This was held in the City Hall, St. Catharines, on Wednesday, the tenth
of July. The President, Rev. R. Burnet, of London, called the meeting to
order, and after the transaction of some routine business, the meeting
proceeded to discuss the question how far the fruit crops of Ontario had
been injured by the late spring frosts. Chief Johnson, of Tuscarora,
stated that his grapes had been badly injured, and that he should not
have half a dozen bunches; while Mr. Taylor, of Hamilton, thought that
the near proximity of Burlington Bay had been very serviceable to his
grapes, as he should have a medium crop, though further back they had
suffered more severely. P. C. Dempsey, of Albury, stated that the grape
vines were frozen entirely back, but they had put forth a second growth,
but when this was in bloom there came a rain which washed off the
pollen, so that the fruit did not set. Strawberries turned out a fair
crop. Plums were not injured, and there was every prospect of a most
abundant supply. Of pears, there would be a fair crop of all sorts
except the Flemish Beauty, which since the fruit set had mildewed very
badly and dropped off. The apple crop was thin, but the samples would be
very fine. L. Woolverton said that about Grimsby the apple scarcely
suffered at all; pears suffered but very little; peaches were more
injured than was at first thought, for they have been dropping off very
badly; cherries were a total failure; currants were not hurt, indeed
they were the finest they had raised in some time; the grapes were not
much hurt.
A. Morse, of Smithville, reported that in his neighborhood the peaches
were all gone, but a few grapes had escaped; plums were badly injured;
cherries, a failure; pears, nearly half a crop; the raspberry crop never
better; currants good; and apples half a crop. Red apples had escaped
better than the light colored. W. Saunders, of London, said that on the
nights of the 12th and 13th of May the thermometer fell to 26°. Up to
that time everything promised well, but this frost killed two-thirds of
the strawberry crop; black currants were nearly all killed, and the
other sorts badly injured; the cherries were ruined, unless a few
Maydukes, and some of the common Kentish; plums were blackened inside
and fell off; pears suffered very badly; the injury to apples was
sectional, very serious in some orchards; and the crab apples suffered
the most; the grapes partially recovered when a second frost injured
them, though not as seriously as the first; up to within ten days ago
raspberries promised well, but the great heat accompanied with severe
drought has dried them up very badly, and the fruit is small; and the
apples are falling off from the same cause.
In the vicinity of Port Dalhousie, W. H. Reed informed the meeting the
fruit crops had not suffered materially from frost, but that when the
fruit trees were in blossom the weather was so wet that the pollen did
not fertilize the blossoms, consequently the apple crop will be small,
and cherries a failure; but there will be a fair crop of plums; a good
crop of gooseberries, currants, and raspberries, and there has been an
excellent crop of strawberries. C. Arnold remarked that at Paris the
frost destroyed the blossoms of the grapes entirely, but that a second
growth on some varieties has bloomed later, so that there will be a few
grapes. Those plum trees that had set their fruit well before the frost,
and those that bloomed after the frost, have escaped injury; there were
but very few blossoms on the pear trees; apples bloomed profusely, and
there will be a large crop. In some localities the strawberries were
killed, in others they escaped, his own were all killed; raspberries
were not injured by the frost, but the extreme dry and hot weather had
totally dried up the berries, especially those of the black-cap family;
black currants are a poor crop, of other sorts a passably fair crop, as
also of gooseberries; the common red cherries were a total failure, a
very moderate crop of other sorts. Wm. Roy, of Owen Sound, reported that
there was four degrees of frost there when the strawberries were in full
bloom, hence there had been only about a quarter of a crop; there will
not be more than one-quarter of the usual crop of plums; apples were
materially injured, yet there will be an average crop; pears are badly
injured by the frost, but the grapes had not put forth, and so escaped,
so that those who have grape vines will enjoy a good crop, though they
have not been very generally planted; there were no cherries, but the
raspberry crop was large and fine, and the gooseberries are very fine.
W. McKenzie Ross said that at Chatham strawberries were badly injured by
the frost, and grapes a complete failure; there was plenty of fruit on
the quince bushes, and a large crop of the common red cherry, but none
of the sweet varieties; apples would be a small crop, but on the shore
of Lake Erie it would be good, and likewise a good crop of peaches, and
a considerable crop of pears. Jonas Neff, of Port Colborne, states that
there had never been a better display of blossoms on the pear trees, but
the frost had destroyed them all; and the crop of apples would be small,
though the Baldwin trees were well laden with apples; the plums have
fallen off; there are no peaches; strawberries and cherries are a
failure, but currants are abundant.
R. Werden reported for St. Catharines that though the frost killed the
earliest strawberries, yet the crop was one of the largest; the
raspberries were also very abundant and good; currants, a large crop;
plums set their fruit abundantly, but the Curculio is causing them to
drop off; and there is a good crop of gooseberries; apples promise to be
only a medium crop. Mr. Laing said that at St. Thomas there was not more
than half a crop of strawberries; black currants were a total failure,
and of red and white sorts there would be only half a crop; the grapes
are all gone; cherries, very few; a good many plums; and a pretty fair
crop of apples, which promise to be an excellent sample. Geo. Leslie
remarked that about Toronto there had been a medium crop of
strawberries; cherries were a failure; and black currants about half a
crop; there was a full crop of raspberries; an entire failure of plums;
and almost a failure in pears, the Flemish Beauty giving the best crop
of any variety; grapes escaped the frost; apples set their fruit well,
but the late severe drought, which has lasted for five weeks, is causing
many of the apples to drop. A. M. Smith said that at Drummondville all
kinds of fruit had been injured; strawberries, apples, pears, &c., were
not more than half a crop; cherries, almost a failure; black currants
were more injured than the red and white; and grapes were very seriously
cut off. At Jordan Mr. Honsberger said the strawberry crop had been
fair; raspberries were a medium crop; red and white currants were not
much hurt; black currants suffered more, but there was a fair crop;
gooseberries are good; peaches, not half a crop, the Crawfords and
Foster are hurt the most, Early Beatrice and Early Rivers are well
loaded; the apple crop is light, the best show of fruit is on the
Northern Spy.
Col. McGill stated that at Oshawa the strawberry crop lost its earliest
berries; pears were nearly a failure; no cherries except the common red;
and the plum crop would be about one-third as large as usual; grapes
never promised better; raspberries were good; and apples not more than
half a crop. J. G. Miller, of Virgil, reported that the first growth of
the grape vines was wholly killed by the frost, but that a second growth
was coming on, and there would probably be a pretty fair crop; there
will not be half a crop of apples; the pear crop is very much injured;
plums never promised better, and in my grounds have been unable to find
a single Curculio, though traces of their work are to be seen;
strawberries have been a good crop; cherries, half a crop; peaches will
be a light crop; currants abundant; and apricots few.
The meeting then considered the question What new varieties of
strawberries are promising well? Mr. Biggar, of Drummondville, thought
that the Great American promised to be a good fruit. Mr. Laing, of St.
Thomas, that the Monarch of the West is doing well. A. M. Smith named
Cumberland Triumph as having done well this year, Great American as
promising, and Monarch of the West as large, very productive, and of
good flavor; and Mr. Morden thought Long John wonderfully productive.
Dr. Watt, of Niagara, remarked that Col. Cheney was one of the best with
him. Mr. Stewart, of Virgil, had found the Duchesse to be of medium
size, early, very good, and fairly productive; Crescent Seedling
moderate bearer, fair size, and good quality; Col. Cheney very
productive, even more so than the Wilson, but the fruit was not perfect;
Captain Jack to be of small size, very productive, and of good quality;
Great American, after two years trial had not done well, the plants
seemed to be weak and unable to make runners. Mr. Gilchrist, of Guelph,
said the New Dominion had been about as productive as the Wilson, but
was too soft for shipping; and that Col. Cheney had done well. A. M.
Smith remarked that he had sent a few crates of the New Dominion to
Hamilton and Toronto and had received fifteen cents per quart for them,
while the Wilson brought only ten. Mr. Honsberger said he had shipped
the New Dominion to Montreal and Ottawa and received no complaints as to
the shipping qualities of the fruit.
The meeting spent an hour in discussing the methods of cultivation best
adapted to the successful growing of small fruits. As was to be
expected, a variety of opinions were elicited, yet the weight of opinion
seemed to be in favor of making the soil quite rich for currants,
raspberries, and gooseberries; only moderately rich for strawberries,
and less rich for blackberries; with plenty of water for strawberries
and gooseberries, and thorough clean surface cultivation for all,
stirring the surface of the ground frequently. In the case of
raspberries and blackberries, members were advised to cut out the old
canes as soon as the fruit was gathered; take away any weak or
superfluous young canes, and shorten in the remainder.
On the question as to what varieties of the raspberry succeed well, it
was conceded generally that the Philadelphia was the most prolific of
all, and several thought it also the most profitable, others had found
the dark color of the fruit objectionable, and on that account preferred
the brighter colored sorts, as the Clarke and Highland Hardy; the
Highland Hardy was early, coming in before any other, even before
strawberries were gone. Diadem was mentioned as being of fine flavor,
and hardy. In Prince Edward County the black-cap raspberries had proved
more profitable than the red, but this did not seem to be the experience
in the western and southern sections.
There was a display of fruit of very fine quality, consisting of
cherries, currants, raspberries and gooseberries, but very much less in
quantity than was to be expected in such a famous fruit-growing section
as St. Catharines and vicinity.
Most of the gooseberries were seedling varieties, raised from the
European, and if they continue to be free from mildew they will be great
acquisitions. Mr. Scott, of Orangeville, sent some fruit from a seedling
gooseberry that he has cultivated for ten years without mildew.
The next meeting will be held in Sarnia, on Wednesday, the eleventh of
September next.
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