FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 31 



THE FRUIT GROWER AND THE CANNING FACTORY. 



BY HON. R. D. GRAHAM, OP GRAND RAPIDS. 



(Abstract.) 



Mr. Graham referred to the recent rapid development in the business 

 of canning frnit and vegetables on a commercial scale in Michigan. A 

 large number of factories have been erected during the past three or four 

 years and have materially aided the fruit grower, by purchasing his fruit 

 at times when there has been a large supply, thus preventing the glut- 

 ting of the markets and the resulting drop in prices. When the erecting 

 of canning factories was first talked about, one of the strong arguments 

 in their favor was that they would consume the second-class fruit. 

 While this is true in many cases, the majority of the factories use only 

 the best fruit they can secure. 



From the fact that many of the factories had been erected by stock 

 companies, composed of fruit growers, who have had no previous expe- 

 rience in the canning business, it has not been strange that a consid- 

 erable number of them have not met with financial success. In some 

 cases, sales have been made to irresponsible i)arties and losses have 

 resulted and, in other instances, failure has been due to the fact that 

 the goods have not been properly prepared, but a far greater and more 

 common cause of trouble has been that many of the factories have been 

 erected in sections that have not been in the fruit and vegetable growing 

 business, with the idea that if the factory was erected it would be an easy 

 matter to secure a supply. In some cases, they have been successful 

 but, in others, the farmers have not desired to change their crops and 

 have refused to make contracts. The principal difficulty, however, has 

 been met in securing the various kinds of fruit for the factory as, not 

 only does the objection just mentioned hold true with fruit, but it takes 

 from three to four years with bush fruits and six to ten for the tree 

 fruits before crops can be secured after the planting has been done. 



In a general way Mr. Graham regarded the erection of canning facto- 

 ries as an advantage, in sections where fruit and vegetables are now 

 extensively grown but he did not favor the idea of first erecting the 

 factories and then trying to induce the farmers to plant fruit trees 

 and vines for the purpose of supplying the factory. He was especially 

 emphatic in opposing the idea of the erection of canning factories by 

 fruit growers, believing that it should be left to specialists, as they would 

 be far more likely to succeed. 



Q. What variety of pears are used? 

 A. Mr. Graham. — The Bartlett almost exclusively. 

 Q. What is the usual price of peas? 



A. Mr. Graham. — I cannot answer. They are bought by the ton and 

 threshed the same as oats. 



Q. How do you handle sweet corn? 



