PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 195 



The transportation problem is another thiuj^ which you people at 

 Grand Rapids have done more for perhaps than any other part of this 

 state. It is something which yet must be very much improved. It seems 

 to be a very difficult thing to light a transportation company down on 

 rates, but there are two ways of improving this. If you can not fight 

 them down on rates, fight them up on service and get your money in 

 that way. Our friend Hale made a statement just before dinner that fits 

 that case exactly. He said, ''I don't attempt to fight the companies down 

 on rates, but I fight them up on service." I think that covers the ground 

 so neatly. He says to the companies whom he patronizes, ''If you will 

 give me superior service I can get enough money out of the product to 

 pay for it." Now, there is an idea perhaps that has not occurred to a 

 great many people. I know this, that the man who is constantly looking 

 for something cheap is very likely to get something so very cheap that 

 he does not like it, because there is somebody around to accommodate 

 him; and t don't know but it holds good in railroad transportation. Con- 

 sequently, if in fighting these large traffic associations — I won't say fight- 

 ing — in attempting to reduce their rates, you find that you have run 

 against a snag, you have run against agreements that exist which they 

 find very difficult to break from. If you can not accomplish anything in 

 that way, work the other — fight for better service, fight for more rapid 

 service and more prompt delivery. Then you can get out of the increased 

 prices what you failed to get in rates, and I think it is an excellent idea. 

 I think it something for your association to work on, I think it is 

 something for all associations to work on. 



We have had a season peculiar in the absence of fungous and insect 

 troubles. That is generally conceded. There has been a little question 

 in my mind whether there v/as any absence of those pests, or whether 

 there was such an abundance of fruit that the distribution of the germs or 

 insects affected so much less fruit in proportion to the whole that it was 

 not noticeable. I know that many people have thought, or did think 

 early in the season, that even in the case of their apple crop it was not 

 necessary to spray, as no scab developed. I know that later on scab did 

 develop, and I know that many of the people who believed that early in 

 the season have changed their minds radically now, because they found 

 scab developed on their apples later in the season and their ajiples are 

 not keeping; while all the good storage apples in Chicago today are from 

 orchards thoroughly and persistently sprayed. While there is no topic 

 on the programme regarding spraying, I wish to say that the best results 

 I have seen are where spraying was done before there was any sign of 

 foliage. I presume the subject will be taken up, but I don't know. 

 According to my observation, the main trouble with si)raying has been 

 commencing too late. People should get it into their minds as a fixed 

 fact that where it is any benefit whatever it is as a ])reventive and not 

 as a curative. You can not spray for scab and destroy it after it has a 

 foothold. You can not. 



There was considerable evidence last winter that sprayiaig had proven 

 a remedy — not a remedy, a partial ]>reventive — of peach yellows. Those 

 gentlemen who have been pressing it for other purposes in the yellows 

 districts have discovered that yellows was not anywhere nearly so strong 



