104 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



yon and I been induced to buy a quantity of berries or fruit because of the 

 unstained and charming appearance or the box, basket, or package, and be- 

 cause a little knowledge of wood enabled us to see at once that the berries or 

 fruit had been packed in dry, well-seasoned boxes. Fruit is easily affected by 

 odors, and sooner decays when in contact with moisture than when shipped in 

 a thoroughly seasoned package. Fruit boxes and baskets, therefore, should 

 be procured early in the season, in order that ample time may be had for them 

 to dry and be ready for the fruit when ripe. Good and bad fruit should not be 

 shipped in one package. Whatever the fruit, let it be uniform in size and 

 color. 



A story, which to me seems appropriate here, is told of a gentleman who 

 bought a barrel of apples of a certain dealer, which did not give satisfaction. 

 The following conversation is said to have taken place at the next meeting of 

 the buyer and seller: 



" What's the reason," said the buyer, " that the further down I go into the 

 apples, the worse they get?" 



"The reason for that is," replied the seller, candidly, "that you did not 

 open the barrel at the other end. If you had only done that the apples would 

 be getting better all the time." 



I am quite certain that enough fruit has been packed in that way in the 

 past to make the story quite probable. I believe, however, that there has been 

 a marked improvement in this respect during the past few years. 



It does not take any more time to secure a good customer for fruit and ber- 

 ries than to obtain one for butter, cheese, or wood. When a buyer knows that 

 he can secure a good article of fruit, berries, or garden stuff, from a certain 

 grower, he is just as faithful a customer, and just as willing to pay a fair price, 

 as the one who buys the other commodities mentioned above. 



If the ultimate object of raising fruit for market is to obtain the most money 

 for it possible, I know of no better way than, first, to raise good fruit, and second, 

 to market it in the most attractive manner. Produce thus cultivated and 

 marketed will speak to your praise in every good quality you have imparted to 

 it, and win the notice and good will of those who are seeking good workmen, 

 and are willing to pay for quality. 



If on a cold, dark night you observe a man wending his way to the abode of 

 one of God's poor children, with a heavy load of provisions in his arms, you 

 need not stop to ask if he loves the Lord. W T hether he is an orthodox, a 

 Catholic or a heathen, he is laying up treasures in heaven. When you see a 

 fine lot of fruits or berries put up in proper shape, and brought to market 

 fresh and inviting, you need not stop to inquire how long the cultivator has 

 been engaged in the operation, but rest assured that he understands his busi- 

 ness thoroughly. That producer will make a good member of a horticultural 

 society, and the more we have of that class in our ranks, the better we will 

 prosper as an organization. 



WORK WELL DONE IS BEST DONE. 



"Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well," is an old and trite 

 maxim, but probably nothing truer was ever uttered. It is the corner-stone, 

 as it were, of a temple of perfection, and a character builded upon such a base, 

 although it may not perhaps be entirely faultless, can hardly be a failure. To 

 do work well is a discipline of the heart as well as the hands and brain, and 

 without discipline of some kind, the talents of the average human being would 

 be only so much bankrupt stock, — not worth first value in the market. 



