WINTER MEETING. 211 



liave room and strength of tree enough to mature its fruit in its normal 

 size, color and perfection. Pick when ripe, but do not leave it on the 

 trees until overripe. Throw out all wormy and imperfect fruit and use 

 it for vinegar or hog feed. Pack the sound and perfect fruit in new, 

 <;lean barrels, of standard size, and in the best style. If you say that all 

 this won't pay, I answer, do not deceive yourselves; I know that it will. 

 Our progressive orchardists are reporting the fruit of their or- 

 chards sold at good paying prices. N. F. Murray & Sons, of Holt 

 county, sold theirs to a New York firm for $140 an acre. Some or- 

 chards sold last year for very nearly as much. Others in the same 

 vicinity were sold at good and profitable prices, and yet there are many 

 orchards in the same county that they could not afford to buy at any 

 price, because the fruit was of such a character that it would not pay 

 the freight to New York. Bear in mind that it costs just as much for 

 barrels and freight and to pick and pack a barrel of poor fruit, that sells 

 for a dollar, as it does one of the best and most desirable quality, that 

 sells for three and four times as much. I conclude, then, it pays to 

 plant new orchards in place of trying to infuse life into a dead one, to 

 plant desirable varieties that command the markets, to thin the fruit 

 early in the season so as to husband the vitality of the trees and to 

 bring perfect fruit, to pick carefully, pack only selected fruit in stand- 

 ard packages, and always expect the best price the market affords. 

 No poor man can afford to come short in these respects, and no rich 

 man will. N. F. Murray. 



DAN CARPENTER'S VIEWS. 



Mr. Geo. Longman — My experience is very limited, but so far as 

 it goes it is decidedly in favor of thinning. It gives better size, more 

 perfect fruit and, I think, improves the quality. I think the size will 

 be improved enough to give equally as much in quantity. Unless it is 

 thinned excessively and with a view to reduce the quantity as well as 

 improve the size, I doubt the advisability or such a course. With im- 

 proved quality we may hope for increased export trade, and with a 

 normal financial condition at home, when labor is fully employed, I have 

 little fear of supply being in excess of demand. 



Fruit is entering more largely into the daily consumption of the 

 laboring classes as food ; and if labor was employed, as it should be, 

 the demand for and consumption of fruits of all kinds would be such 

 as to command fair prices. Thinning should be practiced to improve 

 the size, color and perfection of the fruit, and such usually bring fair 

 prices, even with excessive crops made up, as they are, largely of small 

 and imperfect fruits. Respectfully, 



Dan Carpenter, Barry, Mo. 



