362 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MARKETING SMALL FRUITS. 



BY CHARLES I. ROBARDS. 



Ladies and Gentlemen of the Bates county Horticultural Society: 



All the remarks I shall make on this subject shall be based on the 

 proposition that there are enough consumers waiting and money ready 

 for all the fruits yet grown in the land. Yea, more than this, that fully 

 m proportion to the increase of production of this character of fruits 

 for many years to come, will there be an increased demand sufficient to 

 absorb all such crops. Over production is not general. Localities it 

 is true are in danger of being over supplied because of concentration 

 of producers, without markets. The consequences of this state of af- 

 fairs may at first seem to threaten disaster. But this in time will to a 

 great extent regulate itself. 



The various branches of commerce are so related to each other as 

 that wherever a marketable commodity is producing sufticient quantity 

 to invite transportation there will be no great delay until suitable 

 means of exportation seek it. To convince ourselves of the truth of 

 this theory we have only to refer to our own experinence in the mark- 

 eting of our crop of apples during the past few years. In 1884 our ap- 

 ple crop begged shippers to take it at 25 cents per bushel for best win- 

 ter fruit. In consequence of this, together with the advertisements 

 brought about by our local society and the aid of the press, the outside 

 world was informed that we were capable of producing more apples 

 than we could consume. 



The result, as you all know, has established the belief that we need 

 not fear that good winter apples will fall below 40 cents per bushel for 

 many years to come. Thus in the growing of small fruits for market, 

 could we induce growers to unite in a common effort not only to pro- 

 duce much larger quantities as well as to plant the best varieties, we 

 might expect to realize sooner the same result in the marketing of our 

 small fruits. Just now we stand only with reference to a home mar- 

 ket, not enough to ship in a proper way, too much, perhaps, for home 

 consumption. 



To prove that fhis is the case we have only to refer to the market 

 facilities of other States. Illinois, with no better climate than ours, 



