56 



THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS^ CONVENTION. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SECOND DAY. 



Wednesday, April 29, 1908, 9:30 o'clock a. m. 

 The Convention was called to order at 9 : 30 a. m. by the President, 

 and the followino- proceedings were had: 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. We are now ready to take up the pro- 

 gramme for to-day. The first is the paper, by Mr. Reed, and it will be 

 discussed by Mr. Powell and Mr. Eustis. Mr. Powell's voice is not in 

 good condition, and he has asked Mr. Eustis to read his paper. Mr. 

 Powell will be here, and will assist in the explanations from the charts. 



THE PROPER HANDLING OF CITRUS FRUITS. 



By J. H. REED, of Riverside. 



The principal effort in pomology in this country, during last century, 

 was to secure improved varieties of fruits. The wild strawberry we 

 hunted in the meadows in our childhood days, however delicious to our 

 untrained tastes, was not altogether satisfactory. The very. thought of 

 the seedling apple of years ago l)riiigs a quick scowl, till the recollec- 

 tion of the good times of the old-fnshioned paring bee, and the long 

 straws thrust into the bungholes of the liarrels of sweet cider at the old 

 cider mill, turns the scowl to a smile. 



Within my ow^n recollection the family orchards were largely com- 

 posed of seedlings. Here is a photograph of an apple tree which grew 

 from a seed brought by my grandmother from Connecticut and planted 

 by the side of her little log cabin in the woods of Ohio 105 years ago. 

 In those early days its fruit was considered quite wonderful. But 

 while the apples sent me from it, with accompanying photograph, last 

 year were delightful to look at. because of old associations, we had no 

 desire to taste them. In this way those early orchards were started. 

 But then, as now, there were those who wanted something better thap. 

 they had, and w^ent straight about getting it. The grafter — not the 

 modern sort — but with his saw\ and scions, and wax pot, began to put 

 in his annual spring appearance. 



The old seedling fruit had good carrying qualities. AVe could shake 

 it from the trees, pile it into the ox cart, haul it to the cellar, pour it 

 into the big bins, use it during the long winters, and have sound fruit 

 to feed to 'the pigs in late spring. When the grafted branches began to 

 bring us Pippins and Pearmains, we soon found it best to pick instead 

 of shake them from the tree, and store them more carefully. This 

 improved fruit began to be called for in the cities, and commercial 

 orchards of budded stock were planted throughout the middle and the 

 then western states, and a great industry was established. This is no 

 place to go into its varied history, though it is of exceeding interest, and 



