Annual Report of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, 1918
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: Ontario Department of Agriculture FIFTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Fruit Growers'Association OF Ontario 1918 PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO TORONTO Printed by A. T. WILGRESS, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty 1919 Printed by THE RYERSON PRESS To His Honour Sir John Strathearn Hendrie, C.V.O., a Lieutenant-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 herewith for your consideration the Fiftieth Eeport of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario for the year 1918. Respectfully yours, GEO. S. HENRY, ; Minister of Agriculture. Toronto, 1919. [3] — CONTENTS PAGE Officers and Committees for 1919 5 Treasurer's Report 6 Annual Meeting 7 President's Address : R. W. Grierson 7 Discussion, Treasurer's Report 8 Report of Historical Committee: A. W. Peart and W. T. Macoun 13 Report of New Fruits Committee: W. T. Macoun 15 Control of Aphis Injurious to Fruits: Wm. A. Ross 19 The Small Mixed Farm for the Fruit Grower: A. D. Harkness 21 The Fruit Grader For Peaches : J. B. Fairbairn 23 For Apples : W. F. Kydd 24 What the U. S. Experiment Stations are doing for the Fruit Grower: E. F. Pao[er 27 Pruning Peaches and Apples: Prof. W. H. Chandler .* 32 Winter Injury Among the Fruit Trees: J. A. Neilson, Discussion by Prof. L. Caesar 41 Grape Growing for Factory Purposes: D. E. Skinner 48 Diversification of Fruit Farming: Prof. J. W. Crow 55 Profits from the Small Apple Orchard: Frank Shearer 56 Co-operative Efforts at Buying and Selling: Jas. Johnson 69 The Changes in the Inspection and Sale Act: C. W. Baxter 72 Growing Berries for the Factory: James E. Johnson 80 The Large Specialty Farm for the Fruit Grower: W. H. Gibson 84 Securing Annual Crops of Apples: J. C. Harris 87 Making the Land Pay While the Orchard is Growing: Wm. Everett 90 The Labor Situation: Miss Hart 91 Report of Resolutions Committee 96 Honor Roll 99 [*] Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario OFFICERS FOR 1919 president Jas. E. Johnson, Simcoe. Vice-President C. R. Terry, Clarkson, Ont. Secretary-Treasurer P. W. Hodgetts, Parliament Buildings, Toronto. Executive Officers, together with A. Craise, St. Catharines, and H. Sirett, Brighton. Auditor D. F. Cashman. Directors. Div. 1. W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. Div. 8. A. Craise, St, Catharines. 2. F. C. Keeler, Brockville. 9. J. E. Johnson, iSimcoe. 3. H. Leavens, Bloomfield. 10. P. E. Hynd, Forest. 4. H. Sirett, Brighton. 11. H. K. Revell, Goderich. 5. R. W. Grierson, Oshawa. 12. J. C. Harris, Ingersoll. 6. C. R. Terry, Clarkson. 13. W. Mitchell, Clarksburg. 7. J. P. Bridgman, Winona. O.A.C., Prof. J. W. Crow, O.A.C, Guelph. H.E.S., E. F. Palmer, Vineland. Representatives to Fair Boards and Conventions. Canadian National: W. F. W. Fisher, Burlington. London: J. C. Harris, Ingersoll, and A. Sadler, Lambeth. Ottawa: W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. Committees. Horticultural Puhlishing Company: P. W. Hodgetts, Toronto. New Fruits: W. T. Macoun, Ottawa; Prof. J. W. Crow, Guelph; E. F. Palmer, Vineland Statior. Historical: A. W. Peart, Burlington; W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. Transportation: T. H. P Carpenter, Winona; W. H. Bunting, St. Catharines; W. R. Dewar, Leamington; Jas. E. Johnson, Simcoe; W. A, Shook, Clarkson, W. F. W. Fisher, Burlington; M. C. Smith, Burlington. [5] TREASURER'S REPORT, 1918 Receipts. Expenditures. Balance on hand, 1917 $1,350 61 Annual meeting $100 70 Fees, 1918 121 52 Committees 2 25 Interest 34 48 Periodicals 107 60 Miscellaneous 70 87 Stock—Horticulturist 400 00 Balance on hand, Dec. 31, 1918 825 19 $1,506 61 $1,506 61 Details of Expenditure. Annual Mfettng. S. 0. Blunden, expenses $4 60 Hotel Carls-Rite, convention hall 20 00 M. E. Coo, reporter 60 00 P. Hynd, expenses 4 80 R. B. Whyte, expenses 11 30 $100 70 Committees. A. W. Peart, expenses 2 25 Periodicals. Canadian Horticulturist $54 00 53 60 107 60 Stock. Horticultural Publishing Co., Ltd 400 00 Miscellaneous. Auditor $10 00 Insurance, Treasurer's Bond 10 00 Clerical help 50 00 Exchange 87 70 87 Total $68142 Audited this 30th day of January, 1919 and found correct. D. F. Cashman, Auditor. R. W. Grierson, President. P. W. Hodgetts, Secretary-Treasurer. Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario ANNUAL CONVENTION The fifty-ninth annual meeting of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario was held in the Carls-Rite Hotel, Toronto, on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 18th and 19th, 1919. The President, E. W. Grierson, Oshawa, occupied the chair at all the sessions. PEESIDENT'S ADDRESS. R. W. Grierson, Oshawa. On this the fifty-ninth annual convention of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, I have the honor as President, to welcome you to our first annual meeting since the successful ending of the great war, in which the young men of Canada have so nobly acquitted themselves at immense sacrifice of life and much hardship. And now our thoughts are with the Peace Conference, in which representatives of all the Allied Nations have the difficult task of changing the map of Europe and bringing order out of chaos. They will likely have serious problems to consider for many months to come. As the Allies are already mixed up in the affairs of Russia, it will be a very difficult matter to withdraw, or not to become more deeply involved. When you consider that Russia as an agricultural country, produced about one billion (1,000,000,000) bushels of wheat annually before the war, what must be the amount produced under present conditions. We in Canada should be very thankful that we are free to attend to our business and assist in making Canada a better country than ever to live in. The fruit growers have also had their share of troubles. In the sudden death of Mr. D. Johnson, the late Dominion Fruit Commissioner, the fruit growers have lost a good friend, one who did so much to promote the fruit industry of the Dominion. One of his last acts was to preside at a most successful Fruit Conference held at Ottawa, in March of last year, of which no doubt you received the report. The late R. B. Whyte, of Ottawa, who was one of our Directors, and had taken so much interest in fruit growing, has also joined the silent majority. The past fruit season was not a very successful one for the majority of fruit growers, the high cost of producing a light crop of fruit, even at good prices, left but a small profit to the grower, and many fruit trees were killed during the winter of 1918, especially peach, cherry, and apple. Very few apple orchards have had the necessary care and attention during the war and many will never recover from the neglect, so that it looks as if the prospects might be good for the man who has taken care of his orchard. As quite a large section of our Province is so suitable for growing apples of such excellent flavor, and the cost of production is no greater, if as great, as in other parts of the world, we should make an effort to produce not only as a duty to [7] 8 THE REPOET OF THE No. 44 ourselves, but, as a greater national dut}', on account of the immense increase in our national debt. As the great bulk of our apples are grown on farms where general farming is carried on, and as apples could not be exported to Great Britain, during the war, there was not the same effort made by the growers to produce a crop, but much more attention was given to the growing of more necessary food products; but now that we have the European markets back, and as large numbers of fruit trees were destroyed over there, the demand should be good for many years to come. While apple orchards of twenty-five to one hundred acres may be successfully handled by some men, I believe that the majority of farmers should confine themselves to ten or fifteen acres of apples of good quality, and by a proper rotation of crops and by keeping all the live stock the farm will carry, the orchard as well as the farm, could be kept up, and the revenue very much increased. No doubt the uncertainty of being able to market an apple crop, and the certainty of high prices for other food products, was the principal cause of the neglect of the apple orchard in Ontario, but with much lower prices in the near future for all kinds of farm produce, and better prospects for help, greater attention will be given to the orchard as the best paying branch on the farm. Of course, freight rates would have to come back to normal conditions again, and express rates remain as they have been for a number of years, if the fruit industry is going to continue a success. On January the 13th, a large number of prominent fruit growers met in Toronto, and appointed a committee to appear before the Dominion Board of Eailway Commissioners for the purpose of protesting against the proposed increase in express rates on fruit. Mr. Mcintosh presented the case to the Commissioners, and the Committee gave very strong reasons why the rates should not be increased. In conclusion I might state that I understand from our Secretary, Mr. P. W. Hodgetts, that we are likely to have the Fruit, Flower, and Honey Show this coming fall, which should be an incentive to all to try to grow better fruit.