44 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



supply the demand ; in other words, he does not want to work 

 np a market for his Yellow Transparents, and then drop it 

 when Williams Early are in season, and allow his customers 

 to foro-et all about Jones before his Mclntoshes come on. I 

 have known a man, and a good business man, too, who refused 

 50 cents a barrel more for his Spies than he could sell them 

 for to his regular customers, merely because he did not want 

 to break the connection. For such a grower as we are now con- 

 sidering, I do not believe that ten or a dozen varieties are too 

 many. This may sound like rank heresy, but if the varieties 

 are selected with the proper care and consideration, I am sure 

 that it is right. 



But, whichever market one is working for, there are certain 

 characters in fruit and tree which ought to be considered, 

 though their relative importance will vary somewhat. I 

 have a great weakness for score cards, because it seems to me 

 that they will help us to reduce our judgments to a more 

 definite basis, and help one who lacks experience to give more 

 nearly proper weight to each point. I have therefore worked 

 out the following score card, which T have used in my classes 

 with good results, and which I believe will help the intending 

 planter to give the proper rating to each variety : — 



Score Card for a Commercial Variety of Apples. 



Tree, .... 



1. Heavy bearer, 



2. Early bearer, 



3. Healthy and vigoroua, 



Fruit 



4. Fair size, 



5. Good Color, 



6. Good quality, 



7. Keeps well, . 



8. Ships well, . 



Special Market. 



100 



This is by no means an ideal score card, but it represents 

 fairly accurately my notions as to the comparative value 

 of the different points. To discuss each of these points 

 briefly : — 



