Report of Commissioner Fifth District. 43 



thinning. 



No lesson that the fruitgrower has to learn seems so difficult as 

 that of properly thinning the overloaded trees. In spite of every- 

 thing he seems to take a sort of pride in looking at his trees when 

 they are simply loaded with half-grown fruit, and he feels that he 

 is robbing himself and almost committing a sin were he to properly 

 strip the trees of one-half, and perhaps more, of its growing crop. 

 If he has the courage to do so, however, he thereby lessens the cost 

 of picking and packing, and probably raises the fruit from second 

 to first class, and nearly doubles his actual profits, as the expense 

 of putting second grade fruit is the same as first grade, likewise 

 shipping and commission charges. When the market is overstocked, 

 first grade fruit always sells first, which is another advantage. 



THE MiVEKET. 



When growers learn to grow first-class fruit, learn to pack it in 

 a first-class manner, putting equally perfect fruit throughout the 

 package, and have a sufficient quantity of the same, buyers will 

 come to them. They will need to hunt no market. 



The values of the various fruits produced in my District during 

 the years of 1903 and 1904 are as follows: 



Apples 1 $ 150,000 00 



Cherries ! 40,000 00 



Peaches 20,000 00 



Pears : 25,000 00 



Prunes ■ 35,000 00 



Strawberries ' Ss.OOO 00 



Other fruits j 10,000 00 



Totals for the years 1903-1904 j S 318,000 00 



i904 



170,000 00 

 (50,000 OO 

 20,000 00 

 5,000 OO 

 30,000 00 

 40,000 00 

 10,000 00 



i 335,000 00 



Respectfully, 



JuDD Geer, 

 Commissioner Fifth District. 



