ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 71 



The top of the ground should be kept fine and loose. The last 

 season I increased my yield of potatoes one hundred bushels 

 per acre above former yields though I used no more fertilizer. 

 The crop was 25 per cent, better for the extra cultivation. 



Spraying is now a necessity. The best fruit cannot be grown 

 without it. No matter what the variety of small fruits, perfect 

 foliage always precedes the best. Spraying must be thorough 

 and at the proper time in order to obtain the best results. The 

 trimming and thinning must also be done with care. No one 

 set of rules will fit all cases. Trim and thin according to 

 growth of plants, strength of soil and distances between hills 

 or rows. I set raspberries and blackberries five and six feet. 



Third — Knowledge of the best markets. It is essential to 

 know what is wanted by the people who are best able to pay 

 for high-priced goods. The point is how best will suit their 

 case, or to catch the eye in the market. Usually the best dealers 

 have not the time to praise your goods. You must make them 

 as attractive as possible, and put them up in convenient-size 

 packages. Aluch of the finest fruit in the garden is sometimes 

 spoiled in appearance before it reaches the sight of the con- 

 sumer by careless handling, or packing in inconvenient shape 

 for forwarding. Observation is one of the best features. We 

 must visit the markets occasionally and see what others are 

 doing, and have a talk with the dealers. They usually know- 

 best what will please the public especially in their locality. 



Fourth — Square dealing: it takes many years to establish a 

 reputation and it is just as essential to keep it as it is to build 

 it. This cannot be done without personal attention to details 

 of the business. You can lose in a few days by a little care- 

 lessness that which it has cost years to establish, and when it 

 is once lost you cannot regain it. Be sure that the surface is 

 a fair representation of the entire package, or lot of goods, 

 whether they are graded in size or not. The grower and dealer 

 must have a perfect understanding and work together to obtain 

 best results, having perfect confidence in each other. I have 

 never needed much help from the commission men and could 

 sell at the farm, or railroad station near it, direct to retailers 

 more than three times the amount of fruit I can grow, and 

 usually make the price myself f.o.b. at the farm. 



Fifth — Perseverance or endurance in the effort to raise the 



