A large number of compara.ively new winter apples are now fruiting at the Central Experimental Farm, and some of these promise to be very useful in the north and superior to those already grown. Among these must be mentioned Windsor Chief, Milwaukee, North Wes.ern Greening, Dempsey's No. 80, La Victoire, all of which are good keepers. The Edgehill, probably a seedling of Fameuse, which originated in the eastern townships, is a very promising red apple almost equal to the McIntosh in quality and keeping longer than that variety.

It is always interesting to the members of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association to know what progress is being made in originating varieties of fruit for Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. Already many of Dr. Saunders' hybrids have been brought b.fore this Association. The following six varieties are among the best of these which fruited this year for the first time:

Jewei-P. baccata female x Yellow Transparent male.
Robin-P. baccata female x Simbi sk male.

Silvia- P. baccata female x Yellow Transparent male.
Magnus-P. prunifolia female x Simbirsk male.

Betty-P. baccata female x Pewauke male

Golden-P. prunifolia female x Golden Russet male.

Of these the Jewel and Robin are among the best in quality and Silvia is interesting for its earliness, ripening during the second week in August.

PEARS.

Only two seedlings of merit were received:

I. From R. B. Martin. Elmira, Ont. Fruit large, obovate, obtuse, pyriform; color yellow with an orange blush; skin thin, tender; flesh yellowish, tender, melting, buttery; core small. moderately sweet, not highly flavored; quality good. Tested September 28th, 103. Not high enough flavored to be especially promising.

2. From W. J. Kerr, Renfrew, Ont. Fruit medium size, obovate, obtuse; color yellow, with a faint pink blush; stem medium length, stout; flesh yellowish, juicy, buttery; sweet, but not high flavored. Quality good, season evidently early September, tested September 4th, 1903. Promising, if hardier than Flemish Beauty. Originated in the County of Leeds, said to be a seedling of Bartlett. Tree 20 feet high.

PLUMS.

Few seedling plums were received this year. During the first part of August we had the pleasure of testing the Emerald plum, sent by E. D. Smith, Winona. This plum has already been described in the report on "New Fruits," but is sufficiently promising to be mentioned again.

1. Sedling No. 1 from Thos. Greenfield, Archville, near Ottawa. Fruit large. roundish oval; suture indistinct; apex rounded; color deep purplish red; dots numerous, small, yellow; skin thin, tough; flesh greenish yellow, juicy, sweet; stone large, oval, cling; sweet, good flavor. Quality good to very good. A Domestica seedling of the Bradshaw type. Tested September 25th, 1903 Promising for Eastern Ontario.

2. Seding from H. E. Wright, Summerside, P.E.I. Fruit large, round, oval; cavity, medium depth and with; suture distinct, slightly depressed; apex slightly depress d; color yellow, well covered with deep red; dots obscure; skin moderately thin; flesh yellow, juicy, sweet, rich flavor; stone medium, cling. Quality very good. Tested October 1st, 1903. Raised from stone of a California plum. Ripens a few days later than Moore's Arctic and earlier than Lombard. A handsome, promising plum.

We should again like to draw attention to the Montreal seedling Domestica plums as being hardier in fruit bud than most others, and hence promising to be of great value in northern sections.

PEACHES.

Only one seedling peach was received in good condition, but it was a fine one : From W. K. Ireland, Owen Sound, Ont. Fruit large, roundish, suture distinct, depressed, despest towards apex: color yellow, well washed with deep red; skin moderately thick, fiesh yellow, juicy, sweet, rich, good flavor; quality very good; stone, medium, cling. Tes ed September 16th, 1903, in prime condition. A promising peach.

GRAPES.

Although no new grapes were sent in for examination this year, a number of the newer varieties fruited for the first time, among these being three of Munson's hybrids, the Manito, Yorago and Atobia.

Of these the Manito is the most promising for northern districts. The following description was made of it:

Manito. Vine a medium grower, productive. Clusters below medium size, cylindrical, sometimes slightly shouldered and moderately loose; fruit below medium size, globular, Llack, with a blue bloom, skin thin, moderately tender, somewhat acid; pulp very tender, melting, sweet, good flavor; quality good; as early as Champion; a decided acquisition. The Ru al New Yorker. in reporting on this variety, says that it ripens just before Mocre's Early.

RASPBERRIES

The Herbert again did well this year at the Central Experimental Farm, and, owing to its hard.ness, productiveness, size and quality, it is considered the best red raspberry, at last for the amateur.

Nothing more to add regarding small iruits.

W. T. Macoun: It seems to me that this committee has two leading objects in view. O is to get as much information as we can about varieties of apples grown in other parts of the world that are not grown in Ontario, and to test them for use here and report on th m. We are endeavoring to do something in that direction. The other main object is the examination of seedlings sent in from different parts of the country and reporting upon them. But after we report upon them and recommend them, it must prove a long time before they come into general cultivation. We should be very careful in extending our list of varieties; but what is the value of this committee, unless we are able to give the varieties tha: appear to have special merit a further tria:? What I would suggest is that in sections where such seedlings come from, and where they are considered to be of value for the district, the committee should have some way of having them tested in the climate where they originated, say at the local experiment stations.

Mr. Smith: While the work of the experiment stations is extremely useful. I agree that it could be made of even more use to the country if thorough and exhaustive experiments were made with the common kinds of peaches, plums and other fruits. În peaches, what we need principally in Canada is a peach that will ship a long distance. We have practically only one such peach coming in the heart of the peach season, the Elberta. Our markets are bound to be at long distances. The great market of the future will be the Northwest. We are, therefore, in particular need of a good shipping peach, even apart from the question of shipping to the old country.. We want an Elberta peach a week earlier, and another a week later. There may be such peaches.

Prof. Hitt: We tried two years ago to do just as has been suggested-to get from the American nurserymen samples of the varieties they were introducing. I sent out circulars to these men a king them to send samples. In reply we received only one sample. Mr. Moris Would it not be well to have delegates appointed to the different frait conventions on the other side? A great deal of information could be obtained in that way as to rew varieties.

Mr. McNeill: I wish to point to a few mistakes that have been made in Our exper.men.al work. I think there is a lack of careful discrimination in the varieties experimented with. We should not select varieties indiscriminately from the nurserymen's catalogues. We have loaded up our experimenters with useless varieties in this way, varieties that should not have been imposed upon them.

A GENERAL VIEW OF THE WORK OF THE ONTARIO FRUIT STATIONS.

By L. Woolverton, Grimsby, Secretary.

It was at the meeting of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association at Peterboro', in December, 1893, that a committee, consisting of Messrs. John Craig, of Ottawa, Alex. McNeill, of Windsor, and W. W. Hilborn, of Leamington, was appointed to devise a practical s.heme for experimental horticulture. The following are some extracts from the report of that committee as presented to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture in 1894:

"The exhibits of fruit made by Ontario at the World's Columbian Exposition gave to the world a truer conception of the possibilities and attainments of the Province. It also inspired the fruit growers of the Province with a better appreciation of the capabilities of her soil and climate for the production of fruit-that "flower of co.rmoditi s "-in is highest state of excellence. It has also emphasized in a eneral way the fact that each variety of fruit varies in respect to appearance and quality according to the soil and locality in which it is produced, and has a more or less certain area in which it reaches most nearly perfect development.

"Our knowledge of the varieties in habit of growth and quality of the fruit, due to soil or climatic effects, is vague and undefined, and data with regard to the relative success of varieties in different sections is lacking. The fruit interests of the Province sufer in consequence.

"The Fruit Growers' Association has long recognized the advantage that would result from establishing a system of experiment stations, particularly designed to collect information of this character, and to promote the fruit interests of this Prowince generally.

"It is believed that the fruit interests of the Province cannot be served best by the establishment of a single experiment station, no matter where it might be located, and, further, that results more useful and more immediately available would be obtained by the establishment of a number of small and inexpensive trial experiment stations. These might be carried on in co-operation with the various fruit growers in different parts of the Province who already are specialists, and have made a financial success of growing one or more classes of fruit. For example, the services of a grape specialist, or a plum or peach grower, might be secured, with all the advantages accruing from knowledge gained by practical experience."

A grant of only $2,600 a year was asked for the prosecution of this work, which was this year, 1903, increased to $3,200, a very small sum in consideration of the work accomplished.

Our aim during these ten years has been to have all fruits, new and old, so tested in various parts of our Province that we could in time give reliable advice to intending planters regarding the kinds best suited to the various sections, and also as to the varieties most profitable for both home and foreign markets.

Hitherto the travelling tree agent has been almost the only authority, and his knowledge is usually limited by his gorgeously-colored fruit plates, which often grossly misrepresent the varieties. The tenderest varieties of apples have been sold to farmers along the northern shore of Georgian Bay, according to our experimenter in St. Joseph Island, while plums and cherries, and even peaches, have been sold in other northern districts, where nothing but disappointment and loss of money is sure to result.

Now we have fourteen stations, so disposed as to fairly well cover the Province, and each of these has been given several hundred varieties of fruit to be tested and reported upon. Your Secretary has about 800 varieties under test in the Niagara district, and has about five acres of ground occupied in his experimental plot; Mr. Hilborn, in Essex, about five acres, with about 250 varieties: Mr. Peart, at Burlington, 1 1-2 acres, and 214 varieties; Mr. Mitchell. in the Georgian Bay district, 5

acres and 200 varieties; Mr. Sherrington, in the Lake Huron district, 4 acres and 100 varieties; Mr. Jones, in the St. Lawrence aistrict, 5 acres and about 200 varieties; Mr. Pettit, in Wentworth, about 3 acres and 200 varieties; Mr. Huggard, in Cntario County, 5 acres and 400 varieties; besides which we have our strawberry and gooseb.rry stations, and our stations for testing the most hardy fruits in Algoma and Wabigoon.

Just now we have under consideration the establishment of a station near New Liskeard to find out what fruits might be wisely planted by the many farmers who are taking up land in that promising district.

For some years the writer has been experimenting in another line, at his own risk, which may prove quite as important to the fruit industry of the Province as the testing of varieties. It is the export of the product to those distant markets where it is most in demand. So far we have not attained the success hoped for when the ocean cold storage for fruit was installed.

That peaches, Bartlett and Clapp's Favorite pears, Astrachan and Duchess apples would be most remunerative to us, if we could lay them down in perfect condition in London, Liverpool, Manchester, is proven by the exceptional prices received by the writer for stock which arrived in first-class condition. For example, on the 18th of September last, I had 162 cases (25 pounds each) of choice Bartlett pears sold in Glasgow at 8 shillings, or $1.92 each, or at the rate of about $14 a barrel! In that consignment were nine boxes of Boussock, and these sold for 7 shillings 3 pence, or about $1.75 a half-bushel box. On a former occasion I had some peaches carried over in a good condition, and they were sold at the rate of about $4 a bushel.

Now, these sales are sufficient to show the possibilities before us, could we only land our fruit in good condition. But alas! we cannot depend upon any given temperature being held for us on car or steamer from start to finish.

Surely here is a field for a great enterprise, if some steamship company could be induced to give us a temperature of, say, 33 degrees Fahrenheit for fruit for the whole voyage.

Another very important department of our work, the responsibility of which has fallen upon your humble servant, the Secretary of the Board of Control, is the description and illustration of the fruits of Ontario. The object of this work is to place in some concise and permanent form for easy reference, a technical description of each fruit, including all that is known of its history, absolute value and special adaptation For this latter part of the work, the tests made at the various stations are essential, and, to carry out the scheme in full, there ought to be tested at each station all varieties of fruit that have absolute value, in order to know just where they may be successfully grown. Criticism upon this work is invited, in order that we may arrive as nearly as possible at a perfectly correct description of each fruit.

At the request of the Board, the Secretary has been asked to add to his work the testing of all varieties of cherries, because of the already large collection of that fruit at Maplehurst.

GRAPES.

By Murray Pettit, Winona.

Last year I discussed the newer varieties of grapes; this year I think it would be interesting to refer to some of the old standard varieties and what they have done with me. My first vineyard has been fruiting for thirty years. It was planted largely with Concord and Delaware. The Delawares average me two and a half tons to the acre, and net about $70 a ton. They require more labor or more expense in picking than some others, as we go over them twice a week from the time they commence to ripen. If you leave them till all are ripe, those that ripen earlier will burst. The