WINTEK MEETING, 1882. 3 



let me call your atteutiou to i\ fact that many of you cannot fail to have ob- 

 served in passing through the country : Many of our farmers are cutting down 

 or digging out their apple orchards, not culling, but practicing indiscriminate 

 slaughter. Let us look for the cause of this state of allairs. Formerly our 

 farmers planted an orchard to supply their families with fruit; soon they had 

 plenty and a surplus, which was readily disposed of in our rapidly growing 

 towns and cities at remunerative prices. Large additions were made to our 

 orchards with a view to supply the immigrants, whicli were fast pouring in and 

 building villages and cities in our fertile State. Eventually our hopes \Tere 

 realized, — we had a heavy surplus of fruit to dispose of; but the increase of 

 our productive orchards had far outstripped the increase of population, and 

 emigration, which was now flowing through our State and settling in. the north- 

 west, the great granary of the world, led us to see that the demand had flown 

 to the west. Thus matters stood in southern Michigan in 1876 and 1878, with 

 the finest crop of winter fruit in abundance and the price only sixty cents per 

 barrel. 



For the orchardist who has 5,000 bushels of apples lying in piles in his 

 orchard, with no market, at the near approach of winter, there is a problem 

 to solve. Something must be done. The roaring winds and beating sleets 

 upon his window pane may drive sleep from his eye-lids, or the enthusiastic 

 howls of the middle-man shouting frantically "fruit culture overdone" may 

 serve for a time to discourage and muddle his unsettled mind, but brings no 

 answer to the all-important question, In seasons of great abundance, how shall 

 we get a fair price for our fruit? 



But here is a fact that no well-informed person will deny. In our produc- 

 tive seasons, when fine winter fruit "goes begging" in the fall, it is a well- 

 known fact that all really fine fruit is readily taken in spring in our large 

 towns and cities at satisfactory prices. In April and May solid fruit is always 

 Bought for, and the supply is never equal to the demand. Then the matter of 

 prices resolves itself into a question of time only, How can we manage to keep 

 our winter fruit for a spring market? The ordinary farmer's cellar is inade- 

 quate. Various patent cooling rooms and refrigerating store rooms have been 

 built for the purpose of keeping apples, with varied success. 



I have taken every possible means to gain information in regard to the 

 workings of the various houses constructed for keeping fruit. I have turned 

 the subject over and over again a thousand times in my own mind, and endeav- 

 ored to view it from every possible stand-point, and have found nearly all such 

 structures objectionable in some points. I came to the conclusion, in the 

 autumn of 1880, to build a house in some points like others, and in many 

 points unlike anything heretofore constructed for the purpose. I lay no claim 

 to perfection, and what I have done in this direction will serve only as a basis, 

 or the stepping stone for future operations. 



My house is built on the principle of what is called the "cold air" system, 

 using no ice, or artificial heat in regulating the temperature, and involving no 

 new principle or discovery ; merely putting into practical use what has long 

 been known, to wit : In order to preserve fruit any great length of time the 

 store-room must be frost-proof, and kept at a low, even temperature, three or 

 four degrees above freezing, with sufficient ventilation to carry off all moisture 

 and impurities that may accumulate in the room. With a room constructed 

 for this purpose, with a limited amount of judgment and practical knowledge, 

 our success still depends upon a score of other conditions and contingencies. 



