SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 205 



never will attend properly to this, thus the orchardist that attends faithfully 

 to this branch of culture, so as to be able to put perfectly sound fruit on the 

 market, can command good remunerative prices. To illustrate, in our 

 market at the present time, the bulk of fruit brought in has to be sold for 

 about forty cents per bushel, while the same varieties properly cared for, 

 and well selected in putting up, bring two dollars per barrel at wholesale, 

 and retail at two dollars fifty cents. At these prices, and the present prices 

 for other farm crops, it would seem that the outlook was good for the proper 

 care of the apple. 



In regard to marketing, the time has come, with all fruits in this State, 

 when it is necessary to give special thought and care to the way fruit is put- 

 on the market, to make it profitable, and in the future, this feature will re- 

 quire closer study. Our large markets, like Chicago and other large distrib- 

 uting points, have been glutted most of the time the past season with poor 

 fruits. The consequence was that prices ruled low, and many claim the 

 prices received did not pay. This was tha case with other fruits as well as 

 with apples ; but on inquiry you will learn that those who have a reputation 

 established for shipping only first-class fruit were able to realize very fair 

 prices for their fruit. I heard one man say, who is a large apple grower, 

 that he had all the orders he could fill at two dollars per barrel, while many 

 found it difficult to get one dollar. A reputation to command the extra 

 prices is not established in one year, but in the persistent sticking to this 

 idea of placing on the market only strictly choice fruit. 



I have been engaged in the fruit business, more or less, for twenty years, 

 and I have as much faith in it to-day as I ever had. I believe the apple 

 grower of the future, who adheres closely to these suggestions, will be well 

 repaid, both for what is put on the market and for private use. 



W. A. Brown: We are advancing in our ability to cope with the disadvan- 

 tages in apple growing, and I believe it is in the future to be one of the 

 most reliable and profitable branches of horticulture. As to marketing, the 

 great point is in selecting and honest packing. Mr. Brown told of the 

 formation of a fruit exchange at Benton Harbor, the members of which use 

 a stamp bearing their names and addresses, guaranteeing honest packing 

 and good quality. It has proved advantageous in profits. 



At this juncture a note was read from J- W. VanDeman, of Benzonia, urg- 

 ing that where orchards are planted the land be given up to the business of 

 growing the trees and not be expected to grow a crop of grain each year and 

 do well by the trees, too. He gave several striking illustrations in his own 

 neighborhood, showing the bad effects of grain crops upon the growth of 

 trees. The closing paper of the forenoon was upon 



THE PLEASANT ART OF GRAFTING. 



BY CHARLES S. CRANDALL, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



There is a large class of plants, including all our fruits, many flowering 

 plants, roses, and double-flowering plants, that, propagated from seed, lose 

 their valuable qualities ; they tend to revert back to some wild and worthless 

 ancestor. This tendency to reversion was understood long ago. Virgil, 

 says: " The tree again that is raised from fallen seed grows up slowly, so 

 as to form a shade for late posterity, and its fruits degenerate, forgetting, 

 their former juices." 



