1898.] ESSAYS. 141 



fruits, which, with periods of depression and renewed interest, 

 we can follow down to the present time. 



This is not only true of our own State, but of the whole 

 country. Special fruits have been found to be especially 

 adai)ted to the soil and climate of different sections, and in 

 many instances the production of this special fruit or fruits has 

 become the chief industry. 



It was only a few years ago that our markets were supplied 

 with nearly all of its fruit from the surrounding country, little 

 being received from outside the State ; but as railroads began 

 to multiply and the cost of transportation to cheapen, fruits 

 from other sections began to be seen in our markets, and as the 

 science of handling, packing and shipping fruits became better 

 understood, the distance of shipments increased, so that to-day 

 we have to compete in our markets with grapes, peaches, pears 

 and plums from California, peaches from Georgia, grapes from 

 Ohio, apples and grapes from New York, and apples from 

 Michigan, Missouri and Nova Scotia, to say nothing of the 

 immense quantity of oranges shipped from California and 

 Florida. 



Although the orange is not grown by us in Massachusetts, it 

 probably atfects the market price of our apples more than all 

 of the other tropical and semi-tropical fruits put together, and 

 it will continue to do so. 



Before the day of rapid transit and shipping of fruits in 

 specially constructed cars, and the introduction of cold storage, 

 it often happened that a partial failure of the crop in one section 

 caused a corresponding scarcity in the markets of that section, 

 and prices advanced to a point that was out of the reach of all 

 but the wealthy. Today this does not happen for any length 

 of time. 



Our country extends over such a range of territory and has 

 such a varied climate that the general failure of a crop in the 

 temperate portion of our country is an unheard of occurrence. 

 A shortage in one part is soon made good from other sections. 

 In making an estimate as to the price of any of our fruits, we 

 must take into account the crop of the whole country, for, as 

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