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FRUIT GROWING

PAPER READ BEFORE THE FRUIT GROWING ASSO- _ CIATION OF PRINCE ED- WARD ISLAND

BY REV. A E. BURKE

O Fortunatos nimium, sua si bo- na norint, Agricolas ! Virgil, Lib. IL Georg.

Ah,the too happy husband- men,—if they only knew the blessings that are their’s ! this ery of the greatest ol

Roman poets, absurd as it may

sound to the ears of many of

those engaged, half-heartedly, in the profession of agriculture to-day, is as living and real as when it rang through ltalian plains two thousand years ago.

And history repeats itself.

From the very beginning in

the lives of about ali the na

t'ons of the earth, we find dis- content manifesting itself in

the agricultural classes, and a

strong movement from rural to

city life, where the conditions of society permitted,-foliowed at regular intervals by a return

movement, not so accentuated. it is true, but still quite noti- ceabie, from city to country: Our own continent is young : and still, both in Canada and the United States, we have no- ticed something of the unrest of which 1 speak. The graves! concern of our general govern- ment to-day is its immigration policy. To convince the youth and manhood of the eastern ci- ties and other countries of the advantages the bound- less plains of the West afford as locations for hap py and prosperous homes, where, following agricultural pursuits, places of honor and responsibility may be worke]1 out for themselves in our natu- ral life, is its most ardent de- sire. The deveijopment of the country and its greatness de. pends upon the success of such a policy, consequently a great amount of our effort and trea. sure 1s behind it, and withit our liveliest hope. 1n the old pro- vinces the local governments must look to the interest cf this important industry or fors wear themselves altogether. There is an imperative call {or vigoroas agricultural action al} over the land.

When Virgil wrote his Geor- giss the same conditions. but to a more limited extent , of course, confronted Angustns Cæsar and Mæcenas. For the national welfare a great task had to be imposed on the na- tional poet. His was the great duty of impressing upon the agriculturists of the day a pro- rer appreciation of the dignity of their avocation and the ne- cessity of a thorough know- ledge of all its complex pro blems. Hence we find Viral | not only singing the praises of the farmer's life and occupa- tions, but with great care and accuracy writing down, in four books, {or the benefit of succee- diug generations, the princi- ples which regulate all the dif. terent departments of agricul- ture. In the first book he treats of the different kinds of soil

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the sun !”

The necessity ofthe present, then, is organized instruction for the farming classes. There is great unrest 1m n> them. The same old contempt for farm life and agricultural pur- suits as gave wing to the poet's song, is everywhere noticeable.

Young men and maidens, Who,

however well qualified for far- mer and farmer's wWives, are ceriainly not so we!l fitted for anything else, long for the day when ley raay break the pa- ternai fetiers and be free to seek fame and fortune in the great vitis of their own or ot-

her lands. We hear of some of them succeeding, it is true, and meériting mention under that

hackneyed heading. “Success- ful 1slanders Abroad.” But we hear little of the hundreds and hundreds of our young people who, wretched in body and soul, sink into untimely graves, “anwept, unhonored and un- sung,” in a foreign Jand,— while the corn waves green, and the blossoms blow, and the birds sing gayly, and the slick kine low,—for their hap- py brothers in the old home laved by the dancing waters of the Gulf.

We all bewaïil this condit‘on of affairs. There is, however, no use in repining. We must set ourselves the task of remedy ing it, as faras in us lies. The root of the whole evil is in the family, in the farmer's home,—-indeed with the far- mer himself ; the branch is in the school. There is nothing more likely to breed discontent in others than disccntent itseif and contempt of avocation From a disgrurtled farmer, O Lord, deliver us ! One can re- concile oneself to the grum- bling and dissatisfaction of o- her callings ; in the life of a former there is no room for such abhorrent anomalies With his fruitful field stretch- ing out before him, in which those wonderful mysteries of germination, vegetation, fructi- ficationu are ever going on, with the rich and diversified scenes of nature, the shades of luxuriant trees and the blos- soms of the orchard inviting him to calm repose, with the kindly presence of flocks and herds, the very assurance of fuil and plenty for the pre- sent and future, how can he be filled with discontent him- self or capabie of communica- ting a feeling so mischievous to those about him? Surely cupidity, the desire of fickle and uncertain fame or the se- ductions of a life of false and fatal pleasure in the world, are not the causes of his dissatis- faction. 1think not. 1n nine cases out often the farmer is uuhappy because he does not understand the dignity of the work he is engaged in—a dig- nity beyond anything else — and is not familiar with the best methods which lend charm to it and make it e-pe- clally remunerative. The want of system at home has early taken away from the boy the natural delights which attend work in the fields ; and in the

and their tillage, and the plan. . . . | ting. caring and garnering of! crops ; in the second, tle cul-!

: N | ture of vines and fruit trees ;|

school, as at present constitu- ted, he has heard everybody else praised—the churchman, statesman, soldier, sailor. mer- chant-man, mechanic—and uot

L'IMPARTIAL

on ue ding of his Cattle, in the plant- ing of trees. and the beautify- ing of his steading ! There is ino more blessed place than this to livein. No discordant no'e is ever heard there, either from parents or children ; and the latter, accorded every rea sonable privilege, never chafe under the restraints imposed upon them for their ultimate good. In their family the youg perple are fu:ly impres- sed with the excelience of their calling—one safficientiy complex to develop the intel- lect to its greatest capacity and responsive enough 10 the foste- ring of the greatest qualities of the human heart. They have overcome adverse school influ- ences by an intense home en- thousiasm. They gladily grow up with the country, azd are the country's pride.

This much about our condi- tion ; for upon agriculture de- pends 1ts minor adjunct, horti- cu:ture, in this Province at least, prospering only as it prospers, Everybody knows that the farmer who grows the best grain and roots, Who raises the best horses. cattle, and pigs, who is the best patron of the cheese factory, is also the most successiul frui: raiser. In- telhgence and system counts every time, and the latter ac- quired in one detail of farm life extends itself to all. Thus orcharding goes hand in hand here with general farming, and is the very salt of farm life. 1t will readily be recognized, then, as the day of the State, especially in provinces like this, where it is the only res- so..rce, to stimulate agriculture in all its departments, thus marking its appreciation of the science itself and elevating its standard,

Co-opérative work is now the most effective teaching in-

fluence we have. Notice all o- ver the province that the set-

tlement in which a co-opera- tive industry has sprung up is away ahead of others where there is none. Why is this ?

the enterprise of the people, {he factory has been a centre from which instruction and e- mulation flowed as naturally as water from a fountain. This is the age of co operation, and certaiuly no class more so than our agricalturists require its advantages. Theoretical ins- truction is good ; practical, better and more readily acquir- ed. The Federal authorities, by sending the exceilent professors of the Experimentai. Farms a broad and spreading through- out the Dominion, much valua- ble literature have done an im- mense amount of good and ad- vanced our methods very ap- preciably in the last decade. The few farmers’ associations have accentuated the teaching of the professors and brought within its influence indivi. duals who otherwise could not have been reached Your ex- cellent fruit-grower’s associa- tion has found the ground ou- jy broken in the particular science of horticulture. and 1 doabt not but that it will be of much use in extending the knowledge upon which suc cessful fruit growing depends. Everybody is in need of some special knowledge, and by

iu the third, the raising and a word of the farmer whom, | coming together regularly and

feeding of animals ; and in the fourth. the interesting science of agiculture,—and all with such marvellously correct de- tail as to readily convince the over-enthusiastic admirer of the aii-knowing and self-suff cient present that, after all, there is little that we could | have taught the ancients in, these matters. Consequentiy a

easily, by inference he comes to regard as beneath notice. Little thinking that th2se o- thers all depend upon the til- lers of the soil, he tires of

discussing all matters relating to fruit growing, fruit vacking and fruit marketing, a more exact and profitable under- standing of this intricate busi-

home and makes the mistake | ness will be acquired. The va- of his life in delivering himself | lue of such work to the pro-

over to the pursuit of shadows. How different the home vs the intelligent, industrious,

vince must be very great in- deed, ult:mately. When Professor Graig came

Besides being a guarantee of

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Summerside Dec. 9th 1896

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OBT. I. HOLMAN

I have been waiting for developments for tl inwardness of these sale. In many cases the prices are increased 30 per cent. AND THEN REDUCED, bring- ing: them back to par. Customers WHO KNOW THE VALUE of Goods will Find my prices as low as any In the market and the largest Stock in the County to select from. My constantly increased sales is the best evidence that I AM IUT, and cannot be WEB, CROWD#D

ARG INS lu Ladies and Gents Fur Goods B A KV 1n Ladies Dress Goods In Boots and Shoes in Fur Coats and Sleigh Robes In Ready-made Clothing In Hats and Caps.

Christmas Novelties, suitable for presents, from Child-

hood to old age, At very low prices.

OF FARM . WANTED

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taught. Verily à prophet had arisen again in Israel! We ali went back to our homes satis- fied that something had been iearned from his lectures that wouli make our few trees dea- rer to us and their cultivation much more prolitable. Still, the wonder at those few simple truths, as they fell from the Professor’s lips, in view of the general knowledge of them

was but an honest acknow- ledgzement of our ignorance and a full and comilete ar-

raignment of the system under which-we were educated.The reflection that the great majo- rity of the farming community do not know the common prin- 'ciples of agriculture and its subordinate sciences as well as the Romans did hundreds of years before the Christian era is certainly not calculated to inflate to induce a conscious-

ness of duty done by the coun. try we live in. 1fthe revenues OT ES Isis e 6! farmers are not being used to procure requisite agricultnral instruction to the people what are they being used for? you will naturally ask yourseives. The time is now at hand when the enormous production of the ever uewly opening-up regions in the west will force us 1nt0 the keenest competition in all branches of of agricul- ture. Production, for us to live and hold our own, must be consi derably cheapened, and this can only be brought about by a thcusough knowledge of our profession. 1t is evident, then, that there is Dlenty of work a head. The most ignorant swain ia any European country to day, because of the persistent fostering agriculture ss receiv- ing at the hands of the govern- ments and the regular trans- mission of knowledge from fa- ther to son, is fully abreast in |most matters with our specia- lists. Turn again to Virgiis Georgics and tho:e matters

contented hnsbandman, lead-|amongst us and spoke upon the which we call the result of ad- uew force is added tothe old ing a life of virtue, labors with | general principles of orchard-|vancing science ; the propiga- sayiug of the wise man : his famiyinthe proper culti- ing, we were all agape atltion of fruit bearers by graf- “There's nothing new under vation of his fields ; in the ten-' many of the simple lessons he ting, bad liug, laçering ; 1h»

nr

to name, 1t is certatnly too bad

planting out of orchards in the quincuncial arrangement, the cultivating and growing and protecting ofthe orchard, are all spoken of as clearly and percisely as if written to day. So you sce we have still a peace io make to catvh up with even the distant past. Only in the matter of pests and their reme. dies do we find that, unfortu- nately, we have forged ahead.

by the ordinaiy farmers of|The bark louse, codling moth Virgil's (40 B. C.) time in Italy,

or aphis were unknown to an- client truit-raisers.

There can be no doubt but that Prince Edward 1slañd, from end to end, with few ex- ceptions of places, is well adap- ted to general orcharding and the growth of small fruits. Your association has a great work before it, in testing the different varieties and reporting

upon their adaptability to our soil. 1t is quite clear, too. that certain kiuds of fruit will do better in one portion of the ro vince thavin another and all kinds best in the favored west Amateur fruit-growers-and ali must be that at the start-are greatly confounded by the pur- chase of trees that are not true

to have to plant a tree, wait years till it bears, givingit e- very care, and then find that it is absolntely worthiess. Of course top-grafting will suit the requirements of the case, but in uine cases unt of ten, nothing is krown of this sim-

ple process. and the Jabor and care of years are lust. 1 do hope then, that your association will

be ableto impress upon the government the necessity of a money grant for the spread of horticultural notons in the country, and aiso the necessary legislation to protect us from fraud. In Ontario, Quebec, and ‘Tova Scotia, a substantial sum oi money is paid into the trea- sury of the association, the off. cers of Which are ever ready with word and pen to heip a- loug the industry. Ther2is no- tLing so badly needed, to my mind, in our goverment, ss a Department of Agricultu'e. Under it, all this neded work

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pushed with grand results. 1n other provinces. a returu of the acreage of farm crops, the num ber of fruit trees bearing and the fruit matured, etc., is reg- uiarly made. One can see at a glance what is being done.The yovernment should be inieres- ted in all its great resources ; and this is the stock taking process. Here we are groping iu the dark, both as to what is attempted and the results ob- tained. 1t is to be hoped, then, that the fruit-grower’s associa- tion will help on to the posses- sion of all those necessary aids, by drawing the attention of our rulers to the value of the industry it represente, and its imperative needs.

At the eleventh hour, Mr. Secretary, you ask me for a pa- per on fruit growing. Regret- ting my inability to be with you, because the late day of the week of your meeting would not allow me to return home in time for my ministe- rial duties, 1 send you the:e imperfect pages as an earnest of my deep interest in, and sympathy with, your As;ocia- tion. Ï hope anything 1 have writteu in my haste and desire to avoid everyboby's else ground may not prove an ap- ple of discord to your deitera- tions; but rather be accepted as the apple was with the an- cients ; an omen of good for your nascent association.

Could we only make our peo ple such agriculturists as the r intelligence and opportuni:ies in this fair Isle scem 10 war- rant, ah then, the words of Vire gil were doubly appro rate : O Fortunaios pimium, sua si

bona norint, Agricolas !

For Sale

——00X:0 }—

À farm containing 30 acr’s, und r high state of cultivation, situated on the Howlan Roa l, about 15 chains from Ralw y Depot, near Post office, S ho À, Church ete, is offered for sa!e by the undersign-d

For particulars apply to

B. Gallant of À. & B. Gallant

would here, as els. where, be

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