70 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



firsts and seconds, and occasionaly a third grade of the extra fancy ones. 

 Culls have no business on a market. They only make too large a supply 

 and reduce the price of the better ones. Those three grades, firsts, seconds 

 and extra fancy must be strictly adhered to throughout the season. The 

 firsts and extra fancies should be marketed under a brand. Buyers who 

 are willing to pay fancy prices for fruit, want an attractive, fancy article 

 that they can depend upon. The best packages for firsts and seconds is 

 the climax 1-6 basket, while for fancy fruit a smaller package, as those in 

 the four basket carriers of the Miller type are excellent : During the canning 

 season the round thirtl bushel basket is proving very satisfactory. A larger 

 package does not find favor in Chicago or Milwaukee. 



There are some commission merchants who are unscrupulous in their deal- 

 ings, and take advantage of the shipper, but there are honest ones who do all 

 in their power to get the most possible out of the fruit consigned to them, 

 deduct their 10 per cent and send the rest to the shipper. The shipper 

 must find these men and then stick to one of them. It does not pay to consign 

 fruit one day to one man, to another the -next day, or to two or three houses 

 on the same day. This method does not secure any reputation for a shipper's 

 fruit, his brand is no good and besides it puts the shipper's fruit in com- 

 petition with itself. Fruit consigned that way is picked up by a transient 

 trade which is not willing to pay a fancy price for a fancy article, or a good 

 price for a good article. Plums are a perishable article and cannot be held 

 over from day to da}^ until some generous buyer finds them. They must 

 be put where the trade is, in a manner that they are known, and can be 

 depended upon. 



In concluding this article I wish to sa}' that plums are a profitable fruit 

 to raise. Extra care must be taken in the selection of varieties, in the care 

 and culture of the orchards. Prune regularly and thoroughly. Harvest 

 and market the crop in a business way and it will bring handsome rewards 

 for thp customer has received a good article, and is satisfied with it and 

 wants more. 



Benton Gebhart: Being somewhat familiar with the aims and practices 

 of the plum growing as outlined in the paper, I can say that, highly endorsing 

 those practices, I wish to mention one work of caution, and also to emphasize 

 several points and facts which were not plainl}^ given in the paper. One 

 is, while a few fruit growers are making a success of growing plums, I would 

 not advise every one or a large majority of growers who can grow plums to 

 go into the plum business. For one reason, they are not in demand, as 

 many goods are. They are called for to a certain extent, and if you have 

 a fine quality of plums you can sell any amount. But outside of a certain 

 season in the north fruit belt, they are not profital^le. For instance, early in 

 the season they are not profitable. It is hot, and peoj^le are not calling for 

 plums, and where we sell one bushel or half a Ijushel of plums we sell ten 

 bushels of peaches. Of course, if a higher quality of plums could be raised, 

 such as Coe's, the Edward, and perhaps Monarch there Avould be a greater 

 demand for plums for canning and consumption; and the canning factories 

 in certain localities are off"ering a premium of 20 to 40 cents a bushel for those 

 high quality plums in comparison with ordinary varieties. But if many 

 carloads or bushels were grown, I care not if high quality plums or large 

 size, it would naturally form a glut on the market, because the}^ are more 

 hardy and more productive than the peach, and can be grown, with proper 

 care, over a larger extent of country than the peach, cherry, and other friut. 

 But there probabh' is no danger, and if a man wishes to engage in plum 



