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does not always march with the opinion of the connoisseurs. The 

 difference between professional and popular judgment in this mat- 

 ter comes about because of the general misconception of the relative 

 value of size, color and quality in fruit. It is to a consideration of 

 the values of these attributes that I ask your attention for a short 

 time with the hope of suggesting something to stem the present com- 

 parative unpopularity of the products of eastern orchards. 



Appreciation of fruits comes through three of the five senses — 

 taste, sight and smell, though the last is of little importance, being 

 so intimatelv connected with taste as to almost be a part of it. The 

 senses of taste and sight remain. AA'e grow fruit to eat and it would, 

 therefore, seem that taste should set the seal and symbol on a good 

 fruit. But somehow a great number of people imagine that size 

 and color are of more importance than quality and judge fruit by 

 the eye rather than by the mouth. A misunderstanding, it might be 

 said a quarrel, has thus arisen between the advocate of taste and 

 sight. Extremeness of A'iew, misapprehension of purpose, and not 

 a little intolerance, is shown on both sides. Let us discuss fairly 

 and without prejudice the properties of fruits which give them 

 value. 



When the nurseryman sets his net, in shape of an illustrated 

 catalogue, for the fruit grower, he baits it with gorgeous illustra- 

 tions showing fruits of heroic proportions. The most frequent 

 descriptive phrase accompanying this alluring bait is, ''of largest 

 size." In his turn the fruit-grower usually makes an exhibit, or a 

 sale, or a present of his wares, with the apologetic yarn that he kept 

 the largest for his own use, or he had larger last year; or, if you 

 catch him in his orchard he lets you know that he could grow larger 

 fruits if he were only so disposed. All this shows a craving after 

 size — a craving that has been bred and is now stimulated by com- 

 petitive exhibitions in which size is usually given first place. This 

 has gone on for so long that now in the eyes of the "average per- 

 son," personification of what we call the public, size is esteemed 

 about the highest quality a fruit may possess. This feeling finds ex- 

 pression many times at every fruit exhibit when onlookers remark 

 in a deprecatory tone, "I've seen lots of apples larger than those." 

 \Miat are the true merits of size in fruits ? The question needs 

 careful consideration. We cannot make advance in horticulture 

 until we know what we want. 



In tree fruits for the kitchen, fair or large size is distinctlv 

 meritorious, saving waste in paring and coring or pitting though 

 even here there are exceptions for one does not want a huge baked 

 apple, a mammoth peach for canning, nor large plums for preserv- 

 ing. But for aU dessert purposes the medium sized fruit should be 

 preferred and the Fameuse or a little Lady apple, a Seckel or 

 Doyenne pear, a Crawford peach and a Green Gage or Jeft'erson 

 plum are, or should be, as acceptable as any varieties of their kinds. 

 Certainly no one wants to make two bites at a cherry, strawberrv, or 

 any of the small fruits. Size in fruit is often poor economv 

 whether on the fruit stand, in the hotel or for the home, for a small 

 or medium fruit frequently answers the same purpose that a larger 

 one would. It is true that some of the varieties of our tree-fruits 



