N'O. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 523 



of labor there must come a revolution in the fruit business and I 

 know of no better time to begin than now. The future will demand 

 quality, and if we wish to sta}^ in the business we must accede to 

 these demands by planting better varieties with better cultivation 

 and better methods of disposing of our fruit after it is grown. 



In a fruit garden quality is still more desirable than in a commer- 

 cial orchard, for here it is that we intend to take our own medicine. 

 How much we are disgusted even with ourselves when we come to 

 eat fruit from our own garden that lacks quality. One bunch of 

 good grapes is worth a bushel of sour ones. It is in these gardens 

 that the happiest days of man's life are spent, be he rich or poor, 

 merchant or mechanic. No farmer or laborer can look upon a fine 

 fruit garden but to be filled with the highest emotions of the true, 

 the beautiful and the good. But alas, my dear friend, should you 

 be so unfortunate as not to possess that beautiful fruit garden, and 

 perchance your neighbor does, and should you take a sly peep over 

 his garden wall and behold a Ben Davis apple or a Kielfer pear, 

 would you not keep the Commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and 

 pray the Lord to have mercy on the man- that planted them and the 

 nurseryman that grew them. 



MR. PETERS. — We frequently receive at our office some such 

 statement as has been made in the paper just read. Still, there are 

 certain people who will plant Ben Davis apple and Kieffer pear 

 trees, and I know parties who say that Ben Davis is the best culinary 

 apple grown. Mr. Brown can tell you something about Kieffer 

 pears that will surprise you. It costs less to grow them than pota- 

 toes and they are not easily killed by San Jos6 Scale. I can deceive 

 one third of the members of this Association on canned Kieffers, and 

 we want some reasons for denouncing varieties of fruit that are so 

 popular with the masses. If I had 1,000 Ben Davis apple trees 1 

 would not change them. 



MR. MOON. — I did not know there was so much room for mission- 

 ary work in Mr. Peters' county. 



MR. PETERS. — One of the most convincing arguments is our 

 apple buyers who offer 25 to 50 cents per bushel more for them than 

 for other kinds. 



MR. CHASE. — There is no question that Ben Davis and York 

 Imperial will sell, but the dissemination of such varieties must have 

 a tendency to decrease the demand for apples. 



PROF. WATTS.^ — Judging by reports sent to the Chairman of 

 General Fruit Committee, York Imperial is losing ground. One year 

 ago it stood first on the list of desirable apples in this State. Now 

 it is second. 



MR. HIESTER. — It seems to me this only emphasizes what has 

 been on my mind for years. There are locations in Pennsylvania 

 where Ben Davis and Gano can be grown as well as anywhere else. 

 My object in fruit growing is to make money, but I always try to 

 sell a man something that will induce him to patronize me again. 



MR. BROWN. — Mr. Hiester ought to come to Delaware, where 

 we net |150 dollars per acre for Kieffer pears. While I am in hearty 



