310 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The California fruit growers were driven to the wall till they organ- 

 ized facilties for connecting the products of their orchards with the mar- 

 kets of the East. Growers in the gi-eat Erie grape belt could never cal- 

 culate upon any kind of sure profit until they organized and systema- 

 tized the marketing of their products. Delaware peach growers found 

 their profits all in the coffers of the commission men until they rose to 

 the necessity of organizing a different system of selling. The small fruit 

 growers of southern Illinois never succeeded in doing a satisfactory or 

 profitable business imtil they had completed a regular system of handling 

 their products so as to reach the consumer in the most direct way. The 

 fruit growers of Indiana are at sea without a rudder. As the business is 

 new conducted, it is one great hustle of the shippers to get all the fruit 

 possible afloat ahead of "the other fellow," without regard to conditions 

 or the market or future demands. Certainly, it is quite time that atten- 

 tion was given to the market side of Indiana fruit growing. 



One lesson we have learned the past year is that there is little to fear 

 from the periodical visits of the so-called locust. Very few orchards 

 were planted out the past season, for fear that the trees might be de- 

 stroyed by this pest. But they failed to put in an appearance in any- 

 thing like tlie old time numbers, and did very little damage to fruit trees. 

 They are never likely to visit us in sufficient force to do much damage 

 again. 



There should be some step taken at this meeting to secure a creditable 

 display of horticultural products from different parts of the State for the 

 St. Louis Exposition next year. I believe that it is possible for Indiana 

 to make a better show than any other State in the Union, and by so 

 doing we would not only feel gi-eatly honored, but would advance our 

 material interests as well. I believe the State would assist us in this 

 work if it was properly presented to the next Legislature. 



It is also thought by many persons that we need a uniform fruit pack- 

 age law in this State. These matters are to be discussed at this meet- 

 ing, and we should decide what is best to be done and then go to work 

 energetically to do it. In all of our discussions we want to keep on the 

 broad gauge, and not give too much time to special interests which affect 

 chiefly the business of some particular members of this Society, l»ut to 

 those things relating to the public welfare. Too frequently we como to- 

 gether with our problems of culture, insect pests, mildews and blights, 

 and the entire time of the meeting is devoted to the finding of satisfac- 

 tory answers to these vexing questions, while the influences which make 

 for beauty and the advancement and refinement of the home are neg- 

 lected. 



Let us strive for an extension of all horticultural influences, for more 

 local societies, for more horticultural problems in the press, for more 

 transplanting and village improvement associations, for the teaching of 

 horticulture in our schools, for there is no doubt but what the great 



