378 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



transportation by water. The crop not always maturing evenly, 

 a good part — sometimes half of it — remains in the field. We have 

 to resort to surrounding towns that generally are supplied by 

 local fruit dealers and gardeners, consequently large quantities can- 

 not be disposed of in this way, the balance has to be made into wine. 

 Very good wine can be made in this locality, but the trouble is 

 that this is not a wine-drinking country, the people being divided 

 into different classes: the temperance people, the ordinary 

 drinkers, who prefer poor whiskey to anything else, and the more 

 refined consumers, who will have nothing but imported goods; 

 manufactured in Europe with potato alcohol, worth over there 

 about 20 cents per gallon, or pure wines produced by 30 cents a 

 day labor — it is quite a task for the American producers to com- 

 pete with that. The market is also well supplied with wines 

 coming from California, where it is said to be a drug on the mar- 

 ket. Hence, wine making is not to be recommended as a general 

 industry in this country. If people would drink more wine and 

 less whiskey it would be, according to the laws of evolution, a 

 great step toward true temperance, which consists, according to 

 some wise people, of putting a bottle of wine on the table and be 

 contented with half of it or less. 



I beg leave to call the attention of all the fruit growers and ship- 

 pers to the fact that the present commission system is far from 

 being satisfactory, buyers having all the advantage over ship- 

 pers. 



It is urgent that shippers should unite to make a reform of some 

 kind. The auction system as adopted by California fruit shippers 

 seems to be the best; it brings all the buyers together and compels 

 them to compete for the goods. Under the present system they 

 have perfect control of the market. The way the goods are scat- 

 tered on South Water street it is impossible to ascertain the extent 

 of the supply, and the commission men are left to believe or dis- 

 believe the misrepresentations advanced by the shrewd buyers. 



I invite fruit snippers to discuss the above question, which is 

 in my opinion one of great importance. 



HORTICULTURE AT THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION AT 



PARIS, FRANCE, 1889. 



BY LEON HAT, KANKAKEE. 



As the Universal Exposition of Paris is now over, and its 

 x thousands of wonderful and interesting objects have been seen 

 by millions of people from nearly all over the world, most of 

 whom have taken back with them information which will prove 

 of much use to them and their community, and others who were 

 unable to attend have pretty thoroughly posted themselves by 

 reading a few of the many articles which have continuously 



