EIGHTH REPORT OP THE SUPERINTENDENT OP FARMERS' INSTITUTES including proceedings of the NINTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE CENTRAL FARMERS' INSTITUTE, B. C. 1906. THEGOVERNMENTOF THE PROVINCE of BRITISH COLUMBIA PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. VICTORIA, B. C: Printed by Richard Wolfenden, I.S.O., V.D., Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 3 Department of Agriculture, Victoria, B. C, July, 1907. Hon. R. G. Tatlow, Minister of Agriculture, Victoria, B. C. Sir,— I have the honour to transmit herewith the Eighth Report of Farmers' Institutes of British Columbia for the year 1906, embodying the proceedings of the Ninth Annual Convention of the Central Farmers' Institute. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, J. R. ANDERSON", Deputy Minister of Agriculture. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 5 EIGHTH REPORT SUPERINTENDENT OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, EMBODYING Minutes of the Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Convention of the Central Farmers' Institute. An analysis of Farmers' Institute matters during the year will be found under my address before the Central Farmers' Institute; there is, therefore, no necessity of repeating it here. Altogether, the progress in the affairs of Farmers' Institutes has been most satisfactory, and affords a matter of congratulation that year by year the benefits conferred by the demonstrations and addresses by the practical people employed are being more appreciated. Local speakers, I am pleased to say, are coming forward and are, therefore, available in increasing numbers; still the number is far short of our wants, and I must again take this opportunity of impressing upon the officers of Institutes the desirability of bringing out local talent by means of supplementary meetings. Delinquencies on the part of Secretaries, in respect to a closer observance of the provisions of the Act and Rules, I feel it incumbent on me to again descant upon. I have referred to this matter in my address previously alluded to. I have again to ask the indulgence of the Bella Coola Institute for apparent neglect to meet their wishes in respect to speakers and demonstrators. The claims of this Institute are fully recognised, and it is only on account of the isolated position of the district, rendering a trip there of much longer duration than it is usually possible to bestow, that it has been found impossible to give that enterprising section the attention it certainly deserves. It is the intention, provided nothing intervenes to prevent it, to arrange a series of meetings at Bella Coola in May next, which programme I trust to see carried out. The most favourable dates on which to hold the regular meetings is a question of great difficulty, as alluded to in my last report, and it is the intention to.try the experiment of holding the next spring meetings at a later date, in conformity with the wishes of a number of the Institutes. Personally, from my experience of the various conditions prevailing in this Province, I doubt if a more suitable time can be selected than that on wdiich the meetings have heretofore been held. The specimens of San Jose scale asked for by the Central Farmers' Institute at its last meeting have been received from Dr. Fletcher, the Entomologist of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, and distributed amongst the various Secretaries for use of the members. These specimens are most useful for the purpose of the identification of that pernicious insect, but few people being sufficiently acquainted with its appearance to be able to identify it. Sets of minerals used in agriculture, also recommended by the Central Farmers' Institute, were obtained from the Chief Geologist in Ottawa, and likewise distributed amongst the various Secretaries. M 6 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 By natural evolution, as old methods are found to be inadequate, new ones have to be thought out, and therefore it is necessary to inaugurate new departures, and whilst I have been fairly successful in the experimental work I have instituted, I feel that it is a matter of regret that I have not been accoi'ded permission to attend the annual meetings of the International Association of Farmers' Institute workers, as I feel assured that the interchange of experience and a discussion of methods cannot fail to be of the greatest benefit. The following is a list of speakers who gave addresses and demonstrations during the last year, and their subjects :— Robert Thompson, of St. Catherines, Ont.—"Poultry Houses and Incubators"; " Profitable Poultry Keeping for the Boys and Girls"; "Swine Breeding and Feeding"; "Corn for Grain and the Silo"; " Small Fruits and Fruit Trees " ; "Gathering and Marketing Fruit" ; "Successful Co-operation " ; " Cold Storage " ; " The San Jose Scale and other Orchard Pests " ; " The Future Farmers and their Education " ; " Home Life on the Farm." Dr. S. F. Tolmie, Victoria—"Glanders"; "Hog Cholera"; "Milk Fever"; "Other Diseases of Swine"; "Other Contagious Diseases of Animals"; "The Horse, Points of Selection " ; " Care of the Horse from Colthood to Market" ; " Live Stock Judging." J. R. Carmichael, Victoria—" Fruit Cultivation " ; " Co-operation "; " Dairying." F. M. Logan, Victoria—"Dairying"; "Feeding and Care of Dairy Animals " ; "Judging of Animals." J. R. Anderson, Victoria—" Fruit Cultivation " ; "Co-operation"; "Fertilizers and Soil Cultivation " ; " Institute Matters." W. C. McKillican, Seed Division, Dominion Dept. of Agriculture—" Selection of Seed " ; " Explanation of the Seed Act" ; " The Evils of Impure Seed " ; " Loss through Poor Seed." Rev. W. E. Dunham, Victoria—" Buildings, Fixtures and Poultry Yard Methods," with model illustration; "Incubators and Brooders," with demonstrations; "Care of Young Stock, Housing, Feed, &c" ; " Raising Stock for Market," illustrated type and practical demonstrations in killing, trussing and dressing; " Fattening Stock for Market," with detailed comparison of methods, e.g., crates, pens and loose; "Raising Stock for Layers and Breeding," showing types and giving a talk on the obtaining and handling of eggs; " Best kinds of Fowls and the Climatic Conditions necessary for Successful Raising of same"; " Diseases and how to Handle them." Miss Laura Rose, of Guelph, Ont.—" How to Make the Dairy Bring in Larger Profits"; " Defects we Find in Butter, their Cause and Remedy "; " Butter Making on the Farm "; " The Dairy Cow " ; " Cheese, its Food Value, and Simple Receipes " ; " The Making of Bread and Buns"; "As Others See Us"; "The Womanly Sphere of Woman"; "The Head, the Hand, the Heart, the Tripod of Successful Work "; " One Eye in the Town, the Other in the Field." Andrew Elliott, of Gait, Ont.—" Breeding and Care of the Dairy Cow " ; " Beef Cattle " ; "Feeding and Care of Sheep" ; " The Bacon Hog" ; "The Draft Horse" ; "Building up and Care of the Soil" ; " The Necessity of Clean and Good Seed." Prof. E. R. Lake, of the Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, who speaks and demonstrates on Fruit in all its phases, Commercial Fruit Growing especially. Fred. Earl, of Lytton, demonstrator on Fruit Packing. Prof. Frank T. Shutt, Chemist, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa—" Soils and their Management"; "Mineral Salts in the Soil, how to Counteract Excess"; "Fertilisers, Barnyard and Commercial" ; " Composition and Growth of Plants, Functions of Leaves and Roots." Rev. Thos. Menzies, Comox—" Bee Culture." R. M. Halliday, Comox—" Corn Culture." Wm. Duncan, Comox—" Corn Culture." John Shopland, Saanich—" Success with Sheep." W. R. Robb, Sandwick—" Co-operation." H. F. Pullen, Comox, " Clearing Land." W, C. Grant, Gordon Head—" Fertilisers." Geo. Stewart, Keating—"Commercial Fruit-Growing." Maxwell Smith, Vancouver—" Horticulture." W. E. Scott, Ganges Harbour—" Fruit-G rowing." R. Layritz, Garnham—" Fruit-Growing." J. A. Grant, Victoria—" Commercial Fruit-Growing." Thos. Cunningham, Inspector of Fruit Pests—"Insect Pests." 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 7 Mrs. Johnson—" Poultry." J. T. Collins, Salt Spring Island—" Labour Question" ; " Institute Work " ; " Poultry for Winter Laying " ; " Co-operation for Farmers." H. Bose, Surrey Centre—"Hemp Growing." James Fox, Coquitlam—" Rearing of Sheep." E. A. Atkins, Coquitlam—" Poultry Industry of British Columbia " ; " Duck Raising." Thos. A. Brydon, Victoria—"Planting and Care of Fruit Trees"; "Commercial Fruit Growing." J. D. McGuire, Salmon Arm—" Fruit Growing." J. W. McCallum, Salmon Arm—"Benefits of Institute." W. V. Leonard, Salmon Arm—" Meteorology." B. J. Cornish, North Vancouver—"Pruning." Geo. A. McBain, North Vancouver—" Spraying." Martin Burrell, Grand Forks—" Fruit Inspection." R. S. Bevan, Creston—" Fruit Pests"; "Cultivation of Local Talent." A. Okell, Creston—" Irrigation." O. J. Wigan, Creston—"Chemical Fertilizers"; " Strawberry Culture " ; "Spraying"; " Packing Fruits." C. C. French, Creston—" Fruit Pests." Jas. Compton, Creston—" Cultivation of Local Talent." J. W. Dow, Creston—" Pruning." Detailed Statement of Institute Meetings During 1906. Institute. Lillooet Bella Coola Central Park ... Alberni Comox Cowichan Nanaimo, Cedar Victoria Metchosin Islands Delta Surrey Langley Richmond Mission Chilliwack Kent Maple Ridge . . . Matsqui Spallumcheen.. . Okanagan Osoyoos....... Kamloops Salmon Arm.... North Vancouve: West Kootenay. East Kootenay.. Number of Meetings. Eveninj 8 1G 9 4 6 4 9 5 4 4 8 4 4 7 7 4 7 3 10 10 149 Attendance. 14 80 146 28 221 122 139 11 123 108 39 184 30 32 63 444 210 116 35 253 46 2,204 Evening 51 183 56 122 128 258 278 630 330 135 139 120 26 85 240 89 288 200 170 221 246 102 155 183 313 333 5,081 No. of No. of Addresses. members 16 32 6 60 7 220 8 39 10 39 11 149 16 149 15 210 26 161 18 53 6 55 18 59 12 55 5 97 4 57 8 41 4 51 15 52 8 77 10 184 16 146 11 161 20 70 8 80 5 50 23 94 27 40 333 2,481 Funds on hand. 5 75 92 90 63 05 235 00 44 82 5 70 15 80 120 68 56 92 32 55 80 30 102 45 38 26 118 17 27 60 40 21 104 54 159 59 47 38 86 06 102 94 103 43 3 98 90 05 5 28 3 80 $1,787 21 REPORTS, ADDRESSES, PAPERS, ETC. Bella Coola Farmers' Institute. Secretary's Report. As Secretary-Treasurer of the Bella Coola Farmers' Institute, I have the honour to present my fourth annual report. The cash receipts for the last year were $150.10, with an expenditure of $57.20, leaving a cash balance of $92.90. Sixty members were enrolled during the year, showing an increase of eight over the previous year. There was also an increase of one in our women's membership, giving us a total of eight women members. I would say here that we cannot encourage the women too strongly to assist us in Institute work. In the first place, our financial interests are increased according to the number of members, and it is possible to secure a very large membership, considering the number of women among us. I regret to say though, up to this time, we have not encouraged women members, and I would not blame the few women members we have got if they left us. We must be careful to encourage everything that has a tendency to promote the general welfare of the Institute. Wives and daughters, come and join our Farmers' Institute and see if you cannot take some of the conceit out of us. After being re-elected as your Secretary last year I became desireous of showing my appreciation of the confidence you had repeatedly shown me, so I fell to thinking what I could do for the Institute. It appeared to me, judging from the difficulties we had met with at home in our efforts to farm, and from the experience we already had obtained in Institute work, that where encouragement was mostly needed was in clearing land. As you are aware, I tried in a poor and simple way, to lay these thoughts before you on October 30th, but I dare say I did not deserve your attention, as timber is now considered too valuable an article to burn. At the same time, we cannot remain idle, and most of us possess more or less bush that will never be of any commercial value. Therefore, I still maintain, in order to stick to the work we have begun with a view towards accomplishment, we must continue to make grass grow where none grew before. The Exhibition of farm produce held on October 30th, was reported to Mr. J. R. Anderson, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, including a description of the size and quantity of the various products which were exhibited. Mr. Anderson kindly published the report in the Victoria "Daily Colonist," and further complimented us on our successful undertaking. At our last meeting of the Institute our President, Mr. C. Carlson, offered some good suggestions for Institute work, and a new year is before us for accomplishments. I trust before another year is past, some good results will be shown. Possibly the proposed Farmers' Hall will have become a reality, if we make a conscientious effort to adhere to the plans which are already under good progress. In conclusion, I wish to thank the members of the Institute for the great patience they have invariably shown me in my poor efforts to carry on Institute work. A. Hammer, Secretary-Treasurer. President's Report. The past year has for the farmers of Bella Coola been the most prosperous in the history of the settlement. The crops were heavier than in any previous year. While this fact may not, on the face of it, be traced to improved methods of farming, yet one inevitable effect of the information obtained, if followed, will be better results from the cultivation of the soil, and information of such kind members of the Farmers' Institute are receiving, and will receive, from the sources with which the Institute is connected. The importance of education along the lines which promise the best results, and an intelligent application of the same, cannot be laid too much stress upon. Therefore, to supplement the literature received from 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 9 Governments, both of Province and Dominion, I would recommend that the Institute start a library on agricultural and kindred subjects ; this library could be added to from time to time and be kept in a centrally located place, where it could be easily accessible by the members. In connection with this, let me mention : I am glad that the Institute has taken the first steps towards the erection of a building for meeting purposes. In this house there ought to be such a library, with some journals on the same subjects. In that way an intelligent class of farmers will grow up, with benefit to themselves and our land. The time has now come when we ought to press upon the Government for a visit of an expert in agriculture, who could give us advice from extensive education and experience. It is now several years since the Deputy Minister of Agriculture paid us a visit, which was appreciated very much; therefore, I would recommend that both our Secretary and delegate to the Central Farmers' Institute be instructed to apply for a speaker to come here this year. At the present stage of farming in Bella Coola it is my belief that dairying, as carried on here up till now, is not profitable; more attention to be given to fruit, poultry, and perhaps hogs. Our access to markets has heretofore been rather difficult, but 1 am all but certain that by the time the orchards become commercially bearing, and the other industries mentioned are developing, we will have a market close to our doors. In view of the fact that the price of timber is now advancing by leaps and bounds, clearing of land as heretofore carried on should be abandoned. If the timber on the land cannot be profitably used, it will pay better to let it stand than to burn it. In this way our clearings and fields may not grow larger, but I believe that the timber will prove more valuable than the land cleared. Let us rather pursue intense farming on our small clearings, than extensive farming at the expense of our timber. I regret to say that, partly owing to my being absent so much during the autumn, there has not been as many meetings held as there ought. Chr. Carlson, President. Bella, Coola, B. C, January 26th, 1907. Anniversary Exhibition. Under date of November 10th, 1906, Mr. A. Hammer, Secretary of Bella Coola Farmers' Institute, sends the following interesting letter to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture :— As usual, we celebrated October 30th, commemorating the landing of the colony twelve years ago. In connection with this occasion, the Farmers' Institute had arranged an exhibition of farm products, and awarded $40 in prizes. The exhibition proved quite a success. All the produce, which consisted of both fresh and canned fruits and nearly all kinds of vegetables and grain, was handsomely arranged in a shed erected for this purpose. The apples were of an immense size, especially the Gravenstein and Bismarck, some measuring nearly five inches in diameter; and as to flavour and colour, I do not think they can be beaten. There was quite a variety of apples. The Baldwin and King of Tompkins, although of good size and flavour, were not very highly coloured. The Wealthy showed up charmingly ; this apple is a great favourite in Bella Coola. The Russet, Stark, Duchess of Oldenburg, Red Astrachan and Blenheim Orange were all splendid specimens of apples. The vegetables also were something extraordinary. Uncle Sam, Dakota Red and Carmen No. 1 potatoes were of monstrous size, some weighing as much as two and one-half pounds. The onions, carrots, sugar beets, mangels, corn, cabbage, pumpkins, etc., etc., were simply marvelous. Three judges were appointed, who worked hard all day before rendering their decision over what produce should win the honours. I had reckoned on Mr. C. Carlson, the President of the Institute, representing the Institute on the occasion, but as he was absent from the valley I took the responsibility upon myself, and addressed the people, with an effort to encourage the Farmers' Institute movement. I made a few suggestions as to work we might take up during the near future. For instance, I have noticed, in my efforts to promote the farming interests here, that we invariably run up against one great difficulty, and that is the insufficiency of cleared land. I do not mean to criticise anyone for not having been industrious enough in clearing their farms; but as our Farmers' Institute funds are supposed to be expended for the pui'pose of encouraging farming, I see no better way than to encourage the clearing of land. Suppose that we would offer a fair prize, or a number of prizes, to the settlers who, during the course of a certain time, have accomplished the most in clearing M 10 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 land. If this would not encourage farming, I do not know what would. Then I am of the opinion that better results would show if logging bees were started. I have had enough experience in the art of clearing land to know that a group of men can work to better advantage than single-handed. As to awarding prizes for the largest patches cleared, possibly a little difficulty would be experienced in judging, but there are difficulties everywhere. Give the most industrious farmer several cases of stumping powder, or something that will encourage him to continue his work with renewed efforts. The main question with us is to get larger farms, and you are aware that it is no small matter to hew out a farm in a thick forest. However, substantial progress has been made, and in the course of another few years many an acre of primeval forest will have been transformed into cultivated fields. A. Hammer, Secretary. Islands Farmers' Institute. Secretary's Report. During the year just past we have had five evening meetings on Salt Spring Island with an average attendance of 27, but have not been able to get up an afternoon meeting. Two attempts have been made, both failures. On the other hand, both on Mayne and Pender Islands, the afternoon meetings have been most successful. On Pender Island we have had two afternoon meetings, with an average attendance of 50; two evening meetings, the largest attendance being 58. On Mayne Island we have had three meetings, one afternoon and two evening; largest attendance, 54; average attendance, 38. There has been a slight falling off in the membership, yet at the same time the meetings have been better attended. The apple-packing contest again took place on Pender Island and was most satisfactory, giving the judge, Mr. F. Earl, a hard task. Prizes were given, both to lady and gentlemen packers. Mr. F. Earl's demonstrations in apple-packing were particularly good, and it is the wish of all who were fortunate in seeing them that we shall again have him with us at future meetings. This year, for the first time, we have had a lady lecturer (Miss Laura Rose), who proved a success and had good audiences, and will have a hearty welcome should she again pay us a visit. Our Farmers' Institute Library is still growing; we have now up-to-date books on Stock, Crops, Fruit, Dairying, &c, for the use of members. A list of the books is under preparation, to be distributed to every member. Cheap powder has proved a boon to farmers, and although not so much has been used this year, owing to lack of help, still there has been a saving of $160 on the quantity used. Things are looking brighter for another year; already we have received more new members than in any year before. For some reason a few old members dropped out last year. Several new features will be introduced during the year, which I have no doubt will cause a considerable increase in the membership. There is a strong feeling in the district in favour of local speakers instead of Eastern. J. T. Collins, Secretary. Surrey Farmers' Institute. Secretary's Report. In making my report for the year 1906 of the Surrey Farmers' Institute, I am pleased to say that the Institute continues to flourish. During 1905 we had a membership of 59 ; on the 31st December we had a cash balance on hand of $102.45. During the year we held 10 meetings at different points in our district, attendance being 247 and the number of addresses given 18. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 11 During the year 15 members of the Institute sowed trial plots of hemp, so as to test the suitability of our soils and climate for this crop. The general conclusion aridved at is that the hemp should be sown about the middle of April, so that it can be cut and cured not later than August; our climate is not suitable, as it is not possible to cure the hemp after the middle of September. H. Bose, Secretary. Langley Farmers' Institute. Secretary's Report. I have much pleasure in submitting the report for the year 1906. The number of members shows a slight increase, being 55, against 41 for 1905. The financial statement shows a balance of $38.26, against $33.11 for the previous year. There were six meetings held during the year, four in the Town Hall, Langley, and two at Port Kells. The spring meetings were addressed by Dr. Tolmie and Mr. Logan. Dr. Tolmie's address on "Glanders" was much appreciated. The outbreak of that disease in Vancouver had aroused a desire among the farmers to learn more about it. These meetings were attended by 87 persons. The fall meetings were addressed by Mr. A. Elliott and Miss Rose. Mr. Elliott is an old friend whom we are always glad to see. Miss Rose's addresses on " Butter-making on the Farm," and " Successful Work," were well received. These meetings were attended by 72 persons, a considerable number of them being ladies. The people were of the opinion that a lady lecturer was a step in the right direction, and expressed a wish to hear Miss Rose again at some future time. The annual ploughing match, which was held on the farm of Mr. R. Hutchinson, of Langley Prairie, and to which the Institute granted the sum of $15, was a success. There were seven entries, and about $50 distributed in prizes. William F. Hine, Secretary. Andrew Elliott's Report of his Work in British Columbia. Agreeable to instruction, I would beg leave to report to your department regarding judging and Farmers' Institute work done during the term just closed. Five years have elapsed since I last judged live stock and attended Institutes in British Columbia, and during that time I notice a marked improvement in the live stock exhibit, particularly is this the case in horses. In the draught classes many animals were shown that would not have taken an inferior place in any show in America. There is a tendency in some cases to glorify size in opposition to quality; that ought above all things to be avoided. An exceedingly good representative of the hackney horse was shown. A more general use of such a stallion would in a few years add tens of thousands to the horse value of the country. Cattle, both beef and dairy breeds, show that they have been bred with judgment, and fed and cared for in such a manner as to lead to the highest development in their respective lines. I notice that in sheep there has been great improvement in breeding to type and in fitting for exhibition. Hogs also show marked improvement and several exceedingly good repi'esentative herds were shown. Every endeavour should be tirade to induce farmers to use only pure bred sires in breeding all kinds of live stock, and of still further making exhibitions more educative in their character, by judges explaining type and reasons for their awards. British Columbia is easily foremost in the Dominion as regards the manner in which her fruits are packed and put on the market. In the near future, if she grasps the opportunity, she will have undisputed control of the market of the Great North-East, as well as retaining and extending her hold of markets across the Pacific as an outlet for the product of her orchards. In Farmers' Institutes Miss Rose and myself attended 34 meetings, holding at several places two meetings per day, and in spite of excessive rain, darkness and mud, we had a wonderfully good attencance. I found a much more acute interest in Institute work since I last attended meetings in the Province five years ago, showing that farmers are more and more awakening to a realisation of the benefit to be derived from attending such meetings and studying literature issued by the Department of Agriculture. The success of our meetings was very much enhanced by the presence of Miss Rose, women in greater numbers attending the meetings, and one and all expressing delight at the new departure in Institute work in the Province. Everywhere we were received with kindness and courtesy, and, speaking for Miss Rose as well as myself, we would heartily thank you for your thougbtfulness in arranging our itenarary in such a manner as to make our work a pleasure indeed. I cannot close without expressing to you personally our appreciation of the many kindnesses bestowed upon us during our sojourn amongst you. Everything possible was done by you and your department to further the success of our work, while those with whom we came in contact have done much to make that work a pleasure. Again I would refer to the work done by Miss Rose. From opinion everywhere expressed, her work has been appreciated as that of no one heretofore employed, and everywhere has the hope been expressed that she would again favour the Institutes with her services. Matsqui Farmers' Institute. Report by the Secretary op Meetings Held March 19-20, 1906. The regular spring meetings of the Matsqui Fanners' Institute were held in the Municipal Hall on Monday, March 19th, and at. the Matsqui School House on the 20th, in the afternoon and evening at each mentioned place. The speakers chosen were Dr. S. F. Tolmie, Dominion and Provincial Veterinary Surgeon, and J. R. Anderson, Esq., Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Victoria. The weather was extremely fine and the the attendance on each occasion fairly good. The President, Mr. R. H. Phillips, occupied the chair as usual, and called the meeting to order by asking the Secretary to read the minutes of the last meeting, which were adopted as read. Several communications were then read and received, notably one concerning stumping powder, which can now be got from Victoria or Nanaimo by the recent Government concession at $5.75 per case in ten-case lots, delivered at this price to either Mission, Matsqui or Abbotsford, the price really being $5.25 per case, either at Victoria or Nanaimo, and can be got only for the bona fide purpose of stumping and clearing of land. The President, who was the delegate attending the Central Farmers' Institute meeting, gave a resume of the proceedings and was thanked for his attendance and report. Mr. Anderson was first introduced and stated he was sorry to see no ladies present and strongly recommended daylight demonstrations, both in animals and orchard work. He told how he had tried to get local speakers from time to time to address the various institute meetings, but had failed in a great measure; said he was glad to notice that on every chair paper was provided for each person to jot down any question they thought fit to ask as the lecturers proceeded ; congratulated Matsqui Institute both for the number of members on its books and the practical, progressive work it was doing, and enjoined all persons to become members and make it and all kindred institutions a greater power for good. The Chairman then introduced Dr. Tolmie, the speaker fpr the occasion, whose subject was that of " Glanders," and who spoke in part as follows :— Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—The subject I have been called to speak upon, that of glanders, has caused considerable trouble and quite a number of horses has been destroyed lately and an agitation created in some parts against what has been done. This disease shows itself by affecting the horse, ass, and man ; cattle 'and fowls are immune and cannot be given the disease. On looking into history, we find this disease mentioned as far back as 344 B.C., showing it to be a very old disease, and it was not until the seventeenth century that it began to be treated, and up to the nineteenth century it was doubtful if it was contagious. In France, in the year 1882, this was proved to be the case, and in 1891 the Mallein test was discovered by a noted Russian surgeon. The farther north we go the disease is less existent. In Australia and Tasmania, up to the present, it has not reached. The symptoms of the disease are a glutinous discharge from the nostrils, ulcerated and ragged at the base, and glands enlarged 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 13 inside both jaws, and as the disease increases the animal becomes very dejected and run down. A clinical case of glanders is one which can be seen by the naked eye, but there are internal cases which cannot be detected by the naked eye ; hence a test has to be applied, and I venture to say this Mallein test has received more abuse this past six months than anything else I know. Dr. Rutherford is a very high authority on this subject, in fact, none better. The Mallein used is prepared by Dr. Higgins, of Ottawa, by a sterilised preparation of chicken broth and subjected to a high test of 131 degrees, Fahrenheit, killing all germs. No animal is destroyed witbout a thorough examination and proof existent that the animal has this disease ; nor is the Dominion Government willing or ready to pay large sums for anything approaching such work as this. In some cases it is not an easy matter to discover the disease when dead. Nodules are found in various ways in the lungs and iii many other parts of the body. The Government has found it very necessary to enforce the present restrictions by the outbreak of this disease in horses sent from Canada to the Boer war, when only a few out of one consignment arrived alive. The Canadian Government found this disease greatly on the increase, even to the extent of 500 in the Province of Manitoba alone. In London, in 1894, orders were given to kill all horses showing clinical disease, and ten years later, in 1904, there were twice as many cases known to the authorities to exist. I can assure you it is no pleasure for me or my associates to kill glandered horses, and how much more grievous do you think it would be to be a party to the condemning and killing of animals that we knew to be free from disease? I am just as much interested as any one. I am glad to say we have not found an infected horse on the ranges. This disease is incui-able in both animals and man, and in the latter it is a most loathsome and painful one. It is communicable to man when the virus comes in contact with a sore, or into the mucous membrane of the nose, mouth or eyes, and to horses through drinking troughs, pails or feed-boxes, as well as infection being spread by the congregating of horses on market clays. The bacillus of this disease succumbs to bright, scorching sunlight. A question was here asked, Is it more contagious than formerly 1 Answer : Yes, it is increasing in virulence, human glanders is also on the increase. One physician, in walking the London hospitals, thought he could discover twelve cases existing under different names. England is now, more than ever before, seeking to copy Canada in establishing her rules and regulations, and no known country in the world pays such a high indemnity at present for slaughtered animals as does the Canadian Government. The Mallein test is well beyond the experimental stage. Our stables are too dark, sunless and airless ; the buildings are unfit for animal habitation, and in these places we meet with it in its most virulent and acute forms. Question : Would it not be best to treat only clinical cases, and, where found, to kill them only ? Answer : No, you could never expect to stamp it out by any half measure. Our object is to prevent its introduction and arrest its extension, and I feel sure that the efforts put forth by the Minister of Agriculture, and every official connected with the Veterinary Staff, should be aided by every horse-breeder and farmer in the length and breadth of our beloved land, and it will require the combined efforts of all concerned to aid in this much-desired end. The great advance in values, owing to increased demand and scarcity of good horses, should induce the farmers to go more into horse-breeding, so that the demand may be retained and the output increased. The learned doctor asked for further questions to be submitted, not only upon the present question of glanders, but of any other subject relating to stock or diseases. Question : What do you consider the best cure for milk fever 1 Answer : When this occurs it is generally a good advertisement of the superiority of a milking cow or herd, though it can be brought on by injudicious use of feeding just before calving time, and the best known plan at the present time is to inject air into each teat and as injected to tie it, thus scattering the great flow of blood in the udder back to the head and other parts of the body. This can be done by an ordinary bicycle pump and small rubber pipe, in the absence of a machine which can be bought for the purpose. By carefully following this plan, 95 per cent, of the cows can be saved. Question : Can you recommend a cure for red water in cattle? Answer: No, not a satisfactory permanent cure ; this question has not been thoroughly solved ; Question : What is a good remedy to assist cows in cleaning 1 Answer: Epsom salts, ergot of rye, tincture of iron and tincture of turpentine and salts, and failing this, to remove the same, which is not a difficult process. Several other questions were asked in connection with hogs and their diseases, which were answered. The speaker thanked the audience for their marked attention and sat down amidst a round of well-merited applause. Mr. J. R. Anderson was the speaker for the evening meetings, and prefaced his remarks by saying that in the afternoon he had deplored the absence of the ladies, but on this occasion he felt highly delighted at such an audience, and could address them as both ladies and gentlemen. He went on to say : I feel it is very difficult to speak after the able address delivered to you by Dr. Tolmie this afternoon, and it seems presumptuous on my part to have to speak to you on a subject regarding which you already know so much, that of " Soils and Fertilizers." These alluvial deposits on the Fraser, from disintegration of the rocks, doubtless have been washed down from hundreds of miles. All these disintegrated rocks contain plant food of various kinds, principally potash and phosphoric acid, most of which is in an unavailable form for the use of plants, and herein lies the value of chemical analysis, but it is not safe to trust altogether to such analyses, as they usually give the quantity of the various elements without saying how much is immediately available; so I would urge upon the farmer to do experimental work on his own account, and by that means to determine for himself in a great measure the lacking plant food in the soil. Besides the two elements mentioned, there is a third, one that costs most to buy in the form of artificial fertilisers, but which can be obtained for practically nothing by the use of leguminous crops, which alone of all the various families of plants have the faculty of obtaining this valuable fertiliser from the air, about 78 % per cent, of which is composed of it, and depositing it in the soil for the use of other plants. Hard wood ashes is about the best and cheapest form of potash. The value of these ashes is not sufficiently recognised, but I am also well aware that hard wood is not here available. In Eastern Canada the Americans are very much alive to this question, and buy quantities of it. Now, we have heard a great deal about culture bacteria lately, and seen where its use is highly recommended; but from close observations I have made and correspondence I have secured from eminent experts, I am led to the conclusion that it is not quite all it is claimed to be. This culture must be used within three months of its first manufacture, or it is of no use at all. Prof. Wood says it must be used within 30 days, and Prof. Shutt is of the opinion they are practically worthless. Far better to take the soil from a field where a clover crop has been grown and inoculate the soil of the proposed clover field by sowing it with the inoculated soil at the rate of about 100 lbs. to the acre, and so save the expense of purchasing any of the culture. The close-observing, scientific, up-to-date farmer may and does discover deficiencies in his soil for the growing of some root or grain crop; hence he will try to make good that deficiency, which can be done by artificial fertilisers, but nothing will take the place of humus. It is an absolute fact that, sooner or later, you will have to resort to the ploughing in of green leguminous crops, and all the barn-yard manure it is possible to get. In almost every barn-yard there is a large amount of waste, besides a great deal hardly ever carted away on to the land. There is no better plan of preserving manure than to get it on the land as soon as possible after it is made ; especially should the liquid part be utilised, by some tankage system or absorption of some material such as peat soil. Lime is valuable, but it is not a fertilizer; its mission is to liberate and set free the plant food. Hard clay land, with lime, can be brought into a much more friable and warm condition. Lime can be bought now very reasonably in Victoria, at from $8 to $9 per ton. Peat lands generally are rich in nitrogen, but of a sour nature, hence the advantage of a good dressing of this commodity. Sorrel growing on land shows its sourness, and would be greatly benefited by a top dressing of from 20 to 40 bushels of lime per acre about every fifth or sixth year, by being carted on the ground and left in small heaps to air slack, and then spread— though there was a superstition in England that this made rich fathers but poor sons. The function of nitrogen is to produce a rich green leaf. Potash is requisite for a high production of fruit. Finely ground bone is doubtless the best and longest lasting fertilizer. I have no hesitancy at all in recommending dairy farming on the Lower Fraser Valley, though I know the labour question is a serious one, as butter takes but little out of the soil. The speaker strongly recommended the ploughing in of a good leguminous crop every third or fourth year, and in closing urged more persons to become members of the 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 15 Institute, as by so doing they were helping themselves. The amount was only 50 cents a year, and Dr. Tolmie's lecture this afternoon, and other valuable information imparted, was readily worth this sum. You are now working on very profitable lines. Your Institute possesses two good, fine pedigreed boars and a complete large spraying outfit, and if others will only rally to the work, other business doubtless can be profitably entered. There is no mistaking the fact you have good and progressive officers at the head, who are leaving no stone unturned, and I take great pleasure in congratulating you on the numerical, financial and prosperous state of your Institute. Some questions were asked and answered, and a hearty vote of thanks was given each speaker at the close of his address, and •' God Save the King " brought the meeting to a termination. John Ball, Secretary. Duck-raising in British Columbia. By E. A. Atkins. Within the last five years duck-raising has developed into a flourishing industry. Prior to that time the duck was not considered a profitable fowl to raise; its flesh was never prized very highly by the masses. Duck-raising is now to be recommended to farmers as a profitable source of revenue, and by careful attention to the work, as knowledge increases, the scope of the industry may be extended. The average farmer has all the facilities for raising a goodly number of ducks, and can, with a little outlay, add considerably to his income. The profits are the very best, and good incomes may be made when once the business is thoroughly mastered. But the beginner should not jump at the conclusion that the results are easily obtained. Duck- raising is an arduous task, one that requires an apprenticeship and absolute knowledge of the business before success is reached. To have success in raising ducks, the business must first be learned. The beginner must then start modestly, and increase his operations as his knowledge of the work increases. The buildings should be arranged to secure good drainage and be convenient to each other, this reduces the labour to a minimum. The incubator cellar should be convenient to the brooder house, that is, if you use a brooder ; the brooder house to the growing house and pens, and these to the killing house, that is, if you want to fatten and kill, but this market calls more for live ducks than dead ones, on account of the Chinese trade. The feed house should be located conveniently to the brooder and growing houses and the breeding pens. This will save much labour, for the task of feeding the growing stock four times a day and the breeding stock three times a day is no small one. Watering must also be thought about. The duck is differently constituted from the hen, and it must be cared for under different conditions. A hen needs warmer houses and drier surroundings than a duck. A house for ducks can be built plain and comfortable and have no finishings whatever; it should be built of rough boards or logs. If of boards, 12 x 1-in. and joints covered by 3 x 1-in. battens. The roof should be made watertight and covered with tar paper, shakes or shingles, but in this country it does not need tar paper if you sheet the rafters inside with cedar or rough boards, and if it does not cost too much, stuff moss between shakes and ceiling. The outside should be well drained, if it is on flat, low land ; if on a gravelly hill, it does not want draining, so long as the floor is dry. I favour the use of board floors in all houses for chickens, but it is not necessary for ducks, though it is easier to clean a board floor than an earthen one, but cover the floor with straw or dry leaves, The house must not be damp; while they are given water on the outside, they must have comfortable quarters in which to warm up or dry out. A house 12 x 14 feet will accommodate nicely a flock of a dozen. I think it much better not to use nests, for a duck is liable to injure herself by falling over the strips in front of nests, or other obstructions that may be in the house. Conveniences for supplying drinking water to breeding and growing ducks are varied, and almost any contrivance will answer the purpose. One way is to take a beef tin and turn it up side down on a tin plate or the top of a lard can for young- ducks just hatched. Don't let them get into the water for at least a week after hatching, and not even then so as they can get wet. After they are two or three weeks old, just dig a shallow hole in the ground and fill it with water; it will soak away the first two or three days, but it soon gets watertight, and if it gets a little dirty no matter, the ducks like it the better M 16 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 and they will do better. A duck is half hog in its ways. The food of the duck is such as to require drink when eating, as it is comparatively dry and cannot be eaten as hurriedly as grain. When feeding always replenish the water troughs or fountains with pure, fresh water. The food for the duck, to have the best results, must be both vegetable and animal in nature (but if meat is too high give milk if you have it, but I have raised ducks without either). If the birds are raised in confinement this diet must, in a measure, be imitated to get the most satisfactory results. As the duck has no crop, the food passes directly from the throat to the gizzard, and, as a consequence, the food must be in a soft mushy state, but not sloppy. Too much hard grain does not agree with these birds and they cannot thrive on it. Boiled potatoes, mixed with shorts, is good once a day, but what I feed mostly is half bran and shorts and some barley, whole or cracked corn mixed in it, about a pint for 20 ducks, three times a day for laying ducks. For young ducks a variety of food is best. When ducks are raised for breeding they must be fed differently from those intended for market; they must not be forced like the others and less fattening food must be given them. Feeding stuffs should be mixed in a trough or bucket large enough to hold the quantity without running over the edges, and not too sloppy, as I said before. Warm water should be used for mixing when the weather is excessively cold. A second trough or bucket should be had to mix the green feed in, such as cut rye, oats, clover, or any other green feed, but the simplest way is to have lots of lettuce and pull them up by the roots and lay them on the ground in a row and place a weight on their roots so that they cannot move. It saves time of cutting up and makes the ducks work to pull it to pieces. Now, about hatching, if you use an incubater I have the best results by keeping the temperature from 98° to 102°. If you can keep it at 102°, all right, but don't let it get over 103. Co-operation. By W. R. Robb, Comox. " Co-operation " is the subject I have chosen to write upon, because I think it is a question above all others at the present time to which farmers should turn their attention. The whole world is combined and it is full time the farmers should awaken to the forces that are arrayed against them. Farmers, as a class, have been more separated from each other in their various interests and concerns, than any other body of people. They have, until lately, been a host of individualities. There has been among them an utter lack of cohesion and support to each other. Such co-operation is far from being impractical, and if farmers would only reflect upon their important position as the providers of the most important necessaries of life and the magnitude of their interests, such mutual co-operation would become the most serious, or important foundation of their future effort. The farmer, from the earliest time, has sold wholesale and bought retail; he has, in all ages, been the prey of monopolists and capitalists. To-day he has the manufacturers with high protection arrayed against him. There are the beef trusts, railway companies, and the elevator companies, and all these concerns make him pay toll for being a farmer; while here in Victoria there is a combine among the hardware merchants to prevent one another from under-selling the other. For example, if you wish to buy fencing wire, each one of them will give you tbe same quotation. The question of co-operation has taken deeper root in England than in any other country. Statistics show that it affects more than one and a half million people, and more than a hundred million of pounds sterling is turned over yearly. But this affects only the wage earner. The farmer has not been in it until lately, but the tenant farmers have been obliged by the severe pressure of severe competition of other countries, with cheap labour and improved methods, combined with cheap land. For instance, the importation of Danish butter into England, the cattle from the Argentine and United States, the cold storage of beef and mutton, wheat from India and our own North-West. All this has compelled them to act together for self-defence, in organising and combining to sell their products direct to the consumer, and thus to eliminate that bugbear, the middleman. They also purchase whole cargoes of guano and nitrate of soda to fertilise the land ; also vast quantities of oilcake for stall-feeding. Various attempts in the past, both in the United States and Canada, have been made by farmers to co-operate and better their condition. Thirty years ago, about, the Grange movement started; then the Patrons of Industry. I recollect the late Dr Tolmie thought it was the panacea for all the ills of the farmers. Both these movements confined themselves to buying only, and not to selling. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 17 The object and aim of this paper is to try and impress upon the farmers the great necessity of selling retail and buying wholesale. I believe in the fruit districts of the Upper Country there exists a combination among the fruit-growers to sell their fruit to the best advantage. This is secured by means of having a representative of their own who handles all their fruit. I see no reason why this combination should not double its capacity and purchase wholesale, and then distribute the goods among the members of this combination, that which each may then require. In the dairying districts of this Province the creameries are a distinct success, but they are, as yet, one-sided; they form themselves into an association to make and sell their butter only. With very little more trouble they should be able to double their profits by purchasing most of the things they require, by purchasing them wholesale. The same committee that manages the creamery should be able, without much more time or trouble or expense, to do the purchasing for the partners in the creamery. The secretary, by raising his salary, could see to the distribution of the goods purchased by the committee of management. I would advocate going slowly at first and feeling their way gradually; then gradually extending thir operation, as experience and confidence in the practical results thus attained were acquired Commercial Fruit-Growing. By Prof. E. R. Rake. As to Site.—Select only the best, if you are going to raise fruit as a business. It should be well drained, both as to air and water. Soil should be eight to twelve feet deep or more, i. e., it should be that many feet above the permanent water table. Fruit trees of the temperate zone do not like wet feet, and at no time should the water stand more than a week or two about the roots of fruit trees. The aspect of the site may be, preferably, west, north-west, north-east, or south-east, other things being equal. The presence of considerable bodies of water is a factor that counts for much in the matter of site and may entirely annul the question of aspect as to points of compass. Not very steep or uneven land should be planted, because of the inconvenience and expense in spraying and other operations. Soil should be moderately heavy for long keeping quality; lighter soils are suited to early varieties. As to Trees.—Select only yearlings, of vigorous, thrifty, clean growth, not too large ; prune off all wounded roots with a clean under cut ; plant as soon as possible after getting them from the nursery. Buy of only first class firms of high standing and as near home as possible. Start the heads low ; herein lies a great advantage in planting moderate size one- year-old trees. They have to be cut back less. Do not let the branches which are to form the head issue from the stem less than six to nine inches apart, preferably the latter. Not more than three or four leading branches to form the head. Heads may be trained to vase or pyramid forms, according to taste of grower. Each form has its advocates. We prefer pyramids, especially for all moderate growers. If vase form is adopted, then cross-wire and staple the branches four or five feet above the formation of the head. This treatment prevents the breaking down of the head when a heavy crop is borne, and the consequent ruin of the tree. Prune thoroughly. Keep the tree open, vigorous and clean, with an abundance of fruit- wood formed well in. Do not permit fruit-wood to be rubbed or cut off the young trees. It is forming at points where it will be needed later. Thin out the branches enough so that the sunlight may reach all parts. As to Varieties.—In the first place, grow only that kind of fruit in which you delight. The personal equation is an important factor in any business, and particularly so in the growing of high-class fruit. Keep out of the business unless you intend to grow only the best. When you have selected the kind of fruit that suits your temperament, confine your plantings to a few standard varieties. New varieties are for the amateur ; let him experiment. With a few varieties you can hope to have a product that can be shipped in quantities, as car-load lots. That old adage, " Don't put all your eggs in one basket," is not altogether judicious advice in this matter of commercial fruit-growing. The markets that pay top prices are those that take large quantities of well-known varieties of merit. To produce a large quantity of first-class fruit, the average grower must confine himself to a very limited number of varieties, two or three at most. M 18 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Other things being equal, the chief part of one's planting should be of long-keeping varieties, except he be growing for a purely local market, a course not usually to be commended, unless the planting is being made in a section where the area of fruit land is limited in proportion to the market. A fruit-growing locality should settle upon one or two leaders and push those. Then it can command the attention of the buyer ; otherwise it may be obliged to seek him. As to Tillage.—-Give clean tillage, unless you are under a ditch, then you may grow other crops, providing you return to the soil plant food enough to make up for what these secondary crops are taking off. On general principles, grow only an orchard. One crop at a time is enough, except that you may need humus in the soil, in which event you may grow a clover crop occasionally. Till liberally with a scarifier or an acme harrow. These kill the weeds and keep a " dust mulch" on the surface two to three inches deep. As to Spraying.—Spraying is as much required to-day as is tillage. Fungous and insect pests are now so prevalent that only he who does a good piece of work in this line can reasonably hope for first-class fruit. The present day apparatus and remedies, if well applied at the proper time, will do effective work against these pests. Every grower must expect to possess a working knowledge of the more destructive fungi and insects. Free literature is abundant, and every fruit-growing community should vigorously insist that inspection of nursery, orchard and market-place should be vigorously enforced. In this lies much of the success of the orchard interest of any region. As to Harvesting.—The greatest care must be exercised in the harvesting of the crop. Fruit must be handled like eggs, for no first grade fruit can be bruised if one is to sell it at a profit. Low trees are an advantage in this work, as in spraying and pruning. Preliminary to harvesting is the work of thinning. With apples, pears, peaches and plums this phase of orchard care must be strictly attended to. No part of the care is more important. No two fruits should touch. In fact, if they can be not closer than four inches apart it will be the better, and with the larger varieties six to eight inches is close enough. As to Packing.—Herein lies the most important part of the work, if a good product is in hand. A well packed box of uniform, high coloured, clean fruit sells itself. It needs no advance agent. If with these qualities it possesses good flavour and keeps well, markets are already made for it. Still, besides all this, it is necessary to appeal to the public through a tasty package and an appropriate and fetching label. Bring your fruit and pack up to standard and then label it, so that all may know its source, grade and quality. It is really of little moment who grows the fruit, as far as the consumer is concerned, so long as the pack, grade and quality are reputable and up to standard, or even a little above. Every district should have a characteristic brand, pack, package and label, and insist that all products marketed under that brand shall be top notch of its kind or grade. United effort is the price of community progress in fruit-growing as in all other lines of endeavour A common pride, as well as a common interest, should impel every fruit district to the self-enforcement of such regulations as will ensure a high class product, packed and shipped in a high class manner. Poultry Industry of British Columbia. By E. A. Atkins. The subject chosen for this article is one that might occupy several pages, for in writing on the poultry industry in the West, the advantages of raising poultry here over some other sections, the profit to be derived therefrom, and the many other phases which would naturally come under the head of such an article, many volumes would be required to deal with each detail, but space or time will not allow of such an extension. I shall, therefore, endeavour to relate, in as brief a time as possible, something of what has occurred in the poultry industry here in the past, conditions as they exist to-day, and what we naturally may expect in the future. The history of the poultry industry in the West is not ancient, although it did not begin yesterday, but it is only during the last five or six years that the raising of poultry has attained that magnitude where it can rightly be styled one of the industries of the country; to-day it is almost at the zenith of its prosperity; never before has such interest been shown in the business, and never of late years have such prices been paid in this country according to 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 19 the supply, for eggs or stock, and never has there been such a demand as at present. The industry is increasing, it is true. In the past two or three years the number of breeders has increased over one hundred per cent., and the number of birds and eggs being raised is approximately over three times the number being raised two years ago. But the country is also increasing in population, and although the industry increased two or threefold for several years, as long as the West increases in the same proportion as it has done for the past two or three years, the demand will more than exceed the supply. Here then, is an industry, only one of many in the West, which is not overrun, and which offers magnificent returns on a small investment, for be it understood, from the start, thousands of dollars, nor hundreds even, are not needed to secure a fine start in the poultry industry here. The writer is a firm believer in that old maxim, "Learn to crawl before you try to leap." And his experience of several years amongst poultry has shown the wisdom of starting in small and increasing as occasion demands. In certain sections of the East poultry-raising constitutes the principal industry of that locality. We cannot hope for that in the West at present, yet I am assured that this industry will some time become centred in the West to a much larger extent than in any other section of Canada. Conditions govern every industry, no matter of what nature or character, and the conditions, climatic and otherwise, in the West, are to-day, and always will be, more favourable to poultry-raising than in any other section of the country. Our climate, for instance, west of the mountains, contains no winter, comparatively speaking, with its intense cold and storms; which are such drawbacks to poultry-raising in the East, but instead we have a rainy season. The eastern breeder, uninitiated to these conditions, believes that rainy seasons are a drawback to poultry. They claim that birds are more subject to roup and other diseases in a damp climate than eastern birds; but it is not so. Our birds thrive to a far better extent here in the West than those of the East. Roup is not prevalent in the West, nor, in fact, any disease. Our birds are healthy and strong. One of the greatest necessities, if we are to breed for eggs, market or plumage, is a sufficient supply of green stuffs for the poultry. In the East, during the winter season, it is impossible to even make an apology to supply the demand. In the West, owing to that same rainy season, we have green stuffs the entire year round. In Vancouver, the writer is informed on good authority, some of the poultry buyers keep young stock, bought from farmers, both in New Westminster market and up-river points, which is sold to the hotels and steamboats. These birds, dressed, bring an average the year round of $10 and $11 a dozen. Now, why cannot the farmers get these prices themselves? These buyers get these birds on each trip, either to New Westminster or up the river, at an average of $3.50 to $4 qer dozen. Now, it costs the buyer more to raise those birds than it ought the farmer, still he makes a good living out of it. The writer admits that there are a good many who fail in the business, but in nine cases out of ten these failures are due entirely to negligence on the part of the breeder, and in no way reflects discredit on the country or the industry. I maintain that where a person enters into the poultry industry, gives it the attention it deserves, using a little common sense, instead of an axe when in a little difficulty, that person can make money easier and quicker out of the poultry business than from any other branch of farming. Note the remarks "from any other branch of farming." The writer especially calls attention to it for the reason that if the poultry industry is to attain to any magnitude in this or any other section of the country, it must be taken up by the farmer principally ; the city man or woman may enter into the business to some extent, but here prices and valuations of property, high prices of food, lack of room, etc., make it impossible for the industry to grow to any magnitude, unless also taken up by the farmer. On the other hand, the farmer with a few acres, who farms, raises fruit stock, is better prepared to raise poultry than any other class. Not alone has he the room, but he has the facilities for raising his own grain, and this is one of the most important methods of saving in the poultry business. Almost every farmer in the country raises some chickens or poultry, to a large or small extent, and in a good many cases the birds are housed in some out-of-the-way place, under an old barn or in a rickety, leaky shed. They receive no attention whatever, yet the eggs alone from these uncared for flocks more than supply the home demand in every case, and bring in a few dollars annually from the sale of surplus eggs and stock, to the markets. Imagine, then, what opportunities are being neglected every day by the farmer. For only a few dollars he can erect comfortable, warm houses for his poultry, sufficient to house several hundred birds. At less than market price, by far, he is able to raise his own grain for his fowds, and with proper attention can make the poultry pay better money on the investment than any other branch of his business. It requires no more attention to raise pure-bred stock than scrub stock, after one has become established, and there is an enormous difference between the two. Scrub stock is just what the word implies—the poorest stock imaginable. Pure-bred stock means that that variety of bird has for years been especially bred up in those characteristics which would make it a more valuable bird to the market or breeder, and a more profitable layer. The writer has attempted to give some idea, in the above, of the immense possibilities of profit in poultry culture, whether for eggs or birds for market. It is to be expected that at least some few will see the subject in the same light as he, and this article is written with the sole hope of inducing more breeding of good poultry in British Columbia. Now, in conclusion, I might say that you will have to be your own judge of what breed of fowls are best suited to you. But, by becoming a member of the Farmers' Institute, you will receive literature which will tell you the different kinds of fowl and for what they are best adapted. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 21 CENTRAL FARMERS' INSTITUTE. NINTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. The Ninth Annual Convention of the Central Farmers' Institute of British Columbia was convened on the 5th day of March, 1907, at 11 a.m., in the rooms of the Department of Agriculture, the following delegates being present:— J. R. Anderson, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Superintendent. Collins, J. T , Islands Farmers Brandrith, W. J Burrard Dodding, D Lillooet Peatt, A. H Metchosin Wilson, P. H Chilliwack Phillips, H. R , . . , Matsqui Randle, Jos Nanaimo-Cedar Venables, Arthur Okanagan Spencer, G. A Alberni DeHart, F. R. E Osoyoos Evans, James Salmon Arm Harris, Henry Langley Hammer, A Bella Coola Curry, V. D Kamloops District Mars, James Maple Ridge Baker, N. T Kent Buckingham, W. E , Richmond Abbott, Wm. T Mission Gale, A. E Victoria McKenzie, R. D Surrey Johnstone, James West Kootenay Davie, Alex Delta Long, Robert ; , East Kootenay Institute. Mr. J. R. Anderson, Deputy Minister of Agriculture : I have a letter from Mr. J. C. Metcalfe, of Maple Ridge and Coquitlam, expressing his inability to attend as delegate on account of illness, and suggesting Mr. James Mars as substitute. This course is rather irregular, but I will leave it for you to decide as to whether you choose to accept him as a delegate from Maple Ridge. Mr. Mars : There is a certificate there, Mr. Anderson. I was elected as a delegate on Saturday night, but we had not the form there. Mr. Anderson : That will do. Now, hei'e is another case. Mr. Jos. Whelpton was elected as a delegate from Kent. This is the only certificate that I have, and now Mr. Baker presents himself this morning with a letter from someone else. I consider this to be most irregular, and Secretaries ought really to be spoken to about doing this sort of thing. Mr. Baker : Mr. Anderson, I can explain, if you wish. Mr. Anderson : Well, I suppose that the delegates want some sort of an explanation. You see the letter does not even come from one of the officers. I believe he is not a member of the Institute, and it says Mr. Baker is coming in place of Mr. Whelpton. Mr. Baker has been here before, and you all know him, and he is a reputable man, but it is an irregular way of doing things. Mr. Baker c Well, I will explain how I came to be sent down. On Sunday, about 4 o'clock, Mr. Cunningham, who wrote that letter, said to me : "I see you are going down .to M 22 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Victoria to-morrow," and I said I did not know of it, as I had not heard anything about it. Well, he said he had just been to Mr. Whelpton, as he states in that letter, and Mr. Whelpton had told him that it was impossible for him to come down, and that he had sent word to me to go instead. However, I did not get the word. I then tried to find the Secretary of the Institute, but I could not find him ; he was away. So Mr. Cunningham wrote the lettei', and certified personally to the fact that Mr. Whelpton expected me to come. Therefore, I came, and I am in your hands, gentlemen. Mr. Anderson : You see it puts the onus upon me of accepting a man who is not authorised. Mr. Curry : May I speak on this matter? I just wish to say a few words. Doesn't it really rest with the meeting rather than with the Superintendent as to this man's position here ? Mr. Anderson : I would much rather leave it to the meeting. Mr. Gale : I think it is for the meeting to decide the question really. Mr. Brandrith : Mr. Chairman, we have had Mr. Baker with us two years previous. We know he is all right, and we can take his word. And seeing that they have some 18 inches of snow at Agassiz, it is not an easy matter for them to get around ; and seeing that this business was all done at the last moment, on a Sunday, I think he should be allowed to take his seat, and I make a motion to that effect. Mr. Gale : I second that motion. Motion carried. Mr. Anderson : I quite agree with that. We all know Mr. Baker very well, as he has been a representative here on several occasions ; but I would like the delegates to pull up the secretaries about these things, as it is too bad that occurrences of this kind should happen. Mr. Baker: Mr. Anderson, I can assure you that when I go home I shall have a letter of explanation forwarded to you, signed by the Secretary and President of our Institute. Mr. Anderson: As far as you are concerned, it is all right. It is the fault of the secretaries in being so negligent in matters of this kind. Mr. J. R. Anderson, Superintendent, was unanimously moved to the chair. Moved by Mr. Brandrith, and seconded by Mr. Venables, "That Mr. J. T. Collins act as Secretary." Carried unanimously. Mr. Collins : I thank you, gentlemen, for the honour you have done me. The Chairman : The Minister will address you if you are now able to hear him. While we are waiting, a committee on resolutions might be appointed. Mr. Curry : The Chairman will appoint the committee, I suppose. The Chairman : I appoint the Secretary, Mr. Collins ; Mr. James Evans, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Brandrith. That is one for each portion of the country. I think that will be sufficient. I have prepared here, gentlemen, as far as was possible, a list of the delegates and the subjects which they are to bring up. There are several copies of them, which you can make use of. As the secretaries did not send me a list (as they have been requested to do on several occasions) of the subjects that the delegates were to bring up, I am unable to present a full statement. Hon. Richard McBride, Premier, and Hon. Mr. Tatlow, Minister of Agriculture, having entered the room, were loudly applauded. The Chairman: Gentlemen, the Premier and the Minister of Agriculture, being now present, they will be pleased to say a few words to you. (Loud applause). Address by the Hon. Richard McBride, Premier of British Columbia. Mr. Anderson and Gentlemen,—It is indeed a pleasure to me to have an opportunity of saying a word of welcome to the Central Farmers' Institute at this, their annual gathering. Generally, the experience has been that when the members have come to Victoria to transact their yearly business, the House has been in session, and to a considerable extent the Members of the Legislature have had the advantage of exchanging confidences with the Institute and enjoying the good counsel of the same body. I think that those of us who are directly connected with the Local Parliament are bound to acknowledge that here and there when legislation has been deemed necessary in the interest of agriculture, a great deal of help has come to us as a result of the deliberations of your body. I know that the good work in the past can well be taken as an index of what we may expect of this Association in the future. So far as the Local Government is concerned, you may depend upon it, gentlemen, that at all times we will 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 23 be more than anxious to meet your wishes and conform to your views, so far as we may be eaabled to do so in the public interest. I do not think I am at all extravagant in the observation when I say that, in the history of agriculture in this country, never before have we had a Minister who has taken such a lively and active interest in the business of his Department as has been done by my honoured colleague, Captain Tatlow, in so far as the interests of agriculture are concerned. We have been obliged to meet with some very serious obstacles, you may say, in the way of making of the agricultural industry in this Province the success that you would all like to see it, but in the end I think it may be claimed that the work has been pretty well done. (Applause). With regard to the fruit-growing industry, you know the achievement of this past year, and you know what was done in the two preceding years. Then, when you speak of the stock-raising and the dairy farming branches of the industry that are under the supervision of the Department, I think the reports from all over the country go to show conclusively that everything has been done in a very satisfactory condition indeed. Then, with respect to the work carried out by the officials, which has to do with the inspection of fruit pests and other departmental details, I think the same observations will obtain. And it must be admitted that in the person of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Anderson, you have a very zealous official indeed. My colleague, when he addresses you in a moment or two, will very likely tell you that, in addition to the other work that has been attempted by the Government during the past three years, it is proposed during the current season to make a move in the direction of bringing about better conditions in the Dry Belt (Hear, hear), so that more irrigable land may be brought under cultivation, and so that the public interests in that section of the country may be better conserved all around. (Hear, hear.) Let me conclude, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, with the wish that this may be in every way a very successful gathering, and that the result of your deliberations may be so splendid as to encourage the farmers of British Columbia, the fruit-growers and the stock-raisers of the country, more than ever to persevere in the splendid work of husbandry. Now, it is scarcely in my line to deliver an address to a professional body such as I have to meet this morning, but since, for some years past, it has been my good fortune to represent a farming constituency in the Parliament of this country, and since during that term 1 have been connected with one of your local, organisations, in a measure I feel that I can speak with some assurance on the general question of agriculture in British Columbia. (Loud applause.) Thank you, gentlemen. Address by the Hon. the Minister op Agriculture. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—I assure you it gives me great pleasure to have once more an opportunity of welcoming you all at this annual meeting of the Institute, and to have a chance of exchanging views with you, and going over some of the resolutions which you passed and left to be looked into by the Government at your last annual meeting. It is also a great pleasure to know that the period of prosperity which has been coming upon us gradually for the last few years still shows signs of increasing, and that the industry you represent here to-day has kept pace with the progressive movement, and has taken its right stand in being one of the most important industries in British Columbia. The fact of its position is evidenced by the statistics we have to hand. At the same time we know there is a very large amount of money we, unfortunately, have to send out of this Province every year for products which could be so well raised among us profitably. Yet still that amount is decreasing year by year in proportion, and we have been able to show that in the last year the importations into British Columbia were nearly half a million dollars less than the year before, and that is balanced by the increased product of the Province; and while we still import over six and a half million dollars worth of products, yet the fact that we are on the right side and are gradually reducing that amount is a matter, I think, for everyone to congratulate themselves upon. Now, gentlemen, last year when we met here you passed a number of resolutions, which you asked us to look into and deal with to some extent before we met again. With your leave I would like to take up a few of those matters now. First was the question, which was a very old one in the Province, that of stumping powder. You asked us to make arrangements to try and obtain stumping powder on better terms for the farmers and those who wished to clear their lands. By an arrangement which we made with the Hamilton Powder Works, we pay cash for carload lots, and they agree to distribute it, one or more boxes from time to time as the farmer needs it, and in quantities to suit the farmer, from their works at Nanaimo or Victoria, the farmer paying at the rate of $5.25 per box f.o.b. During the last year we have sold some five carloads of powder, 1,936 cases having been supplied up to the 22nd February; the exact price of same, I think, being over $10,000. Now, I am in hopes that this year will show a much larger increase in the amount you are able to handle, as we are prepared, as long as there is a demand for it, to carry out our share by purchasing the powder and keeping it in stock. And I hope in time to come we will be able to find better means of supplying powder. I thought it might be of some interest to you, gentlemen, and I brought up the memorandum I received showing the distribution of this powder, so you will get an idea of where it all goes. The next resolution is, " That as the fruit industry is of such vital importance to the country, and that we cannot impress too much on the growers the importance of keeping up the good standard now obtained, we respectfully request the Agricultural Department to appoint one or more practical men to give demonstrations and addresses during the present year in the planting and care of orchards." Well, gentlemen, this matter has been complied with, as far as possible, during the season, by the out-door demonstrations given by speakers at the Institute meetings. And we fully realise that it is of the utmost importance, and we have made every effort to comply with the request by engaging the services, when practicable, of prominent horticulturists in the Province, and also sending outside the Province when we thought it to the advantage of this important industry. We have done all we could possibly do during the past year in this regard, and this present year we hope to increase the good work in this direction. Then, again, you ask for assistance for the Fruit Pest Inspector, " That the immense amount of work entailed on the Provincial Fruit Inspector makes it imperative that more assistance be placed at his disposal, and that the Provincial Government be respectfully requested to provide Mr. Cunningham with the assistance required." Well, I may say that in conformity to that resolution, this has already been done. We have given Mr. Cunningham an assistant, and a stenographer to help him with the work in his office in Vancouver, and have given him authority to engage more assistance whenever he thinks it necessary to do so. At the present time he is very actively engaged in the inspection of orchards on Vancouver Island and adjoining islands, and he has been given more assistance for that purpose. He will be going up country in a very short while and will continue the same good work in the Interior, as it is our intention to have a thorough inspection of the fruit orchards in our country, and we believe that the fruit-growers should have the advantage of the best advice possible on the subject. Mr. Anderson reminds me that, while we are doing that, we are also taking up the question and work of inspecting the Indian orchards, because there is no object in our having our farmers' orchards inspected and the Indian orchards on the other side of them in a bad condition. So that, in this way, we are taking up the work of inspecting the Indian orchards, with the consent and assistance of the Indian Department, I am glad to say. Regarding your resolution on dairying, as follows:—" The meeting is gratified to learn that the Government intends to appoint a Dairy Inspector for the Province, for the development and inspection of dairies, and request that this appointment be made immediately." I may say that at the time we were considering the making of this appointment we had Mr. Logan sent out by the Dominion Government, in connection with the Live Stock Association, and Mr. Fisher, the Minister of Agriculture at Ottawa, very kindly allowed us to make use of Mr. Logan in connection with the creameries. The work Mr. Logan has done in the past year has given very good satisfaction, and I would like to see him placed in a position to do even more this coming year, and have less work to do, if possible, in connection with the live stock, and devote more of his time to the creameries. (Applause.) And I would be very glad to have an expression from this Institute on the question as to whether the work of the inspection of creameries has been satisfactory, and whether they wish the Government to go along on the same lines as in the past. And if not, what suggestions you wish to make to us as to how the creamery work should be conducted. Timber Licences.—" That the Dominion and Provincial Governments be urged to institute measures for the better regulation of timber licences and the cutting of timber in the Dry Belt, to the end that the volume and purity of the sources of water shall not be impaired." As regards that resolution, I have to say that the Dominion Government, by an Act passed last year, entitled "The Dominion Forest Reserves Act," withdrew from sale, settlement and occupancy, and made forest and game reservations of some eight large townships 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 25 of British Columbia, extending from the Shuswap Lakes very nearly to the Fraser River. These reserves are all in the Railway Belt, and no doubt are going to have great effect in the conserving of the water supply in that portion of the country. The Provincial Government last year took up the question in a small way of the protection of forests from forest fires. The amount spent last year was about $3,000. This year, I may say, I think, in the presence of the Premier, that it is our intention to take up the question on a much larger scale. (Applause.) We propose to spend a great deal more money and have a larger force to look after the timber of the country, as we are thoroughly alive to the amount of loss the country has annually been put to owing to these forest fires. And, as I say, we intend to take the best means of sending outside for the fullest information, regulations and rules that have been made by other Provinces, and we hope it will be settled satisfactorily, and that we may be able to have good legislation passed for the protection of our forests. The question of an endowment for an Agricultural College is one I am not at the moment prepared to say much about. However, I think the Premier will allow me to say this : We are considering the question of setting aside certain reservations of lands in connection with education, and later on this question may be included in it. I am sorry that you have met before the meeting of the Legislature, because I think the question is one that will come up before the House, and I would ask that you wait until the debates on this subject have taken place in the House, when the Government will be more prepared to deal with this question. I have another resolution here, the " Extinguishing of Bush Fires," which I have spoken about before. Experimental Stations.—" That the Dominion Government be requested to establish Experimental Stations on Vancouver Island, in the Dry Belt, and in the Kootenays, and that the representatives of British Columbia in the House of Commons and in the Senate be requested to use their influence to have the same established." In respect to this resolution, I may say that it was sent forward with all the other resolutions affecting Dominion Government matters to Ottawa immediately after last year's meeting; and as regards this particular one, Mr. Templeman wrote us, under date of July 6th, as follows: " I am in receipt of yours of the 28th June, in which you ask if the reported establishment of two additional Dominion Experimental Farms in British Columbia is correct. In reply I have to say that nothing definite has yet been agreed to respecting the immediate establishment of additional farms. The general problem of establishing more Experimental Farms throughout the Dominion, which would include several in British Columbia, has been under consideration, and will be taken up and disposed of as soon as possible." Other than that we have had no definite information regarding the matter. And in view of this meeting we telegraphed Mr. Templeman to find out as to whether he could make any further statement on the matter, but up to the present time we have not had any reply. The question of adulteration has been already taken up. We have sent forward the resolutions on this subject to Ottawa, but have had no reply to them as yet. But we understand that the amendment to the Pure Food Act is going to be taken up by the Dominion Government, though they have not given us any definite answer on the question. With regard to irrigation, you say, " That whereas in several districts of the Province conditions exist with reference to the problem of irrigation such as will seriously retard the settlement of the same, and is bound to lead to endless and costly litigation if not immediately remedied." And then you go on with the resolution, asking that certain things be done. The Premier has alluded to this just now, and has told you what he intended to do. He intends to place a sum on the Estimates for the purpose of having reports made on the available water that can be had, so that within a very few months we ought to be in a position to know just exactly what can be done in this respect, and we will go on with this work just so soon as the Legislature grants us the necessary financial assistance to carry out the work. With respect to the reports of the Department of Agriculture, I may say that we have not issued agricultural reports for the last few years, because when we were retrenching in other matters we thought it advisable to retrench in this as well, and the $4,000 or $5,000 which it cost the Government to bring out this report we thought advisable to expend in other ways. But now that the Province is in a better financial position I am going to take the matter up with Mr. Anderson, and if it is possible to get out a report at a reasonable cost, that will be a credit to the Department, I think that we might do so. (Applause.) I think these are practically all the questions that I could deal with to any advantage just now. M 26 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 I have here an interesting report by Mr. Logan on the dairying question and creameries, which I dare say some of you might like to look at, and I will leave it on the table for you. And I hope that in a short time, when he gets out in the country, he may give me a subsequent one, but I think this will be of use to you. In leaving you now, gentlemen, I can only say that when you come to the end of your deliberations you will, no doubt, have other resolutions which you think it necessary to pass, then I will have much pleasure in coming up here and discussing them with you. (Applause.) And at the present Session of the House we will always be only too glad to give any assistance to your wishes and carry out same, in so far as we are able to do so in the best interests of the Province. (Loud applause.) The Secretary : I think before we adjourn that we should have all the resolutions handed in. As yet we have but very few. Mr. J. R. Anderson (Chairman): Well, I hope you will hand them in before we adjourn, so that we will be able to go on witb the business when we meet. Moved by Mr. De Hart, seconded by Mr. Gale, " That an adjournment be taken until 2 p.m." Motion carried. Meeting adjourned until 2 p.m. Afternoon Session. Convention re-assembled at 2 p. m. Mayor Morley was introduced by the Chairman. Mayor Morley's Address. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—I owe the Institute an apology for not keeping the appointment I had with Mr. Anderson this morning to address you, and I also owe Mr. Anderson an apology. But my civic duties prevented my being with you. However, gentlemen, I am heartily glad indeed to be with you again this year and say a few words to you and welcome you to our City. Great things have happened since I last had the pleasure of welcoming the members of your Institute to Victoria—not only in Victoria, but in all the municipalities and districts throughout the Province. I do not suppose that there has ever been better times throughout the whole of the Province than at the present time, and we have every reason to congratulate ourselves on this condition of affairs. We have had one of the most prosperous years, I suppose, that we have ever known, and the promise of what is waiting for us is still better than what we have experienced. (Applause.) I only sincerely trust that it will pan out as good as it appears. (Cries of hear, hear.) I wanted particularly to meet with you gentlemen to-day, just to say a few words in regard to what we are planning this year, and which really concerns you more than it does the City; that is with regard to our agricultural exhibition. If your Chairman and yourselves will excuse me, I will take up a few of your moments in discussing local matters. With regard to the exhibition we propose holding this year, we have made it possible to increase the number of our exhibits, as we have purchased a very large block of land surrounding our old exhibition grounds, and have also appropriated a considerable sum of money to enable us to increase the capacity of our buildings, and are now in a much better shape than ever before, so that when the farmers, who have always taken a very keen interest in the agricultural exhibitions held in the City of Victoria, come to us this year they will find that we can give them better accommodations for stock, better race-track, better grounds for stock-showing purposes, and better facilities for exhibits in the building. It is our intention to make this year's exhibition second to none west of Winnipeg. Of course, we shall always look upon New Westminster as being a pretty fair rival. -Still, we do not intend to let New Westminster " rule the roost," as we have done before. We have some good men on our executive. Dr. Tolmie we have with us, taking a very large and active interest in the making of this exhibition a success, and I am sure we will have a record-breaker this year, I invite you all, gentlemen, to come to our exhibition, and I am sure you will see something worth seeing. Now, with regard to your visit in Victoria, I only regret that my time is so much taken up that I cannot personally go around with you. Most of you gentlemen, I am glad to say, are 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 27 well acquainted here, and I sincerely trust that you will not only feel at home in the City, but make yourselves thoroughly at home during your stay. Now, many of you, like myself, are growing a few gray hairs, and I am just going to give you a little bit of advice before I leave you. The time is not far distant when many of you want to give up the farm to your boys, and the time is now ripe whilst you are in this beautiful City of Victoria to pick up a nice little home here and come and settle down. There are a lot of pretty homes still left, and I advise you strongly to look them over before you leave and take your choice. You will never find a better place to live in. The climate is beautiful and we are all prospering. The country is a splendid place to live in, I know, for I have tried it myself. But then there comes a time when you want to stop work and give up the farm and have a good time. So, gentlemen, before you go, look around our beautiful City and make up your minds to settle down here. Don't forget to spend a little time also in looking over the Parliament Buildings. I do not know that I can say anything more, gentlemen, except that I sincerely hope that the work of the Institute will be equally beneficial this year, if not more so, than' it has been in the past year. I know you are here for business more than pleasure, but I hope you will find time for both. We have with us another very valuable executive meeting convening here, that of the B. C. Municipalities, in which I have no doubt many of you gentlemen are deeply interested and closely in touch with their work, and I hope that some of you will find time to give a little of your attention in that direction also. They will help you and you will help them, I have no doubt. The work of these different municipalities has a great deal to do with the success of the farming districts, particalarly when they have to deal with the keeping of your roads in order and clean, so that your families can enjoy life above reproach. I thank you, gentlemen, for giving me this opportunity of addressing you, and all that I can say is that I hope when you go away from Victoria you will have gained in every sense of the word, and have had a real pleasant time, and we will all be glad to have you come again. (Applause.) The Chairman : If it is your pleasure to hear my address now, I will proceed. I do not know that it will be a very long one, or of very great interest. Superintendent's Address. I regret to say, in beginning this address, the same complaint exists as on former occasions. That is, the want of proper reports to the Department from the different secretaries, so that an address can be made with the figures before me, in order to make it of real interest. Some of the reports were only received by me yesterday, and some even now are incomplete. You can thus imagine that, in order to get up anything to address a meeting of this kind, how difficult a matter it is with such incomplete reports. So you will take these figures that I give you now as they are given. They are pretty nearly right, but there may be some alterations to make in the future. In connection with that, I may again call your attention to the fact that many secretaries do not realise the fact that it is their duty to make proper returns according to the Act. Very often returns are not made for a long time after the meetings occur, and in some cases they do not make them at all until they are asked for them. Now, that is not right. The Act requires that the meetings should be reported within a week of the holding of the meeting, and if that were done there would be very little trouble. Nevertheless, many of the secretaries are careful about making the returns, and with those there is little or no trouble. I assure you that if you were to look at all the telegrams and letters I have to send away on account of the laxity of the secretaries you would be astonished. I will read out the number of meetings held last year and the year previous. In 1905, 230 ; 1906, 220, a decrease of ten meetings. The attendance in 1905 was 5,892 ; anl in 1906, 7,431, showing a very satisfactory increase, as regards attendance, of 1,539. In spite of the fact that there were ten less meetings, the attendance was much greater, showing that there was a great deal more interest taken in the affairs of the Institute than has been taken in the previous years. In 1905 there were 300 addresses made, and in 1906 there were 333. The membership in 1905 was 2,183, and in 1906, 2,484, an increase of 301. That is a most healthy increase, more so than it has been for some years ; in fact, at any time, I think. The funds on hand amounted to $1,630 in 1905, and $1,690 in 1906, an increase of about $60. Now, the membership shows a remarkable difference this year to previous years. This year the Central Park (the old Burrard) Institute, which had its name changed, shows a M 28 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 membership of 220, against 87 the year before. Now, that shows a wonderful improvement, all owing to the secretary, who the year previous was very lax in his duties. With a little care, you see that the improvement has been very great. Victoria follows with 210, against 213 tbe year previous. These are the only Institutes having over 200 members. Spallumcheen is first below, namely 184, against 71 the year previous. Metchosin, which thus far has led with regard to membership, has fallen to fourth place, and now has 161 members, as against 212 the previous year. Osoyoos, a tie with the last, also having a membership of 161, as against a membership of 136 the previous year. Cowichan and Nanaimo, each has a membership of 149, the former as against 135 the pi-evious year, and the latter showing no difference. Okanagan is the only other Institute with a membership over the century mark, having a membership of 146, as against 143 the year previous. Referring to the subject of funds on band, the financial statements handed in are by no means all that could be wished for. I take this opportunity of reminding the delegates that the duties of the Auditors are not of a perfunctory character, as they seem sometimes to consider. They are officers of the Institute, and it is their duty when a financial statement is presented to them to see that the statement is a correct one before it is signed. In one instance I had to send a statement back, pointing out two very material differences, and which the Auditors had never given their consideration. Now, that is not right. And that is not what an Auditor is appointed for. He is appointed to see that the financial statement is the proper one to be sent in to the Superintendent, and that the receipts and expenditures are as they are represented to be in the statement. The number of organised Institutes remains as it was the year previous, viz., 27, divided as follows :—Islands, 7; Lower Mainland, 11; Upper Mainland, 8: North, 1. The membership in 1906 for the Islands was 803, and in 1905, 900. Quite a falling off. I should perhaps read it the other way. The membership for the Lower Mainland in 1905 was 623, and in 1906, 814, showing a satisfactory increase in the Lower Mainland. In the Upper Mainland there was a membership of 601 in 1905, and 807 in 1906. You will see that there was quite an improvement. In the North, the membership remains pretty nearly the same, 59 in 1905,, and 60 in 1906. These figures show a satisfactory increase in membership in all these districts, except the Islands, where there is a falling off of nearly 100 members. The average for the Islands is the highest, closely followed by the Upper Mainland with eight Institutes, 807 members. The Lower Mainland membership falls a good deal below, viz., 814. The membership for the three divisions are pretty nearly alike. The attendance at meetings is divided as follows:—Islands, 2,277; Lower Mainland, 2,144; Upper Mainland, 2,789 ; North, 221. Total, 7,431. The average attendance at meetings is highest on the Upper Mainland. There were four morning meetings, attended by 146; 67 afternoon meetings, attended by, 2,204; and 149 evening meetings, attended by 5,081. These figures show that morning and afternoon meetings are not gaining in favour, although the members attending the afternoon meetings show an increase. I look for a material change this season in that respect, on account of the inauguration of the judging classes, which have found great favour. It is several years ago now since I undertook to have score cards printed for judging live stock. These remained on hand for several seasons until this last season, when we made the experiment of holding judging classes at several points, and they have been eminently successful. At every place where these judging classes have been held we have been asked to repeat them. There have been several supplementary meetings where judging classes have been repeated. I am very glad that this matter has been taken up, and it is the wish and hope of the Department that before long the same sort of classes will be undertaken regarding the judging of fruit. And if we inaugurate that, score cards will be gotten up in the same way as they are for the live stock, and the fruit will be judged by points, so that those interested in fruit will have an opportunity of perfecting themselves in judging of the quality of fruit. And I hope also, during the season, to issue a bulletin on those very subjects of judging, so as to give the people generally an idea of the points of animals. I hope that we will be able to get cuts to show the different points in different animals. It is, of course, somewhat difficult to get good cuts representing all the points of an animal, but efforts are being made to obtain them. For several years we have also had a number of lantern slides on hand, slides of insects and other subjects. These have not been utilised, because of the simple fact we had no lantern to exhibit them. The authority to purchase a lantern has been given, and it is the idea of this 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 29 Department this year to illustrate lectures with lantern slides. This has been found very successful in Ontario and other places where Institute work has been carried on, and I hope during the coming season that this will be undertaken in many of the Institutes. When I was in Portland, the other day, I had occasion to go with Prof. Lake to visit one of the establishments that sold these lanterns. They are very portable, will go into a small trunk, and are very excellent lanterns. In that way one can obtain a very fair idea of the subject when properly illustrated. Lessons on fruit-packing were undertaken this year in one of the Institutes, and I am very much pleased to say that they gave a great deal of satisfaction. One of our young men, growing up in this country and the son of Mr-.- Earl, the veteran fruit-grower of Lytton, acquired his knowledge of fruit-packing right on his father's ranch. I got him to go over to Hood River, in Oregon, where he obtained some new points, so that he was able to undertake the judging of fruit-packing at some of the Island meetings, and I have had the most flattering reports of his ability. It is a great satisfaction to be able to get any of our young men to do these things, and I hope in the future that we shall be able to utilise his services to a much greater extent. The engaging of a lady lecturer was another departure. I was able to get Miss Rose, of Guelph, to give a good many lectures, and everywhere she went we had the most flattering reports of her as a speaker and the interest she ci'eated. I have been asked to get Miss Rose out again, but I do not know whether I shall be successful in doing that. She was paying a visit to the Pacific Coast last year, and we were in that way able to secure her services. She is a most excellent lecturer, talks principally on dairying, and has created a most favourable impression. The distribution of literature during the last year has perhaps not been as great as it could be wished for. Nevertheless, there has been a great quantity of literature sent out— something like 20,000 pamphlets of different kinds. So you may imagine that it has taken a great deal of time and involved a good deal of work, with only one man to do it. I hope this year to be able to secure literature of different descriptions, published by ourselves, and also to purchase some. Regarding the transcript of addresses made at Farmers' Institute meetings, the Act provides that a certain number (two, at least) shall be provided by each Institute to the Superintendent during the year. That is a thing that the Institutes have fallen very short of. I am not provided with the requisite number of addresses. I quite recognise the difficulty of obtaining copies of addresses, inasmuch as most of them have been made viva voce and, therefore, not taken down on account of there being no available stenographer. Nevertheless, a great many people can take down notes sufficiently intelligible to write out an address from them afterwards. And I wish that the Secretaries of the Institutes would be instructed on that point. It is really not following out the Act on their part, and puts me in the position of not being able to furnish any of these most valuable addresses to the public when making my report. I have been able to secure a few this year, mostly, I may say, those that I was able to obtain myself from the speakers; but that should not be left to me. If each Institute were to supply two papers, there would be a report containing a great deal of valuable information. Regarding local speakers, of which I have spoken several times, needless to say, it is always the wish to obtain as many as possible, and also speakers from the adjoining States. Of course, it is a matter of difficulty to get people to come over here from Oregon and Washington, people qualified to speak, inasmuch as their duties generally keep them at home, but we have been able this year to obtain the services of some very celebrated and efficient people. It is always the aim of the Department to obtain the services of local speakers in preference to any others. Improvement in supplementary meetings has been quite marked during this last year, I am glad to say. On a previous occasion I remarked that in that respect also officers of the Institutes had failed to conform with the Act. The Act requires that at least two supplementary meetings should be held during the year, and in looking over the returns I find a great many have failed to comply with that provision. Last year this has been remedied in a great measure, but again I call attention to the fact that a great many of these meetings were held under my personal auspices, with a gentleman whom I was able to get from Ottawa. Now, that is not right. The Superintendent should not be depended on to arrange the supplementary meetings. Those are meetings which should be held under the auspices of the directorate of the Institute, and I sincerely hope that those Institutes which have not heretofore conformed to the provisions of the Act will take the opportunity of doing so this coming year. On the other hand, some of the Institutes have not only complied with it, but have considerably overrun it. I am pleased to congratulate you on the great improvement in Institute matters generally. The sentiment of the people is shown by the increased attendance at the meetings, and by the request to the Department to hold meetings at places which a few years ago were not considered as ever likely to ask for meetings. For instance, in the Slocan, where it was supposed there was nothing but mining, there have been several meetings held during this last year, and it is a great revelation to go to places of that kind which only a few years ago were inaccessible, and where now you find fruit eulture and other agricultural pursuits carried on. I do not think I have anything more to say to you, gentlemen. I thank you very kindly for giving me your attention, and I hope we will have a very successful session. (Applause.) The Chairman : Is the report of the Committee on Resolutions ready ? Mr. J. T. Collins : We have not all the resolutions in, but we have a few to go on with. We were not able to complete our report, and will not be able to do so until all the resolutions are handed in. The Chairman : Perhaps you had better read the headings of those you have there. The Secretary (reading): Action of Government supplying a Fruit Pest Inspector, with ample assistance; resolution respecting Government returns—agricultural returns; Fruit- Growers' Association; licence for carrying guns ; dog tax; respecting the appointment of a practical man to attend the Institute meetings on fruit-growing and packing; need of better cattle guards on railways; making a close season for prairie chickens, and also a gun tax ; authorisation of the date of meeting of the Central Farmers' Institute; stumping powder in municipalities ; experimental farms for Vancouver Island ; power spraying for demonstration; to create a local market in Bella Coola; a combination of the Institutes to arrange for speakers; Bella Coola asking for a speaker during the season ; fruit-growing in Dry Belt; and also those that you have tabulated here. Shall I give those ? The Chairman ; No, they ought to be in shape for the resolutions. Well, gentlemen, the Committee have not completed their resolutions, but there are some resolutions here which I suppose we might go on with this afternoon. The Secretary : Is the Bella Coola representative here ? (Reading) " Bella Coola will appreciate a speaker during the coming season—about the month of May or September. The subjects that would be of interest to us are fruit-growing, pruning and fertilising." The Chairman : This is somewhat of a local character. Something like the change of names of the Institutes last year, which we decided ought to be relegated to the Department. I do not see what the Central Farmers' Institute can do with a resolution of this kind. However, I leave it to you, gentlemen. You have heard the resolution. Mr. Davie : I move that the matter be referred to the Superintendent. The Chairman : I think that matters of this kind, which do not concern the Central Farmers' Institute, had better be dealt with by the Superintendent. Mr. Abbott: I second that. Motion carried. Mr. Hammer: Yes, I think that is the best plan, Mr. Chairman. Exhibition of Fruit in England. Moved by Mr. Curry, seconded by Mr. Peatt,— " Resolved, That this meeting appreciates the action of the Government in sending an exhibit of fruit to Great Britain, thereby making known to the world the glorious possibilities of British Columbia for fruit-growing, and a continuation of this wise policy would be greatly appreciated." The Chairman : This is an academic resolution, which I do not think requires any comment. Mr. Curry : I was just about to say that I did not think it required any speech from me. You surely all appreciate the Government's action in sending an exhibit to Great Britain, and the great amount of advertising it has given the Province in consequenee, and I feel certain that the meeting will pass it unanimously. Motion carried. Mr. W. J. Brandi ith : Mr. Chairman, before you proceed with the resolutions, don't you think it would be well to appoint a committee to report on your address ? 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 31 Mr. Evans : Isn't it out of order for the Superintendent to appoint a committee to report on his own address ? The Chairman: I am quite willing that some one else should appoint the committee. Moved by Mr. Harris, seconded by Mr. De Hart,— " That the Committee on Resolutions take up the address of the Superintendent and report on same." Carried. Agricultural Statistics. Moved by Mr. J. Randle, seconded by Mr. W. T. Abbott,— " Whereas it is very inconvenient and unsatisfactory for the secretaries or officers of the Institute to fill in the Government returns : " Be it Resolved, That the Government take other means to get such returns." The Chairman: I presume the returns mean those for the agricultural products. Mr. Randle : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, this was a matter that was brought up at the Director's meeting just before my coming to Victoria. Of course, it was a matter that I was not conversant on at all. I never saw the returns till then that were supposed to be filled up. Now, this is a copy of the returns that I have reference to, and according to clause 8 and clause 9, there are certain penalties inflicted. Clause 8 makes a $20 fine for not filling this up. Now, it appears to me that it is an impossibility to get secretaries or officers of the Institute to fill up this form, because from what I can see they would have to make a personal canvas of every member of the district, which would take in the neighbourhood of, say, two to three months to fill in these returns. Now, where is the secretary who can do this, and who will get remuneration for doing it? As I understand it from talking to several of the members, there have been very few of these returns made. If the law requires us to make these returns, why should they not be made ? If it is too cumbersome to make them, then the law ought to be rescinded. I do not think it necessary or wise to saddle more on the Institutes than it is possible to expect from them. I do not think it necessary for me to say anything more on that. All you have to do is to look at the returns and you will see the amount of labour involved. Mr. Abbott: I may say I seconded that resolution to relieve the officers of this work. I know it was circulated in our neighbourhood, and men threw them aside, and said they would not fill them out, as it involved too much labour. Mr. J. T. Collins : Mr. Chairman, I would like to say one or two words on this subject. I think these returns are absolutely necessary to have. At the same time, there is a considerable amount of work involved in getting them filled in, not only in filling them up but getting the information. In my district, I did not say that I would not fill them up, but what I kicked at was this : I took a lot of time a little while ago in filling up the returns and there was no use made of them. I know that was not the Superintendent's fault by any means, but after all the work I think something should have been done with them Now, we heard from Captain Tatlow that a new report is to be issued, and I think we should do all we can to support this work. At the same time, to get that information, it means out-of-pocket expenses to whoever is getting it out. I know, in my district, to get this information I would have to travel all around this Island and I would be out of pocket, and I know our Superintendent has no funds to pay for that, and I should be very sorry to see this resolution pass in that way. Mr. Venables : With regard to these reports, I have had them up in the Okanagan, and in order to comply with them and get the proper information I had circulars printed and sent them out to every man who was liable to make a return, and I did not make it necessary for them to put their names to their returns. I must have sent out circulars to about 130 members, and out of those 130 about 15 returns were sent back, some of them in such a state that it was impossible to make head or tail of them. I then went to our Government Agent, asking for his assistance, and he said it would be impossible to get them made out, as it would involve weeks and weeks driving about the country. And, as a matter of fact, half the time when you went to a place you would find that the man was away, so, under the circumstances, I think a different system should be adopted, and if the returns are absolutely necessary I think the Government should appoint an agent to make the same. Mr. Peatt: Mr. Anderson no doubt is aware that there was some trouble about the same thing some years ago, and it is an impossibility to get any man to do that unless he is paid to do it. M 32 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Phillips : Our Secretaries complain over and over again about it, and they say it is almost impossible to get these returns, and if these returns are not made out accurately they are no good. Our Secretary also drew attention to the $20 fine, and in our neighbourhood I know he could not get this information in a month. The Chairman : I quite agree with what the speakers have said on the subject. I know it is quite impossible, under the present system, to get them filled out accurately, and I think this resolution is a very good one. It has been a source of great trouble to me, inasmuch as I have to make up these returns and I have to guess at a good deal, and that is not satisfactory. Mr. Baker : Haven't any of the Secretaries filled up these reports ? The Chairman : Oh, yes. Mr. Baker : I know that for. the last two years there has been a man going around our district and has taken up considerable time in doing this work, and he has very accurately taken an account of everything that has been produced in the district, and made up a statement of the whole affair. Of course, when giving him these statements, the farmers have not always got a correct account of everything they produced; but then they give it as fair as possible, and really the work comes on our part, after all. The Chairman : Of course, as far as that goes, supposing it was done in all the districts like it is done with you, taking it in the aggregate, it could not be very far wrong. If you get within $10,000 of the product of a country you would be pretty close to it. Mr. Harris : It appears to me that there is something wrong about this system of getting returns. For you only get a part of the people when you get these returns from the Institute, as there are not half of the settlers who are members of the Institute, and what is the use getting this information from the members of the Institute and leaving the other settlers out ? Mr. Venables : I do not do that; I send to every resident of the district. Mr. Harris : The proper party to get it from is the Assessor, if you want to get it at all. Motion carried. The Chairman : I assure you it will relieve me of a great deal of worry if something is done in this regard, and it is a very important matter. Gun Licence. Moved by Mr. Peatt, seconded by Mr. Brandrith—" Resolved, That the Government be asked to pass an Act to impose a licence of $3 a year on all persons carrying guns, bond fide farmers and their sons over 16 yTears of age to be exempt." Mr. Peatt : In moving that resolution, I did so because I see by the papers that the Gun Club has taken it up, and I brought this resolution to help them in their movement. I think it is a good resolution, and I want you gentlemen to support it. Mr. W. J. Brandrith : Mr. Chairman, I had another object in seconding that resolution. We live not far from the city, and hoards of people and irresponsible boys come around our neighbourhood with guns, and it makes it very unsafe to life and property. And if we had a tax put on guns, it would help to do away with that very unsatisfactory state of affairs. As it is now, we are bothered to death with these people coming out from the city to shoot, and I do hope that something will be done to abate this nuisance. I think this is a very wise resolution, and I have much pleasure in seconding it. Mr. Venables : Mr. Peatt spoke about the Gun Club. Well, I may say that my son is the Secretary for our local Gun Club, and we have been in correspondence with the Vancouver and Victoria Gun Glubs, and they are only asking that a licence of $2 for carrying a gun be imposed, and, perhaps, if you would alter your resolution to that amount it would be better. Mr. Peatt: I do not mind having it altered to $2. Mr. Venables : They are asking for a licence of $2, and have a printed petition setting that out. But, then, they do not say anything about exempting the farmer, and I do not agree with that part of the resolution, although I am a farmer. I think everybody should pay the fine, or nobody. Mr. Peatt: I think that, as the farmer raised the grain for all this game, he ought to be exempt. Mr. Brandrith : I will be willing to have that amount altered to $2. Mr. Randle: I think I proposed a resolution of that same kind last year, and I have not altered my opinion at all. I believe that the country is too young at the present time to put on a gun tax, and if the country is desirous of getting good marksmen, they are not going to get them by putting on a gun licence and restricting the rising generation from using a gun. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 33 According to this resolution, there is a tax on everyone that carries a gun, and the only one that is exempt at the present time is the farmer and the farmers' sons. If there is to be a tax imposed, I do not think a farmer or a farmer's son should be exempt. If the country is taxed, tax everyone alike. But my opinion is that it would be very unwise to put on a gun tax at the present time. The country is young, and there is a large extent of our country where there has scarcely been a human foot trod over it, and how are you going to get this land opened up and know the resources of the country if it is not by those who pack the guns ? The pioneer of the country is the one who goes away out in the woods and takes his rifle along with him and explores the country. If it bad not been for him, this country would never have been opened up as well as it is at the present time, and it is my opinion that it is not opened up nearly enough yet. There are lots of resources on this Island and in this Province that we know nothing about, and they will not be known until the hunter and the man that packs his gun goes through this country and finds them out. That is the way that many of our most important industries have been found out, and 1 think it would be very unwise to put on a gun tax at the present time. Mr. J. T. Collins : Respecting the gun tax, I am sorry not to be able to agree with the two last speakers. I think the farmer should be exempt. At the present time there is a great deal of vermin on the farm, and if the farmers are not allowed to carry guns how are they going to get rid of this vermin ? There are some farmers who probably could not afford to pay a tax, and if they are not allowed to carry a gun the vermin will increase, and the farmer will be compelled to raise game for the benefit of the Gun Club. I believe in certain things that the Gun Club has done. At the same time, I am very much against other things that the Gun Club has done. For instance, they have come up in my district and shot game out of season. It is rather trying to a farmer, just because a member of the, Gun Club holds a licence, to see him run all over the place shooting game in season and out of season. I think we should be very cautious in recommending the granting of those licences throughout the Province, in the young state the country is now in. I should certainly strongly oppose a gun tax being imposed on a farmer. Some years ago I remember when this case came up in the Old Country in the same way. We never objected to paying the game tax, and I do not think anyone in any country would ; but the gun tax is a different thing. In the Old Country we have a game tax, which amounts to from three to five guineas a year. Mr. Venables : Two guineas. Mr. J. T. Collins : Two, is it ? I think it is more than that. I think I have paid three many a time. But, at the same time, there is also the gun tax. That is a tax of ten shillings for carrying the gun. It seems to me that the farmer should be exempt from the tax for shooting on his own place. If he goes on another man's place and shoots, that is a different thing. I would not consider then that he was a farmer. So, in that way, we will have to be very cautious as to the way we recommend the imposing of this licence. For my part, I would like to see a gun tax for game. At the same time, I would like to see the farmers exempted for the sake of killing off the vermin on their farms. Mr. Phillips: You will understand it reads "farmers and farmers' sons." Now, gentlemen, I have a son of 13 or 14, and he can handle a gun pretty well, and when a wild cat comes along is he to be debarred from using a gun, just simply because he does not hold a licence? I do not approve of that, as I think it is going back to the Old Country system. Mr. Spencer: I think the difficulty might be done away with if you just impose the tax on those using rifles. I think the shot-gun does not matter ; there is no danger with it. It teaches youngsters to shoot; even the 22 rifle teaches the youngsters how to shoot and it does not do much harm. It is the very heavy rifles that do the harm. Mr. Wilson : I do not suppose it is the intention of the Gun Club to suggest to the House that guns be taxed for all purposes ; that is to say, for the killing of vermin, for instance. I would naturally suppose that would be exempt. It is simply for the purpose of a man shooting game, and I think everyone should be taxed for carrying a gun for snooting game, whether he be a farmer or any other professional man. For this reason—one speaker thought the country was too young for the imposition of a game licence. I think the time has now come when the game of this country has to be protected, and we cannot expect it to be protected unless there is a revenue raised for that purpose, and the revenue coming from that licence would be for the purpose of paying the Game Warden, and so on. I think that everyone in the whole Province who carries a gun should pay the licence, so as to raise revenue to have a Game Warden appointed for the purpose of protecting the game. I know that in our District of M 34 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Chilliwhack the Game Association circulated a petition to the Government asking them to impose a gun licence and there was also a place on that petition for the farmers to say whether they themselves thought bona fide farmers should be exempt, and I think out of 120 farmers who signed that petition there were only about 20 who signed against the licence. They all realised that something ought to be done for the protection of the game, and they were all willing to contribute something towards it. Mr. Davie : I can hardly agree with Mr. Wilson, of Chilliwhack, for this reason : Our Institute is situated near two cities. I like to go out to shoot, but when I do go out it usually takes me two or three days to shoot a bird ; but I know of some who shoot a great many in a day. Now, the farmer is the man who feeds these birds, and I think it would be unjust to make a farmer pay $3 a year tax when, perhaps, he does not kill three birds in a year. I will tell you my experience in shooting. I have the name of shooting one pheasant in my life. There was a lady visiting us who said that she wanted a pheasant, and I started out to get one for her, and on my way I met an Indian who had just shot some pheasants and I bought one from the Indian and brought it home, and that is the only pheasant I have ever had the name of shooting. I do not think that it is the farmer who kills off the game, but it is these men and boys from the city, and I do not think it fair to saddle a farmer with any gun tax. All the game the farmer shoots I think he earns. I know that is how it is in my case. The Chairman : I will read the resolution again as it now stands :— "Moved by Mr. Peatt, seconded by Mr. Brandrith— "Be it Resolved, That the Government be asked to pass an Act to impose a licence of $2 per year on all persons carrying guns, bond fide farmers and their sons over 16 years of age to be exempt." Carried. Close Season for Prairie Chicken. Moved by Mr. Venables, seconded by Mr. Wilson— " That the Government be asked to make a close season for prairie chickens for not less than two years, and that districts be set apart in various sections of the country where game may breed undisturbed." Mr. Venables : Gentlemen, this resolution that I have been asked to place before you also included another section, asking that a gun licence of not lees than $2 be imposed ; but owing to the previous resolution having been carried, it is useless for me to address you on that and press for the carrying of that resolution. The other part of the resolution is one which I think would be a very good thing for this Central Farmers' Institute to endorse. There are prairie, chicken all around us. Of course, on the Island there are none, but in our part of the country they are getting very scarce indeed, and as the town increases and the people come out to shoot the game gets less and less every year. We have talked this question over a great deal among ourselves, and we think if we could get the endorsement of the Central Farmers' Institute to our resolution it would strengthen the hands of the Government in doing something of the kind that our resolution proposes; and with regard to the preservation of the game, I feel sure that it requires but very few words from me to show the advisability such preservation would mean to this Province, and it would mean a very great public asset to this Province before a great many years. Mr. Randle : Before that resolution is put, I think we want to be very careful. We are asking the Government to establish a game preservation. That means that this land will be locked up from intending settlers, and be used for no other purpose than the preservation of game. Now, there is not enough land in this Provinoe to use for settling purposes, unless you go away to some remote portion of the country, some uninhabited part, or some almost inaccessible part of the country. All the land at the present time is locked up either by speculators or timber leases, or something else, and at the present time I cannot say that I am in favour of this resolution, unless more light can be thrown on the matter. It seems to me that this is only a means of locking up a little more of the valuable land of this Province. If you can arrange this game preservation by still leaving the land open for settlement, then I might be able to vote intelligently on that matter, but if the land you are going to reserve for game purposes is going to be locked out from intending settlers, then I think we ought to be very careful before dealing with this subject. Mr. De Hart : I look on this resolution in the same way Mr. Randle looks upon it. Taking into consideration the very small space that is not settled, I think it would be unwise to set apart a preservation for these few birds. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 35 Mr. Evans : I think it is only a waste of time talking on this resolution. I think Nature has preserved a great deal of this Province in the past and will do so for the next 90 years to come. Mr. Spencer : How would it be to arrange that the birds near town should be preserved ? I don't suppose you mean breeding. Mr. Venables : I consider there ought to be a place where the birds can go where they cannot be interfered with. For instance, in an orchard wdiere no one ever shoots. In my own neighbourhood, I know of an orchard of some 80 acres where no one ever thinks of firing off a gun, and the birds seek this place for refuge, and directly one goes out to shoot you can see them fly awa}' to this orchard. Now, if you had a small section of the country, say two or three hundred acres of land, which was never shot over, the birds would go there and breed and increase very rapidly. But by all means let them have a place where tbey can go. Mr. Spencer: If you made a law that they were only to shoot at a certain distance out of town, then the place nearer town they could breed there. Now, with us all the pheasants are close to town, close to salt water, and it would lessen the danger of people being shot if they stopped shooting pheasants and game near the town. Motion lost. Stumping Powder for Rural Municipalities. Moved by Mr. Gale, seconded by Mr. Peatt,— " Resolved, That the Government be requested to make an arrangement with the powder company to supply the rural municipalities with stumping powder at the same price they are supplying to the farmer." Mr. Gale : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, in moving that resolution I wish to express the appreciation of myself and district that I represent for the Government's action in giving cheaper powder to the farmers. But there is one little step further they might go, which would be an added benefit to the rural municipalities. And that is, if they could see their way clear to interview the powder companies and get the same terms from them that have been extended to the farmers. 1 think it would be a step in the right direction. I know that our municipality has tried to secure powder at the $5.25 rates from the factory and they were refused. The company told them that if they wanted to get it at the same rates the farmers were getting it at, they would have to get the Government to take the matter up with the company. So I think it is quite possible, if they were approached by the Government, they would meet us in that regard. Now, there are many of the municipalities throughout the Province that are using quite a quantity of powder in the opening up of roads, and if they could get powder at the reduced rates it would mean a saving to the farmer, because it all comes out of their taxation. There is really not very much to be said on the subject. It is quite plain that what is beneficial to a municipality is a benefit to the farmers, and it only remains for the Government to make the same arrangements with the powder companies, when the same privilege would be accorded to the municipalities as well. Mr. Peatt: I do not think the Government would have the slightest difficulty in making the arrangement. Mr. Evans : This is a question which has not come before our municipality, but it may be that we took advantage of the Institute, or the Government, for our municipality got all the powder they needed through the Institute this year. We had no difficulty whatever in getting it. Mr. Harris : Well, gentlemen, I know there is a great deal of powder used in the municipalities, and I am of the opinion that what is used is for the benefit of the people, as well as the benefit of the Government, in having the roads put in as good shape as possible, and the cheaper we get the powder for the municipalities the better it is for everyone. I heard one gentleman remark that in his municipality they were getting the powder from the Institute, but I was told last year by one of the members of the Institute that no one could get the powder at the reduced rate unless he happened to be a member of the Institute. And in speaking to those gentlemen I said, if that was the case, we ought to arrange to get it on a straight forward basis and know where we stood, and know what we were doing, and not lead anyone astray on this powder question. We might just as well get the matter settled now as later. The Government now gives a security for whoever gets the powder, and I have no doubt the municipality will be able to get it just as well as the farmers, because it is for the benefit of everyone that they should get it at the reduced rates. M 36 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Phillips : I may say, in our municipality we wanted eleven boxes of powder. It was for contract work, and Mr. Ball wrote down to see about getting it, and he got a favourable reply and was able to get it at the reduced rate. At the same time I do not see why we should call upon the Government to give the miner the same preference you give to the farmer and members of the Institute. Mr. Curry : This powder question always comes up, and it is a nice question. We can all talk on it. For my part, I do not see why the municipality, the miner and the individual cannot take the benefit of these reduced rates. It opens up the development of the country, and why should the contractor not get his powder cheaper, and in that way you get your house built cheaper ? I think the best way to get over this is to get all the municipalities to join the Farmers' Institute, and then we will all get cheap powder. Mr. J. T. Collins : There has been one subject brought to my notice by one of the speakers, and that is, it has been stated here that no one but the members of the Farmers' Institutes can get this powder at the reduced rate. I would like to know whether that is so, or whether other than the members can get it. I have been getting the powder, and have made no distinction in that regard as to whether it was to be used by a member of the Institute or farmers at large. And I would like to know whether it would be wise for the Secretaries to refuse to get powder for the farmers who were not members of the Institute. 1 would like an expression of opinion on that. The Chairman : There is no distinction made, as far as that goes. If a non-member wants it he can get it. Mr. DeHart: I think, when the fee to join the Farmers' Institute is so small, they should all become members, and then they can get the powder the same as we get it. Mr. Randle : Mr. Chairman, the question is now raised as to whether the farmer should get his powder at the same price as members of the Institute. Now, in my own district they have refused to give farmers orders for powder at this reduced rate unless they were members of the Institute. If a farmer cannot afford to pay 50c. to join the Institute, I think he has no right to get his powder at $1.25 less than he is now paying. The Chairman : You are out of order and not talking to the question. Motion carried unanimously. Wild Mustard. Moved by Mr. Gale, seconded by Mr. Peatt— " Whereas a large portion of the most productive lands of this Province have become infested with wild mustard, which seriously reduces the yield per acre of grain and other crops, and is constantly in danger of spreading to other lands that are not yet infested; "Therefore, be it Resolved, That we request the Government to purchase a power spraying outfit, to give demonstrations of its usefulness in destroying the wild mustard." Mr. Gale : This is a question that has perhaps been brought up before this Institute for the first time; but it will be none the less worthy, I have no doubt, on that account. The power spray, so far as I can find out, would be a very fine thing to adopt in our orchards, in addition to what is asked for in this resolution. Up to the present time I can find no one who has sufficient faith in this spray to put enough capital in it to demonstrate whether it is a good thing or not. We see a great deal of advertising about it, especially on the American side, as to what can be done in the way of spraying orchards and destroying wild mustard seed where lands have become infested with this noxious weed. It is a particularly live question in our district. We have there some very good land, what is known as the McClure Estate, which is infested by wild mustard. And that is not the only estate, as there are several other localities infested in the same way. They have tried rotation of crops, and all sorts of things, but nothing seemed to do any good in the way of eradicating it, and there is only one help left, and that is this power sprayer. They have them in the States, and some have a large pipe at the end where they can spray a distance of seven or eight feet. When this sprayer is passed over a field when the mustard is in bloom, they claim it is very efficient in destroying it. They also claim that the mixture of bluestone which they use is not destructive to the grain. I may say that this sprayer is unknown to me, and it is with the object to see if we cannot get the Government to purchase one and undertake to demonstrate its usefulness to the farmer that I have brought this resolution before you ; because if it were once shown in a district that the power sprayer was beneficial in the way I have mentioned, and it could be used on a co-operative basis among the fruit-growers, there is not the slightest 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 37 doubt that many of the localities would invest in power sprayers, and get their work done better and quicker. As it is now, you find a great many of the fruit-growers use a little " jimcrack " spray that is not worth anything, and the trees are therefore not properly sprayed. There is certainly a great deal of room for improvement along these lines. And I would throw out the suggestion that possibly the Fruit Inspectors would be the proper authorities into whose hands to place the management of a sprayer of this kind, because it could not only be used in demonstrating its benefits with regard to doing away with the mustard seed, but could also be used in the orchard, and there is great room for improvement in the spraying methods along that line. Mr. Peatt: I hope that the Government will see its way clear to purchase one of these sprayers and bring one out in our district, because the mustard there has become a regular pest. In the Saanich District I have seen acres and acres of potatoes destroyed with this mustard, and no matter how careful you are, if your neighbour is not careful, you will have your whole farm covered with mustard. Mr. De Hart : I might say that in Ontario, at the Experimental Farm at Guelph, they have demonstrated the usefulness of the sprayer you have spoken of, and you can get any information you like from there, and could also get a machine from there. I know, ten years ago, when I left Ontario, they were practising with those sprayers. Mr. Evans : For my part, I would be very sorry to see the Government attempt such a thing. This is no longer an experiment; it is an actual fact that they can destroy the mustard seed. The Chairman : I quite agree with what Mr. Evans said, and what Mr. De Hart has said also. This is not an experiment. There is a Bulletin, No. 11, which was issued in 1903 on the question. Everyone knows the effect that spraying has on wild mustard, and it does seem to me a resolution of this kind had better not be carried. Mr. Curry : Just a word. I rather think that it is a matter which can be fairly well left for the farmers themselves to settle. It is pretty much on a par with the Relief Fund down at 'Frisco. They have a million and a half dollars on hand, and the people won't get away from the place until that has been spent. Now, if the Government starts out cleaning the farmers' fields, the farmers will quit trying to clean their fields. I object very strongly to the putting of that resolution. Mr. Harris : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I have seen this mustard seed growing ever since I was a boy, and we never let them seed. We used to pull them out by hand when they were in bloom. That is what these gentlemen ought to do, and if they had done that years ago they would not have so many of them now. Some of them grew in Langley, and last summer a man had them pulled the second time, and tried to get clear of them in that way. But the only way tqi get clear of them is to draw them out by hand, and it is the same with the Canadian thistle. Some people say you can spray the Canadian thistle and kill it, but I heard Dr. Craig say one time that he saw the roots of a Canadian thistle eight feet down in the ground, and I believe it to be true, because I saw them four feet down myself. The only way to get rid of these things is to draw them out and burn them. Motion lost. Water Clauses Act. Moved by Mr. V. D. Curry, seconded by Mr. Dodding,— " Resolved, That it is of the utmost importance to the farming and fruit-growing industries of the Dry Belt of British Columbia that some amendments be made to the Water Clauses Consolidation Act at the coming Session of the Legislature, especially in the line of defining the ' duty ' of water ; and that this meeting respectfully suggests that this ' duty ' be defined as one cubic foot per second for 55 acres of land, this being the same as exists according to the laws of Colorado, the lowest on the Continent of North America, and in the opinion of this meeting ample for British Columbia. " Further, that the Government take into consideration the necessity for passing legislation governing the storage of water for irrigation purposes, and the right to the use of water stored and conserved." Mr. Curry: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, this is a question that has come up repeatedly before the Farmers' Institute, and you will, I hope, pardon me for taking up a little of your time on this subject, because I think it is most important, as you will have to deal with it either to-day or to-morrow, and because it means the bringing under cultivation a large area of M 38 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 some of the most beautiful fruit sections in British Columbia. Other countries have been compelled to make a duty on water. The simple thing is to define how much a man shall use on an acre of land. Make the maximum amount large enough to cover all possible use, and so it will be impossible for a man to go beyond that. In Wyoming and Arizona, a cubic foot of water has to do duty for 70 acres of land. We are asking only for 55 acres, and the rainfall and conditions of soil are practically alike in both cases. So you can see we are allowing a great deal more water for our country than they are in Arizona under similar conditions. We are taking the lowest maximum duty on the Continent of North America as our guide, namely, that of Colorado. We have to tie the country down to some standard of water for the land each man cultivates, and I will point out to you why. The water, according to the present Water Clauses Consolidation Act is measured at the ditch-head, and it does not matter if there is no duty on the water, that man might run his water through a sieve to his ranch, and if it took 1,000 inches to get down there and produce 100 inches, there would be no way to prevent his having that entire amount. I know of one man who had the first right to water in Campbell Lake, and he had 600 inches running through a ditch, and a large percentage of that was wasted in transit—I will not say how much, because I have not the exact figures here with me. But if a man is tied down to a certain percentage of water, and which is measured at the ditch- head, you can see that he will in self-defence be compelled to fill up his ditch or flume in such a way as to conserve the water. In certain districts I know of many people having had to do without water where "first rights" had water to waste, and if these "first rights" had been tied down to the actual amount necessary for their needs, the other parties would have had sufficient water to carry on their operations, which would have made the country much more prosperous. As to the storage of water, we all know that there is a large quantity of water running off the mountains and valleys, which disappears before the time comes for irrigation. It is a difficult matter for individuals to take up the storage of this water on their own account. It is for the Government to take hold of this question, and produce some kind of a system that can be worked out successfully in the interests of everyone. For instance, a measuring device at the ditch-head is a most cumbersome method, and it is most imperative that the Government should take this matter up, and the sooner they do it the better for the country, because it will then bring this question of water into a better condition. Now, we have the promise of the Premier in his speeches before the election that they were going to take up this question of irrigation and appoint a Commission, if they were elected, to go into the question of storage of water. That is all right as far as it goes, and we are indeed very glad to see that they are living up to their promises, because it will work good to the country and bring in a lot of settlers. But then, gentlemen, it does not go far enough. There should be a clause added to the Act so as to prevent people from controlling practically the whole thing in the Upper . Country. (Applause.) Mr. Dodding : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, as a seconder of this resolution I wish to say this. We live in the Dry Belt and we feel that the irrigation question is a burning one. We have land there, but the land is practically of no use until we have a different system of dividing up the water so that everyone will be able to get sufficient for his needs. The way it stands now, it is not satisfactory. One man controls it all, and if another goes to law with him he can get no satisfaction. But if the Government fulfils its promises and helps us as it is proposing, this condition of affairs can be rectified. For instance, in my district : A man, say, has a record for water just before me; he can take out his supply of say 300 inches of water and leave me practically dry. He can use it as long as he wishes to use it, and then turn it off on to me after my crop has been spoiled for the lack of it. If this water were to be divided so that each one could take a certain quantity for so much land, then we would all get our proper share. In the Nicola Valley there are hundreds of acres of land where no water is to be got, and until the Government or a company form reservoirs, or an irrigation system, there will be no water to be had for that land, and it will remain practically useless. I have great pleasure in seconding the resolution. Mr. DeHart : Before putting this resolution, there is one clause in it which I do not think is right. And that is with regard to what the Government should allot to a certain amount of land. I think that is a matter that should be left to the engineers to decide who look into this question. Although this country may be very much like the Colorada District Mr. Curry speaks of, at the same time our water supply may be very different indeed. We may have more or we may have less. And I think that is a question which should be left to the Government engineers as to what amount of water should be given to the different properties. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 39 I quite agree with Mr. Curry that the Irrigation question is the most important in the Dry Belt. A number of settlers have gone in there, and orchards have been planted by them that require water. Now I have a ranch that I bought when I came to the Okanagan Valley a few years ago, which was a hay ranch. We grew four or five hundred tons of hay the first year. This land has now all been sold and subdivided into ten-acre blocks. Some of these blocks being bottom land, especially when planted in potatoes, requires no irrigation. Whereas, when it was planted in hay, we had irrigation running on it all the time from the 1st of May to end of July. The incorporated City of Kelowna now takes in this property, and I hold a record belonging to the property of 600 inches; a second record of 100 inches belonging to the old townsite; and there is another record of 200 inches for the City of Kelowna ; and I am satisfied that 150 inches would do for Kelowna, and the outside ranches would then have the benefit of this water. Therefore, I think if that clause of Mr. Curry's were left to the Government engineers to decide, it would be better. Mr. Curry : Well, now, gentlemen, Mr. De Hart has touched the vital point of the whole resolution, and I cannot allow that portion to be struck off without at least giving a strong fight for it. The usefulness hinges exactly on that point. We are not putting as our maximum the smallest amount that any other civilised country in America is using, but we are putting the maximum amount, and I know it to be ample for our needs in the Upper Country; and when the Government engineers look into the question they can say what the maximum amount should be, and they may not give half the amount allowed in this resolution. All we want is to establish a maximum duty, so that under any condition a man will get a cubic foot per second for 55 acres. In that way we tie down these old records, so that they cannot hog all the water at the expense of any community, but will be treated just the same as every one else. In that way new settlers will come in and orchards will be planted, that will mean much for the success of that Upper Country. Of course, there will be a few people who will rebel against these new conditions, on account of their having gone to the Government some forty years ago and obtained a record of 1,000 inches of water to cultivate a few acres of land. This method, gentlemen, as proposed in this resolution, will work in the interests of everyone in the Dry Belt, and I am sure is deserving of your support. Carried unanimously. Mr. Harris : Mr. Curry has stated that this is one of the most important matters brought before this meeting, and I may say that I agree with him in this, and I just want to say a word or two on this question myself. The Chairman : Well, now, Mr. Harris, I allowed the mover to close his debate because no one got up to speak in the meantime, and if any gentlemen had expressed a wish to speak to the motion he would have been accorded the privilege ; but no one got up, so, therefore, I asked the mover to close the debate. I think I was right. Mr. Harris : We did not have any laws of that kind laid down when we started. The Chairman : Well, the motion has carried now, so that closes the debate. Packing Fruit. Moved by Mr. Gale, seconded by Mr. Peatt— " Resolved, That the Government secure speakers from Hood River, Oregon, so that we may learn from them the best methods of growing, packing, and marketing our fruit." Mr. Gale : I have not any doubt whatever but that motion will pass, because it is a question in which we are all interested. There is no question but that we produce some of the finest fruit that is grown, and it goes without saying that the people on the Pacific Coast have the best up-to-date methods and best system of packing. But I think that, as far as we are concerned, in and around Victoria District, we are far behind in the matter of marketing. While, perhaps, there is yet a lot we can learn in the growing of our fruit and the selection of our varieties, and possibly in the packing, there is one thing on which we are desirous to gain a great deal of information, that is, the method of marketing, as adopted in the Hood River country ; and if we could get a practical man, well up in all these subjects, to come over here and lecture to us, 1 know it would be very helpful indeed. At the present time we are doing business through commission houses, and you all know that is not the most satisfactory way of doing business. There are better methods to be adopted, and when we get strong enough we hope that our Fruit Association will be able to handle its own business. And it is with the view of getting information as to the method they adopt over in Hood River, where they have their associations handling their business and manufacturing their own packages, that this resolution is put before you. It appears that they have been able to increase the sale of their products very largely through the organisations they have got there, and it is with that object I wish to impress upon our worthy Chairman and our Government the advisability of getting us speakers from that district. Mr. Peatt : I do not think it is necessary for me to take up the time of the meeting with any further remarks. Mr. J. T. Collins : I think, as we were talking the matter of fruit over, it would be advisable to ask Mr. Cunningham to come in and give us some information on this subject. The Chairman : Mr. Cunningham is not available just at present. Mr. J. T. Collins : Speaking of Hood River, I had recently a conversation with young Mr. Earl, who has been over there, and he said that they were far ahead of us in the way of marketing their fruit, but not in the way of packing. But at the same time their co-operative principles, as to the way they were managing the growing and cultivation and sale of their fruit, was very much ahead of us in this Province, and I have, therefore, great pleasure in recommending this resolution. Mr. Abbott : I represent the fruit-growing interests of our district, and I think it would be very satisfactory to have something like that come along. Mr. W. J. Brandrith : I am in accord with the motion as far as it goes, but I think it can go a little further. I think they should define what subject the man from Oregon should talk about, because if it is co-operation I should think that Mr. Sheppard, who is the manager of the Hood River Union, would be a very proper man to give us some information. But if it is on the question of varieties of fruit, it is all right to have a man from Oregon to go into the Upper Country, but it would be a waste of time to bring him on the Island. Mr. Evans : I take exception to Mr. Brandrith. We don't want them in the Upper Country. The Chairman : I may say I was recently over in Oregon, and I asked them whether, in the event of my making arrangements this coming season for speakers from there, if anyone would be able to come, and they quite agreed that they would certainly give us all the time they possibly could, if they could spare the time. The great difficulty is getting them to spare the time. Mr. Phillips : I do not quite agree with this resolution. We have prided ourselves on our fruit that we have sent to London, and which took so many prizes, and if we have men that can raise such fruit as this in our own Province surely the}' can inform us on these matters, instead of bringing men from Oregon to throw light on the subject. It seems to me like throwing water on our own people here, as if we could not do anytbing over here without someone coming over from the other side and showing us. Mr. Randle: I think we have just as good men in this Province as any place ; and I move, in amendment to this resolution, that this matter be left in the hands of the Superintendent to give us people that he thinks are proper. I do not think it is necessary to go outside to Hood River, or Oregon, or anywhere else. Our fruit has the name of being the finest in the world in London, and I do not see why we should do anything to discourage the report that is going around. I think it is a kind of a slur on ourselves. Mr. DeHart: I am quite in accord with the last speaker, that we should get as many speakers from home as possible. The Chairman : Are you speaking to the motion ? Mr. DeHart: I am seconding his amendment. Mr. Randle : I will make that as an amendment. Not that I am against anyone corning from Hood River, but I consider in passing a resolution of that kind, it belittles our men in this country. The Chairman (addressing Mr. DeHart): Are you finished ? Mr. DeHart: No ; I do not get a chance to speak. I was just about to say that I am in favour of the amendment, as I think we should get some speakers from home, and at the same time have some outside speakers come in as well. The most valuable man that passed through this Province was Prof. Lake. He came along and showed us the variety of apples which, with carefully-kept records, for 20 years, had made them the most money. Now, we say that we have in British Columbia the finest fruit in the world, and they proved so in London. At the same time, why do our Spitzenbergs sell 'for $1 and $1.25 a box when Hood River sells for $3 a box ? There must be something wrong somewhere. The same thing might be asked with regard to our Newtown Pippins, as they sell for 90c. and 95c. a box when the Hood River sells for $2 a box. In Ontario they will tell you that the barrel system is good enough for 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 41 them. My opinion is that the box system is the best. I think that for production of fruit and cultivation, it is all right to engage local speakers on those subjects. I do not wish by any means to infer that the people of Canada are not so brainy as these men in the United States, but in the matter of marketing they have had more experience. The Chairman : They are getting the box system in Ontario now, and are ordering carloads of boxes from British Columbia. Mr. DeHart: I venture to say that from 75 % to 90 % of their apples are barrelled to-day. Mr. Collins : The last speaker said the trouble seemed to be in the marketing. I had a talk with young Mr. Earl, and he told me that the apples on the other side were no better, and, in fact, they were not as good as the British Columbia apples, but, at the same time, they were getting $1 a box more for their fruit on the other side. He said that in Hood River they are in a position to say " We want $3 a box for our apples," and they get it. But we cannot do that, simply because we do not co-operate. In Hood River they co-operate in every way. They have their special packer, and no case of apples ever goes out without passing under the professional packer's notice, and there is no apple goes out of Hood River unless it is properly inspected and is up to the mark, and in that way they can command better prices than we can, where there is no regular system of marketing. I think the great thing is to have a system in the sale of fruit. The Chairman : The amendment to this is as follows :— " Moved by Mr. Randle, seconded by Mr. DeHart—" That the matter be left to the Superintendent of the Central Farmers' Institute to choose speakers from where he thinks most fit." Amendment carried ; original motion lost. The Chairman : It makes very little difference anyway, as I have to pursue this course in any case. It is a very difficult matter to get efficient speakers, especially on the subject of fruit. Mr. De Hart : Professor Lake was such a valuable man to the Okanagan last year that I would hate to see him turned down this year. Dog Tax. Moved by Mr. Peatt, seconded by Mr. Harris— " Be it Resolved, That the Government be asked to pass a tax of $2 per year on all dogs in the district, each farmer being allowed to keep two dogs free from taxation." Mr. Peatt: I think I brought this up last year, and I must say that the dogs are a pest in our district. I do not know how it is in other districts, but they are certainly a pest in ours. Some of the farmers there keep no less than half a dozen dogs, and I know of one farmer who has eight, and they are continually worrying the sheep and cattle. I have been asking the Institute to pass this resolution for the past two years. Mr. Harris : Mr. Chairman, I just seconded that motion because I know it is necessary in lots of cases. Up by us there is an Indian Reserve, and they have fifty or more dogs, and they are running at large all over the country and getting after sheep and everything else. They don't feed them and the dogs just take what they can get; and I guess it is the same in other places. Mr. Davie : Mr. Chairman, I am a farmer, but at the same time I want to see every dog in every municipality in British Columbia taxed. I have suffered a great deal by dogs worrying our sheep, and I would like to see a tax put on every one of them. While I am on this question I would like to ask for a little information. How is it in British Columbia, have municipalities the power to impose a dog tax and remunerate the farmer for whatever damage is done by the dogs ? As I understand it, they have the power to impose a tax, but have not got the power to put that tax to one side to partly pay the farmer for sheep that are worried by these dogs. The Chairman: I suppose the municipalities have that matter in their own hands largely. Mr. Davie: We are led to believe we have not got the power to do that; that we have the power to tax the dogs, but have not the power to remunerate the man for the loss of his sheep or worrying of his sheep. If this is the case, I would like to see some legislation made to give the municipalities power to remunerate. Mr. Baker : I think on the Statute Book you will find that the man who owns the dog has to pay the damages. M 42 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Harris : I would like to say a few words. With regard to the Indian dogs, you have absolutely no control of them. We have not, at any rate, in our district. The Indian there can keep as many dogs as he likes, and he can let them kill as many sheep as they like, but we have to suffer, and nothing can be done to remedy the situation. Mr. Wilson : In Chilliwack we have a by-law enforcing the dog tax, and any dog found running at large is destroyed, provided no tax has been paid for it. We are not supposed to know who it belongs to. The Chairman : Would it be possible to have this resolution laid over until that matter is looked into ? The question raised by Mr. Davie is one which, perhaps, can be embodied in the one resolution. If, as Mr. Davie says, the municipality has not the power to use the moneys from the dog tax for the remuneration of the sheep worried by the dogs, which I believe is given them in Ontario as well as in Manitoba, then the Government might be asked to amend the Municipal Act so that the municipalities may be given that power. I think we could arrange it in that way. Moved by Mr. DeHart, seconded by Mr. Peatt— " That the resolution be laid over until to-morrow, so that the same may be looked into." Carried Endowment of Agricultural College. Moved by Mr J. T. Collins, seconded by Mr Brandrith— " Wrhereas it is of the greatest importance in the agricultural interests that a system of education in the science of agriculture should be inaugurated : " And whereas no provision has been made for such a purpose : " Be it Resolved, That the Government be asked to make a reserve of land for the purpose of an endowment for an agricultural college." Mr. J. T. Collins : That is a matter that we have had before us on several occasions, and why I brought it up this time is because the Minister of Agriculture has partially given his promise that a reserve of land will be made ; but he does not say anything about an agricultural college, and I think an endowment will be made for a college in Victoria which is not altogether an agricultural college. What we want, gentlemen, is an agricultural college, something like they have in Guelph. We all know the good the Guelph college has done. At the same time, Guelph cannot do us very much good here, because the conditions are very much different. But if we could get an endowment now, when land is so cheap—we have plenty of Government land of very little value—if we could get that, in a few years it will be very valuable, and it would create a good endowment to an agricultural college. If this land is set apart for a college not necessarily an agricultural college, I doubt whether the agriculturist would get much benefit. I think we should press this resolution; and if we do so, I am sure the Minister of Agriculture will help us in it. In a few years all this land will be valuable, and we would have some difficulty in getting it, and if we can get it now, so much the better. Mr. Brandrith : Mr. Chairman, it is scarcely necessary for me to say anything on the subject. It is the third time the matter has been brought up before this Institute, and it has always been carried unanimously. You suggest, Mr. Chairman, that the word " forest " should not be struck out. I may say that I suggested that to the mover, because we have thousands of acres that are not set aside, and it leaves it an open question as to whether we get prairie or mountain or forest land. I certainly think it is about time that British Columbia was doing something towards getting an agricultural college for our children. At the present time we have to send our children out of the Province to be educated along agricultural lines, which, I should think, ought not to be. And I think the country is large enough now to support an agricultural college, and rich enough. And, therefore, I have very much pleasure in seconding the resolution. Motion carried. Moved by Mr. Brandrith, seconded by Mr. DeHart,— " That Mr. Thomas Cunningham be requested to address the meeting to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock, on the work of the Horticultural Board." Carried. Assistance to Fruit Inspector. Moved by Mr. Curry, seconded by Mr. Jas. Evans,— " Resolved, That this meeting approves the intention of the Government to supply the Fruit Pest Inspector with ample help to deal with the problem in a thorough manner this coming season." 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report M 43 Mr. Curry : I might say, gentlemen, unfortunately for the Province of British Columbia as a whole, and some of our districts in particular, we have a very serious pest in the Upper Country, in one portion at least, and I am told it is also in other parts—that is the codling moth. You all know the ravages of the codling moth in the East, and of the millions of dollars that are being spent yearly by the different cities in the Eastern Provinces to eradicate this terrible pest. It is now in one of the districts of this Province— I will not mention the name—and something will have to be done very shortly to eradicate it. Last year the trouble was Mr. Cunningham was handicapped for want of help, and the spraying and taking care of the infested district was done in a most unsatisfactory manner, and, in fact, only partially done, and it might just as well have been left alone. But I have been told, since coming to' Victoria, that Mr. Cunningham has now been supplied with proper and ample help, and he has authority to add to his help, and is going to take up this question of the codling moth and other pests thoroughly this coming season, and will put a competent man in the field to take charge of it. In that way he will try to eradicate it, but I thought it only right that we should endorse the Government's action in this matter, because if we can get it out while it is young and in its infancy, it will cost us practically only a few dollars, but if it is left to run on it will cost us millions of dollars. Motion carried. Institute Speakers at Supplementary Meetings. Moved by Mr. Peatt, seconded by Mr. Gale,— " Be it Resolved, That the different Institutes combine to make arrangements for speakers other than the regular speakers provided by the Government, and each Institute pay its share pro rata of expense." Mr. Peatt: In support of that resolution, I wish to say that I was of the opinion if two or three Institutes combined together and arranged for a speaker for, say, Metchosin, Saanich and perhaps Cowichan, it would be better. Heretofore they have been very poorly paid, and if we combined together we might be able to get a man from Oregon, or some place else, and pay a man to lecture in the three districts. The Chairman : It seems to me that this might be a matter to be left in the hands of the local Institutes. Mr. Peatt: I thought it would be a matter that would go through you. The Chairman : I will be very glad indeed to do all I can for you. Mr. Gale : I can see the idea in this resolution, and I take great pleasure in seconding it. In certain localities the conditions are different and they require different speakers. And there is no doubt if different speakers can be got for Cowichan, Saanich and Metchosin, and perhaps the Islands, it would be better for them, and those four Institutes could combine together and help pay the cost of getting those speakers that they saw fit to have, and they could hold those as supplementary meetings, and there would be no charge on the Government. And this would perhaps be an opportune time for us to meet with representatives from the different districts and Institutes that would not be offered to us at any other time, because we never meet representatives from the Saanich Institutes except on occasions like this, and I think if we could get this matter arranged satisfactorily with regard to these speakers it would be productive of some good. Mr. Randle : As I understand the wording of that resolution, it is to combine the whole of the Institutes, and it appears to me if that is passed in that way it will work a hardship on some of the Institutes, for the different Institutes would have to agree to having speakers that were not suitable for their district, and they would in duty bound have to agree to certain speakers, and this would incur unnecessary expense. Of course, as far as having certain speakers for those districts within a reasonable distance apart, it would be all right for them to combine if they wished, and get these speakers for supplementary meetings. The Chairman : This does not bind any Institute to do anything. It is just an academic resolution. Mr. Curry : It seems to me that before we pass a resolution of this kind we should have an expression of opinion from our different Institutes. This is a question, I think, which has come up here before, having first been fought out in our local Institutes at home, and in that way we might be taking on ourselves something we might regret when we got home. Notwithstanding what our Chairman says, I fancy that we would be bound by it. Mr. Abbott: Of course, you understand that where we have the regular speakers the Government pays for them, but if we want an extra man we pay for them ourselves. M 44 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Buckingham: By the wording of the resolution, it "resolves" that we do this. I think if we simply recommend the different Institutes join together and procure speakers for supplementary meetings it would be better. I would move that as an amendment. Mr. Venables : The Institutes have to pay the expense of supplementary speakers now. They have to do it whether we recommend it or not. Mr. Peatt: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, the idea of that resolution is to lessen the expense of each Institute in procuring supplementary speakers. I thought we might combine and get one man to do the whole thing at a less cost. The Chairman : Do you want to alter this ? Mr. Peatt: Yes, you might change it to the word " recommend," if that would suit better. The Chairman: With the consent of the mover, this resolution is altered to read now as follows:— Moved by Mr. Peatt, seconded by Mr. Gale,— " Resolved, That this meeting recommend the different Institutes to combine to arrange for speakers other than the regular speakers provided by the Government, and that each Institute pay its share pro rata of expense." Carried. Moved by Mr. Harris, seconded by Mr. DeHart,— "That Mr. Palmer be asked to address the Central Farmers' Institute to-morrow at 11 o'clock, on the labour question." Carried. Veterinary Act. Moved by Mr. Alexander Davie, seconded by Mr. Buckingham,— " That the Central Farmers' Institute respectfully request the Government to pass a Veterinary Association Act, to raise the standard of the veterinary profession and at the same time to protect stock-men." The Chairman : I may say, in reference to this, I think that matter is in hand, and it is unnecessary to bring this in, as there is an Act before the Government at the present time. Mr. Davie : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, the reason I made that motion was at the request of one or two members of the veterinary profession. They asked it in this way. They were of the opinion, if we recommended this to the Government, it would strengthen their hands. I am aware myself that this Act is coming before the Government. At the same time, they requested me to have a resolution of this kind brought before this meeting, as they considered, if we would be good enough to pass it, it would strengthen the hands of the veterinary profession and the veterinary men, and at the same time protect the stock-men. The Chairman : It is a very necessary Act, and it is quite as necessary to have a qualified veterinary doctor as a qualified doctor for human ailments. Motion carried. Sleigh Road at Bella Coola. Moved by Mr. A. Hammer, seconded by Mr. Jas. Mar,— " In order to create a local market in Bella Coola, more agricultural lands must be opened up; and we are of the opinion that a great traffic would be created that would benefit a large number of people, if a sleigh road were built from Bella Coola into the Interior." Mr. Hammer: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, this is a very important question to the northern part of British Columbia and the district I represent. In support of the resolution, I can safely say that the Bella Coola Valley, which I am representing, is the largest and finest valley on the Northern Coast, which is adaptable to fruit-growing and agricultural purposes. It also contains large timber resources, and several good copper mines have been located in the district, which, I am credibly informed, will in the near future rank among the best in the country. Now, there are a great number of people who are anxious to go into the Interior, but are debarred from doing so on account of the very bad condition of the roads and trails. There is a waggon road now extending up the valley about 22 miles. Beyond that there is only a packing trail, which needs improving. Now, we are expecting a great rush in there this summer, and we know that there are plenty of people anxious to settle in the country, but they cannot get in on account of the conditions that exist there now with regard to roads. As Secretary of the Bella Coola Institute, I have received a good many letters from people all throughout Western Canada and the Territories, who are anxious to come in there, and I have never encouraged anyone to come, because the only way to get in is by means of a pack-trail. There are, of course, people settled in there, but to bring in large families would be very difficult. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institues Report. M 45 And it is a very trying matter to bring in farming machinery, such as mowers, ploughs and hay-racks, on horseback, and it requires several horses to pack a mower. So you will see that something requires to be done, sooner or later, to open up that country. The last steamboat (the "Camosun") that went up there was overcrowded. People had to sleep on the floor of a large steamer like that, so you can see there are people anxious to settle in there, but they want better trails. Now, we have asked the Government already for $3,000, to be expended on this trail as soon as possible in the spring, because something has to be done to improve conditions for the rush that will be bound to go in there this summer. Something has to be done for them, and we thought if we could get the Central Farmers' Institute to endorse this, it would strengthen the resolution of our Institute, and I think, gentlemen, you will all be willing to support me in this. There is room in that district for a great number of people, and that is what we want in Bella Coola, so as to create a local market for us. As it is now, there is no encouragement for people to go farming, as we have not got the market for our products. We can, of course, sell a few dozen eggs and a few pounds of butter, but there is no encouragement to farm on a large scale. And you can imagine what a traffic this would create through Bella Coola if these thousands of acres of really good agricultural and fruit lands were opened up. And we believe we should have this traffic, because there is no other valley that can be settled all the way into the Interior as ours. It seems to me that this valley, even now, is settled some 75 miles up into the Interior and north of it. Of course, there is some worthless land here and there. But there are settlers living now 75 miles up along the valley, and I may say about that point there was a slide there which was very difficult to climb. Last fall the Government expended $1,000 on the roads, and in order to avoid this slide they continued right up through the valley, but the work was not finished, and it must be finished in the spring. Now, if this road is built there will be a farming district all the way from the Coast into the Interior and people can go in there, and if we have a sleigh road they will be able to bring their goods and provisions in. That is all I have to say, gentlemen. I believe if the Farmers' Institute would support this resolution it would carry some weight with the Government. As I have said before, it has already been laid before the Government, and perhaps they will take the matter up. Mr. Gale: What would be the cost of this road you speak of 1 Mr. Hammer: Well, all we ask for this coming spring is $2,000 or $3,000. Mr. Gale : How many miles of road is it ? Mr. Hammer:—Well, from the wharf at Bella Coola to Ootsa Lake is 135 miles. There is a waggon road of 22 miles and a trail for perhaps another 50 miles, so there would only be about 25 miles. Mr. DeHart: How many acres of land would this road open up ? Mr. Hammer: It would open up the districts and land surrounding Ootsa and Francois Lakes ; and the Chilcotin people want to come in there and bring their provisions in, as it would be cheaper than the way they have to bring them in now. Again, if this road were opened up, it would also benefit the City of Victoria, and would benefit the whole of the country. Mr. Randle : What kind of a country would this road go through ? Mr. Hammer: Well, Bella Coola Valley varies; but after you get to the head of the Bella Coola Valley there are open meadows extending all the way into the Ootsa country, thousands and thousands of acres of land. I know stock has wintered in there and were in fine condition when they left, but when they arrived in Bella Coola they were in poor condition, owing to the difficult trail they had to travel over. But even during this last winter, which was an unusually severe one, the cattle were wintered up in the higher country around there and were reported to be doing well and rolling in fat, and no losses had occurred during the last winter; so you can see for yourself what we could do if we had a good road, and this country must certainly be opened up; it is the best grazing country around. There is none better, and there are hundreds of people anxious to go in. Therefore, we must have some way to get them in, so as to encourage people to come into our country and help us. The little farming community in Bella Coola does not amount to anything. The Government has spent considerable money in the Bella Coola Valley. If they will but continue the trail, and we get a good trail for the start, it will help us out considerably, and in a very short time the traffic will demand better roads. So we are satisfied if we only get $1,000 to expend on that trail, because we feel satisfied if we get the travel in through there the traffic will in a very short time demand better roads. Mr. Evans : I would suggest to my friend, from the experience that we have had in our country, that he ask for a waggon road, because in our part of the country, when they made a waggon road they usually simply made a very good sleigh road, and when you ask for a sleigh road they will give you a good trail. You ought to ask for a waggon road. Mr. Harris : I think we ought to recommend this resolution, because this road is going to be a great help to the people who are there, and it is certainly difficult for them to be without good roads, and not able to get those settlers in that are anxious to go in. But I advise my friend not to ask for a sleigh road. It is one of the last things to ask for. They only make it three feet wide. If you ask for a waggon road you might then get it, but don't ask for a sleigh road. Mr. Hammer : We don't like to ask for too much, but if we get a good sleigh road, what we are asking for now in the start, that will be all that will be required for a number of years. Mr. Collins : Perhaps if you asR for a waggon road, you will get the sleigh road. Mr. Hammer : We are asking for a good sleigh road. It is just like this with us : A waggon road could not be built in their next summer, and a sleigh road can, and the people could come in over this sleigh road, and we want something that can be put into service right away. The waggon road would be a big expense and cost a great deal of money. The Chairman : Mr. Hammer knows his requirements best, and I think the motion, as he has put it in, is very good. Motion carried. Safety of Waggon Roads during Railway Construction. Moved by Mr. Dodding, seconded by Mr. V. D. Curry,— " Resolved, That where, during construction of a railway, a waggon road is diverted, that the railway company be compelled to put in a road which is reasonably safe for the travelling public; and, further, that such road shall be divided from the railway by a substantial fence, wherever the track and road run side by side." Mr. Dodding: As you all know, we have just had a branch of railway run through our country, and our waggon road, as a result of the building of such a road, has been very unsatisfactory. My own team has been run off the road and several others beside, and in one part of the road I noticed that there was no fence between the waggon road and the railroad ; they are running close by each other, and the river is close by, and it is not at all safe, and the road above is very unsatisfactory. I think, therefore, that there should be more protection given. Mr. Curry : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I have much pleasure in seconding the motion. I have had occasion while travelling to see the unsafe condition of some of these roads, and to a stranger coming through it is very dangerous indeed to have the line of railway so near the road and no protection guards of any kind. For instance, the Nicola road was built along where the natural waggon road ran, and they went to work and excavated into a great gravel cliff, and between that and this cliff they ran the waggon road. Well, the time I passed by there they were putting in posts close to the railroad track, and the waggon road went right along on the other side of that. For an inexperienced driver driving along there it would be quite dangerous. And I think protection should be given, and if necessary there should be a high board fence between the railroad and the waggon road, which will prevent the view of the track and the train from the horses, and it would afford better protection to life. It is all very well for these railroad companies to run through our community and destroy our farms and roads, but it is not a square deal to choke us up a bluff like this and compel us to drive our wives and children along a place like that. Mr. Baker : Now, at Agassiz, we have a road running along the railway similar to what this gentleman says, only it does not run along a bluff. It is very inconvenient and very dangerous, and there is a very great danger to a colt or inexperienced horse, or driver who is not used to it. As a matter of fact, we are very careful when we go to buy a horse to get one that will not be scared of the trains, if we can possibly get one. I have had a very narrow escape from a serious accident myself. I think this question is a very serious one and we should make it as impressive as possible. Motion carried. Institute Speakers. Moved by Mr. Abbott, seconded by Mr. Phillip,— " That the Government send to our Institute meetings a practical man on fruit-growing and packing." 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 47 The Chairman: I don't quite understand that. Are you supposed to refer to any one particular Institute 1 Mr. Abbott: That refers to our supplementary meetings. The Chairman : That was dealt with in another resolution. Mr. Abbott: I think my motion has been touched on a good many times to-day, and Mr. Tatlow said it had already been done, but it has not yet been done in our district, where there is not so much dairying going on as fruit-growing. And when these meetings are on and these people come to lecture to us none of our men turn out. I feel ashamed of our Institute when there is such a poor attendance, and I asked the members why they did not come, and they said " He did not interest us. Why don't they send a man down who can interest us in fruit ?" Now, that is the reason I bring in this motion. We have had very good speakers, so far as the dairying is concerned, but it does not interest our district, and I just want to remind the Government, when sending a man to our district, that they send a practical man who can address us on fruit-growing. Mr. Phillips : In seconding this resolution, I wish to say there was pretty nearly the same motion passed last year. At our supplementary meetings last year they engaged Mr. Brandrith to address us. Now, our district is both fruit and cattle, dairying and everything else. We have been very well satisfied with the speakers that we have had, but still, I think, it would be of advantage to the district if there was a speaker appointed who could lecture and demonstrate solely on the growing of fruit and taking care of the orchard. Mr. Davie : Mr. Chairman, just excuse me. But doesn't it look as if we were taking the matter out of the hands of the Superintendent ? The Chairman : The Superintendent is always very glad to do what he can to get the proper speakers for each district. Mr. Abbott: When sending in our request from the different Institutes, we are asked to name the subjects that we would like to have taken up at our meetings, and I think that quite covers the motion. The Chairman : I always conform as much as possible to the wishes of the Institutes. Motion carried. Canada Thistles. Moved by Mr. Dodding, seconded by Mr. Evans,— " Resolved, That the Provincial constables be instructed to see that the Canadian thistles are cut before the seed ripens ; also, to enquire about the thistles on the ranges." The Chairman : This perennial question is something like the perennial thistle. Perhaps I had better explain a little what we are doing on this subject. There is an Act dealing with the Canadian thistle, under which the Department has authority to appoint agents who will carry out the provisions of the Act, and it is always done when requests are made; but it is impossible to take up the question unless some definite request is sent in. Now, if Mr. Dodding or Mr. Evans will send to me a request, asking that a constable be appointed, it will be done immediately. Mr. Dodding : That was understood ; but the trouble was the constable went to work too late, and did not start in to cut the thistle until the month of August, when everyone of the thistles had bloomed and had been spread about the country, so we all had the benefit of the bloom. Now, we want to have a constable sent out at a certain time to look after these thistles before the thistle blooms and is ripe, and we want him to look after the thistles on the mountain ranges as well. The Chairman: The Act is quite definite on that point. It defines the responsibility of everybody in connection with the cutting of the Canadian thistle, and no matter whether the Government owns the land or private owners, they have to be governed by the Act in that respect. Mr. Abbott: I might state that has been our grievance for a couple of years; but last year I went to Mr. Anderson and had him appoint a constable, and we had satisfactory results. Mr. J. T. Collins: I may say in my district the Canadian thistle was not cut at all, and we could not find anyone responsible for cutting it, and they were allowed to go to seed. I think the resolution is all right in its way. I thought it was the duty of the constable to see that all these thistles were cut. The Chairman : No, I do not think so. M 48 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Baker : Mr. Chairman, in the municipalities I think the path-masters are always instructed in regard to these thistles being cut. They are instructed by us, at any rate, to see that the Canada thistle is taken care of. The Chairman : That is under your municipality by-laws. Mr. Davie: I would ask, Mr. Chairman, who are responsible for thistles and obnoxious weeds growing on the Indian Reserves ? The Chairman : The Indian Department. Motion carried. Cattle-guards on Railroads. Moved by Mr. R. D. McKenzie, seconded by Mr. A. Davie,— " Resolved, That this Institute impress upon the Government the necessity of better cattle-guards and fences on railroads for the protection of stock." Mr. McKenzie: As you are aware, the lower Fraser is pretty well cut up by railways, and in consequence of these railways the farmers are suffering a good deal by stock being killed, so I do not think there will be any trouble in having this resolution carried through. There should be some protection given by the Company, and if there are any cattle killed it takes a very long time indeed to get any remuneration from the railway. In some cases you never get anything for the damages. The fences and cattle-guards that they have are very poor, and these could be improved, I think, to offer better protection to the cattle and the farmers, and I think this resolution is a step in the right direction. Mr. Davie : I do not think it is necessary for me to say very much on this question; the resolution speaks for itself. We have the same conditions in our country, and I know if any of the cattle are killed on the track we don't get anything for it. Mr. Gale : The same thing applies in my district. The Victoria Terminal Railway runs through there, and they use the barb wire fence-guard, and it is very bad for the cattle. I do not think the resolution calls for it, but I think it would be a very good thing if that barb wire were done away with and the plain wire put on instead. However, I am heartily in sympathy with any resolution that will give more protection to the animals, and the cattle- guards they have now are practically no use whatever, for the cattle walk right over them. Mr. Harris : I think this should be attended to, because the railways are coming into the Province pretty thick now. Up in the Yale District the railroad crosses the Yale Waggon Road three times in one and a half miles, and forms an S. This is going to make it pretty dangerous to people travelling, and we need more protection, there is no doubt, and the Government can do a great many things to remedy this. I think the resolution will go through all right. Motion carried. Sunday a Close Season for Game. Moved by Mr. Brandrith, seconded by Mr. N. E. Buckingham,— " That the Government be requested to make Sunday a close season during the game season." Mr. Brandrith: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, my object in moving this resolution is to try and get a little peace and quietness on the Sabbath day. The Institute I represent lies between two cities, and from early morn till late in the evening, in the game season, it is nothing but pop, pop, pop. This is not only annoying to people who are attending Divine Service on the Sabbath, but it is also dangerous to life and limb, and if Sunday were made a close season it would help to do away with that annoyance and danger. Mr. Buckingham : I have great pleasure in seconding this resolution, for the same reason as has been given by the mover. I do not know whether this necessarily has to do with the Dominion Lord's Day Observance Act. If that is put into force, it would have the same effect as this resolution, and I would be very pleased to see it put into effect. We live a few miles out of Vancouver, and Sunday is the day when all the sports come out from the city to shoot, and we simply have no peace at all. The only way we could have our farms to ourselves was by passing a Game Protective Association law, and allowing no one to come on to our island to shoot. As it is now, the B. C. Electric Railway Company comes out, and they just scatter these sports all over the islands, and they come out in hundreds from Vancouver to *7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 49 shoot, so that, as I say, we have no peace at all with them. The Sabbath Day is made a day of sport more than it is the day of rest, and I think that it is too bad that such things exist. I have much pleasure, I am sure, in seconding this resolution. Motion carried. Moved by Mr. Currie, seconded by Mr. Evans— " That the meeting adjourn till to-morrow morning, at 10 a.m." Motion carried. SECOND DAY. Wednesday, March 6th, 1907. Mr. Robert Long, East Kootenay, and Mr. James Johnstone, West Kootenay, present. The Chairman,—The Minister of Agriculture requested me to say he would probably be going out of town this morning, and if there was anything the delegates wished to see him about he would be glad to be informed about it. He will not be back in time this evening to meet you before your meeting breaks up, as I presume we will be adjourning this evening. I told him I did not think there was any question at the present time we wished to hear him on specially, and if there was anything at all it might be brought up to-morrow by a committee of the delegates, but there had been nothing transpired up to the present time requiring his presence. Mr. Collins : I think it would be better to appoint a committee to meet the Minister. The Chairman : That can be done at the end of the proceedings, if necessary. In accordance with the resolution passed yesterday, Mr. Cunningham, the Inspector of Fruit Pests, is present, and will make an address. I am glad to bear witness to the efficiency of Mr. Cunningham during the incumbency of his office. Had the same policy been pursued from the first as is now pursued, I am certain that the conditions in the older part of the Province—for instance, in Victoria, which, I may say, was the whole Province in days gone by, where fruit trees were planted years ago—the conditions existing now would have been remedied long ago. We have now a very great work in front of us, but Mr. Cunningham is able, I think, to cope with it. His heart is certainly in the work. He may make mistakes sometimes, but we all make mistakes; we would not be human if we didn't; but you can depend upon it, when he does make a mistake, it is done without intention. I shall be very glad to have Mr. Cunningham address you now, gentlemen. (Loud applause.) Mr. Cunningham's Address. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—I thank you personally for the kind reference to myself, and I thank you for the opportunity of affording me a minute or two to talk to you on matters that pertain to my department. Mine is not the most pleasant business in the world, and there never has been a time in my history when I have felt that I needed the moral support of this Institute as much as I do now. We are engaged at the present time in a very important and forward movement, one that is far-reaching in its consequences, but yet attendant with very much embarrassment and considerable difficulty. This business should have been attended to many years ago, and would have been attended to earlier in my official history had it not been for the political uncertainty of the country. That is the fact, gentlemen. We have not had a Government until now that we considered was of sufficient strength to enforce wholesome regulations, and, in fact, wholesome laws, and enforce them regarding the protection of the country from the horticultural standpoint. It is very true we have a Minister who is thoroughly in accord with this movement, but he is only one of the Cabinet, and no one Minster can do all that he would like to do ; he has to consult his colleagues, and none of them are as keenly alive to the necessity of this forward movement as he is. So that,"sizing up the situation, I may just state to you plainly and honestly that this work would have been done years ago if we had been as strongly fortified as we are to-day with a Government that was strong enough to enforce its mandate, such as this Government is now able to do. It is not a pleasant thing to be drawn into Court, as you all know, gentlemen, to enforce horticultural regulations. I have carefully avoided all legal conflict while I have been in office, and have never had any legal conflict since the time I assumed this office. (Cries of " Hear, hear.) I have managed always, as far as I was able, to enforce the regulations against the importation of diseased nursery stock, diseased fruit and diseased grain (for we are handling grain now as well as fruit). I have managed to get around the difficulty without involving M 50 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 the country or the Board of Horticulture in a legal controversy. I think that is the wisest policy, and I shall continue to do so. We don't invite conflict. We have our own difficulties, of course, especially as the influences of the people East of us are not in sympathy with our forward movement. Now, I do not wish to reflect upon the Eastern people, the Ontario Government, or the Government at Ottawa in reference to their legislation and all that sort of thing, which we must consider does affect our actions in this country. This is the only Province in the Dominion of Canada which has a system of fruit inspection and an inspection of nursery stock, and we are the only Province that has taken this strong stand in reference to the defence of the country against infectious diseases. We stand alone on this, and we have achieved success, and the very successes we have achieved have invited, I won't say the hostility, but the jealousy perhaps, of some of our friends in the East. It is not a very pleasant thing for the Government at Ontario and the Government at Ottawa to realise this fact, that after their long years of experience, and the possession of numerous experimental farms and having large areas devoted to horticulture, they are not in a position to face us at the Exhibition in London, and that they cannot risk the competition for the higher honours and awards that are given by the British Horticultural Society. Twice in succession have they backed out at the last moment from making their exhibits, and it is not pleasant for them to realise this fact, and they are naturallv a little jealous of British Columbia's success. And these very successes that we are achieving year after year place us in this position—that we have to be cautious that we don't incur the hostility and unfriendliness of our friends in the East. I do not know what the effect is going to be in British Columbia as regards the legislation passed at Ottawa on the question of the standard and quality of fruit, but certainly some of the horticultural legislation at Ottawa has been exceedingly important. We have so far been able to meet this legislation, and I was greately impressed with this fact in a lawsuit at Vancouver in the case of a local fruit company suing the C. P. R. for damages to an orchard. Specimens of the infected fruit were presented as evidence to show that this orchard was in a bad and unhealthy condition, and boxes of this fruit were put on the table. But the lawyers who had charge of this case for the railway company very quickly produced this fact—that the Dominion Government had carefully considered this question of fruit infection, and had made an allowance of ten per cent, in their first class quality. So I could see then it was an eye-opener to me, and that it was a dangerous thing, and I regarded it as such, because I know if it were ranked on the inspection and rejection of infected fruit, this very same argument would be put up against us to put us out of Court; so, as far as we are concerned, this legislation of the Dominion Government on the question of standard and quality of fruit has been exceedingly unfortunate for us. I take the ground, and I think every gentleman on the Board will take the ground, that only first class apples should constitute a box of fruit (applause); that there should be no ten per cent, permitted to be pa,cked in a box of apples. So I take and continue to hold that position, and I have the experience of the world and the fruit-growers behind me, especially of our friends to the south of us. Now, another thing that has caused me embarrassment this year is the deliverance of the Entymological Society of Canada. I think that is their term. It belongs to the eastern part of the Dominion and is a large and influential society. They met in convention last October or November—November, probably—and they took up the question of the inspection of fruit, and after debating the question and thoroughly thrashing it out among themselves they came to this conclusion : That it was not right to inspect and reject apples or pears showing infection of the San Jose scale. That news was telegraphed all over the Province of British Columbia, and after a day or two the commission merchants of Vancouver took up the question in the press, and they made an attack on me personally and the B. C. Board of Horticulture for enforcing the inspection of fruit in British Columbia, inasmuch as this higher authority and the Dominion Government had pronounced it as being unnecessary and not to the advantage of commerce. Well, I took up the question, and I wrote a nice strong letter to the Dominion Entymological Society, taking this ground : " That it is an unfortunate decision you came to. It is unfortunate for yourselves, and it is embarrassing for us. You know our system of fruit inspection, and you know that we do not permit infected fruit to be imported into the Province, nor do we now permit our deceased fruits to be sold in the market; so that this decision of yours will embarrass us. But it is also unfortunate for yourselves. How : Why 1 Well, just in this way. Just so long as you permit careless, slovenly orchards to sell their infected fruit you will have diseased orchards. There is no getting away from that. And the only way you can compel some men to take care of their trees and prune them is to cut off their revenue, 7 Ed. 7 • Farmers' Institutes Report. M 51 so the man is forced to this : He must cut down his trees or clean them altogether, or put them in a condition that they will produce wholesome fruit, so that you have actually done your Horticultural Society a serious injury." And in the same paper that conveyed to them this intelligence was a record of a sale of Ontario fruit in Bristol, England, at what do you think 1 At two shillings a barrel—sold at auction at two shillings a barrel. The barrels cost two shillings at the factory, and the apples had been brought to Bristol, England, and then sold by auction at two shillings a barrel. Now, I said to those gentlemen, "Here is the result; here is one of the results of your mistakes, and you will have such results as long as you make such mistakes." And I said, "This is the right way to look at it. Just so long as men make these mistakes, so long will you have diseased fruits, and just so long will you have these unsatisfactory sales." Now, then, in the same month, British Columbia apples were sold at 18 shillings for 45 pounds. Now, put these two results together, gentlemen. The Ontario entymologists deciding against the inspection of fruit; the Ontario fruit sold in Bristol, England, at two shillings a barrel, and British Columbia, taking a different position, in the same month sold her fruit in London at 18 shillings for 45 pounds. It is the survival of the fittest at all times, gentlemen, and holds good in everything in life ; so that I really think we have need to be very careful that we are not encroached upon, and that we are not interfered with by our Eastern friends. The chances are that we will have some difficulty with them. I don't like their legislation with reference to those berry-boxes ; I do not think it was proper legislation. This thing was threshed out before, and it is not right to say to British Columbia " You must not sell your small fruits by the pound (16 ounces), but you must pack them in a certain quart measure, and it does not make any difference whether you put half a dozen berries in this box or till it up, you conform to the law." Now, when this legislation was being forced upon the fruit-growers of British Columbia, this extraordinary position was taken by some Dominion Government officials. They said, " That is the law, vou must conform to it, and you must have this size of a berry-box, but it does not at all follow that you must fill the box." Now, you can see that that is not honest legislation. That is a low moral standard for any man to take on the question of weights and measures—a low moral standard, and that same low moral educational standard is producing bad effect in Ontario. I have a case in mind of a large exporter of Ontario buying up all the No. 3 fruit he could find, with the one X brand of fruit mark on it. He bought it at the very lowest price and it was third class fruit. Well, they shipped that fruit to Portland, State of Maine, the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific, and after they were shipped through there they had their man go down and add two additional X's, making it XXX, and this fruit was then shipped to wherever they could find a market for it as Al fruit. So you see where all this leads to. This dishonesty is having its proper effect, and just so long as that sort of thing is permitted we will have this trouble. We are proceeding on a different basis altogether in British Columbia. We say, " Clean fruit in clean packages, honestly packed and high quality," and we expect to get the best price for it, and we are getting our prices for it. Now, I am very glad to say that our friends south of us are taking a very advanced position in reference to the inspection of their orchards and the sale of infected fruit. Three very important lawsuits have recently been decided—one in Washington and two in Oregon— proving we have behind us in our policy the most successful horticulturists on the Continent, and they have the very same system as we have adopted here. One of the cases in question was where an Inspector in Oregon had cut down a large plantation of San Jose scale infected Italian prunes and he was sued in the Courts for damages; but when it was brought before the Court the Judge not only gave a verdict in favour of the Inspector, but delivered a very wholesome lecture to the careless fruit-grower, pointing out that this cutting down was done in his own interest, and it was necessary such an important industry should be protected. He said the prosperity of the State was involved in this question, and all the damages and costs were assessed to the man who brought the damage suit against the Inspector. Then there was a Fruit Inspector in Portland who adopted the unfailing method of taking a coal oil can and going along to the different fruit stores, and wherever he found infected fruit he poured coal oil all over it. One man sued out an injunction to restrain him from this, but the Court decided the Inspector was right, and that he should not only have put coal oil on it but he should have burned it all up. Then there was another case tried in the Yakima County the other day— the Inspector there destroyed 1,100 boxes of apples on account of the San Jose scale infecting the fruit. The Court, in summing up the case, said the only fault he found was that they took too much time examining the fruit that was there to see what was good out of it, that they should have destroyed the whole of the 1,100 boxes. (Applause.) M 52 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 As you all know, gentlemen, Washington is our great competitor in the North-West, and to show you how forward and advanced they are in horticultural legislation, I will read you a clause from their amended horticultural laws, section 14. (Section read. See page M 78.) Now, gentlemen, that is the forward movement in Washington. We have got to learn something from that. The very important step that we are now taking in British Columbia to compel the cleaning of orchards is not nearly as strong as this law, and that law has been upheld in Yakima. So, you see, they are in line with us, and we are in line with them in this regard. Now, if our good friends in Ontario would take a leaf out of our book and their book it would be a great deal better for them. We have shown what we can do, and this little handful of people settled on the Pacific Coast have taken the foremost position in horticulture, which augurs well for the future. The result of it all is that lands that were a drug on this market a few years ago at from $15 to $20 an acre are now being sold to Manitobans who want to go into fruit-growing at $50 and $200 an acre. Now, I hold that this is one of the results of our far-seeing policy, and we are now trusting to Providence for the result, and we are coming out all right. Now, coming down to the inspection of orchards, as you can well imagine, it is not a pleasant thing to have to tell a man he must either clean these trees or cut them down, and I have cautioned our men as to how they should approach the owners of orchards on these matters, so that we may have as little friction as possible, and yet at the same time an entire enforcement of the law. It has been a year of great difficulty, and I do not know when in my experience I have had so many problems to solve, some of them quite unexpected. One particularly I might mention was the inspection of rice. We are not an unit on the necessity of proper rice inspection, and from all the information I can gather I think that we have a perfect right to insist that all infected grain of whatever kind coming into the Province must be inspected. We don't exclude it. We don't embarrass commerce at all. But say that this rice or grain—particularly if it is infected with any disease likely to be dangerous to the fruitgrowers of this Province—must be inspected and treated accordingly. I had a letter from Japan a short time ago, and it was a very important one, setting out the result of the distribution of this rice scale in Japan. And the writer, after giving a life history of the insect, makes this statement, that this insect takes hold of cereal foods in grocery stores, and once it gets a footing in the grocery stores it is impossible to get it destroyed without fumigation and cleansing of the entire premises. Taking that view of it, any grain which will carry infection into the grocery stores or places where we get our cereals should not be admitted. This weevil is a dangerous insect to have, and it is our duty to try and eliminate it wherever it is to be found, for no one would like to take his porridge in the morning and feel that it was infected with this weevil. It is very true what the rice millers say, that this weevil is eliminated by their process of cleaning, but at the same time the sacks are there. They are carried into the fibre of the sacks, and are brought into the grocery stores and other places where it is likely to do very serious damage. That is the position, gentlemen, I am taking in regard to its inspection, and the Government is backing me up in it. And if the rice is infected and constituting a danger to any industry in the Province, we must insist upon its being inspected. That is all additional work on the part of the Inspector, and I am explaining this all to you because some of you may think we are taking a great deal more care than we have any right to do. But I want to convince you that we are on the right side, and we will continue to be on the right side. We also have the inspection of corn, as there is what they call a corn weevil, and there is the inspection of peas because of the pea weevil. I remember a time when Ontario had the whole of the British trade in peas, but they lost that trade on account of the pea weevil, and that most profitable trade has been lost to them largely on account of this infestation of the pea weevil. Well, we don't want to have the same experience here. We want to stop the business before the infection comes in, so we now insist upon the destruction of all weeviled peas. We destroyed a lot of them last summer in Vancouver and here, and we expect to do the same again. Now, the result of all this is that the largest dealers in the States have made contracts with our own growers. This is the work we are doing, gentlemen, and as I said before, I hope to have your cordial co-operation in it. I have nothing to gain personally by carrying on this campaign ; I am here to defend the country, and by God's help I will do it as long as I am in that position. I look to a higher power for help, and leave my responsibility with that higher power. I am responsible to my Maker for the continuance of my duty faithfully ; and I hope to continue on with this campaign of orchard cleansing until we eliminate all those dangerous pests out of the country. It is done elsewhere and it must be done here. 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes*Report. M 53 The spread of the San Jose scale is increasing in Ontario, and they will never be able to grapple with it so long as they continue selling scale-infected fruit. Why, what happened in the Dominion Government the other day ? A deputation was sent to Ottawa from East Kent, beseeching the Dominion Government to come to their relief in defending the orchards from the San Jose scale—a new settlement altogether. So it shows this, that it is necessary to control this scale there, as it is spreading from place to place until it will gradually put them out of business. We don't want that experience here. We want to maintain our regulations not only as stringently as they are maintained now, but to increase them, and to keep in line with our friends across the boundary. They are on the right track, and so are we. (Applause.) I went over to Seattle in November to take a look at the condition of affairs there, and whilst a few years ago that city used to be the depot for the whole of the infected rubbish for the coast of Washington, I can assure you, gentlemen, that I did not find a dozen infected boxes of fruit offered for sale in the whole of Seattle—not a dozen ; so you can see that they are enforcing their laws over there, and we propose to do the same thing here. Now, I think I have said as much as I ought to say, and if you have any questions, gentlemen, you would like to ask, or any information you would like on any point, I will be pleased to explain. Mr. Evans (Salmon Arm) : There is one grievance that fruit-growers in our part of the country have—I am speaking now of the nursery men who send us trees that are supposed to be of a certain variety, and when we get them and go to the trouble of planting them we find later on that they are not what we ordered, and we can get no compensation of any kind. Mr. Cunningham : There is a nursery law, and if you find you have been deceived as to the variety of fruit you ordered, all you have to do is to get a judgment against them, and they will have to make a refund. Mr. Evans :—I consulted the Attorney-General on the matter, and the advice I got was that if I found, when they arrived, they were not true to name I need not accept them, but once having accepted them the responsibility rests with me. That is the advice I received from the Attorney-General. Mr. Cunningham : Of course, he cannot understand the fact that it would be a very difficult matter to define the varieties when you receive them. You have to plant them first and get results before you can tell. Then you have your remedy if they are not what you ordered. Mr. DeHart: With regard to nursery men selling fruit trees, and their riot turning out to name, I may say that there is no nursery farm now that will guarantee their trees to name. But if they do not turn out true to name, they will guarantee you a refund of the money they received for those trees. For instance, take any of the large nurseries, they may perhaps have 50 men budding, and when you send men to bud perhaps from 2,000 to 5,000 varieties of trees it is an easy matter for them to make a mistake and put one variety or more in the wrong row and get them mixed. It is no advantage to them to sell you a wrong variety, and they are not anxious to do it. Mr. Evans : I can produce the agreement and it is not what you say. They agreed to sell me a certain quantity of trees of a certain variety. Mine is not the only case where they have not sent the trees true to name. And I contend that if they continue to do this, one orchard in such cases would be damaged to more than $2,000. The Chairman : What remedy would you propose ? Mr. Evans : I propose that we should have more. As the law stands now it is a fraud, and it is best to have it struck off the books altogether. Don't send us away making us think we have protection when we haven't. Two thousand dollars is no protection. The Chairmon : You take legal proceedings and get judgment and you will see how you come out. Mr. Brandrith : Did you show the lawyer the contract ? Mr. Evans : Yes, and that was the advice I got. If the trees were not true to name I need not accept them. But as far as the $2,000 is concerned, it is not very much protection. Mr. Gale : About those berry boxes—I understood at the fruit-growers' meeting the other day that the one-pound boxes would not be allowed to be used here this year under any condition. I am under the impression, though, it can be used, provided it is marked as containing a pound. Mr. Cunningham : I have always held that the only honest way to sell berries is by the pound. Any lady who buys berries in that way can know whether she is getting the worth of her money or not. This four-fifth's of a box is nonsense. Well, I thank you, gentlemen. M 54 Farmehis' Institutes Report. 1907 Mr. Evans : I would like to ask Mr. Cunningham as to whether he has appointed any Inspectors for the Upper Country. Mr. Cunningham : Yes ; there will be a whole lot of them out there next week. As I have said before, there was a delay in this business, as the thing could not be attempted until quite recently. Mr. Baker : What time are they coming up to Agassiz ? Mr. Cunningham : They will be along there some time next week, and I hope you will treat them well. I think a great deal more can be done by pleasant co-operation than by conflict. Be his friend and he will be yours, and he comes there as a friend to help you. Mr. Baker: I would like to ask a question. There are orchards up where I am on rented ground. There is one orchard in particular that is owned by a man in Victoria, and we cannot get in communication with him. The orchard is in bad condition, and I have it myself this year, and I don't want to go cutting a man's trees down without his knowledge, but I would like to know about it. Mr. Cunningham : We can give him ten days' notice in which to put them in shape, and if he does not meet the regulations he will have to suffer. Mr. Venables : Are you taking care of the orchard for him ? Mr. Baker : I rent his place and there is nothing said about the orchard. Mr. Curry: I am interested in this fruit tree question. As a matter of fact, I represent the Aberdeen Estate, and from my experience in nursery ^tock I am perfectly satisfied that no self-respecting nursery man will attempt to sell a man trees other than what he asks for. He won't substitute a tree knowingly, but, as Mr. DeHart has said, it is impossible to prevent mistakes creeping in. A nursery man does not want these mistakes to creep in, as it hurts his own business, and these mistakes often occur through careless help—perhaps being too lazy to go down the orchard and pick out the proper variety, and takes a variety nearer unknown to his employer. I have known of that to occur. But, I will venture to say that Mr. Evans will not find the whole of his orchard substituted. Mr. Evans : I find over one-half substituted. Mr. Curry : Where did you get your trees from ? Mr. Evans : I did not get them from Aberdeen, or it is altogether likely the whole of them would have been substituted. (Laughter.) Mr. Currjr: Well, all I can say is this : That when there is one particular variety we are out of, we cannot supply that any more, but strike it right off our list. The Chairman : This discussion is not in order, but of course it is an interesting one, and we may take a few moments, but I must ask any speaker to speak but once. Mr. Johnstone: I think it might not be out of place to make a remark on a matter that came to my notice the other day with reference to the advantages of co-operation of the Dominion and Provincial authorities with reference to the inspection of fruit exposed for sale. Now, it is impossible for the Dominion Government to have an Inspector at every town to see that every box is marked with the growers' name, and that it is marked true to its variety and grade. Now, the man who inspects that box to see that it is marked right should also be an Inspector of fruit posts. Now, the other day, in Nelson, I noticed a large amount of boxes of apples not marked with the owner's name, and when I went to the Provincial Inspector he said that it was not his business to attend to that part of it. Well, now, surely it could be possible to have one man attend to both, for when he takes a box of apples and looks for infected fruits, the first thing he does is to look at the outside of the box to see if it conforms to the regulations." The Chairman: I think if you brought it up in the form of a resolution the matter could be taken up intelligently, and at the present time it is mere desultory conversation. I think that would be your best plan. Draw up a resolution, embodying all these things in full. I take this opportunity of stating that the Dairymen's Association of British Columbia meets here to-morrow, and I am asked to extend an invitation to all the delegates present here to attend that Convention. A great many of you are interested in dairying, and it is one of the branches of agriculture that is coming to the front, and one which is worthy of all support. I hope that a good many of you will be able to remain over and attend that Convention. It was called for to-morrow evening, but if we get through to-day it will be held in this room tomorrow morning. Mr. Venables: Mr. Chairman, before we proceed with the other business, I think we ought to move a vote of thanks to Mr. Cunningham for his very able address. We have 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M listened to him with great attention, and we feel that he is doing a great work, and we intend giving him our utmost support in every way. I beg to move a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Cunningham. Mr. J. T. Collins : I have very great pleasure in seconding that. I think Mr. Cunningham has really done his duty in the fruit line, and I was pleased yesterday to see the great support given to Mr. Cunningham by everyone in the room, and I think it sbould be a matter of congratulation to him the way be has done his duty and the stand he has taken. The Chairman : Gentlemen, you have all heard the resolution, and I take a great deal of pleasure in putting it, inasmuch as Mr. Cunningham and I have always worked together in these matters, and I heartily endorse what Mr. Collins has said on the subject. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Cunningham : Gentlemen, I am very thankful for this endorsement of my services. I want, as I said before, your help. It is not a matter that concerns me personally at all, but I am loyal to British Columbia. (Applause.) I am loyal to fruit-growing in British Columbia, and I have spent the greater part of my life in preparation for the duties I am now discharging. I gave up a very profitable business for horticulture, and while I made a financial mistake I have succeeded in other ways, and after all there is something better than money. There is the consciousness of doing something for your fellow-men, doing something to help your country, and leaving a name after one's death that will be of value to you, and that has been my object, gentlemen. I thank you exceedingly for your vote of thanks, and hope that I shall have your confidence and co-operation during the whole of the year, and that we may all be able to work together. (Applause.) The Chairman : Has the Committee any more resolutions ready? Mr. Collins : We have a few more. Mr. DeHart: Mr. Palmer was to have addressed the meeting. Mr. Collins : I saw Mr. Palmer last evening and gave him your request, and he will address you some time to-day. Experimental Stations. Moved by Mr. James Johnstone, seconded by Mr. J. T. Collins,— " That the Dominion Government be requested to establish Experimental Stations on Vancouver Island, in the Dry Belt and in the Kootenays, and that the British Columbia representatives in the House of Commons and in the Senate be requested to use their influence to have the same established." The Chairman : There was something said about this yesterday, Mr. Johnstone. Mr. Collins: That was as regards the endowment of a college. The Chairman : No; it was mentioned that a telegram had been sent to Mr. Templeman, but so far no reply had been received from him on the subject. Mr. Brandrith : It was mentioned by the Hon. Capt. Tatlow yesterday. The same subject was brought up last year. There has been no resolution on it this year. The Chairman : I did not say there was a resolution. But I was calling Mr. Johnstone's attention to the fact that this matter had been brought up last year and was referred to in this way. That the Dominion Government had promised, through Mr. Tern piemen, that the subject of experimental stations would be taken up. Mr. Templeman was telegraphed to on this subject by me only three days ago, asking him to give an explicit answer to this, and as yet I have received no answer. I only wish to call Mr. Johnstone's attention to that fact. Mr. Brandrith : Mr. Chairman, I might say that in March last, at a Convention of the Fruit-Growers' Association, that same resolution was made at the Conference. We then had the assurance of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Fisher, that the matter should be taken into the Government's serious consideration, and we just want to keep them considering this until they consider it finally. Motion carried. Dairy Inspector. Moved by Mr. Buckingham, seconded by Mr. McKenzie— " Resolved, That in the opinion of this meeting, it would be in the interests of the dairy industry of this Province that a duly qualified man be appointed as Dairy Inspector, who could devote his whole energy to this work." Mr. Buckingham : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, we have at the present time an Inspector appointed for that work, but he is also an employee of the Dominion Government, and it is impossible for him to devote the whole of his time to this work, and I think that the dairy industry is growing and requires more attention, and it is one that should be looked after, as- it is one of the coming great industries of the Province. And when you consider the amount of money expended and sent out of the Province every year for butter alone, it is necessary for us to look more closely into this question of furthering the interests of our industry in British Columbia. The only way it can be looked after is by proper dairy inspection. I, therefore, think this resolution will recommend itself to all right-thinking men, and I do not wish to take up your time in discussing it, but certainly think it is a step in the right direction. Mr. McKenzie : I have nothing to add, Mr. Chairman. Motion carried. Mr. Harris : Mr. Chairman, Mr. Palmer is now present, and I would move that we now hear Mr. Palmer. Mr. J. T. Collins : I second that. Motion carried. (Loud applause). Address by Mr. R. M. Palmer. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—I am very glad indeed to be present with you at your meeting here for a short time, and am only sorry that I cannot be present during all the time of your deliberations. I think I must congratulate you upon the success of your efforts yesterday, so far as they have been recorded in the daily press, and it is evident that your work is having its legitimate effect. Now, gentlemen, I have no long speech to make to you. One reason for that is that I do not think I have quite recovered yet from the effect of my recent trip. I cannot recommend the winter for an ocean trip across the Atlantic, and then when you add to that 3,000 miles of ice and snow on the railway train, it all tends to throw one out of condition. I feel, however, that you would like to have a few words, both as to the results of our fruit exhibits in the Old Country, and also, as I understand, in regard to the immigration question, in so far as it affects British Columbia. A great deal, I believe, has been already reported in the British Columbia press in regard to those successes of our fruit exhibits in Edinburgh, London and elsewhere. Personally I do not know what has been said in the papers, as I have not had an opportunity of seeing them, but probably you have been kept pretty well posted as to the different exhibitions and the results which have been achieved. Briefly, we were successful in taking the gold medal at Edinburgh, five bronze medals and 11 silver medals. I do not suppose that any organisation in any country ever succeeded in carrying off so many honours in one season as did British Columbia. We did not meet with as much competition—I suppose you might call it—at the Colonial Fruit Show in London as we anticipated. There was an exhibit there of Nova Scotia apples, and a very good one too, but the press and the judges of fruit there did not seem to think that the exhibit compared at all favourably with that of British Columbia, and I think that is borne out by the awards made, and they succeeded in securing one silver medal, as against the eleven which were awarded to the British Columbia exhibit. I notice that my friend Mr. Johnstone is present here, and I will have the pleasure of turning over one of the medals to him before he goes home. I want to state that although the exhibit sent by Mr. Johnstone was not as large as that sent by some of the other sections of the Province, it arrived in a very good condition, and that is a very important factor. I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. for the great interest they have taken in the undertaking we had in hand, and for the successful arrangements which they put into effect for the safe arrival of our fruit in London. Everything they could do was done to ensure the safe carrying of the fruit, and to facilitate the arrangements for handling it en route. The result was that it arrived in the best possible condition, and any fruit that left British Columbia in good condition arrived at its destination in good condition. You will understand that, in an exhibit made up from some thirty different points, there would be same lots which were not so well packed, and also some which were unavoidably not so well cared for as others, and that will always be the case with an all-round exhibit, but nine-tenth's of the fruit would come pretty nearly being perfect. This was borne out^ too by the results which were achieved in the marketing of these fruits, apart from the exhibit. As 7 Ed. 7 Farmers' Institutes Report. M 57 you are aware, there were two objects in view in forwarding these exhibits. The principal one was to advertise our Province, its resources and capabilities, and the second one was to prove the market value of our fruit after we had got it there, and there was no way of doing this so well as by placing it on sale in the open market. This was done at Glasgow and at Covent Garden in London. The fruit was sold under the hammer, so there was no special effort to secure extraordinary prices for it. The fruit was sold just on its merits. I mention this because people think an exhibition price could be secured, but our fruit was not sold in that way. Well, in Glasgow, the results of the prices were so great that when the returns were sent down they came with a letter of apology for getting so much for the fruit. I have been almost afraid to state what the actual prices were, because it might mislead some people. The highest price realised in Glasgow was 18s. 3d. a box, sold under the hammer, and the highest price realised in London was 14s. for similar fruit. Some varieties, such as Baldwins and Spies, which don't, as a rule, sell at a big price in London, sold at prices from 8 to 11 shillings per box. Well now, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, unless there are, some questions which you would like to ask me about later in reference to the fruit exhibits, I will now pass on to the question of immigration. Mr. Harris : I would like to ask you for what variety you got the 18s. a box 1 Mr. Palmer : The Newton Pippins and the Spitzonbergs. Competent judges freely admit that the British Columbia fruit is equal, if not superior, to any fruit wbich finds a way to those markets. It is purely a question of proper grading and packing, and given those, tbere is a bright future for the fruit-growers of British Columbia in such markets as Glasgow, London, Edinburgh and Liverpool. Mr. J. T. Collins : While you are on the subject, do you mind telling us which you consider the best district in British Columbia for growing the Newton Pippin ? Mr. Palmer : The Interior. Mr. Collins : Well, they are not adapted to this district ? Mr. Palmer: They are best adapted to the Interior. Mr. Collins : We can grow a more profitable kind in this district ? Mr. Palmer : Yes, I think so, on the whole. Now, gentlemen, in regard to the question of immigration; the greater part of the time which I spent in the Old Country was really devoted to this question. The net results have, I think, been spread abroad through the press. The Provincial Government, as you know, has been able to make what I think a very satisfactory arrangement with the Salvation Army, under which immigrants will be selected in the Old Country, taken charge of, and brought through to destination, and on arrival here will be placed wdiere they are required. Now, there are a number of organisations dealing with the immigration question in England and Scotland, and all are, more or less, copying Salvation Army methods. There is this to be said, however, with the exception of the Central Immigration Board, tbere was no Old Country organisation which extended its work to Canadian branches to take charge of these people after they had landed here. As you are aware, that is one of the most important questions we have to deal with in British Columbia; these people have to be placed after they arrive. And in this connection I would just like to say a word to you as farmers and employers of labour. The old style of things has passed away. The Old Country immigrant, in the majority of cases, will be a man who looks forward to having a home of his own, and it will be necessary, if you desire to obtain the best class of labour and retain it, to make permanent provision for the taking care of these people. You must get cottages for them; you must provide accommodation which will be as good as they have been accustomed to in the Old Country; and with the wages this country is able to afford, it will give you the best kind of labour and will prove a very important factor in the building up of our Province. There will be, of course, some single men who will go from place to place, but the policy of the Salvation Army is to send out the men with small families; and, I think, when you look at the best and broadest interest of our Province, that that is the best thing to do, and it behooves us to see that these men are properly taken care of when they arrive here, and that their conditions are made as homelike as possible, and we will then be able to overcome the conditions we now have to face. There has been, I think, some understanding as regards the labour conditions existing in the Old Country. Even in the time I was over there it was almost impossible to get a thorough grasp of the situation, because every district there has its own peculiar conditions, both in regard • to labour and in regard to industries. For instance, you go down into the agricultural districts M 58 Farmers' Institutes Report. 1907 and you find a state of affairs which cannot be regarded as satisfactory to all. There was some correspondence through the papers in regard to the difficulty of obtaining labour in the agricultural districts in the Old Country, while I was there, and one prominent farmer made the statement that he was unable to secure labour although he had offered as much as half a crown a day. (Laughter.) Well, gentlemen, the low price that has been paid for agricultural labour in the Old Country has had the result of driving labour from the country to the towns and cities to secure employment, and in spite of the most successful industrial occupations in all .parts of the country you have the surplus labour in the towns. You have redundant prosperity on the one hand and a large number of unemployed labour on the other. Well, gentlemen, this is our opportunity, which we must take advantage of, and I think we can claim now to be in a fair way to take the advantage of it. There are some people in the Old Country who disagree with the Salvation Army. They say, You are sending our best people away to Canada, and our answer to that is we do not want anything but the best people. We are certainly not responsible for the conditions of life in the Old Country. Our duty, as we have already stated, is to make the best possible provision for the people who are sent to us, and to see that they are made very comfortable after they get here. I am glad to say that one small family who came here from Tunbridge Wells, has been eminently successful since their arrival, and I am sorry that I have not got the letter here which particularly refers to this case, which just proves over and over again the opportunities that exist. These people were unable to make a living in Tunbridge Wells, so they were persuaded to come out to this country, and the man on arrival found employment at $4 and $5 a day, and the wife also found employment, and much more than they were able to make in the Old Country. Mr. Venables: What was this man engaged in in the Old Country ? Mr. Palmer: He was what you would call a handy-man; he could do almost anything; but his princijoal business was small trading in Tunbridge Wells. Well, when he came to Victoria he hired himself out as a plumber's assistant, a thing which would never enter his mind if he had stayed in the Old Country. I do not know whether I should have mentioned this. But, at any rate, this man writes home to his friends, telling them in glowing terms what he has been able to do in the short time he has been out, and you may certainly expect his friends and relations will flock here too before long, and will be only too glad to share in the prosperity of the country. Well, now, there is another point in connection with this labour question. From what I have stated, you will gather that the largest number we may expect will not come direct from the country districts. The greater number of them will come from the neighbourhood of the towns, and the outskirts of the town, and it may be, at first, more or less of them will be unhandy, and it will be necessary to have some patience with them. A great number of these people move up to the town from the country. Some of them have had experience with country life and