180 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The strawberry, it is true, grows over a larger area than the apple, 

 but its season is so short for each individual section that if the growers 

 would combine and have the distribution properly made there would 

 be no gluts, no broken-down markeis, no failures in the business, but 

 there would be more swollen pocket-books, a greater attendance at 

 our State meetings, and each grower would have a confidential smile 

 wherever met. Our wives, sons and daughters would laugh and re- 

 joice over the great change that had so quickly taken place, and that,, 

 too, without the aid of any political party. Possibly they might think 

 that Bellamy's Looking Backward was not very Utopian, but an ac- 

 complished fact. 



1 do hope that my friends here will commence now and agitate 

 this matter of co-operation in distribution, and God speed the day 

 when such an organization, most desired, may be perfected in every 

 detail, and that no man, woman or child who has ten cents shall be de- 

 prived of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or peaches in their 

 reason. 



Until such an association has been effected I fear we shall stilL 

 have to howl over the uncertainty of peach growing. 



S. W. Gilbert, Thayer, Mo. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Goodman — What are your best varieties ? 



Mr. Gilbert — The best are, in the way of ripening^ the Gilmore.. 

 which is not the real name, I think, which I obtained in Arkansas. It 

 ripens before the Alexandra, or those of the Hill family. The next 

 good peach is the Lindsay White, which is a large white free-stone.. 

 The trees were sold to me for Lindsay's White. Following that is the 

 Vequette and then comes the Elberta. 



Mr. Evans — Have you not found the Bonanza profitable ? 



Mr. Gilbert — They are very shy bearers and are not profitable. I 

 have only about twenty trees. I will say that I have some Gold Dust 

 and I think they are the richest peaches that I have. It takes finances 

 to run the peach business. 



Mr. Goodman — How long does one have to have finances before 

 he begins to get finances out of the peach business? 



Mr. Gilbert — That is a pretty hard question to answer. 



Mr. Goodman — If a man makes money oat of an orchard, he puts, 

 the money right back into it, to extend it. I think as soon as the treesi 

 begin to bear they will repay the finances that yoaput in on them. 



