MY VINEYABD. 81 



it to be the most agreeable part of agriculture, and best 

 adapted to a small farm. I first investigated the subject 

 of a market for my produce. I was somewhat disappoint- 

 ed in finding that there was scarcely any demand for 

 small fi^uits in the nearest large markets, and facilities for 

 sending so far as Chicago were very poor. At the East, 

 fruit-growing had already become a profitable bi'anch of 

 business, especially in the vicinity of all the larger places, 

 and on such thoroughfares as aflForded facilities in reaching 

 the principal city markets. I did not exactly understand 

 why the same business was unprofitable in close proximi- 

 ty to large western towns. My investigations led to the 

 belief that quality of soU or character of climate offered 

 no adequate explanation. The true reason in the case I 

 have since learned, which is simply this, that the tastes of 

 the people at that time were such that very few of the 

 small fruits were demanded. And why ? Because the 

 supply had been so small and perhaps the quality so poor 

 that people had not learned to consider them necessary or 

 desirable. Now all this is changed. The tastes of the 

 people have become educated. The increased supply has 

 placed them within the reach of larger niunbers, and thus 

 an increased demand has been created. 



Seven years ago the growers of Gi'apes on Kelly's Is- 

 land, in Lake Erie, could scarcely peddle off their small 

 crops at six cents a pound ; this year they have sold their 

 crops, amounting to a thousand tons at the very least, 



