326 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Holman — The quince blights with mc. The Champion blights 

 like a Bartlett pear. The Orange docs not blight, nor the Mammoth. 



Mr- Evans — Some few persons have made a success of quince 

 growing in Missouri. Lately quinces have been run into the market and 

 broke it down, and when it is down you might just as well try to sell 

 rocks. 



Mr. Bell — I would like to hear from Mr. Nelson in regard to 

 packing fruit. 



Mr. Nelson — Mr. President, if any person wishes to move or leave 

 the room, I hope he will do so now, before I start, as I am very easily 

 embarrassed. I am stage struck now. The subject of fruit packing is 

 too big for a brief talk, but I will try to get over it in seven or eight or 

 ten minutes. First, as to the matter of expense: The farmer should, 

 during the summer season, when the cooper shops are not so busy, make 

 an estimate of the number of barrels he will need to hold his apples, and 

 give his order for them and have them ready. In York State they won't 

 even move potatoes«in sacks. The farmer buys his barrrels and has them 

 ready. » 



The fruit buyer goes around the country and buys his apples, and 

 has them classed into two grades. The idea of moving apples in boxes 

 would be preposterous nonsense in an eastern state. In York State I 

 never saw number one apples moved in boxes. I may be called a crank. 

 Benjamin Franklin was a crank. Edison was a crank. You may call 

 me a crank upon the subject of barreling apples in the orchard, if you 

 want to. I will take it. Let the education of the people up to the high 

 standard I advocate begin now. Let the grower understand that his in- 

 terest is identical with that of the seller. 



I went to the trouble to collect some fruit in my county for the St. 

 Louis fruit show. One farmer brought me four fine samples. One of 

 his samples of Jonathans was the finest in the exhibition. 



Mr. Bell or any other gentleman must have pretty good help in 

 packing his fruit I pay ten cents an hour the year around for all the 

 help I have. Nearly every farmer has more or less help at home which 

 he can train to do the work of packing, so that he can do it cheapei than 

 the buyer and shipper, like Mr. Bell. 



Mr. Murray — I would like to ask Mr. Nelson about what is the dif- 

 ference of time for gathering apples in the east and in Missouri. 



Mr. Nelson — We sometimes begin to gather such varieties as the 

 Lowell and Twenty Ounce as early as September 8th. 



