No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 569 



The fruit exhibit in the other room tells the story of the possi- 

 bilities of our soil and climate better than the words of any speaker, 

 and those of us who have watched the exhibit from year to year can 

 read a history of rajjid advancement in the art and science of grow- 

 ing fruit. It shows advance in horticultural knowledge, improve- 

 ment in business methods, and a general healthy growth in all direc- 

 tivons. While it is right for us to feel a just pride in tlie progress 

 we have made, it will not do for us to sit down and fold our hands, 

 even for a day. If we were to take into account the great natural 

 advantages of soil and climate in Pennsylvania for growing fruit, 

 and the splendid markets that we have right at our doors, we must 

 realize that we are not living up to our opportunities. Commercial 

 orchards have been planted in a few localities, but there are yet 

 many thousand acres of ideal fruit land on the foot hills of our 

 mountain ranges, that will produce fruit as fine as any on exhibition 

 here to-day that are absolutely neglected and not paying a dollar 

 of profit to their owners. One of the objects of this association 

 is to bring to the young men of the state a knowledge of the possibili- 

 ties of these rough lands, and we will not rest contented until every 

 acre of the fruit land on the foothills of these great mountain ranges 

 shall be planted in fruit, representing one vast peach and apple or- 

 chard extending diagonally across the state from the Maryland line 

 to the banks of the Delaware in Pike county, and the northern tier 

 of counties shall be vieing with New York in the production of 

 winter apples. 



The questions is often asked: ''Don't you think there is danger 

 of over production?" to which I reply not so long as we grow per- 

 fect fruit and pack honestly, and make a proper selection of varie- 

 ties. For ten years T have been urging the importance of having 

 an investigation made to ascertain the effect of different types of soil 

 and subsoil on the various varieties of fruit, so that as new dis- 

 tricts are opened up we may be able to plant only such varieties as 

 will develop their best quality in that particular i)lace. And my 

 reason for so persistently referring to this subject is that the most 

 costly mistakes I have made have been mistakes in the selection of 

 varieties. After many unsuccessful attem])ts to interest the au- 

 thorities higher up, at last through the influence of Dr. Hunt, 

 Director of our Experiment Station, the department at Washington 

 consented to loan Mr. H. J. Wilder of the Bureau of Soils, to our 

 station for one year. As most of you are aware he has been at 

 work during the past summer and has secured much useful informa- 

 tion from a number of widely different section of our state, but not 

 enough to make a connected or strictly accurate report. He has 

 made an excellent start, and I think you are all beginning to apprec- 

 iate the importance of this work, and will agree witli me that Ave 

 should not be satisfied with one year's service. T hope at the proper 

 time you will pass a resolution askiug a renewal of the loan. 



If we are going to grow apples extensively it seems to me they 

 should be sold from Pennsylvania and go to the markets of the 

 world as Pennsylvania fruit. 



The western New York apple men are enthusiastic over a scheme 

 to make Eoches':6r the greatest apple market of the East. The plan 

 contemplates the holding of a two weeks' apple show and sale in 



