PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 121 



Granting all that can be said, or may be said, it still remains that for 

 canned fruits, as well as for cured fruits, this great territory must look 

 to other than within its borders for supplies; and while Washington 

 and Oregon will get their full share of this trade, it is from California 

 that most of the fruit supplies must come, and with a population which 

 at a conservative figure can not be placed at less than ten millions of 

 people at no distant date, it seems most reasonable to expect a great 

 future market from that direction. 



I believe the conditions are such as to justify us in making a very 

 careful canvass of the situation, thus placing ourselves in a position, not 

 only to obtain, but to hold, this great country as our own market, and 

 with the present favor which our California fruits receive, and by 

 employing honest methods in packing, which should at all times obtain, 

 we have great advantages over any other source of supply. 



It behooves us to treat with the Canadian government for more favor- 

 able duty charges, which, owing to the fact that most of our fruit prod- 

 ucts do not compete with any like products of their home growing, I 

 believe could be secured with very little trouble, and while I am not pre- 

 pared to say that we will ever be able to compete, in the markets of the 

 world, against the wheat, oats, barley, and live stock which will pour 

 out of this vast region, I do not look upon the possibility of a sufficient 

 area of fruits of any varieties to be developed in western Canada to, 

 in any great extent, affect our marketing from California vast quanti- 

 ties of our fruits, both fresh and cured, and it seems to me no time 

 should be lost in working out a system for securing this business. 



THE CHAIRMAN. There are a few minutes yet that can be util- 

 ized as you see fit. 



MR. MILLS. There is a man among us who has been very greatly 

 interested in the farmer and his work. He has done more than any 

 other man, I believe, in this State to advance our interests. Judge 

 Shields of Sacramento is here, and I am sure you will be glad to hear 

 from him. 



THE CHAIRMAN. We will be glad to hear from Judge Shields. 



ADDRESS BY JUDGE PETER J. SHIELDS, OF SACRAMENTO. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am completely taken by sur- 

 prise at this very substantial honor and in presence of the breadth and 

 variety of the discourses which have been presented. I am reminded 

 of the incident of a peculiar old character we had down in Sacramento 

 who was asked to address a body, and when asked upon what subject he 

 would speak said he would leave it to the chairman. After thinking 

 it over awhile the chairman announced that he was going to talk on the 



