The usual autumn meeting was held in the Town Hall, at Sarnia, on
Wednesday, the eleventh day of September, 1878. President Burnet being
absent at the New York State Fair, the Secretary called the meeting to
order, which was duly organized by choosing Chas. Arnold, of Paris,
chairman. After the reading of the minutes, Messrs. Ebenezer Watson,
George Mill, and Townsend G. Vidal were appointed a committee to examine
and report upon the seedling fruits exhibited; and Messrs. Joshua Adams,
Hugh Smith, and Chas. Duncan, a committee to prepare subjects for
discussion. While the latter committee were considering their report,
the meeting proceeded to the discussion of pear culture and pear blight.
W. Mowbray grew pear trees in clay soil, in what used to be a garden,
but was now in grass, he had not seen any blight, but some varieties
winter killed; had found the Flemish Beauty the most hardy. E. Watson
had succeeded in getting some very fine pears, but the blight has always
destroyed his trees. Near the water the crop of fruit this year is good,
but on farms away from the lake shore, the late frosts injured it very
much. James Watson had not suffered much from pear blight until lately.
His trees are growing in clay soil on the bank of a creek, in the
Township of Moore. Bartlett is too tender, Beurre d’Anjou has stood the
winters, Doyenne d’Ete, and Beurre Clairgeau stand well, Clapp’s
Favorite does well, is hardy and good, Flemish Beauty has not suffered
in any way. Thought he had greatly benefitted some of his pear trees
which showed blighted spots on the trunk, by wrapping over them a
mixture of clay, sulphur, and lime. Charles Duncan said that Flemish
Beauty and Clapp’s Favorite promise to be hardy, and suited to the
climate of his section, Township of Moore, and that there had been no
blight on these varieties with him. Had found leached ashes very
beneficial to fruit trees. Thos. Watson, of Sarnia, had found Flemish
Beauty and Clapp’s Favorite, and indeed all sorts of pears, to lose
their leaves, they would spot and curl up. Joshua Payne said that
Flemish Beauty does well, though some of the trees blight, the Bartlett
does well, also the Seckel, Clapp’s Favorite, and Beurre Clairgeau.
Thinks the pear trees do better without cultivation, but spreads a
little manure occasionally on the surface of the ground around the
trees, which acts as a mulch, and keeps the ground from cracking in
drouth. Thomas Watson said that he used saw-dust and chips as a mulch,
and found that his trees were infested with the borer, and asked if this
mulch was the cause of the attacks of the borer. W. Saunders replied
that it was not the cause, and that if an alkaline wash were applied to
the trees it would prevent the borer from attacking them, it would
prevent the beetle from laying its eggs, or kill them if laid. That it
would not kill the borers however if they have got into the tree. E.
Watson had never mulched his trees with saw-dust or chips, but had
plenty of borers. Jas. Dougall, of Windsor, was asked in regard to
Eliot’s Early Pear, and replied that it was larger than Doyenne d’Ete, a
week earlier, and superior in quality. The tree is a strong grower, and
very hardy.
The committee on subjects suggested for discussion the question, what
varieties of fruit are successfully cultivated along the shore of lake
Huron and the river St. Clair; and how far has the fruit crop in that
district been injured by the spring frosts this year? Thos. C. Wheatley,
residing near the lake in the Township of Sarnia, said that he had grown
only apples and peaches. Of the summer apples, he grew Early Harvest and
Red Astracan, the latter had proved the most profitable. The Porter
yields well, but is not so marketable as a red apple; he wants a good
red apple, ripening after the Red Astracan, for market purposes; has
just planted the Benoni to see how that would answer. Rhode Island
Greening fruits abundantly, has a good reputation, and is inquired for
by purchasers. The Baldwin is not so even in size, and hence not as
profitable. Cayuga Red Streak bears when young and abundantly, but the
fruit is too large, prefer to handle smaller apples. The Spitzenburg
spots and cracks badly on my sandy soil. Pewaukee has just fruited with
me. Have planted largely of Early Crawford, but have not found them to
be good bearers, they never have given me more than a quarter of a crop.
Hale’s Early has done very well with me; at first it did not, but as the
trees grew older the fruit rotted, yet I found it more profitable than
the Crawfords. Late Crawford generally ripens, but it is not much more
prolific than Early Crawford. Serrate Early York does well, but the
Large Early York is unproductive. Am pleased with the Amsden; and old
Mixon succeeds well, it is large, attractive, and profitable. The frost
did very little injury to large fruits in my vicinity, but the
strawberry crop was seriously hurt. Raspberries were a fine crop.
Peaches were not hurt by the May frost, though we had from two to five
degrees of frost. D. Nesbit, of Plympton Township, stated that peaches
frequently winter-kill at his place, which is five miles from the lake
shore. The seedling peaches were not injured by the late frost, but it
seriously injured all the grape vines. With the exception of the Oswego
Beurre, which has a good crop, my pear trees have no fruit this year. My
soil is clay with a mixture of gravel. James Watson has found that in
his stiff clay soil the peach trees do not stand the winter, but die
out. James Johnson, of Bosanquet, remarked that on the lake shore apples
do well, there being no summer frosts to hurt; this year there is a good
crop along the lake for a strip about a mile in width, but further back
the frost of last May has seriously injured the fruit. Have found the
Old Mixon Peach more hardy than Hale’s Early or the Early Crawford. The
Concord, Adirondac, Salem, and Isabella grapes ripen well. Plums do well
if the trees are jarred and the Curculio destroyed. John Carr, Sarnia
Township, says he can not grow peaches well, they winter-kill. Pear and
cherry trees do well. Plums rot badly. Have a good crop of apples this
year. James Dougall, of Windsor, advised that the rotting plums be
gathered as fast as they appear, and taken away from the vicinity of the
trees, so as to prevent the rot from spreading. T. D. Watson, Sarnia
Township, found all the cultivated peach trees to die down to the
ground. The Sweet Cherry trees and the Maydukes did not bear any fruit,
did not blossom, though the trees grew well. Seedling peach trees grew
and bore fruit. Is too far from the lake to feel the beneficial effects
of the water, the late spring frosts this year having killed the fruit
in his neighborhood, while close to the lake and river there was a good
crop. James Watson, Moore Township, said that cherry trees, even the
Mayduke and Kentish, will not thrive on the clay soil with us, but on
the sandy soil they do well; and Charles Duncan added, that we are very
subject to summer frosts, which usually injure all our fruit crops. Hugh
Smith, of Sarnia, remarked that in that vicinity, what was usually
called the Kentish Cherry grew freely from suckers, was hardy and
productive.
Inquiry was made concerning the borer in the peach tree, but it did not
seem to prevail to any serious extent in that vicinity. W. McK. Ross, of
Chatham, complained that it was very bad there, and that he had suffered
severely from them. He had also found a snapping or click beetle, brown,
and about half an inch long, laying eggs in crevices of the bark near
the collar of his peach trees. W. Saunders, London, replied that the
larvæ of the click beetles do not bore into living trees, hence no
danger was to be apprehended to the peach trees from this source. The
Ægeria Exitiosa, which bores our peach trees, looks very like a slender
wasp, with a steel-blue body, and in the female the abdomen is marked
with a broad orange-colored belt. She lays her eggs upon the tree at the
collar, which hatch out and bore into the soft bark at the surface of
the ground. Driving nails into peach trees has no effect upon the borer,
nor will boring holes into plum trees and filling them with sulphur have
any tendency to keep away the Curculio. John Bartlett, Warwick, inquired
about the Utah Hybrid Cherry; to which James Dougall, of Windsor,
replied that it is not a cherry, it is more nearly allied to the plum,
it is only a small bush, and the fruit is worthless.
On the best remedy for the Curculio, the weight of opinion seemed to be
that, while in a small yard of plum trees chickens might answer a very
good purpose, in larger orchards the best, most convenient, most
expeditious, and least troublesome method, was that of jarring the trees
and catching the Curculio on a cotton sheet.
Hugh Smith, Sarnia, illustrated his method of changing dwarf trees to
standards, by planting a seedling at the foot of the tree, and inserting
the top under the bark, thus forming a connection between the tree and
the earth through the young seedling.
It being asked what kinds of trees were best suited for shelter, Messrs.
Arnold, Beadle, Saunders, and Dougall mentioned the Norway Spruce as
being one of the most desirable, it being easily transplanted,
particularly when small, thriving in all soils, very hardy, a good
grower, retaining its branches to the ground, and capable of being cut
and trimmed in any desired manner. W. McK. Ross mentioned the Arbor Vitæ
and the Scotch and Austrian Pines. John Bartlett had found the English
Thorn to make an excellent hedge.
The scraping of the bark of apple trees was thought by James Dougall to
be injurious, but an alkaline wash beneficial, such as thin soft soap,
which he thought better than lime. T. C. Wheatley thought that healthy
trees did not need scraping, the rough bark would drop off. W. Saunders
thought the scraping off of the rough bark was useful, because by that
means so many insects were dislodged and killed, especially the larvæ
and cocoons of the Codlin Moth, while the tree, he thought, was not
injured by taking it off.
Conflicting opinions were expressed concerning the Robin, Cedar Bird,
Red-Headed Woodpecker, and Baltimore Oriole, which have a bad habit of
eating cherries, ripe apples, pears, and grapes; some feeling it to be a
great hardship that they are prohibited by law from shooting them even
on their own premises.
There was a fine display of fruits and flowers, by the Sarnia
Horticultural Society, in the hall just above the room in which the
meeting was held. Among the apples were very fine samples of Alexander,
Gravenstein, St. Lawrence, Porter, and other well known sorts, besides
many that seemed to be peculiar to this section of country. In pears,
the Flemish Beauty seemed to be the general favorite, judging from the
number of dishes of this variety. The peaches were very fine showy
samples. Plums were not as abundant as we expected to see them, but the
samples were good. There were some very good bunches of Concord,
Delaware, and other grapes. We noticed a plate of black grapes labeled
“Seneca,” but not having an opportunity of tasting them, can not say
whether they were the same as the Hartford Prolific, as Downing seems to
think, or not. The flowers were a very attractive feature. Some pots of
dwarf bouquet Asters attracted much attention, from their uniquely
beautiful appearance. The Dahlias were very fine, both in form and
coloring. The Double Geraniums, Jewel, Marie Lemoine, and Andrew
Henderson were remarkably well grown and in fine feather. A few well
grown plants of Happy Thought were very much admired. The collection of
Begonias, both of the Flowering and Rex sections, was very attractive.
Among the Coleus were some showy specimens of the Shah and Cameleon,
which set off the tables to good advantage.
The collection of fruit shown by James Dougall, of Windsor, was a marked
feature of the exhibit. He displayed thirty-five varieties of French
apples, grown on imported trees, besides his collection of American
apples, pears, and plums, of which some were seedlings of his own
raising, and all of which were remarkably well grown. His Belle
Lucrative, Kingsessing, and Oswego Beurre pears were perfect models of
size and beauty.
The committee on seedling fruits brought in their report, which was
received and referred. The report says of a seedling summer apple sent
by Seth C. Wilson, of Whitby, though now past its season, that it is
quite equal to the Early Harvest, and for the table superior; and that a
Crab marked 260, raised by Townsend G. Vidal, Esq., of Sarnia, is fine,
large, and handsome, and highly commended.
After passing a vote of thanks to the mayor and council of Sarnia for
the use of their very commodious council chamber, and many expressions
of thanks to the Sarnia members for their kind attentions and interest
in the success of the Association, the meeting adjourned.
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