300 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
has not been much left but the fun of raising them, and feeling that you 
have had a succession of fruits. 
Grapes: Last, but not least, comes grapes. There are about 1,000 vines 
in my vineyard, of about twenty varieties, mainly Delaware, Moore’s 
Early,Agawam,Concord, Brighton and about fifty vines of different kinds of 
white. I amgradually lessening the number of yarieties, for although - 
pleasant to havea variety for home use,and for shipping and general market 
purposes a few well chosen varieties are better. The most profitable are, 
first, Brighton and Moore’s Early; second, Delaware and Concord; third, 
the balance if they ripen. My greatest trouble with grapes has been frosts 
at both ends of the season. Grapes being a good shipping fruit, pay better 
for this purpose than for distribution in the home market, as that isspoiled 
by the immense quantities of Concords shipped up from below, which re- 
tail at twenty-five cents and less per basket. ‘The wonder is how much 
the shippers net after commission and express charges are paid. Froma 
few bits of ‘‘commission” experience that I have had, they have only the 
satisfaction of knowing that their grapes did not rot on the vines. 
During seven years there have been two total failures of crop by freezing 
on the vines before ripening. One year my Delawares blighted badly, and 
what little fruit there was, was worthless. The Moore’s Karly and Bright- 
on have failed in bringing in good returaos. ; 
So many are engaged in raising grapes in the small villages and towns 
along the river, and willing to take anything for their fruit, that it ruins 
the market. For profit on grapes, I think five per cent. net would be a 
fair average for the past seven years. It must be remembered that two — 
of these years were growing years, no returns whatever in fruit. 
To sum up, in what has been said it must be apparent to everyone 
that there has been a good deal of experimenting, and that perhaps the 
next seven years will mark a greater advance in profits. In one way L 
know it will showa gain, and that is, inthe number of bowes of fruit raised. 
For years, to give honest quart measure has been my aim; but when 
cases come into your market filled with boxes holding a little over a pint 
of rather mussy berries, that will sell readily at ten cents,while your hon- 
est quart, heaped up with fresh assorted berries, goes begging at twelve 
and one-half cents, you begin to wonder, and finally resolve that if the 
dear people want to be humbugged, it must be done. 
A few large fruit growers were visited last season and interviewed on 
this subject. They all used ‘‘scant quarts,” and all said that there were 
sO many unscrupulous growers using the ‘“‘short” or ‘‘scant’’? boxes and 
selling at lower prices, and as the public would take them in preference to 
an honest measure at alittle higher price,that to protect themselves, they 
had to take up scant measure; quieting their conscience, as one assured 
me, by thinking ‘‘we sell by the box and not by the quart.” 
Perhaps it is all right. 
The same with grapes—9 pounds in a 10 pound basket won’t bring any 
more than 7 pounds in an 8 pound basket. ‘‘A basket is a basket, no 
matter about the size.” 
Now, as to the advisability of women entering this fieldof work, small 
fruit culture. If awoman has to do her own work and sewing, she has 
all the physical exercise and responsibility she is capable of, and to take up 
more to do would be ruinous. If she can be relieved of the work and 
