189 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



When we undertake to grow fruit for flavor we will map the State 

 according to altitude, ©oil, and climate, and thus locate the most 

 promising sections for profitable fruit culture within our borders. 



My topic for this evening is ''The Necessity for Additional Legis- 

 lation for the Protection of the Fruit Interests of our State." 



It is only necessary to call attention to the extent of the fruit in- 

 terests in this State, to convince you that they are worthy of the 

 serious consideration of our Legislature. The only statistics that 

 are available on this subject are those found in the census of 1890. 

 from which we learn that in 1889, Pennsylvania produced 750,000 

 bushels of apples, 60,000 bushels of cherries, 117,000 bushels of 

 peaches, 8,000 bushels of plums, 1,400 bushels of pears, representing 

 an aggregate value or income of |2,450,000. No doubt our recent 

 census will show a large increase over these figures. There were 

 311 nurseries in Pennsylvania in 1889, with a capital of $3,000,000, 

 employing 612 salesmen, expending annually |30,000 for advertising 

 and f22,00Q in postage. 



As compared with other States, in the cultivation of apples, Penn- 

 sylvania is somewhat behind. According to the same census, we 

 had, in 1889, 750,000 bushels of apples, New York 8,000,000, Ohio 

 13,000,000, Illinois 950,000, Michigan 13,000,000 bushels. 



Of peaches, Pennsylvania had 117,000 bushels, New York, 169,000, 

 Virginia 105,000, California about 1,700,000 bushels. Pears, Penn- 

 fcvlvania had 144,000; New York 538,000, New Jersey 113,000, Ohio 

 277,000, Indiana 157,000, Michigan 194,000, California 577,000 

 bushels. 



These figures show that avS' fruit growers we are behind other 

 States that have not our advantages of soil and climate, and our 

 position in the rear of the procession is not because w^e do not 

 understand the proper care and cultivation of fruits, but in my 

 opinion a large part of the difficulty is due to the fact that there 

 has never been a properly organized effort on the part of the State 

 to assist and encourage our horticultural interests. About all that 

 has been done has been the work of this Association of horticultur- 

 ists who meet annually to compare notes and experiences and who 

 pay their own expenses. New York has made givat advances in 

 her fruit industry in the past twenty year®. During a trip through 

 fhat State last fall I saw, at Geneva, two large canning establish- 

 ments, one of which canned 30,000 l)ushels of apples in a year, 

 making not only satisfactory profits, but creating a home market 

 for the surplus fruit of the vicinitv. Here, in Pennsvlvania, with 

 every natural advantage almost nothing is being done to promote 

 similar industries. 



Another point. Here, in Pennsvlvanin. wo have to some extent 



