92 TEANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



These are not the prices that make plethoric pocket books, or buy 

 the necessaries of life. It is sometimes said that good fruit always 

 finds ready sale and a good price, but there are times when this oft- 

 repeated statement is far from correct. Times when fruit, mainly 

 of good quality, comes pouring on the market in such overwhelming 

 quantities as to paralyze trade. Times when the supply each day so 

 far exceeds the demand, as to make an impossibility sales at any price. 

 You say over-production. 



But is it always over-production ? Is it a settled fact that there 

 is more fruit grown in Illinois than consumers for it in the Stat*? 

 If not, then this State does not over-produce. Is it not probable that 

 there are homes where it would all be made very welcome and paid 

 for at fair price, if it could be taken to them? 



The story of the priest, who found a boy crying because a new 

 comer at home would reduce the per capita distribution of rations, 

 perhaps illustrates the situation. " They hadn't food enough be- 

 fore," he said, '' and what would they do, now, with another mouth 

 to fill? " The priestly injunction was to rejoice; that the Lord didn't 

 send any more mouths in the world than He did bread to fill. ''But," 

 retorted the boy, "He has sent all mouths to our house and all the 

 bread to yours." 



The boy w^as making a plea for a better distribution. Now the 

 mouths are not all in Chicago; they are scattered all over the State, 

 and when we glut the Chicago market, are we not sending the bread 

 to the wrong house? 



There are towns in Illinois where a peach or a pear is a rare 

 sight. If these towns should order even a very moderate supply of 

 fruit, how long would the glut in Chicago be likely to last? 



Traveling by rail in the central and northern part of the State, 

 one seldom sees a peach tree for hours at a time, and often not a 

 fruit tree uf any kind. There is not a town in the State not amply 

 supplied with pipes and tobacco, and surely fruit is not less 

 healthful. 



It is true fruit is perishable and hard to transport without injury, 

 but so is a sack of flour, and a box of peaches or barrel of apples can 

 follow a flour sack. It would not be more difficult for these towns 

 to place themselves in communication with the sources of supply 

 and secure a regular and suflicient quantity than of tea, coffee or 

 coal oil. 



Distribution of fruit cannot he accomplished, unless done 

 cheaply. The cheapest is by car lots; car lots can not be sent to small 

 towns without greatly exceeding the demand. Small cities must 

 receive the cars and divide them among the adjacent towns. Here 

 comes another difiiculty. A mouth and digestive organs are not of 

 necessity a good fruit market. They must be accompanied by a 

 purse long enough to pay a fair price. Fruit cannot be grown and 



