SEriLXTEHXTH .I.Wr.lL MlillTIXG. 113 



that conies a long way in refrigerator cars, and that does not 

 keep at all well, and the consumer wants native fruit earlier. 

 Whv doesn't the Coimecticut fruit grower try for at least three 

 weeks of the early market ? You lose six weeks of the berry 

 trade, and the good prices that always accompany the early 

 sales. 



This consumer will make a suggestion. Is there any 

 good reason why a piece of ground cannot be prei)ared with 

 pipes, laid deep enough to thoroughly warm the soil and keep 

 it at normal temperature? Then, if there is a cold, backward 

 season, or an unusuall\- wet one. just turn on the heat and 

 force growth. Now what do you think of that? Vou are 

 thinking that that woman doesn't know much about fruit 

 growing, or she would not advance such impractical ideas. 

 Well, she doesn't. But there was a time when you all thought 

 shade-grown tobacco was not possible. All new ideas are 

 startling. Suppose someone who likes to experiment, tries 

 this "hot pipe"' idea. Some of the Connecticut farmers "lay 

 pipes" for other things. Some have already begun. 



The amount of dirt, street dirt, that one gets with her 

 berries is appalling. Of course, with the larger fruits, apples, 

 pears, and peaches, this can be avoided by paring, but we 

 cannot scrub our berries. If the producer brings his fruit 

 protected, and I guess he doesn't always, not all dealers keep 

 fruit inside, out of the way of street dirt, which we have with 

 us always. And, Mr. President, why do the berries mould 

 so quickly, in or out of the ice-box, in or out of the basket? 



The letter of instruction received by this consumer said : 

 "Tell us all the consumer is "up against.' " The story isn't 

 half told yet. We are "up against" a problem when we go 

 to buy melons, the small melons, the muskmelons, cantaloupes 

 and nutmegs. It's not only a problem, it's a conundrum and 

 a puzzle combined. There seems actually no way to know a 

 melon but to eat it. You cannot judge by the looks, and you 

 cannot take the word of the clerk, because he does not know. 

 And so many melons revert to type and taste "squashy !" 



