Lesson of the Apple Crop of 1896. 33 



or else it is forgotten before the next year of super- 

 fluous yields. The enormous apple crop of 1896 was 

 one of these epochs. W. C. Barry* makes the fol- 

 lowing remarks upon this crop, quoting at first 

 from an English fruit -receiver: ' 'In the first place, 

 quantities have been far too excessive, and a very 

 large proportion of the fruit has been and is of a 

 class that prevents rather than favors extended con- 

 sumption. With the knowledge of the exception ally 

 abundant crop, we should have thought shippers 

 would see the necessity for extra care in selecting 

 the fruit, but instead of this, indiscriminate ship- 

 ping seems to have been practiced largely, while 

 the heavy percentage of faulty conditioned barrels 

 indicates that the packing has also been defective.' 

 In this way, at home and abroad, the crop was 

 practically lost. The outlook is certainly discourag- 

 ing, but if we are willing to profit by the experience 

 of the year and learn a lesson, it will be of advan- 

 tage to us. It must be self-evident that hereafter 

 greater care must be exercised in packing, and choicer 

 fruit must be selected for both home and foreign 

 markets. It will probably be many years until a 

 similar crop will be produced. In the meantime, 

 growers should provide themselves with storage 

 houses, where the fruit can be kept till the time 

 arrives to market it advantageously. * * * As 

 the years pass and our experience increases, it be- 

 comes evident that a greater variety of products is 

 necessary to success. The fruit-grower should en- 



* President's Address to Western New York Horticultural Soc., Jan. 27. 1897. 

 D 



