462 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to explain more fully his points as he goes along. This knocks out an}' attempt' 

 at oratory or embellished sentences, but leads one to fortify himself on every 

 point. 



A considerable time of the convention is taken up with questions concern- 

 ing the hardiness of varieties. In truth this is an all important subject with 

 Wisconsin fruit growers. The ladies occupy a considerable portion of time 

 in the meetings, and, from appearances, I judge it was no novelty with them. 



The election of officers was a very short -matter. There seemed to be no 

 question on the part of anybody who should be selected. They had evidently 

 found good men, and proposed to keep them where they would do the most 

 good. 



Like our own experience here in Hillsdale, the local attendance was not 

 large, and the mistake was in having a hall sufficient to accommodate twenty 

 times as many as were in attendance. The exhibit of fruit was a leading 

 feature of the meeting. In this Mr. Peffer, of Pewaukee, takes the lead, and 

 his knowledge of varieties grown in Wisconsin is quite wonderful. 



I was made very much at home by these good people, and was treated after 

 the first introduction as if I had always met with them ; and because I came 

 from Michigan did not jirevent interruptions in my address, with requests to 

 explain this or that point. The members are no respecters of persons in this 

 matter, and if a man who goes there knows more than they do upon any ques- 

 tion at tlie outset, he is made to disgorge fully before he leaves. They don't 

 believe in having any secrets in horticulture. This feeling gives spirit to their 

 discussions. 



I observed among other things that the members had extraordinary mem- 

 ories, for several times in listening to statements they would interrupt the 

 speaker and say " Uow is this ? You said differently two years ago," or 

 "That don't agree with what you told us last year." This observation led 

 me to be more than usually cautious in my own statements, and I trust, un- 

 der the inspiration of an attentive audience, I was not rash in expression. 



A Wisconsin meeting is a good thing to attend, and I trust we will hereaf- 

 ter have an exchange o^ delegates with our sister society across the lake, and 

 be encouraged to engraft upon our own methods some of the admirable char- 

 teristics of their meetings. 



MARKETING APPLES 



was given a little time, and Mr. Nathan Alvord, of Hillsdale, said that after 

 all that had been preached about picking apples carefully, and packing 

 them honestly, it was the exception to find a farmer who would jiut his applea 

 into market in even half-way decent condition. Even if a man is determined 

 to market every bit of his fruit it will pay him to put it in two or three grades 

 rather than pack the whole crop "hit or miss." He especially deprecated 

 the practice of placing inferior fruit in the middle of the package. He had 

 found a looseness of morals in this direction greatly prevalent. Even a church 

 deacon who would hold up his bunds in horror at the thought of open lying 

 and cheating would arrange to allow the small apples to drop into the middle 

 of the barrel. 



Mr. Hewitt said he could judge of the real value of a man's religion by the 

 manner in which he packed apples. A man that would head up a lie in a bar- 

 rel was a good ways from the kingdom of heaven. 



