THE I TWAKI) TKKXl) OF llOUTICt I/ITUE. 07 



to the luscious, magnificent fruits of today. Cultivation, crossing, graft- 

 ing, and adaptation have given us the splendid varieties, and continuous 

 experimenting has given us the knowledge of what localities are best 

 suited to their production. Rut with all this the end was not reached; 

 in fact, it was only the beginning, the ground work upon which to build 

 the business of horticulture. In the first place we encounter the para- 

 sites, the bugs and worms and moths that threaten and destroy the bet- 

 ter part of our crop if steps are not taken to prevent them. Constant 

 care, study, spraying, and cultivation are needed for this evil. Then we 

 have the frost peril, but orchard heaters are invented for this, and there 

 are other things too numerous to mention between the planting and pro- 

 duction of perfect fruits. 



But the fruit grower of today is not of the stuff that stops at ob- 

 stacles or is discouraged by them. He likes his business and believes in 

 it. Is determined to succeed and wants a fair return for his effort, and 

 right here we get to the r^al subject of this paper. 



The trend in horticulture, as in everything else, is towards speciali- 

 zation. Growers find that to produce the best fruit in paying quantities 

 requires such care and attention that they can not divide their time 

 among too many kinds of fruit or too many varieties of one kind. Then, 

 too, there is a growing tendency toward cooperation among growers of 

 certain localities in the marketing of their product. There is a long gap 

 between the producer and the consumer, and under modern business 

 conditions this can only be bridged by such a combination of producers 

 as will command the recognition in the markets as their product de- 

 mands. But the most noticeable and significant tendency among up-to- 

 date fruit growers is the broadening of their horizon by meeting with 

 other growers and discussing and comparing results. 



The work of our State Horticultural Society is supplemented by this 

 National Society, and growers are coming in contact more and more with 

 those engaged in the same business all over the United States. The pur- 

 pose of these national meetings is not, as some might suppose, to help 

 eloquent westerners to sell high priced land, but to educate us all in the 

 producing and marketing of fruit, and the results after a very few years 

 are already quite manifest and apparent to all. 



At first, all of the prizes went to the western growers, who were 

 more skilful in showing and exhibiting their product, but already Iowa 

 growers have learned the lesson, and Iowa fruit from our own southwest- 

 ern district is taking the prizes. 



This fall Mr. Worth, of Harrison county, took first prize at the Na- 

 tional Horticultural Congress at St. Joe. Missouri, for the best Jonathan 

 apples,- and J. W. Murphy took many ribbons at the Denver Apple Show. 

 Nor is mere exhibiting the only end that has been accomplished by more 

 general mingling with growers from all over the whole country. Better 

 methods of tree culture and preservation are already in evidence, so 

 that the whole tree may be made to produce uniform fine fruit, all mar- 

 ketable and without blemish. 

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