WINQER MEETING. 207 



more of good care to prepare for another crop. By proper and judi- 

 cious thinning these same trees may be brought to a habit of annual 

 bearing of good and profitable crops that will handle quickly, sell 

 readily and for double or treble the price of small, knotty fruit. 



You cannot be too positive and earnest in urging the importance of 

 thinning fruit or flowers, or, indeed, crops of any kind. 



Yours truly, J. C. Evans. 



THE COMMISSION MBECHANT'S EXPERIENCE. 



The experience of fruit-growers up to date this season (Septem. 

 ber 3, 1895) must furnish them with food for reflection. Notwithstand- 

 ing the great abundance of fruit and the low prices ruling everywhere, 

 it must be admitted that those who marketed choice fruit did not labor 

 in vain, but have been fairly and fiilly compensated. When good fruit 

 can be profitably marketed in such a season as this, it is evident that 

 it must pay well in average seasons. The question, therefore, arises, 

 what must we do to secure annual crops of desirable marketable and 

 profitable fruit ! Take the apple and peach crops, which form so promi- 

 nent a feature in this year's crops, for example ; it might be said that 

 one-fourth of the offerings graded good to choice, and one-eighth 

 choice to fancy ; and even this estimate is probably to liberal, so rare 

 is the most desirable and perfect fruit. 



The first important step toward securing the best results may very 

 justly be considered careful, thorough and prudent thinning out of the 

 fruit while yet small, and before it has drawu very heavily upon the 

 strength, resources or vitality of the tree. If three-fourths of the fruit 

 is then removed, that which remains has a good show to become the 

 finest of its kind in quality, size, attractiveness and acceptability to 

 the purchasing and consuming public. 



The majority of fruit-growers excuse themselves from undertaking 

 the thinning of their trees of fruit by saying that it involves too much 

 time and labor, but this is the poorest of excuses, as is demonstrated 

 in the case of those having carefully and thoroughly attended to it get 

 good and profitable prices for their fruit, even when the market is glutted, 

 as it is now and has been for the past two months. The situation as 

 between the men who care for their orchards — and the thinning of the 

 fruit at the proper time embraces a good part of that care — has been 

 more clearly shown the present season than for years past. So long 

 as the work so essential to success is ignored, so long will the fruit- 

 growers remain poorly rewarded. There are some business methods 

 and practices essential to success ; this is one of them, and should be 

 generally adopted. P. M. Kiely. 



