STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



93 



(4) grapes; (5) raspberries; (6) currants; (7) cherries; (8) blackberries. 

 If the manufacture and consumption of wine were taken into the account 

 it would doubtless place the grape next to the apple in importance ; also, 

 were the tomato, which is a true fruit — though classed usually among 

 garden vegetables — to be included it might take rank next to the apple, 

 since its culture has become universal. 



To illustrate the important place of the strawberry in the list of 

 fruits I will refer to our own little city of Morris, containing about 5,500 

 inhabitants. I sold in this town, the last season (in round numbers), 

 12,000 quarts of strawberries, and this was less than one-half the amount 

 consumed there, which would give an average of about five quarts to each 

 person. At this rate, the two-and-three-fourths millions population of 

 our State consume 13,750,000 quarts, which, at the low, estimated price 

 of six cents per quart amounts to $825,000.00. 



It is not probable that the culture of this fruit has reached, or even 

 approached very nearly, its maximum ; and not until its consumption is 

 more than doubled, and until it can be profitably grown and put into the 

 hands of the consumers, during the flush of the strawberry season, at an 

 average price of five cents per quart, will, in my opinion, the mission of 

 this Society have been accomplished in this direction. 



In making this suggestion I do not take into the account long 

 shipments or payment of commissions to more than one set of middle- 

 men. If people are impatient to secure this fruit before it ripens in their 

 immediate neighborhood or county, and are able to do so, they will, of 

 course, procure that grown farther south and pay higher prices ; but as 

 before stated, since it can be grown as profitably and abundantly in the 

 northern as in the southern portion of the State we should not relax our 

 efforts towards improving its qualities and cheapening the cost of its pro- 

 duction until the poor as well as the rich can partake freely of this most 

 refreshing and health-giving fruit. 



Much has been done during the past year towards this end. 



The scramble after new varieties is rather increasing than diminish- 

 ing; for there have been more "best" new berries advertised during the 

 year than ever before; in fact, one can scarcely take up an agricultural 

 or horticultural journal without reading of the "unequaled excellencies" 

 of some sort of which he never before heard. If only one in twenty of 

 these prove, upon trial, to sustain the claims made it will be a great 

 advance towards the grand desideratum of large crops of large, rich, 

 firm fruit, cheaply grown. 



It is encouraging to know that a few at least, of the many so-called 

 improved varieties, are really an advance in the desired direction. I will 

 speak specially of these in my report upon new fruits. 



In reporting upon this fruit last year I estimated the cost of picking 

 at one-and-a-half cents per quart, which is rather below than above the 

 prices heretofore generally paid ; the introduction of more prolific 

 varieties bearing larger fruit cheapens this expense. Upon my own 

 place, during the past year, industrious girls averaged eighty (8oj quarts 

 per day through the season; and when the crops of Crescent, Charles 



