338 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



lakes, the St. Lawrence river, and to Canada, she can supply peaches beyond the 

 reach of regions further south. With tliese great advantages in favor of her peach- 

 growing, Michigan's scepter will not soon depart from lier." 



Leading upon the topic, " How fruitgrowing in the western states may 

 affect the price of Michigan fruit," Joseph Lannin of South Haven said 

 he had seen on Soiith Water-st., Chicago, fruit from several parts of the 

 countr}^ in competition with Michigan fruit, and some of these regions are 

 better adapted than our own, to fruitgrowing, as to climate at least, 

 California being especially so, though there they have quite as many 

 insect pests as we, and perhaps even more and worse. Tennessee, Missouri, 

 southern Illinois, and even Indiana form a vast region in which peaches 

 may be grown. The prairie states not only can not gi'ow the peach, but 

 they are equally unsuccessful with the apple, plum, and pear, but in these 

 California is our constant competitor. The California fruit looks finer 

 than ours, and the eye has much to do with selection of fruit, but it is not 

 of as good quality. I do not know any way to meet this competition, and 

 they are pushing their trade actively. 



Alexander Hamilton: One of our advantages is our nearness to these 

 markets, and it seems as though we should be able to compete with any 

 others there. California can not compete with us [in quality] when in 

 the market at the same time, and their freight costs would be to i s a good 

 profit. Southern Illinois only can get as good rates of transportation; 

 and as to growers there, we fight curculio a few weeks only, while they 

 have to do it all the season, and their product of peaches is very small 

 compared with ours. It amounts only to about twelve carloads in a season, 

 while twelve of the principal growers about Fennville sometimes send as 

 many loads in a single day. Their peach season, too, is nearly over before 

 the bulk of our crop is ready. We have solely to ourselves the market 

 from September on to the close. So there is no fear of competition from 

 that source as yet; and their crop is more frequently hurt by frost than 

 our own. In Tennessee I have seen peach trees in bloom in December. 

 In fact, south of the Ohio river peaches scarcely know when to blossom. 



W. H. Hurlbut: Michigan is well adapted to apples, though in this 

 branch of fruitgrowing western New York seems to have the lead. Early, 

 showy sorts which can reach the market in advance of Ohio and New York 

 fruit, are the best for our purpose. New York winter fruit is largely held 

 in cold storage, and apples usually are cheaper in Chicago in April than 

 in September and October. As to peaches, we find there are other regions 

 than our own, favorable to their production, and transportation has 

 become so easy that people do not become fruit-hungry as they used to. I 

 believe that ihc fruit for western Michigan will eventually be the pear. 

 At the American Pomological society's exhilnt, five years ago, many other 

 societies did their best, but South Haven pears were far ahead. Elwanger 

 & Barry, themselves large exhibitors, conceded this. Our fruit was 

 equally superior to pears from Virginia. They were better in grain, 

 flavor, and appearance. The California pears were very coarse. Our 

 grapes are no better than those grown anywhere else. If we raise grapes 

 we must compete wnth the whole United States. We have no competition 

 in peaches, but our product has grown so great that we must expect here- 

 after to get only fair rates, depending on quality and convenient access to 

 market. We will have less competition in pears than in any other fruit. 



C. J. Monroe: It is a question if those western states will ever l^e able 



