TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 29 



every day, with a guarantee of a certain mininiuni sum as 

 compensation for such service. 



The perfecting and carrying out of the plan to trial 

 proved that our Connecticut growers can get together when 

 necessary to acconiphsh a purpose and therefore is a vakiable 

 pointer in that direction, meaning much to fruit growing in- 

 terests ; the part of the matter to be regretted being that 

 there was not enough fruit available to carry out the arrange- 

 ment fully as planned, which, had it been done, would have 

 much lessened the supply to other markets well acquainted 

 with the good qualities of the Connecticut peach. This 

 knowledge no doubt helped to strengthen values and thus re- 

 tain the supply of fruit wanted in these markets. Notwith- 

 standing some disappointmenit in the matter, I believe there 

 is much in the arrangement as made and so far as it was 

 carried, that is nice to think about, especially in attempting 

 to look ahead into the future, and I hope Mr. Hale, as the 

 one to whom credit is due in the matter, will tell you about 

 it from his own standpoint and experience. Little has been 

 said in this report about the marketing of other fruits tlran 

 peaches, for the reason that fruit production (perhaps straw- 

 berries excepted) has not been more than suf^cient for Con- 

 necticut's own markets. Contrary to the expectations of -• 

 some of our older peach growers, from their point of view 

 of ten years ago, the selling price of good fruit has not de- 

 creased, but is rather better than then, due, as the speaker 

 believes, to the very su])erior and better known qualities of 

 Connecticut peaches coming to market, as they do, at just the 

 right time, and also to the very great improvement in trans- 

 portation conditions, which we no doubt benefit from, which 

 allows us to ]:)ermit our fruit to get well matured before pick- 

 ing and yet reach the selected market in good condition. 



Judging- from the present large plantings of orchard 

 fruits going on through the country, the day cannot be far 

 distant when it will be absolutely necessary to get together 

 for all the market advantages to he had, in order to get wider 

 markets for our best fruit^ and dispose of close by or put 



