HORTICULTURE AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR, 1917. 399 



Hansen of Brookings, South Dakota, and Waldron, of Fargo, 

 North Dakota, both of whom are well known to our members. 

 Other visitors from Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Manitoba 

 spoke with us, but their names are not recalled. 



In recalling the personnel of this exhibit, I am impressed 

 with the great changes that have taken place in the list of names 

 of those who put up the fruit exhibit at our state fairs. Of all 

 the exhibitors who participated in the present fair only three had 

 anything to do with the horticultural exhibit ten years ago, 

 the names of these three being F. I. Harris, J. A. Howard and 

 P. H. Perry. Going back to the exhibition of twenty years ago 

 only one of the present exhibitors was making an exhibit at that 

 time, Mr. J. A. Howard. The majority of those who have 

 dropped out as exhibitors are no longer with us, but a few, 

 some even of an earlier period, still remain, and while they are 

 not exhibiting at the state fair serve with us at our meetings and 

 in other ways. 



Cold Storage Needed. — The high cost of living, which we all feel, could 

 be lessened materially by the erection of municipal cold storage plants in all 

 cities and towns of sufficient size. 



The high cost of most articles is the result of speculation. Fruit 

 that costs a dollar a barrel will be held and four or five dollars asked. Eggs 

 that cost from twenty cents up will be held for fifty cents at the season 

 when eggs are not plentiful. The price in neither case is regulated by sup- 

 ply and demand, except the supply and demand of a few months of the year. 



With a cold storage plant in every city and town it would be possible 

 for many householders and many merchants to store their own fruit, their 

 own eggs, their own potatoes, even their own butter and cream, for cream 

 can be kept by cold storage. This would be a good thing for the producer, 

 and it would be a good thing for the consumer. It would serve to stabilize 

 the market, making fruit not the short season perishable product it now is, 

 but something that could be kept over a term of months. The added time 

 would increase the value of the fruit, and this would be to the advantage of 

 the producer. On the other hand it would allow the consumer to buy at a 

 time when the price was not prohibitive, with the result that he would buy 

 more, would live better, and would spend no more money than now. 



The great difference would be that a much larger percentage of the 

 money spent by the consumer would go to the producer and a much smaller 

 per cent, to the speculator than is now the case. — -"The Fruitman & Gard- 

 ener." 



