No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 251 



Putting ill the head is the next operation, and for this purpose I 

 much prefer a screw press. It settles the apples gradually and allows 

 free use of both hands. This end also is nailed with four cut nails 

 and secured with liners. 



The barrel is then turned back and stenciled with the variety name. 

 In addition to this the packer should be willing to stand back of his 

 work, and should express this willingness by plainly branding each 

 barrel with his name and address. I have followed this practice for 

 several years and have found the results very satisfactory. This means 

 that nothing must go into the barrel that will fail to give value to the 

 man that pays his money for it. 



A FOETUNE IN FIFTEEN YEAKS, AND FKUIT THE FACTOE 



By SHELDON FUNK. Boyertown, Pa. 



Mr. Martin has kindly asked me to say a few words on this subject, 

 and the request coming so unexpected as it did has found me entirely 

 unprepared to talk before such an assemblage as we have here this 

 morning composed of the most prominent men in agriculture through- 

 out this great old State of Pennsylvania; and being sandwiched in be- 

 tween Mr. Tyson, the apple king of Pennsylvania, one one side and 

 Mr. Farnsworth, the peach king of Ohio, on the other side, I find my- 

 self not in the most pleasant position. I hope that you ladies and 

 gentlemen who are so much older both in age and experience will par- 

 don me for these meagre and very hasty remarks. In regards to my 

 talking upon the subject of "A Fortune in 15 Years, and Fruit the 

 Factor," that is entirely beyond me because I have not made a fortune 

 and besides, being an unmarried man it has so fallen to my lot to re- 

 ceive the smiles of misfortune and not dame fortune. 



Nevertheless, bav^ing been upon Dr. Funk's place during these par- 

 ticular 15 years and having been associated with him during this time 

 I have .become somewhat familiar with his methods and operations in 

 building up a most successful fruit orchard, and it is about these ex- 

 periences and these observations that I would ask you to bear with me 

 this morning for a few minutes. 



It is the concensus of o])inion that apples are more profitable and 

 are better adapted to the general conditions than are peaches. First, 

 they don't require as careful a handling, and then again the possibility 

 of being preserved for such a greater period of time it is not as easy to 

 glut our markets. You all know, however, that it requires from twice 

 to five times as long for the apple tree to come into bearing as the 

 peach tree, and this period between the time that the apple tree is set 

 and the time that you harvest your first fruit is the period which the 

 majority of men of small means fear, and it is one of the problems 

 that must be solved in the apple orchard, that problem of supporting 

 the apple orchard until it comes into bearing. How grandfather 



