five years, and 1 find that the apples are not as large. Mr. Kydd: Mr. Carson says you will not get such large apples. In the usual method of growing trees that has been going on in the past, without any pruning, and without giving the apples any manure, you may not get size, but I believe that if you leave apples in sod and give them plenty of fertilizer the apples will be big enough. I would prune the trees thoroughly, and wherever there were clusters of apples I would thin them. A Member: Would not the cost of thinning be a large item? Mr. Kydd: A good active man, or a boy old enough and with sufficient in- telligence, will thin quite a big tree in two hours, and that is not a very big expense for thinning these apples. Suppose it does cost you a little more you will make it up in the pack of apples, and you will be more likely to have a crop on these trees every year if you thin these apples and prevent the trees from over-bearing. There is no doubt about that. One of the best managed orchards I have ever seen is an orchard in Ontario that has not been plowed for years and years, and the owner gets big crops year after year, and he sells his Mcintosh — scabs, worm- holes, and everything — for $4 to $5 per barrel tree run. It is a big thing. Why these men in the east can dispose of their apples as Nos. l's, with all these things, when we here cannot dispose of ours. But that is not the point. The man is growing Mcintosh most successfully, Mcintosh apples with good color in them, and he has not put a plow in his orchard for years and years. Take Mr. Gibson's orchard. It is not all in sod, but half his land is in sod and has never been cultivated for a long time. Take Mr. Robinson's orchard. He does not do any cultivating of his trees, hut has a strip about six or eight feet wide on which he likes to put manure. As far as I am concerned, I would just as soon have the whole orchard in sod. I find the best colored fruit is usually on land that has not been much cultivated. Of course you take some land, poor land, and I say put all the manure you can on that land and plow it up and get the trees started growing, and after your trees have secured a vigorous growth I think the chances are you will make fully as much money by having them in sod as by cultivation. A Member : Would it not be necessary to use manure on the sod ? 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 123 Mr. Kydd: Very few orchards get enough manure. Prof. Crow : Do I understand that you recommend sod in general ? Mr. Kydd : No, I want' the people to experiment with it. Prof. Crow : How many orchards do you think would be improved by putting them down in sod permanently: to what extent would you advise the use of sod? Mr. Kydd : I would not recommend it at all except in orchards of good vigorous growth and with perfectly sound trees. I would rather try to bring back a neg- lected orchard by cultivation than by sod, but where there is an orchard in first-class condition, yielding perhaps good crops, but not of good color, that is the orchard I would put into sod. Prof. Crow: Not before? Mr. Kydd: No. I would not put it into sod at all. I would try to keep it growing; I would want wood. Prof. Crow: Would you sow and plow down clover? Mr. Kydd: Yes, in an orchard of that kind I would sow and plow down clover; sow it say in July and plow it down next spring. Prof. Crow : Would you make any difference in locality ? Mr. Kydd: Yes; locality makes a great deal of difference — the difference between heavy and light soil. A Member: Would you run the mower over that sod? Mr. Kydd: Yes; I would do it several times: when ever it got pretty high I would mow it. A Member : Would you mow your clover ? Mr. Kydd: Yes, I would mow it say after it got a foot high. A Member: Take an orchard of very poor land, how would you treat it? Mr. Kydd : Well, of course, I do not know how poor it is, but extremely poor land would be better cultivated to keep the moisture in it during the summer. Different land requires different treatment, just as different trees require different treatment. For example, if you have Spies in a northern district where Spies can be successfully grown that is the orchard that should go into sod. If there is anything hateful on this earth it is green Spies. Have you noticed any difference in color in regard to the effect of soil, light and heavy soil, on the color? A Member: Can you tell? Mr. Kydd : Oh, yes, you can tell. How do I tell ? Usually the apples that have been grown on heavier land are of a darker color than the apples grown on light land. A Member: A darker red? Mr. Kydd : Yes, a darker red. A Member : That is the effect of heavy land ? Mr. Kydd: I think so. A Member : That applies to most things grown on heavy land ? Mr. Kydd: Yes, it is not confined to the influence on the color; I would rather eat apples off clay land. If I had my choice of apples grown on clay land, and the clay land was not wet, and light land, I would sooner eat those grown on the clay land. I think you will have better quality. A Member: Speaking about peaches growing on clay land. We have had an experience of some fifteen years growing peaches both on sandy loam and on clay loam, and we used to grow quite a quantity of peaches, and when I got an order from a customer about this time of the year invariably they always told me to be sure and bring us peaches that have been grown on the clay land, and 124 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 from what I found the peaches off clay land were far better than those grown on sandy loam. Mr. Paterson: Up in Northumberland county there are some very good orchards, and among them some Spies that are growing on sandy loam. If you take care to feed that orchard and to plow in a few cover crops you can grow, I believe with less expense, apples that will sell well. Mr. Kydd: What did I say in regard to that? Mr. Paterson: I understood you to say that the soil was almost too light to grow good fruit. Mr. Kydd: I said in regard to the light land that it would not be suitable to put into sod. I do not want any one to think that I would start this sod to alleviate those orchards that have been in bad shape for years and require a good deal to get them into shape. A Member : You say the locality makes a difference in the color ? Mr. Kydd: Yes. For instance, if you go away up on the Georgian Bay they have excellent color in their apples up there. I think you will get better colour in your apples from the method of keeping it in sod than you will by cultivation ; that is all I am trying to get you men who are fruit growers interested in, and if you are making good money in your orchards as at present, stick right to present methods. CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING OF APPLES IN NOVA SCOTIA. S. C. Parker, Berwick, N.S. I assure you it is with much pleasure that I appear before this Convention to address you for a few moments on a question that is exciting much attention in my own Province and in the other fruit growing sections of Canada. This question of co-operating to market our fruit crop to the best advantage has long been a subject of discussion in our fruit meetings in Nova Scotia. A few years ago our Association invited your Robert Thompson, whom I am glad to see and hear to-day on his own stamping ground, to come down to Nova Scotia and tell us how you were doing things in Ontario. Mr. Thompson came and addressed our Association and gave us many valuable ideas on methods of organ- ization. So, when I received the invitation to visit you, I was impelled to show at least an honest endeavour to return some ideas for those received from you. We have reciprocity with Ontario in ideas and interests, and I feel quite at home here in listening to your discussions for the past two days. I find our problems are the same and our interests pratically identical. The Nova Scotia fruit growers have had reciprocal relations with some other Ontario gentlemen. Apple buyers have visited us from time to time. One of the first of these bought some 10,000 barrels of apples from our growers, got them safely warehoused in another person's ware- house, then folded his tent and stole silently away, leaving many to mourn his departure to this day. ; The next buyer was not in the same class. I am not afraid to name him, M. C. Smith of Burlington, whom T also am glad to meet here: to-day. Mr. Smith bought some apples off us and made some money. I am glad he did, for we got ideas in packing and marketing from observing his methods that were worth more to the Annapolis Valley than all the money he got from us. - Another buyer came, also a fair trader. He bought a lot of our apple? and paid for them. 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 125 but it is currently reported that he brought $20,000 more of good Ontario money than he took away. Nova Scotia fruit growers learn quickly and do not care to enter into reciprocal relations, even with Ontario, unless they get at least a fair trade. I may as well tell you just now, you must send your brightest men or, as the last speaker remarked, " We will trim them to a finish." Our fruit growers have had other reciprocal dealings with Ontario. We have been buying 50,000 apple trees each year to increase our orchards. Two years ago you did not play fair. You sent us down a good dose of San Jose scale on those trees. A deputation of nurserymen who came down to explain how it happened, told us it was a good thing for us — a blessing in disguise. That may be so, but we are not looking for that kind of blessing. The Provincial Department of Agri- culture got busy, and are trying to chase down every Ontario scale that has landed in our Province. In the meantime drastic regulations have been enacted that prevent the importation of your trees until you can certify them free from scale. Meanwhile, we are doing a little nursery business on our own account, and possibly by the time you get your nurseries cleaned of scale we may be able to reciprocate in trees as well as in apples. The apple growing area of Nova Scotia is limited and always will be. For practical, commercial purposes the Annapolis Valley is the orchard area of Nova Scotia. This Valley is about one hundred miles long and from two to ten in width, protected on the north and south by ranges of hills, called by courtesy mountains. This is where we grew two million barrels in 1911 and expect to grow five million barrels before 1920. The beginning of apple growing in Nova Scotia was many years ago. The early French Acadians had their apple trees and small orchards were planted up and down the Valley from Annapolis to Windsor. There are trees now bearing apples that are known to be more than two hundred years old. Producing apples on a commercial basis, however, is of much more recent origin. About thirty years ago the increase was such that the growers began to look for markets away from home. The English market seemed the best opening, and shipments were made from time to time to those markets. There were few local buyers, tha business was too small to draw in outside capital, and those early shipments were usually consigned. The farmer was not only grower but packer and consigner. Out of this method grew a system of co-operation. A number of growers would often be represented in the same carload and hundreds in the same cargo. In the meantime, the English commission houses were catering to the growing trade and placing representatives in the orchard sections to solicit consignments. More than a score of English houses had their representatives in the Annapolis Valley. These had their agents and sub-agents at every station in the fruit district, and these subs had subs. Indeed, it recalled the old story of the parasites: " The greater fleas had lesser fleas Upon their backs to bite 'em; The lesser fleas had smaller fleas, And so, ad infinitum" Thus there was an army of middlemen preying on the producer. These people would take charge of consignments, no matter how small, combine them in carload lots, forwarding to the English houses. The return commission, rebates and steals often gave them fifty cents per barrel on the farmer's crop; and when this crop ran into the hundreds of thousands of barrels it was a good business. This was a 126 THE REPORT OF THE No. 44 species of co-operation, but under this system the middleman was getting rich and the producer often growing poorer. The question of co-operation has been talked many times. Several attempts were made and failed, possibly because the proposed scheme was too ambitious. About seven years ago the first successful scheme was launched on a very modest scale. The Berwick Fruit Company, Limited, was organized, made up of six members with a nominal capital of $10,000. In the first year this company handled about 7,000 barrels. It was a success from its inception. The second year the membership increased and 18,000 barrels were handled. The third year, although, the capital was increased, the stock was quickly taken up, and it was necessary to refuse any more members admission. That year the company packed and shipped 30,000 barrels. At the end of seven years they have a packing house, 175 x 60 ft., an evaporator and all facilities for handling 75,000 barrels annually. Encouraged by the signal success of the Berwick Company new organizations sprang up like mushrooms. Three others were organized at Berwick and some thirty-five or forty operated in the Valley this season. The organization is extremely simple. A general Act was passed by the Pro- vincial Legislature entitled : " An Act to Encourage the Organization of Co-oper- ative Fruit Packing and Shipping Companies." This Act provides that any three persons may organize for the purpose of packing, shipping, marketing, warehousing fruit or farm produce, buying and selling flour, feed, fertilizers, farming tools, making barrels, or practically anything used on the farm. Mr. Bunting : Do you find any difficulty in getting barrels ? Mr. Parker : No, the barrels used are often made by the farmer, usually, in cooper shops near the farm. Every village has its cooper shop. I see Mr. Bunting smiling; he has seen our barrels. Mr, Bunting: Anybody could make those barrels. MR. Parker: That is "right, Mr. Bunting. Nova Scotians can make any- thing. We have made two Premiers of Canada, already. The Nova Scotia barrel is crude in appearance, but it is cheap and strong. I do not think we would con- sent to change it; it serves as a trade mark in markets where best known. In the co-operatives there is no individual packing. The farmer picks his apples and delivers them in barrels to the packing house. There they lose their identity and become part of the Company output. Each variety is averaged, and the farmer is paid the price of his apples, less the packing charges. After a few years' experience of the local companies, it was felt that the time was ripe for the next step in co-operation. There were some twenty local com- panies at work, each independent of the other, and competing with the same goods in the same markets. After a year of experimenting, the locals got together and organized a Central Company— The United Fruit Companies of Nova Scotia. In this Central organization the local company is the unit; taking the same place in the larger organization that the individual does in the smaller. Each local unit must subscribe twenty per cent of its capital stock to make up the capital of the Central; and each local appoints a representative, usually the manager, on the Board of Directors of the Central Company. All the apples packed by the local companies are marketed by the United Fruit Companies, and in this organization the fruit is also pooled, the local being paid the average price for the season— on the output. The most sanguine of the builders of this organization did not realize what a tremendous scheme they were floating. Neither did they expect the great machine 1914 FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 137 would run without friction as it has done, and become in one year a power in the fruit market of the world. In 1912 and 1913, the first year of its operation, the United Fruit Companies handled 367,000 barrels of apples, nearly one-half the output of Nova Scotia. The price returned was very satisfactory. For instance: Gravensteins netted;- No. 1, $2.07; No. 2, $1.77. Duchess netted; No. 1, $2.09; No. 2, $1.99. Kings netted; No. 1, $2.35; No. 2, $2.00. Golden Eussets netted; No. 1, $3.05; No. 2, $2.32. The central Office bought and distributed among the subsidiary companies: 300,000 pulpheads, 500 kegs nails, 71,000 lbs. grass seed, 1,400 bis. flour, 54,000 lbs. vetches, 18,000 bags of feed, 5,800 tons of fertilizer, 56,000 lbs. arsenate of lead, 835 bbls. lime sulphur, paying for the above, spot cash, $135,000.00. It is estimated that on fertilizers alone we saved $18,0!00 to the farmers in the com- panies, while those outside reaped a corresponding benefit, prices falling generally $3 per ton. The United Companies have in addition to their office at Berwick, offices in Halifax and London. They employed a traveller during the fruit season, and an organizer and instructor during the entire year. Now, just a word in regard to the cost of this efficient organization. The total cost of the Central Association amounted to $14,660. Thus the entire running expenses of the United Fruit Companies, including salaries, travel, cable, telephone and telegraph, upkeep of offices in Berwick, Halifax and London, have been paid out of direct earnings and savings, all effected, and could only have been effected, by centralization. In addition, $5,000 was placed in reserve on capital account, and more than $5,000 rebated to the subsidary companies. Just one concrete instance of how savings are effected by organization : The Carters' Union in London have from time immemorial charged four pence per barrel, cartage. Our representative the last year found people who would do the same work for three pence, This one item saved the companies $8,000, enough to pay the ex- penses of the London office for several years. In conclusion, I may say that the few years' experience in co-operation has practically revolutionized the fruit business in Nova Scotia. Some thirty- five local companies are working this season, most of them in co-operation with the Central. The people, generally, are watching progress carefully. The machine seems to be working perfectly, and if no serious errors are made a very few years will see the enormous apple business of the Annapolis Valley controlled by one organization — the United Fruit Companies of Nova Scotia. I am very glad to see the Minister of Agriculture and Mr. Ruddick of the Dominion Department here to-day. The officers of the Department are greatly interested in this co-operative organization, and express great pleasure in learning of its success. L28 REPORT OF FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. No. 44 RESOLUTIONS. The following resolutions were submitted, discussed and carried: '' That this Association approve of the suggestions made in regard to the im- provement of transportation of fruit and urge upon the Dominion Government to bring in legislation to put these improvements into effect, and suggest that a copy of this resolution be sent to Mr. J. E. Armstrong, M.P., who has promised to forward such legislation, and secondly; " That this resolution be printed in pamphlet form together with the excellent report on transportation read by Mr. G. E. Mcintosh." Resolution in regard to the reduction of postal rates on horticultural and agricultural journals by Mr. Cowan, instead of the increased rates as rumored the Dominion Government is about to enact; a copy of the resolution to be forwarded to the Government. i •' r SPcu Sfi Z^H-C C2 F7S-? 1912