196 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in the ijortiou spraj^ed. I presume it is good practice. I don't know 

 tliat it is sure practice, tliough. I am a little skeptical of that vet, but 

 there seems to be good evidence of it, and there is something here 

 worthy of investigation, and it probablj' will be investigated. 



There is another element that is entering into our fruit business just 

 now that will be semi-political. I do not wish to say to you that I am 

 going to put anything political into this meeting, but we are getting a 

 practical illustration todaj^ of the benefits of protection, or rather the 

 lack of benefit where there is a lack of protection. We have a sample in 

 this manner: Chicago is our leading market, and the price in Chicago 

 practically establishes the price on apples in this entire country. 

 Thousands of barrels of Canadian apples, which I regret to say are 

 better grown and better packed than ours, and in full-size barrels always, 

 have gone upon the Chicago market, and the present tariff fixes an ad 

 valorem duty of twenty per cent., while the McKinley bill fixed a duty 

 of twenty-five cents per bushel specific; and we know that no barrel of 

 apples could get across the line without paying a duty of seventy-five 

 cents. Now, that affects the valuation; that fixed the value of Canadian 

 apples at forty cents per barrel at the beginning of this season. The big 

 steamboats, the big grain liners on lake Erie, fixed the rates from Buft'alo 

 and Canadian points at five cents per barrel delivered in Chicago. They 

 fixed the valuation at forty cents per barrel, which provided a tariif 

 of eight cents per barrel in lieu of seventy-five cents under the McKinley 

 bill. The consequence has been that all the market furnished, or the best 

 of it, has gone to Canadians. Now, while I have all the respect in the 

 world for Canadians, insofar as my acquaintance goes, as being as fine 

 people as there are in the world, I do like to see the American market 

 held for American producers, especially under such a strain as we have 

 had for a year or two. I do not think it is necessary to say any more 

 about this, except that recently the authorities have taken the matter in 

 hand and have raised the valuation of those apples to ninety cents per 

 barrel, and are collecting about eighteen cents per barrel in duty, which 

 is a slight improvement; and I will say further that my opinion is if the 

 McKinley bill was in existence it would mean from twenty-five to forty 

 cents per barrel more for every barrel of good marketable apples that 

 Michigan ])uts into Chicago or any other town. I think that is what we 

 are pajing on account of the present tariff bill. 



As against that, Canada had an excellent market for peaches this year-, 

 and what did it cost you to get there? Some of you Grand Rapids gentle- 

 men know. You tried shipping there, and my recollection is their tariff 

 charge was fifty cents per bushel. Am I right? Will some Grand Rapids 

 man tell me? If Mr. Graham was here he could tell me in a minute. 



A Member: I think it was sixty cents per bushel. 



The President: The Canadians have much more sense than we. If 

 we ship peaches there they are going to make something out of it. They 

 raise a few peaches over by the Niagara river and country tributary, 

 and they take good care of the Canadians who grow them. That is right, 

 and we are at a disadvantage in the whole deal. 



