STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 29 



Maine apple shows wonderful improvement. An apple-grad- 

 ing-and-packing law has been enacted, standardizing the 

 products of the Maine orchard, and has raised the standard of 

 Maine fruit in the markets of the world. 



Now the next all-important step is cooperation, or business 

 organization in marketing and distribution. Under present 

 methods of marketing, there is too much fruit concentrated on 

 certain large markets which soon become congested, resulting 

 in a tremendous loss to the grower or shipper. 



Without doubt this is the greatest problem facing the fruit 

 growers of New England today, and I certainly believe the first 

 step looking to a solution of this problem is cooperation, and on 

 no other basis can a satisfactory system be worked out. But 

 with live fruit growers' associations in all the larger apple- 

 producing districts, affiliated with a central exchange, a system 

 of distribution could be worked out that would spell "success" 

 to the fruit industry of Maine. 



Fruit growing is becoming a business and, in making up the 

 program for this meeting, subjects have been chosen which 

 represent the business or commercial side of orcharding. 



On account of the extremely busy season at which our annual 

 meeting is held, a small percentage of our members are able to 

 attend. I would, therefore, recommend for your consideration 

 the advisability of holding our fruit show in November, as in 

 the past, and the annual meeting and lecture course in January, 

 at some railroad center, when it would be possible to have a 

 much larger attendance and a more satisfactory program could 

 be arranged for a meeting at this time. 



I would also recommend that a greater effort be put forth to 

 secure an earlier publication of the annual report. The valua- 

 ble information and important data gathered at these meetings 

 on such timely subjects as orchard management and spraying 

 should be published, either in annual report or bulletin form 

 and mailed to every member by April first, or before their 

 orchard operations commence, as, under our present system, 

 much of this valuable data becomes ancient history before it 

 reaches the hands of the growers. 



As this closes my two years as president of this society, I 

 want to thank the officers and members for the loyal support 



