A model orchard

You may think that the selection of apples, plums and pears in the 19th century was fairly limited, but you may want to think again. Le Verger, dating from September 16, 1865, reported that Amable Morin grew a dozen varieties of apples (379 apple trees) and 13 varieties of plums (200 plum trees).

Servants and hired hands worked in the orchard, which was managed by its owner. The quality of the trees and harvests made it a model to follow. Government publications in Quebec and Canada cited it as an example. It is said that growers came from Île aux Coudres to learn from Amable Morin how to care for plum, apple, cherry and pear trees.

The Pelletier family maintained the good reputation of the orchard’s fruit. It was picked carefully to avoid damage, and checked individually before being readied for sale. Apples were stored in barrels with newspaper until the 1960s.