STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 29 



How to better distribute and open more markets for our fruit in 

 years of great plenty', is one of the questions we are called upon to 

 solve. Thousands of bushels of apples lie rotting in our cellars 

 while tens of thousands of people here on this continent are unable 

 to obtain an apple at a fair price. New marl^ets must be opened and 

 arrangements made with transportation companies to carry our fruit 

 at lower rates. When we can get as low rates as our western fruit 

 growers do to England, we can place our apples in distant markets 

 and realize better prices. 



The plan of evaporating our surplus fruit has been advocated by 

 some, and I think no doubt that to a certain extent it is advisable, 

 particularly to dispose of the poorer grades of apples when the 

 farmer can do it with little or no extra help. 



In those sections where fruit growing is made a specialt}' and 

 prices are low, there are already enough evaporators in operation to 

 supply the present demand at prices so low that we cannot afford 

 to compete with them. 



In closing I wish to say a word to those who are so discouraged 

 by the experience of the past season in apple raising, that they have 

 lost all faith in the business, and will turn their attention to other 

 crops, neglecting the orchard until prices advance. 



Perhaps the farmer is no more vacillating than other men, but 

 it is proverbial that when the price of any farm product is high, 

 everything else is neglected to grow this crop, which can be har- 

 vested only in season to reach an overstocked market. Nearly all 

 business has its ebb and flow, and fruit growing is no exception. 



In some other states apples ma}' yield more abundantly, but our 

 rocky hillsides, almost worthless for anything else, are particularly 

 adapted to orcharding and will give us a good crop with a small 

 investment of capital. Then our apples are not only noted for good 

 keeping qualities, but those varieties that will fully mature in this 

 latitude are much superior in every respect to the same fruit raised 

 in a warmer climate. Maine Kings and Gravensteins are 

 acknowledged by Boston dealers to be superior to all others, even 

 those from the far famed Annapolis valle}'. 



If you have land suitable and have a love for the business, there 

 is no cause for discouragement. Fruit raising pa3's as well, if not 

 better than any farm crop, if the requisite conditions are complied 

 with. Feed well, cultivate well, sort well. In times like these the 

 market reports read, " Onl}' the best sell at all now." 



