WINTER MEETING. 209 



overloaded with insipid fruit, and a part of the berries so green that 

 they will never mature. I did not have time, or rather did not take it, 

 to go over my vineyard at the time of pinching back the tirst time ; 

 and having so many varieties that my man did not know the habits of, 

 or rather did not know the varieties, such as Worden, Pocklington and 

 Woodruff, all three excellent grapes when properly grown, but all apt 

 to set more fruit than they can mature, and this is the consequence. 



The job of thinning tree fruit is not an easy one and takes time. 

 Fortunately, I have had but little of it to do thus far, and have not 

 half a dozen trees that are overloaded. I am glad that this subject is 

 being discussed, and hope that it will be as common for fruit growers 

 to thin their fruit as it is for farmers to thin their corn. It was only 

 yesterday I took some peaches to market from seedling trees, and 

 when one of my neighbors saw them he remarked, "Why, you can get 

 a dollar to a dollar and a quarter a bushel for them," while he had 

 some that went begging for 50 cents ; and if I am not mistaken, the 

 seeds that my trees grew from were from his orchard; his trees are 

 breaking down under their load of small and worthless fruit, whilst 

 mine have but a light crop, though not thinned, of tine, large, luscious 

 fruit. 



You are right; we must thin our fruit and grow finer and larger 

 and keep our trees in a healthier, hardier and every year fruiting con- 

 dition. I have never yet seen the time when something really fine and 

 good in the fruit and vegetable line would not sell at a fair, good price, 

 when it was utterly impossible to sell the common, small and undesir- 

 able stuff. A market is hardly ever, if ever, overstocked with choice 

 and fancy fruits. You have hold of a good thing; push it along. 



Yours truly, 



Henry Schnell. 



an exhaustive argument. 



Editor Rural World — In every line of produce at the present time 

 the demand is not so much for a greater quantity as for a better quality, 

 and we find this especially and eminently true in the production of 

 fruit. And now, that we have an abundant crop and our markets 

 everywhere broken down and demoralized, is it not time to inquire: 

 What is wrong ? 



Some say we have an o^^erproduction ; but this will hardly hold 

 good so long as the people of Missouri and states west of her send 

 millions of dollars annually to California, New York, Ohio and other 

 sections for fruit. 

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