230 State Horticultural Society. 



who can talk so intelligently on how to grow fruit, that they will be equal- 

 ly well posted on how to handle and market the fruits of their labor in 

 order to realize the best results. You are in the fruit growing business 

 the same as other men are engaged in other lines of business, to make 

 money. Many^ perhaps all of you, have succeeded in raising very fine 

 fruit, but if that is all, you have won but half the battle. The market- 

 ing of fruit is of just as much importance, and needs just as much care- 

 ful consideration as the growing of the fruit ; and until you can do both 

 well, you have failed in your endeavor. I do not think I overestimate 

 in saying that for every dollar that you have made by simply growing 

 fruit, some other man has "made three or four in knowing how to market 

 that fruit. There are, of course, many exceptions to this statement ; but 

 as a general proposition, the fruit grower is a poor salesman. 



I shall not attempt to go over the entire field of how to dispose of 

 your fruit to the best advantage; but shall be content if I can give you a 

 few suggestions regarding the proper handling of fruit for cold storage ; 

 because without cold storage, there would indeed be but little profit in 

 fruit growing ; for by the use of cold storage the fall market is relieved 

 of the glut that would otherwise frequently compel you to sell your fruit 

 for less than the labor it cost you to grade and pack it, to say nothing 

 of freight, commission and incidental expenses. 



When to pick apples for cold storage. — There are two things to be 

 avoided in picking apples for cold storage: First, and by all means the 

 most important, fruit must not be fully matured. Second, fruit must not 

 be too green. If you allow fruit to fully mature on the tree, the very best 

 and most perfect cold storage in the country will not carry it for anv 

 considerable length of time without heavy shrinkage. On the contrary, 

 if you pick the fruit too green, while it will carry well, it will lack size, 

 color and flavor ; and experienced apple dealers will want from fifty cents 

 to one dollar discount per barrel, according to the market. Just when 

 to pick fruit, so it will not be too ripe and so it will not be too green, is 

 sometimes a hard problem. If a man has a large orchard and only a 

 small force to do his work, he will have to commence earlier ; and possi- 

 bly the first fruit he picks will be too green, and the last fruit he picks 

 will be too ripe. He must so plan his work that the bulk of his fruit will 

 be picked about the proper time. We think the heaviest shrinkage we 

 have ever sustained in cold storage, except on windfalls and apples picked 

 off of the ground, was on fruit that seemed to be perfect when it came 

 in, beautiful and highly colored, large and smooth ; yet inside of a month 

 or two we noticed that these barrels were slack. Inside of three months 

 the shrinkage was such that they had to be repacked. In four or five 



