No. 4.] BUSINESS SIDE OF AGRICULTURE. 97 



Mr. Hale. It might be a little too large. Brother Ses- 

 sions told me he had an apple that weighed, — eighteen 

 pounds, was it, you said? 



Secretary Sessions. Eighteen ounces. 



Mr. Hale. I knew it was something big. You will get 

 the best price for a medium-sized apple. The apples must 

 be uniform in size. Many a farmer might think if he put 

 about a dozen of the biggest apples on top, he would catch 

 the market. Better have them uniform. That is business. 

 You have hundreds and thousands of acres of land in Massa- 

 chusetts to-day that are almost worthless. It certainly is 

 not earning five per cent on the investment. These apples 

 might be raised on this land. 



Question. Do they sell better in boxes than in barrels? 



Mr. Hale. I believe the barrel will go. The trouble 

 with the barrel is, it handles too easily. A fellow rather 

 roll it than pick it up. I think the finest apples will event- 

 ually be sold in boxes, or something different from the 

 barrel. 



A week ago, or something over a week ago, I was called 

 by a business man in Pennsylvania to look over some farm 

 property. He was willing to pay my fare, anyway, if I 

 would give him a hint or two. He has made money in min- 

 ing and commercial enterprises, and has been investing it in 

 various ways. He has been investing for the last ten or 

 fifteen years in farm property. He told me that so far as he 

 could see there was no place where he could invest his 

 money and be so sure of saving his capital and getting fair 

 returns as in agriculture. His question at this time was 

 whether it would be business to cut off the timber and put in 

 chestnut trees. He has seen the orchards in Pennsylvania 

 that had been cut away and grafted with Paragon and some 

 of the other large sweet chestnuts. Was this a business 

 proposition? Could he make it pay to invest his capital 

 there ? He knew he could make fair returns with corn and 

 wheat. 



Two or three years ago one of our western fruit growers 

 was looking over the Massachusetts markets to find out what 

 kind of apples you liked the best and would pay the most 

 for. He spent some time in this way, and then went back 



