8o AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



MARKETING FANCY APPLES IN MAINE. 



E. E. CoNANT, Buckfield. 

 {Stenographic Report.) 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



I was asked to give my experience along the line of market- 

 ing fancy apples in Maine. Now, this is something we have 

 never done much of, but have attempted it with very little suc- 

 cess. It may be because we are not educated to know what 

 fancy apples are and how to box them in the right shape to put 

 into market. 



I struck out this year to see what I could do in a few small 

 lines. The business men were trying to boom Maine, but one 

 of the best ways had been overlooked, that of selling apples on 

 the train. So in August I made it my way to go down to 

 Portland and visit Chisholm Brothers to see if we could not 

 furnish the Maine Central with our apples. I went to Mr. 

 Leighton, and I am going to say right here that he is one of the 

 finest men I ever met, and I told him w-hat I wanted to do. 



"Now," he said, "we have tried Maine apples a number of 

 times, but we never could get them good enough. They don't 

 know what a good apple is." 



I talked with him a long time and I tried to convince him 

 that we fellows had tried to learn what a good apple was and 

 I thought we had some idea. 



Finally he said, "Well, I am going to try your apples on the 

 train this year and see what the quality is." 



And I said, "Thank you, we'll see that the quality is all 

 right." 



To show you that I am telling you things just as they are, I 

 am going to read you the reply to my first shipment of apples. 



"Your shipment of apples received some time ago. For more 

 than 40 years one of the most serious difificulties has been to 



