EEPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 255 



succeed as well us the Wilson under ii slipshod method of cultivation. But 

 give the Wilson the cultivation that it should have to make it profitable and I 

 could name more than one variety that would surpass it, even from a financial 

 standpoint, under the same treatment. I do not speak at random in regard to 

 this matter. It is not guess work. It is the result of practical tests in grow- 

 ing other varieties side and side with the Wilson under the same care and 

 treatment. I consider that the main cause of failure of other varieties ia 

 competition with the Wilson under field culture is that they are given the 

 very slipshod cultivation that we are in the habit of giving the Wdson, and 

 consequently they do not succeed as well as that variety. But give good thor- 

 ough cultivation to other varieties and the same to the Wilson, and market 

 them on their merits, and you will be surprised at the result. 



I have tried to give you a fair and impartial statement of the true value of 

 the Wilson as a market berry. It is a berry that we are not willing to discard 

 from our market list as long as consumers are willing to buy a half ripe berry, 

 as it is not firm enough to send off alter it is ripe. I am as strong an advocate 

 of the Wilson as any one and shall continue to grow it as well as a few other 

 varieties. The Jucunda is a very fine berry, also the Seth Boydeu, Chas. 

 Downing, and a host of others ; but our home market does not appreciate the 

 finer varieties any more than the Chicago market does. 



PRUIT PACKAGES. 



In referring to packages in this article, of course it will be understood for 

 strawberries only. We should as a society and as a fruit growing community 

 insist on the use of a standard full quart box. It does not add to our reputa- 

 tion in the least to use a scalper package. We are apt to think that the 

 appearance of a package has nothing to do with the sale of fruit; that if it is 

 fine fruit it will sell equally as well in a loosely made rough box. But in my 

 opinion it should be our aim to place our fruit in as attractive a shape as pos- 

 sible. Let the boxes be made of as good material as can be obtained, and let 

 the cases be solid and firm so that they will bear transportation, and use as 

 good material as we can afford for a gift package. It certainly does not injure 

 the appearance of even fine fruit to have it enclosed in a neat, well-made pack- 

 age. 



MARKETING. 



Our system of marketing could be improved upon very much. It seems to 

 be the chief aim of nearly all fruit growers to see how many different commis- 

 sion houses we can send fruit to during the season. Not only during the sea- 

 son, but we strive to see if we have not enongh cases of fruit so as to let all the 

 commission houses in Chicago have some the same day. Right here is where 

 we stand in our own light. For example: I have fruit on the Chicago market 

 to-day, consigned to five different commission houses. Shippers are on the 

 lookout for fruit that runs of an even quality to fill their orders. And the 

 whole consignment of a grower is very apt to run pretty even, and if of good 

 quality they would prefer buying the whole lot, providing they can find it. 

 They find some of my fruit at one place and price it. They go to another 

 house that I have consigned to and find the fruit held at a little higher figure 

 than seller No. 1 holds it. "Why," the buyer will say, " I can buy this same 

 grower's fruit at such a place lor less than you hold it at." Seller No. 3 must 

 sell at No. I's figure^ or lose a sale perhaps. By spreading our fruit all over 



