FRUIT FOR EXHIBITION. 219 



I have watched the development of this fruit growing by the side 

 of :\Iiner, Wolfe, Hawkeye, Wild Goose, Wyant, and VVakeman for 

 some time. The Hawkeye seems to be the only old variety hardy 

 enough to withstand the climate. 



None of the foreign types have lived long enough to bear any 

 fruit in my orchard. 



In caring for my orchard I have given it only ordinary care. I 

 find that two good sprayings with cultivation will keep the curculio in 

 check and also the brown rot. I use Bordeaux mixture and Paris Green 

 and an ordinary barrel spray pump. 



FRUIT FOR EXHIBITIOX. 

 By Leon D. Batchelor, 



Selecting the Fruit. The basis of a good fruit exhibit is necessarily 

 good eulturalconditions to produce good fruit. Then it depends on the 

 exhibitor's ability to select his best fruit. Do not wait until the crop 

 is picked to select show specimens. The successful exhibitor makes 

 his prize selections in the orchard while the fruit is still on the tree. 

 By viewing the fruit as it hangs naturally on the tree, and by carefully 

 surveying the different trees in the orchard a good comparison of a 

 large quantity of fruit can be made. The prize fruit is generally on the 

 outermost branches, where it gets sufficient light to be of proper color 

 for the variety, and is enabled to grow without injury or deformity 

 The tree or actual specimens may be selected any time during the 

 season, but they should remain on the tree until fully mature. Thor- 

 oughly thinning the fruit on the selected tree early in the season will 

 help materially in producing prize winners. The vital points to be 

 considered in the selection of the specimens are; freedom from 

 blemishes, uniformity of the individuals, good color, and typical size and 

 shape for the variety. This will be treated at length under Score Card. 



Storing the Fruit. Although many of the exhibits occur just as the 

 fruit is normally harvested it is often desirable to hold some of the early 

 varieties in storage. And again many of the fall and winter varieties 

 of apples are held over for winter exhibits. The specimens should 

 be carefully packed in relatively small packages. While ice storage 

 will be necessary for keeping some of the stone fruits until the fall 

 fairs, most of the varieties of apples and pears can be kept in good 

 shape in an ordinary house cellar. There should be sufficient venti- 

 lation so the air does not become musty and damp. Experiments 

 show that apples and pears will keep much longer when each specimen 

 is separately wrapped in paper than when packed unwrapped. 



The An*angenient of Exhibition Fruit. The artistic arrangement 

 of the fruit is of inestimable value to the show as a whole. If the tables 

 can be covered with some material such as green crepe paper the red 

 and yellow fruit will show up much better by contrast than by the use of 



