Lesson of the Apple Crop of 1896. 38 
or else it is forgotten before the next year of super- 
fluous yields. The enormous apple crop of 1896 was 
one of these epochs. W. C. Barry * makes the fol- 
lowing remarks upon this crop, quoting at first 
from an English fruit-receiver: ‘“ ‘In the first place, 
quantities have been far too excessive, and a very 
large proportion of the fruit has been and is of a 
class that prevents rather than favors .extended con- 
sumption. With the knowledge of the exceptionally 
abundant crop, we should have thought shippers 
would see the necessity for extra care in selecting 
the fruit, but instead of this, indiscriminate  ship- 
ping seems to have been practiced largely, while 
the heavy percentage of faulty conditioned barrels 
indicates that the packing has also been defective.’ 
In this way, at home and abroad, the crop was 
practically lost. The outlook is certainly discourag- 
ing, but if we are willing to profit by the experience 
of the year and learn a lesson, it will be of advan- 
tage-to us. It must be self-evident that hereafter 
greater care must be exercised in packing, and choicer 
fruit must be selected for both home and foreign 
markets. It will probably be many years until a 
similar crop will be produced. In the meantime, 
growers should provide themselves with storage 
houses, where the fruit can be kept till the time 
arrives to market it advantageously. * * * As 
the years pass and our experience increases, it be- 
comes evident that a greater variety of products is 
necessary to success. The fruit-grower should en- 
* President’s Address to Western New York Horticultural Soc., Jan. 27, 1897. 
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