FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. 65 



back into the paper to advertise the West and its apples. All this is 

 going to be a mighty advantage in selling apples when apples are a 

 drug on the market and we must stand up and compete with them for 

 that market or get out of business. My friends, you've got to "go 

 some." 



The first thing necessary is organization in every fruit community. 



Second. Michigan needs a fruit paper devoted to the fruit interests of 

 the state and boosting first, last and all the time for Michigan horticul- 

 ture. 



Third. Michigan needs a land boom which will accomplish two ends: 

 1st. Place before the entire country the possibilities of this most favor- 

 ed state for fruit-growing and ; 2nd. Rid the state of its back-number 

 farmers and fruit-growers as far as possible, incorporate progressive 

 spirit in their place and give Michigan a fighting chance for place in com- 

 mercial horticulture. This state lacks nothing in the way of soil, climate 

 and markets to make it the greatest fruit state in the union. But 

 Michigan does lack men. Men with big ideas and with a fighting, 

 boosting, spirit for Michigan. We have a few? of them and they are 

 making good just as far as it is possible under the limiting conditions 

 set by the hundreds of others who never had a live idea in their lives 

 nor the backbone to push that idea if they did get one. 



Lastly, in conjunction with the above there must be an effective, 

 judicious, persistent campaign of advertising of Michigan fruit, parti- 

 cularly Michigan apples. One year ago, advertising Michigan apples 

 under the then present packing conditions would have been useless ex- 

 penditure of money. Now the whole solution lies in your hands. Begin- 

 ning July, 1913, Michigan apples standardized under the Sulzer Law 

 can go out to show the West, the East and the South what real apples 

 are and create a demand for more. In conclusion we must admit that 

 Providence and an insurgent Congress have been very kind to Michigan, 

 let's make the most of it. 



THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN GRAPE. 



A. H. HENDRICKSON, GRAND RAPIDS. 



Nowhere in the history of American fruit-growing is there a story as 

 romantic or as fascinating as the history of the American Grape. It 

 is a story full of vicissitudes, vain endeavors, and repeated failures 

 which were at last superseded by complete success. From the first 

 America was known as a land of vines. It is said that the old Norse 

 Viking "Leif-the-Lucky" called New England "Vineland" as early as 

 the year 1000. The early colonists were filled with wonder at the great 

 profusion of grape vines all over the new country, and they had visions 

 of vine-clad hills and terraces that would rival those of France and 

 Germany. 



The early legislative assemblies made vine growing compulsory, and 

 large sums of money were spent importing vines and scions of the 

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