PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 71 



pounds of such unripe fruit are relieved of all liking for grapes for that 

 season, and unless something can be done to induce growers to refrain 

 from this practice there will be serious injury to the grape market. 



Mr. Morrill : There is a point in connection with that. Your location 

 naturally compels you to select early-ripening varieties. Perhaps that 

 very fact may induce you to plant some such variety as Champion. 

 Our people have planted much of it, but I am very glad it has not been 

 recommended here. In our section, in order to have an early crop, there 

 are many Champions. They are sent to market so sour that it would 

 make a pig squeal to eat them, and by the time Worden comes people 

 have had about all they want of grapes, and the price has been estab- 

 lished very low. If Champion had never been introduced, while there 

 are a few who would not have made so much money, the majority would 

 have made more, because nothing destroys the market so soon as inferior 

 fruit, and I hope you people, in your efforts to secure an early grape, 

 will not take to anything like that. 



3Ir. Brassington: The reason I asked about soil was, that at Catawba 

 Island and various other places I am told they have a shale formation. 

 Especially is that true in France, where they grow grapes. The soil 

 is largely mixed with shale, and it seems to be the soil best adapted 

 to make quality in the grape. Now, of course, if we can not grow a 

 grape here that has quality, it certainly would be worthless as a com- 

 mercial grape. I see that the}' have been in the habit, in the French 

 vineyards, of sowing soot or any black substance for the purpose of 

 warming the soil. I suppose that is the object, to get heat. 



Mr. Morrill : The Chautauqua grape region is composed largely of 

 shale formation, but we in Michigan grow grapes just as successfully. 



Mr. Reid: The Lawton Concords are reckoned better than anything 

 of the same variety produced in New York. 



WHEN THE FRUIT IS READY FOR MARKET. 

 BY ME. EDWARD HUTCHINS OF GANGES. 



If any are entitled to feel an honest pride in successful achievement, 

 surely the promoters of our horticultural societies may justly exercise 

 that emotion, for certainly the wide expanse of orchards now growing 

 along the eastern shore of lake Michigan and the large and rapidly 

 increasing quantities of fruit shipped abundantly testify to the eflQciency 

 of their work. 



But the low prices obtained last season, together with the almost 

 absolute certainty that in five years more production will be doubled, 

 admonish us that we may very profitably devote more attention to 

 methods of greater economy in disposing of our fruit. When manufac- 

 turers find their margin of profits narrowed down to near the vanishing 

 point they very naturally meet to consider ways of increasing profits. 

 Fruitgrowers have already reached a point where they may very profit- 

 ably do the same. Some timorous persons are found even now express- 



