NINTH ANNUAL MEETING. 103 



fancy trade. He seldom or never attends any of the fruit 

 growers' conventions; buys fairly good second-hand 

 crates, and hustles off the fruit, getting from one-half to 

 two-thirds the price that I get net. Perhaps he does 

 make more money in this way, but he cannot get as 

 much pleasure out of his business, and is not as inde- 

 pendent, or cannot be, in choosing his customers, and we 

 want some fun out of it as Vv^ell as profit. 



The general subject of apple growing, which is at pres- 

 ent uppermost in the minds of Connecticut fruit growers, 

 was next taken up. 



In opening the discussion, Mr, J. H. Merriman, Vice- 

 President of the Society, read the following paper: 



LESSONS FROM THE APPLE CROP OF '99. 



B}^ J. H. Merriman, New Britain. 



It is well for the mind at times to pause, and take a 

 retrospective view of our business affairs, and, if possible, 

 learn a lesson, both from our successes and our failures, that 

 will in a measure be a guide in the future. In other 

 words, reflection is more profitable than repentance. 

 Foresight is better than hindsight; yet by bitter experi. 

 ence, perhaps the most valuable, certainly the most last- 

 ing, lessons of life are obtained. And I am sure the year 

 1899 has been unique in some respects, but rich in experi- 

 ences, from which we may glean many object lessons. In 

 these times, when business lines are drawn so closely, suc- 

 cess means not only reflection, but it means judgment and 

 forethought, based upon experience and reflectiou. 



Horticulture must, if success is attained, be conducted 

 upon business principles; as much so as the manufacturing 

 or mercantile industries. It is of some of these underlying 

 principles I would for a few moments call your r.ttention 

 to our theme. 



"Lessons from the Apple Crop of 1899 1" As we turn 

 back the leaves of time a few moments we see written in 

 -bold and indelible letters upon the tablet of our memory 



