128 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGJCAL SOCIETY. 



staid by their own part of the country and have not had to 

 go to Oregon, Washington, Colorado, or Idaho to raise 

 apples. I was very much surprised to find such fruit as I did 

 on my arrival here, as I had heard it. quoted so many times 

 that tlie East could not raise good apples, that I had almost 

 begun to believe it myself, although I knew we used to raise 

 good apples in Michigan and Ohio. You will also hear this 

 same remark from people from your own section of the 

 countr}^ who have not been residents of Hood River, Ore- 

 gon, long. I certainl}' had to admit a good many things I 

 did not think I would when I left home. I was glad to find 

 some conditions as I did. as it proved to me that there are 

 some live ones in the apple business in New England, as well 

 as the West. I may make some statements here that may 

 hurt the feelings of some who do not think there is anything 

 in the up-to-date methods of raising and marketing apples, 

 but nevertheless I am going to give you the facts as I ob- 

 served them myself and what the possibilities are for im- 

 proving. The box proposition is going to be an experiment 

 for you, and I believe a very good one for your extra fancy 

 grades, as that grade of fruit from the West, especially 

 Hood River, is selling in the eastern, as well as the foreign, 

 markets for a high price. Before leaving for home in No- 

 vember I went on the Boston market and learned from two 

 wholesale firms that Hood River apples of the extra fancy 

 grades were selling from $3.25 to $4.50 per box, according 

 to the variety. Now if those apples are shipped thirty-three 

 hundred mliles across the country and bring that price why 

 can't you do it here? You are right at your own market. 

 The manager of one of these firms told me that last year he 

 handled thirty-five cars of apples from Hood River and 

 never had a complaint from one box. In talking with a 

 number of growers about what the trouble was, their answer 

 was "We can't.'' The trouble is they won't or have never tried. 

 There is no can't to it; you can if you will. It was proven 

 to me while at Boston, Massachusetts, Portland, and Augusta, 

 Maine, and at the Madison Square fruit shows that you can 



