FORTY-THlRr) ANNUAL REPORT. 2? 



We have always made it a practice to label all of onr crates of frnit 

 and vegetables Avith a good substantial label as previously described. 

 We also placed a neat white label diagonally across the top of each box 

 of strawberries and raspberries and one somewhat larger across each 

 individual basket of tomatoes and peaches. The waxed paper placed 

 over each head of cauliflower also carried a printed label. We found 

 that it paid us Avell for this extra expense. We secured a reputation 

 for our fruits and vegetables through this method of advertising that 

 after the first two years we were swamped so to speak with orders, many 

 of which we were unable to fill. 



A vegetable grower who caters to the special markets must of neces- 

 sity be a good grower and an exceptionally good marketman, as it is just 

 as essential to thoroughly understand the marketing end of the business 

 as that of growing the crop in the first place. 



Time will not permit us to go into detail regarding many of the 

 essentials of commercial vegetable growing at this time so I am not 

 going to touch upon the importance of transportation facilities in the 

 conunercial vegetable business as this is a broad subject of itself. 



It is safe to say that commercial vegetable growing bids fair to 

 become a prosperous business along with commercial fruit growing here 

 in Michigan. While it has not been given an equal amount of study and 

 attention, yet from what experience I have had along this line here in 

 Northern Michigan, I feel convinced that it is destined to become one 

 of the leading industries of the state in the near future. 



DISCUSSION ON ''^ESSENTIALS IN COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE GROWING.''-' 



A Member: Are potatoes fruit? 



Answer: The definition for Horticulture is that part of agriculture 

 which produces food for the people directly. Not raising hay to raise 

 steers for meat, but the raising of fruit as a food or vegetables as a 

 food. When he does that he is a horticulturist. 



Mr. Gibson : They are twitting me of being an Irishman. There are 

 two things I am ])roud of. One is that I was born in Ireland, and the 

 other is that I left it just as soon as I could, 



A Member: I am another Irishman. The potato is called the Irish- 

 man's apple, but I raise more of the American apples. 



A member: I would like to get more information about the potato 

 blight. 



A Member: I want to know something about the blight also. 



Mr. Palmer: I have had little experience with potatoes, but will say 

 I have sprayed a couple of years, I had quite a few in, with Bordeaux 

 mixture. There was blight all around us and I was free from it. 



Mr. Morrill: That is a very important question because it is gain- 

 ing on us. I have been thirty-five years a commercial potato grower. 

 I was run out of it in Michigan by this same blight. I would like to 

 see spraying a success because I am interested in spraying products. I 

 go back periodically and try it again, thinking perhaps my farm, after 

 keeping potatoes off for a few years, would be all right. This year I 

 went back with IS acres and I got it in the neck again. I have never 

 seen a man stop blight, and I have seen it tried repeatedly. When the 

 country is new and adapted to the potato crop, it becomes a prominent 

 crop, but now countries that did this are troubled with blight to such 



