THE ANNUAL MEETING. 167 



to enable us to act more wisely in the location of the orchard, in the selection 

 and management of varieties, as well as in gathering, sorting, packing and 

 shipping. All of this will enable us to grow apples cheaper than formerly, to 

 select better varieties, and place a better apple in better condition upon the 

 market; it must be remembered too, that transportation is cheaper. If this be 

 true then we have gained the principal points in successful production and mar- 

 keting; so that we can place our apples upon the market at distant points at 

 less cost than ever before, and we may reasonably expect to progress on this 

 line and greatly improve upon the present economy of producing and marketing. 



That the intelligent fruit grower can place first-class apples in first-class con- 

 dition and at a moderate cost upon the market, is no longer questioned ; but 

 will he always find a ready market at remunerative prices is a question not so 

 readily settled. The prospect is not all sunshine, nor is it very cloudy. While 

 attempting to satisfy ourselves upon this point we must look at both sides, tak- 

 ing the facts and weighing them thoroughly, admitting fairly all the circum- 

 stances that can have any bearing upon the question either way. 



Apple growing for market has steadily improved for the past, taken as a 

 whole. There are many reasons why this should continue to do so, and not 

 many reasons why it should not. A large part of the west and some parts of 

 the south depend upon the apple-produciug States for their supply. Tliere is 

 room for it, and I doubt not within the next twenty years there will be found 

 a population of fifty millions of people living within that portion of the United 

 States where apples are not grown to any extent at present, and the prospect is 

 not very promising that they ever will be grown. The demand from this sec- 

 tion for apples is already quite large, one which has grown from a few hundred 

 barrels to many thousands and is steadily increasing. As the number of in- 

 habitants increases and large towns and cities grow up, and the people become 

 able to buy, the demand will increase in the same ratio. 



Already quite large shipments of apples are being made to Europe annually 

 from the United States, and the demand for apples for shipment abroad prom- 

 ises to rival the demand from the western States. The limit of our apple mar- 

 ket is being extended from year to year and bids fair to keep pace with any 

 extension to our orchards which is likely to take place. Not only does the circle 

 increase, but the demand inside that circle increases steadily. If this continues, 

 and in all human probability it will, then the prospect for an outlet for apples 

 is almost certain to become much larger than we have been accustomed to think. 

 The new methods of evaporating fruit, which are coming very generally into 

 use, consume a large amount of fruit, and it is of so much better quality than 

 that dried by the ordinary process, that the popular demand has kept pace with 

 the supply. We find that we have already a good market for apples in our own 

 country, one that is improving each year with a fair promise that unless some- 

 thing occurs to prevent will become many times greater than at present. Then 

 the foreign demand seems likely to be even greater than our home market, and 

 is thought by some will be the iDctter of the two in time. 



What reasons have we to expect the foreign demand to increase? First, the 

 nations of Europe that grow apples at all have long since passed their meridian 

 in apple growing ; in other words they have had their best day. Their orchards 

 are old and on the decline, becoming less in number, having passed their 

 age of growth and vigor, are failing in productiveness, and from the same cause 

 the quality of tlie fruit is becoming impaired. There are but few new orchards 

 being planted out in these countries, not enough to make good the number that 

 fail from age and natural waste. The common people, especially in England, 



