January, 1918 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
67 
The illness of two members of the 
society also reduced the exhibits 
somewhat. The display of Wis- 
consin grown apples and vege- 
tables in the rotunda of the second 
floor of the capitol was, however, 
worth coming long distances to 
see. Hardly without exception, 
the exhibits of apples were placed 
by commercial growers, and rep- 
resented the best products of the 
Bayfield peninsula, Door penin- 
sula, the Lakeshore district, from 
Kewaunee county southward to 
Milwaukee county, and including 
choice specimens from the famous 
Kickapoo Valley orchards of 
Crawford county. Sauk county, 
with A. K. Bassett, of Baraboo, as 
its champion, came through the or- 
deal with a long string of prizes to 
its credit. Jefferson county was 
represented no less thoroughly by 
Fremont Louhsbury, Watertown, 
who likewise made some “clean- 
ings” in standard varieties. 
Nevertheless, there still contin- 
ues to be a lamentable lack of in- 
terest in the annual state apple 
and fruit show, a fact not easily 
explained in a casual manner. 
Some attribute this indifference to 
a lack of suitable premium 
awards ; some say it is due to the 
more pressing duties brought 
about by the national call to arms, 
while still other members believe 
the state fair and county and dis- 
trict horticultural shows have 
weaned away some of the faithful. 
Judging of exhibits was left to 
members of the horticultural de- 
partment of the University of 
Wisconsin, J. G. Moore in charge. 
Some interest was attached to 
the annual report of the trial or- 
chard committee, William Toole, 
senior, Baraboo, and M. S. Kel- 
logg, Janesville. In addition to 
maintaining a trial vineyard at 
Sparta for the past seven years, 
the society has eight different test 
orchards leased and under its per- 
sonal management. In this work 
the Wisconsin society leads ail 
other state horticultural associa- 
tion. The orchards are maintained 
for the sole purpose of determin- 
ing to a nicety the sections of the 
state which can be recommended 
for this branch of food production 
on a commercial scale. 
The vineyard at Sparta will be 
abandoned. After seven years’ 
trial the society has found that 
grapes cannot be grown commer- 
cially with any assurance of suc- 
cess in that region. The decision 
need not act as a check on the ef- 
forts of home growers, however, 
the committee stated, but the fact 
remains, nevertheless, that only 
one profitable crop of grapes suit- 
able in every way to Wisconsin 
conditions could be produced dur- 
ing the seven years in which the 
Sparta plot was in operation. The 
best of care and attention was giv- 
en the project from the start. 
The Wisconsin apple grading 
law, which makes compulsory the 
exact grading and packing of all 
apples for sale in the state, was dis- 
cussed, and seemed to meet the 
hearty approval of the members. 
It is the first law regulating the 
fruit industry to be placed on the 
statute books in Wisconsin, and 
Dr. E. D. Ball, of the state depart- 
ment of agriculture, has charge of 
its administration. 
The discussions brought out the 
fact that the law must be respected 
and upheld if for no other purpose 
than to open the way for further 
favorable legislation. To disre- 
gard the provisions of the law, 
which provide that all apples con- 
signed to the regular box and bar- 
rel channels of trade must be 
marked according to four classified 
and one unclassified descriptions, 
would be suicide to the progress of 
Badger horticulture. 
The future of Wisconsin horti- 
culture and some things it must 
stand for was the subject of an ad- 
dress by J. G. Moore, college of ag- 
riculture. Mr. Moore’s keynote 
was that Wisconsin commercial 
fruit growers must aid farmers in 
adopting better methods of caring 
for their home orchards. The com- 
mercial man has in some cases, Mr. 
Moore believes, been loath to im- 
part his trade secrets or give use- 
ful suggestions to neighboring 
farm orchardists for fear that 
these private fruit growers might 
in time come in line for competi- 
tion in the open market with a 
product equal to his own. 
He said that the most significant 
thing in recent horticultural cir- 
cles in Wisconsin was the awak- 
ened interest evinced by the aver- 
age farm orchard owner in prop- 
erly caring for his trees. With 
this in mind, Mr. Moore urged all 
commercial growers to at least 
“practice what they preach on 
their own holdings.” 
They must spray and prune and 
cultivate their orchards for the 
benefit of their farm neighbors as 
well as themselves. The speaker 
pointed out that the danger of pos- 
sible competition from strictly am- 
ateur-grown fruit need not worry 
the commercial grower. 
This is true because of two 
things, he said, namely, that a com- 
mercial man really suffers the most 
damaging sort of competition when 
lots of inferior, scabby fruit is 
thrown on the market. The poor 
stuff sets the price level. Then the 
premium price above that level 
which the commercial man gets for 
his improved article may not be as 
high relatively, after all, as would 
be the case in a market where 
(Continued, on page 78) 
