EXHIBITING FRUIT AT MINN. STATE FAIR. 183 
one whom judges abhor. But of all others, I know of no place where the 
true moral fiber of a man is shown more completely than in competing for 
premiums. The man of weak veracity is soon conspicuous by his weakness. 
EXHIBITING FRUIT AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR. 
—FROM THE EXHIBITOR’S STANDPOINT. 
CLARENCE WEDGE, ALBERT LEA, 
The labor involved in making an exhibit of fruit at the state fair, whether 
it be a single plate or a large collection, naturally resolves itself into three 
separate undertakings, viz: selection, transportation and arrangement. The 
beauty, usefulness and premium winning capacity of the exhibit when it 
is finally displayed upon the tables will all depend upon the thought and 
skill that has been put upon each of these matters of preparation. Let us 
consider them in their proper order. 
First. Selection. It requires considerable judgment and watchfulness in 
order to have the early fruit picked at the time that will secure as much as 
possible of the natural color and before it has become too soft to endure 
handling and exposure. The common fault is to let the early varieties stay 
on the tree or vine too long. An under-ripe fruit, if about up to its full size, 
and plump and sound makes a much better appearance on the tables than a 
fully colored specimen that has lost its freshness and begun to “go the way 
of all the earth,” and I have repeatedly noticed that over-ripe Tetofsky and 
Transparent apples that made a passable show during the first day of the 
fair quickly became black and disgusting when exposed but a few hours 
to the trying air of the hall, while those of the same varieties picked before 
they had lost their firmness made a creditable if not a handsome plate to 
the end of the show. For a plate of such early and perishable varieties I 
always select about double the number required, so that when the fruit is 
opened up on the grounds there will be quite a number to select from, as 
it frequently happens that the specimens that we expected to keep best prove 
for some unknown reason to have been the most perishable. In picking this 
early fruit we always carry our packages and paper wrappers to the orchard, 
and try to do all our work with the least and gentlest handling possible. 
Perhaps the most common mistake made in selecting specimens of fruit 
for exhibition is that of picking out the largest of each variety and ignoring 
the equally important points of beauty, soundness and perfection of form. 
The true way is to gather a number of specimens of the largest and hand- 
somest of each variety as they appear upon the tree or vine, and placing 
them upon a table before you, where they can be critically examined, first 
throw out all that are deformed, wormy, diseased or decayed, and then make 
up the plates from the largest and highest colored specimens that remain. 
This is the quickest and surest method of arriving at the best in hand, and 
if in the straits of a light crop and a bad season there is strong temptation 
and almost a necessity of admitting some defective specimens, have a care 
that the blemishes you admit are such as may be most conveniently hidden 
and not such as will openly disgrace the exhibit. 
The most inexcusable mistake that can be made is that of padding out 
a collection with plates of inferior fruit. Don’t do it! It is an insult to 
the public, an eyesore to the superintendent, and a disgrace to the horti- 
cultural fraternity. People take their time and pay admission to ‘the fairs 
to see something attractive, and there is no more attraction in a plate of 
