78 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



plum, cherry, or tinted apple that often skirted their lower borders. 

 Nestling here and there among the orchards or lower valleys were the 

 cosy homes of those whose busy hands had wrought this wondrous 

 change of nature, and standing here, there, and yonder were grand blocks 

 of primeval forest that had stood the storms of a century, like the lone 

 pyramids of Egypt standing silent sentinels of the past and present. 

 Here was an inspiration to the poet or artist. Tell me there is nothing 

 in the culture of fruits and a beautiful landscape but cold hard cash! 

 Low and groveling indeed must be the man who can live in the midst 

 of such scenes and not be ennobled thereby. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Hale: These gentlemen have told us facts that we already know; 

 we would like, now, to listen to the remedy. You people have been 

 growing fruit longer than we, and we would like your ideas on the 

 subject. 



Mr. Adams: I would like to ask Mr. Hutchins if there is any plan 

 fixed yet, whereby it will be possible to get very much of our fruit 

 outside of Michigan? 



Mr. Hutchins : With us that is, we trust, taking care of itself. Buy- 

 ers are coming in and taking our fruit; that was the case, to a con- 

 siderable extent, last season. Some days more than half the fruit was 

 sold outright, and at prices that just about saved us, I believe, the 

 expense of shipping to Chicago. We get about Chicago prices at home, 

 and we are encouraging buyers to come in there. But we are just a 

 little diffident about suggesting remedies. You know, if a man devises 

 a scheme and puts it into successful operation he is declared to be enter- 

 prising; but if a man suggests a scheme and it is not put into successful 

 operation, he is a visionary. I have suggested what I consider the 

 best means of solving this question, and that is by organization. I do 

 not see as anything can be accomplished in any other way, but I think, 

 with thorough organization, this matter can be worked out. In fact, 

 I know it can. It may take time, but in our section they have had 

 organization, and they are accomplishing what they desire in a very satis- 

 factory manner. I will say, further, that I would like to see a thorough 

 organization of the fruitgrowers, all up and down this fruit belt of 

 Michigan. I think it would work to our advantage to have our local 

 organization, with headquarters or central bureau, to collect informa- 

 tion to ascertain what are the conditions of the market, because I do not 

 think there is a fruit section in the country any more favorably located, 

 so far as markets are concerned, than ours in Michigan, and with proper 

 and systematic work I believe we can reach the markets and can save 

 at least 25 per cent, of the expense to which we are now subject in 

 marketing our fruit. I do not see any reason in the world why we should 

 not. 



Mr. T. S. Gurney: This transportation question is a matter that I 

 have had under consideration a number of years, and I am certain that 

 if the farmers of this section, the fruitgrowers, could come together and 



