286 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



N. TV. Lewis thought we hud hetter continue a committee on transportation. 



Mr. Taylor said we needed transportation facilities across the lake as much 

 as up the river and on the cars; the distance was less and fruit could be car- 

 ried in better order. It would be well to see vessel men — ours and others — and 

 find out just what they were going to do. 



N. TV. Lewis said he had often been asked if he had not lost faith in the fruit 

 business, and had always said no. His reason for this was that six years ago 

 there was more fruit raised in Western Michigan than now. At that time there 

 were 600,000 peach trees in bearing in Berrien county alone. He doubted if 

 there were 200,000 bearing in the whole of western Allegan county. At that time 

 our market was not two-thirds as large as now. There was a time when six or 

 seven steamboats were employed in the peach trade from St. Joe alone, mak- 

 ing daily trips, and sometimes as many as 60,000 baskets — much larger baskets 

 than those now in use — were shipped in a day by them. He did not believe as 

 many had been shipped in any one day this year from Western Michigan. He 

 did not believe it was the great quantity of peaches which had made prices low 

 but the very imperfect system of transportation. 



REMARKS OF THE SECRETARY. 



The past year has been one of the most fruitful for the fruit-grower within 

 the memory of this people. The insect enemies have been less destructive, 

 and the yellows has been very much less severe than last year. The times 

 were so good and labor so well rewarded throughout the west, that we all looked 

 for a rich harvest, abundance of fruit and remunerative prices. In the 

 amount of fruit we were not disappointed. The quality was excellent and the 

 size fully up to the average. As the small fruits brought very fair prices, we 

 were encouraged ; the first shipment of peaches paid fairly well, but was at 

 least two weeks earlier than usual. After this everything went wild, transpor- 

 tation was uncertain on the lake, and the railroads had so much to do that 

 frequently the cars were not unloaded till afternoon. This precluded sending 

 them beyond Chicago, as all early trains were gone. Added to this, the peaches 

 ripened too fast, so that some days the market was glutted, and others only 

 small shipments were made. The prices obtained were hardly sufficient to 

 meet expenses. Still we are not discouraged ; there is no business which is 

 continuously prosperous, and as this is our first even partial failure to receive 

 profitable returns, we propose to redouble our efforts to produce such choice 

 fruit as will command remunerative prices. 



