The record-union., 1898-03-19
FLORIR FARMERS INSTITUTE
GOOD ATTENDANCE AND MUCH
INTEREST SHOWN.
Hayne and Wickson and by
Hayne and Wixon and by
Charles E. Mack.


The Farmers Institute opened at
Florin yesterday with a good attend
ance. and it is expected that to-day the
attendance will be much increased IL
was intended to have a morning ses-
sion but owing TO the fact that Pro-
fessors Wickson and Hayne did not ar
rive until o'clock. the first number on
the programme was changed, and iunch
was substituted for it, an excellehl re-
past having been prepared by the Ia
dies of Florin.
When the two Professors arrived the
Institute convened, T. E. Davies Gaining
il to order with a few Introductory re-
marks stating the objects OF the meet
ing and introducing the speakers. John
Reese acted as secretary
Mrs. Mary Kennedy rendered a hne
soprano solo with excellent effect, re-
ceiving much applause.
Professor e J. Wickson expressed
his qualification at meeting so good a
representation of the farmers and fruit
growers. showing the interest taken by
them in the Instruction and aid which
the University is trying to give them
He addressed them on the subject OF
THE Relations of the University and
the Farmers" and explained the pol
icy laid out in this direction in the Onl-
versity extension scheme. The Unl-
yersity he said received it's support
very largely from the farmers, ana II
was just that it should maks such re-
turn as it was able. University eX-
tension is giving to the people as fai
as possible the benefits of information
gathered. 1t has not in the past been
well understood but the people are De
ginning to understand it better. 1t is
expected. through the Farmers 1nsu-
tutes. to impart TO the farmers the
knowledgs gained by experiments IN
various directions But even II TINS
were not so he thought that the prac-
tical knowledge gained from discus
sions in the Institutes would be OF
great benefit TO the professors, ana
thus enable them to teach better the
things taken up in the Agricultural De-
partment of the University.
These meetings are not held solely
for the purpose of listening to address
es. however interesting. but it was
hoped that all would feel free, as it is
intended, to discuss and criticise state
ments made He hoped that no one
would allow anything to go unchalleng-
ed that his. knowledge or. experience
led him to differ from as the experience
of no two farmers was exactly ahke'
and by discussion the broadest know
ledge can be gained.
PRESERVING FRUIT.
Professor A. P. Hayne next addressed
the Institute on Preserving Fruit.
He said the first question to be consid-
cred was. what causes fruit to spoil
In Florin large quantities OF fruit are
shipped and a vital question was
whether fruit can be so shipped as tc
leave a margin of return to the grower
or not Very few people stop to con-
slider what causes fruit to cpoil, but
it is an important question. The spoil
ing of fruit is caused by the growing
in the fruit of certain microscopic
products. When we SOW seeds of we'll
defined species i'll the earth they pro-
duce a like well-defned seed. In the
case Of fruit instead Of the seeds being
sown in the earth they are sown in the
fruit itself. and the decomposition OF
the fruit-cells causes the fruit TO spoil
On the outside skin of the fruit is 6
substance which, although it does MOI
look like cork. is nevertheless cork
Then comes the inner skin, and finally
the cells. All fruit is composed of cells
and the preservation of it consists II
preserving these cells unimpaired anc
unbroken. If we can keep them un
broken we can preserve the fruit IN
definitely. but as soon as they are
broken decay sets in. People speak o.
microbes and bacteria as animal life
whereas they are not animal life at all
but vegetable We know enough abou
them now to know that they are JUS
as numerous as the higher plants, ant
grow aIong the same lines, and are
modified by the same conditions. Th'
higher plants need heat. moisture and
nourishment for their development, anC
these microscopical growths depend OF
the same things for their growth.
The yeast cells in wine are an eX
ample. and are so small that it woulC
take 10000 00e.QG0 of them to make {
cubic inch Without them we coulC
have no wine or vinegar. The flavol
of our milk and butter is not due to th'
grass. but to the microbes that are il
the grass when it is eaten, and thes'
things are so throughout all nature
They are in the air and in the waite
and everything else The common
bread-mold for instance. is in ever!
square yard of air that we breathe
The spores of various kinds of molC
and those of the mildew are equal!
widely disseminated He illustrated
these different spores by colored charts
in which they were immensely magni
fed. and showed how they sprout, grow
and ramify throughout the plant
causing the cell walls to break down
stopping the growth of the plant.
They cause a disease to the plant jus
as our lungs and other organs becom
diseased. and as they attack the leaye
they destroy the fruit by stopping it
growth. The commonest cause of trOu
bic in preserving fruit, he said. is tha
these spores. being upon the outside o.
the fruit grow inward and break dowl
end destroy the cells. If we can destro,
them, we can preserve fruit. Why d