residents' [j^^ports^ 

 1904. 



VICE-PRESIDENT'S REPORT, FIRST CONG. DIST. 



C. W. MERRITT, WINONA. 



Never before in the history of the first congressional district has 

 there been so much fruit of all kinds raised and marketed. So great 

 was the supply of apples, particularly of Duchess, that in as good a 

 market as Winona they sold as low as lo cts. per bushel — but in many 

 cases they were not worth any more. Though the apples were fine 

 in the orchard, they were loaded up in sacks and dumped into a 

 lumber wagon box, or with a little straw or hay in the bottom were 

 piled in loose, and carried at a rapid rate over a rough road and, 

 of course, bruised and pounded till they would not keep over night — 

 and the Duchess have to be well handled to keep much longer at 

 best. But they are a good apple all the same ! In a drive through 

 the fourth ward of the city of Winona, or Poland Town, as it is 

 familiarly known, you could see an apple wagon at every corner, 

 surrounded with women and children, the women with large aprons 

 or dress skirts as receptacles, into which those cheap apples were 

 shoveled, a couple of scoop-shovelfuls for a nickle. I know, I have 

 been there, and so have several others here from Winona — but not 

 with those cheap apples! There were buyers of good apples, and 

 plenty of them, at 30, 40 and 50 cents per bushel. Exceptionally 

 fine apples — and we had some as fine Duchess as you ever saw down 

 in that section, brought 75c, 80c and $1.00 per bu. Thousands and 

 thousands of bushels were marketed in this way, while other thou- 

 sands rotted on the ground or were fed to hogs and cattle. The 

 crop of Wealthys, though not quite so great, was immense, as was 

 also the yield of Peerless, Northwestern Greening, Utter's Red, 

 Geniton, Plumb Cider, etc. There were in the market also many Wolf 

 River and McMahon White, though personally I had as lief have 

 a pumpkin as either one of those two. But they are beautiful to 

 look at. 



Strawberries were plentiful, with ready sale at from 6c to loc 

 per qt. Currants, gooseberries, raspberries and blackberries were 

 good crops, if I except blackberries. Those fortunate enough to 

 have blackberries could readily get a shilling and 15c per quart in 

 the Winona market. 



