STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 55 



the figures of the speaker who figures that Washington, Oregon, 

 Idaho, and Montana have 19,500,000 boxes planted and growing 

 and by 191 5 will produce 97,500 cars of fruit, equal to 3900 

 trains of twenty-five cars each, or the dispatching of seventy- 

 eight trains a day for fifty days. But I do say to our fellow 

 fruit growers of the East, it is time for Rip Van Winkle to 

 arouse. They do things on a large scale in the West and if 

 we remain dormant, they can and will take our markets. If 

 we awake to the new ways and methods, we have all in our 

 favor, — cheaper lands, nearby markets, less cost of production. 

 They are averaging three dollars a barrel for their best fruit, 

 with no market for seconds. The same prices to us, owing to 

 our advantages, would mean five to six dollars per barrel and 

 markets for cheaper grades. What is the reason for this vast 

 discrepancy? Cooperation. Does it need any more convincing 

 argument? How much longer shall we talk and argue, while 

 the other produces and sells? 



No doubt there are many present who recall the time New 

 England produced her own com, wheat, etc., but now she pur- 

 chases in the West. Are you going to permit history to repeat 

 the story and purchase your fruit? I am not an alarmist, but 

 you must not overlook the fact that in another year the Panama 

 canal will be open to traffic. At the same time our European 

 apple market will open to our western competitors and unless 

 all signs fail they will land fruit at foreign parts at thirty-five 

 cents per box. Under our present methods of production and 

 packing how long can we hope to control these markets? To 

 dominate them we must use the progressive culture, grading, 

 packing, and marketing methods of our competitors, — the Paci- 

 fic coast orchardists. 



During the past year, I have received numerous complaints 

 through our new foreign consuls of our careless pack, and I 

 regret to say most of them mention New England States in 

 particular. It is time to "stop, look and listen," the locomotive 

 and cars are coming. 



I was very much impressed at our last meeting with the 

 address of a former secretary of this society on the want of 

 proper storage facilities. This, at present, is one of the greatest 

 crying needs of the fruit growers of this State. Thousands of 

 barrels of apples pass annually into the hands of speculators 



