INDIANA HOETICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 477 



Walter Smith: You will notice that the side next to the sun is always 

 colored, and the other side is not on most kinds of fruits. I thinli there 

 is no question about the sun being the coloring agent. The better colored 

 the apple is the better matured it is. I think there is no question about 

 this. 



Mr. Snodgrass: I was speaking about the coloring agent contained in 

 the soil. I think we all realize that the sun colors the apple, or has a 

 great influence in coloring it, but I am speaking of the agency in the 

 ground, and asked what agent in the soil was the chief coloring agent? 

 That is my question. 



Mr. Smith: The sun does the coloring. It acts on something inherent 

 in the fruit which the soil supplies. 



Secretary Flick: The question asked just now has brought to my mind 

 one thing which I have thought about often. We should have the apple 

 studied from a scientific point of view. I think we should insist that our 

 experimental stations take up the apple in like manner as the corn grow- 

 ers have taken up the subject of corn, and study it from a scientific 

 standpoint: what conditions give color, what flavor, texture, etc. Now If 

 this question can be answered it ought to be done. I think this subject 

 should be studied in this way just as soon as possible. We have lost 

 much because this has not been done. We have been studying fruit 

 from an experimental standpoint only. 



Mr. Howland: This question cannot be settled here. I think that a 

 man that has lived as long as Mr. Zion has, should know that sunshine 

 is essential to color, and also to flavor. An apple that has been hidden 

 from the sun will not have the color nor the flavor of the one that is sun- 

 kissed. You take any kind of fruit and it is the same way. The Kieffer 

 pear is no account at all unless so situated; nobody likes it, and no one 

 will have it. The sunshine has much to do with the quality of any fruit. 

 My experience tells me that the potash ana ashes would not add the color 

 if it were not for the sunshine. 



My friend spoke of reaching the consumer. If any of you can by any 

 arrangement bring that about successfully, then you have accomplished a 

 very great thing for the consumer, and for the fruit grower as well. 

 When fruit lowers in price it takes the groceryman several days to find 

 it out, as has been said here. It takes the middleman a longer time to 

 find it out. He never is able to see that there is a great supply of fruit 

 on the market and the prices down. If it advances he can see it the first 

 thing in the morning. The first telegram will tell him, and he will immedi- 

 ately inform his customers that fruit is up. 



The best thing we can do is to try to get some plan whereby we can 

 rid ourselves of some of these middlemen. If we can do something like 

 this we will be a great deal better off. 



