113 



tee of quality, and sell direct to consumer or store-keeper, 

 then you will make a good profit. 



In closing I wish to say a v/ord of the great advantges 

 one can receive in attending the !\Iassachusetts Agri^^Lural 

 College. Last month it was my privilege to be a member 

 of the first class to take a short course in apple packing. 

 The lectures by professors and apple growers were most 

 instructive ; giving as they did expert advice on everything 

 concerning apples, from the selection of an orchard site, 

 the choosing of varieties, cultivation, cover and associated 

 crops, pruning and spraying, to packing, picking, and sell- 

 ing apples, and it was an inspiration for us to put in practice 

 the good advice given. Each student could learn just the 

 best method for his individual case. I wish that every mem- 

 ber of the jMassachusetts Fruit Grov^^ers Association would 

 take advantage of a short course, or even a correspondence 

 course at the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst. 



Applause. 



The President. The next speaker is ]\Ir. Wilfrid Whee- 

 ler of Concord. 



TEN MINUTE TALK ON SMALL FRUITS 

 Wilfrid Wheeler 



Mr. Chairman and Friends : The subject assigned to 

 me for a ten minute talk is such that it is almost impossible 

 to go into details, so I am just going to run over some of 

 the main things necessary in growing these small fruits. 

 Some small fruits are very well adapted to cultivation in 

 orchards, and return a profit to the grower while the large 

 trees are coming into bearing, but if you are going into the 

 business by itself as a small fruit proposition, the first thng 

 to consider is to get as near a good market as possible. In 

 that connection I want to ask this one question : Are we 

 planting berries enough and doing as much as we can to 

 supply the home market? I think we are not supplying the 

 local market enough with the small fruits. They should be 

 planted and grown near the small cities and towns and car- 

 ried right in where you can sell them directly to the con- 

 summer. I don't think we have looked that up nearly enough 

 We are apt to take them to Boston and Boston sends them 

 back to the local markets, the same products, that were 

 grown in that vicinity. 



There are a number of splendid varieties that don't 



