506 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. W. S. Gebhart of Mears : My experience is limited. I had about 

 500 bushels of peaches. By going to large markets I get the lowest prices. 

 I prefer to send to smaller places. 



Mr. J. A. Pearce of Grand Rapids : Our greatest success was with 

 grapes, for which we took prizes at the Grand Rapids fair. The pruning 

 was on the renewal system ; fertilizers, lime and ashes. Our peach orch- 

 ards were injured by early frosts, perhaps from starting cultivation early. 

 We supply home markets first, then go to other markets. We organized a 

 growers' society and tried to get in communication with outside buyers. 

 1 think location has much to do with grapes. High elevations seem best 

 for grapes. Three or four barrels of lime and four times as much ashes 

 per acre are used. We received about $1 to $1.25 per bushel. 



Mr. R. Morrill of Benton Harbor : The season was generally success- 

 ful. We are all-around growers of fruit from first to last ; then of vegeta- 

 bles. We were only short on apples. Some $18,000 were paid for cider 

 apples. 



Mr. A. S. Packard of Covert : In a general way. I will say that this 

 was my first crop of peaches. I had 4,400 bushels, most of which I 

 shipped to Chicago. I sold about 500 bushels on orders and 1,200 in the 

 orchards and for these I received more than those sold in Chicago. 



Mr. O. Beebe of South Haven : I have done pretty well on the whole. 

 Crops were good with the exception of apples. Pears were a medium crop, 

 peaches a large one ; plums, about the first I ever got ; grapes, extra, but 

 low in price ; yet on the whole, the large quantity of fruit, even with low 

 price, made a fair margin. We distributed more generally through the 

 state than ever before. 



Mr. Walter Phillips of Grand Haven : Successful fruitgrowing de- 

 pends largely upon the net cash we get for fruit. We made a success in 

 raising fruit, but any failures were in the direction of marketing. Those 

 who staid at home and packed their fruit as well as possible, and then sent 

 to large markets, did not do so well as those who sent their fruit to inte- 

 rior places ; and I believe that success with fruit means to send it all over 

 the northwest to those who have but little near home. 



Mr. James Gardiner of Ganges : I differ from the last speaker in say- 

 ing Chicago is a poor market to send fi-uit to. After thinning my fruit I 

 sat down to count the cost of marketing. Not all the Chilis were fit to 

 ship, but where I thinned the most I got the best peaches. I sorted to 

 three sizes and dried the culls. I shipped to Chicago and was well satis- 

 fied with the results. 



I hear a great deal about Chicago commission men. but I think some of 

 them are just as honest as any class of men. The fruit crop in this town 

 was not so large as expected, but we received a good price for what we 

 shipped. 



Mr. Edward Hutchins of Ganges : I think I failed this year in not 

 having more trees set out. Our experience has been that Chicago has been 

 our best market. We have tried shipping west to save Chicago commis- 

 sions, but by the time I got my fruit there, others had too, and the market 

 was down. One secret is shipping regularly to one or more men, and in 

 a glut the commission man holds up his regular shippers. We have had 

 no marked successes or failures but have kept along in about an average. 



Mr. J. B. Houck of Ludington : When I came into this section and 

 heard of 75,000 baskets shipped by one man, I felt that our small ship- 

 ment did not count : but we thinned our peaches twice and had fine crops 



