Need of Fruit Judging Course. 27 



coin, Mr. Christy's strawberry patch at Johnson in picking season, or 

 have talked with Theodore Williams of Benson and found how to grow 

 plums. 



A course of this kind means better instruction in pomology. It 

 means, if it is introduced, that where now two or three students are al- 

 lowed to take the work in the University courses, from 150 to 200 boys 

 may have the benefit of such instruction in our agricultural school. A 

 course of this kind would not only help the boys but it would also giva 

 the department a better standing. 



Since the expense for materials would be considerable, and since 

 the want of competent assistants, the matter of storage and lack of 

 laboratory facilities are questions with a great many of our schools, 

 the time may not be ripe to introduce the course. The matter of ex- 

 pense would of course be greatly reduced by the co-operatiou of tlie 

 fruit men in the state, as is the case in the stock judging and corn 

 judging cour.ses. 



In conclusion it may be well to mention that we have three very 

 good texts on pomology, Goff's Lessons in Fruit Growing, American 

 Manual of Horticulture by Budd and Hansen, Part 2, and Systematic 

 Pomology by Waugh. The things we need are, better laboratory facili- 

 ties, better laboratory methods. The question is worth our careful con- 

 sideration and no doubt our fruit growers who are making a specialty 

 of fruits can lend helpful suggestions in planning such a course. 



DISCUSSION 



MR. MARSHALL: I cannot help but commend that paper. I 

 think that is a very essential thing, as any one will agree if he has seen 

 seme of the fruit placed on exhibition at the state fair. We do not 

 realize how little we know about apples, for instance, until we get a 

 perfect specimen. If we had such a course as Mr. Keyser suggests, it 

 would surely do a great deal of good. I think that the Horticultural 

 Society and individual members should support such a plan and en- 

 courage it all we can. I did not know what a good specimen of fruit 

 was until I was beaten two or three times at the state fair. So I say 

 the need of a fruit judging course is quite evident. 



H. S. HARRISON: We had the moral to that at the state fair last 

 fall. Marshall and Yager came down there and took nearly all of the 

 prizes. A few men from the western part of the state had fine, clean 

 fruit, but they could not understand why Marshall and Yager took all 

 the premiums. I hope that their failure last year will do them as mucli 

 good as Marshall got from his experience. 



MR. YAGER: I think all we need to do is to make the demand 



