190 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



orchard at the mercy of the irrigation company and that terrible annual 

 water tax forever absent. Second, the land is cheap, much cheaper 

 than the farm land in the same community and many times cheaper 

 than the apple lands of the West. Third, the wonderful certainty, ease 

 and cheapness with which the tree is transplanted and gi-own into bear- 

 ing. Fourth, nearness to market, which is a greater factor than we at 

 first imagined. 



Gentlemen, this land is most wonderfully endowed and it is up to us 

 as to what the outcome will be. We should wake up and get in the 

 ranks. Our old, slow-poky way will not be tolerated longer. We must 

 get out of the old ruts. The world demands things strictly up-to-date. 

 Much better fruit is demanded now than ten or fifteen years ago. Neat, 

 new packages are in demand. Apples should be unblotched and sound. 

 Grades should be even, dividing our ordinary old barrel grades into at 

 least three grades. All these uneven sized apples mixed together, al- 

 though they may be good apples, look much worse than even the smaller 

 ones if alone, and how much better the large specimens look when they 

 are placed with others of equal size and appearance. Let the expert 

 grader regrade these same barrel apples and I venture the assertion that 

 the third grade will appear more attractive and bring a better price than 

 the original pack did. Then you have the advance price on the second 

 grade and a still larger advance on the first, which will very materially 

 increase the profits. We should not think about the size of the cull pile 

 when grading apples. The proper time to reduce this pile is during the 

 previous season when we are pruning, cultivating, spraying and caring 

 for the orchard. We are too apt to let the orchard take care of itself, 

 then try to reduce the cull pile by putting these apples in with the 

 upper grades, which spoils all. 



Co-operation is another factor toward success in commercial orchard- 

 ing. On investigation, I find that fruit associations get much better 

 prices for their fruits than the average individual can possibly expect. 

 When buying from associations, buyers can be sure they are buying from 

 localities where there is plenty of fruit, they can have standard grades 

 and the markings on the box will tell them exactly what there is in each 

 and no disappointment will follow. Then these same associations can 

 acquaint themselves with market conditions in every direction and know 

 Just where to place fruit at all times. They are also in position to pur- 

 chase the best packages on the market at the lowest possible price. Also, 

 sprayers and spraying materials and in fact all kinds of orchard tools 

 that go with the growing business. The individual grower will also be 

 stimulated to produce and deliver the best that is possible as he will 

 know the consequence if he fails. He soon learns that the association 

 is his best friend if he will only be good. 



Now, as I said before, we have the country, all we have to do is to 

 develop it. If we will only exercise the same determination that Western 

 growers do, we can show the world how to grow fruit. 



