No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 367 



The apples seem to have had a poor blooming season, yet set a 

 heavy crop as did also cherries. Peaches bloomed freely but fell 

 otf, probably due to overbearing in I'JIU and lack of other care, 

 femall fruits were generally disappointing. 



The apple crop was the largest in the history of the country, but 

 at the present time ligures are not available. Its quality was good. 

 Perhaps a part larger than usual went to ihe cannery and evapor- 

 ator, on account of the general large crop throughout the country. 

 AVhile we desire lirst of all to giow apples for the box trade and the 

 high class ban el trade, there will always be a quantity larger or 

 smaller moving toward the cannery and dryhouse, and suiely in 

 the future when the Adams county full crop year coincides with 

 the outside full crop, a great mass of fruit will be directed to them. 

 ^^'e ha\e but one cannery and tN\o evajjorators under one manage- 

 ment within a radius of several miles. There should be others so 

 that we might profit by reasonable competition. I should like to see 

 a, co-operative canning and evaporating plant owned and operated 

 by lLe members of this organization. 1 am not alone in thinking 

 that the price of drops and culls is too Ioav. New York growers get 

 much better prices. Evaporators are much more plentiful there or 

 growers dry their own fruit. 



Let us make a concerted etfort to have the Adams County Ex- 

 hibit better than any previous Adams County Exhibit, and better 

 than any other county exhibit. Partlj' because W'e want to keep the 

 cup offered as a prize for best exhibits, but piincipally because the 

 habit of winning is a good habit to cultivate, when the accomplish- 

 ment of the object striven for, does not injiiie the other fellow in 

 the race. Our sister counties have good individual growlers who 

 are certain to have good fruit on exhibition, but not having been 

 organized so long as have the Adams county growers, the}- do not 

 pull togetlier as perhajis we do. It takes not only care in grow- 

 ing fine fruit but continued effoit in following it through all the 

 stages of its course from picking to judging. Ever since our organ- 

 ization began to comi>ete as a county exhildtor it has always had 

 a ntimber of its members on hand to take advantage of the choice 

 of space, and to see that the fruit is properly selected and displayed. 



The practice of making an exhibit at our own convention is the 

 best kind of training in preparatiion for the second and more elabor- 

 ate display at the State meeting. 



Join the State Society and attend its sessions. Help to make it 

 the best in the countr3\ It should have two thousand members and 

 two hundred or more of them should come from the first fruit pro- 

 ducing county. 



Join the Adams County Association and persuade others to do ' 

 Ihe same thing. Attendance at its sessions will help you to under- 

 stand your troubles which is half way to mastery over them. You 

 cannot expect to remember all that you hear here. Join and get the; 

 recoid, the i>roceedings. 



