72 



THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



When I come in here I have to rub up against the fellow that 

 has been showing his fruit and has learned a lot of things that 

 I don't know anything about. I have to rub up against the 

 fellow who has been watching the judges when they scored 

 those apples, and who has watched them when they have taken 

 up those apples and looked them all over. Perhaps I have 

 been in here two or three times and have gone away wonder- 

 ing why it was that I have not taken a prize. Naturally I 

 have wanted to find out what was the matter. By and by, little 

 by little it begins to be clear to me what standard first-class 

 fruit is, and I eo back on to my farm determined not to raise 

 anything else. Hundreds of times fruit that the exhibitor 

 thinks is first class in every particular, when the judges come 

 to examine it, is found to be blemished from insect attacks. 

 Now if I am any kind of a fellow at all I am going to learn 

 something from all that. I am going to learn to bring some- 

 thing to the fairs and exhibitions that has not got any de- 

 fects in it. I am going to raise standard fruit, and I am going 

 to keep at it until I do. Now it seems to me that that is just the 

 situation. There are a wdiole lot of men all the time learning 

 what constitutes first-class fruit, and it is having a wonderful 

 influence all along the line to improve the quality of our ap- 

 ples. The men that can not keep up with the procession have 

 got to quit. And that is not the whole story either. A whole 

 lot of people who attend these fairs and exhibits are learning 

 what apples ought to be. and that helps to increase the demand 

 for first-class fruit. I am selling apples in the City of Pough- 

 keepsie to-day, selling apples for seconds that ten years ago 

 would have gone in there at first-class price. People that I 

 am selling No. i fruit to will not touch that other grade. 

 They are a lot of fanc}' grocers, and just as soon as they find 

 any of that lower grade they will have them right out, and 

 tell you that thev are not in the habit of selling a Number 2. 

 and that they would rather, pay you for the No. i and have 

 you take the other lot away. 



Now I believe, Air. President, that the results that we see 

 on the apples in these different horticultural shows can be very 

 largely attributed to the usefulness and activities of the dif- 

 ferent horticultural and pomological societies throughout this 



