THIRTY-THIRD BI^NNIAI, SESSION 
I5I 
The fertility requirement comes into consideration. Many of our 
fruit growers believe there is no other fertilizer quite so good for the apple 
orchard and some of the small fruits (we are not agreed as to peaches) as 
stable manure. Now most of us are situated where we cannot get that 
readily. We cannot get it from the city; hauling and freight both are 
practically prohibitive. Some of our fruit growers believe the best way 
is to combine with our fruit growing some lines of farming where animals 
are kept and then use that manure on the orchard and buy chemicals to grow 
the farm crops. 
The type of market needs to be considered. Personally I am located 
in a region which is primarily a dairy region. I have a market for a small 
amount of different kinds of fruit. Last year my peaches were nearly all 
sold right at the orchard. A one dollar advertisement in a local paper 
twelve miles away practically sold my crop. People came for twelve miles 
to buy peaches to take home to can, because there happened to be no 
orchards with any peaches nearer than mine. I should say, however, that 
this would not apply in the production of large quantities; in the case of 
carloads it w’ould not work at all. But very often the same thing would apply 
to strawberries, raspberries and certain other fruits; and I find that people 
are beginning to look to us for that family supply of fruit. Now I believe 
that for me it is wise to diversify my fruit to supply that market, ratheir 
than to attempt to be a big grower of one of them where obliged to ship at a 
disadvantage. It is a local question which each must solve for himself. 
I would like you to recall that the same idea came out at one of the ses- 
sions, having no special connection with this, with reference to the straw- 
berry in Ohio. You will remember they said there used to be large areas, 
and now there are smaller areas. Probably the growers found it is wise 
to limit their production along this line. 
When we come to this problem of diversification we need to be a little 
cautious that we do not meet too much labor competition with the different 
lines or problems. To illustrated by my own practice: In our region 
spring grain is grown almost exclusively — probably ten and possibly even 
twenty-five acres of spring grain to one acre of winter grain. Yet I have 
found it wise for me to change to winter grain almost exclusively, because 
of the conflict between the spring grain and the orchard work — both need 
work early in spring. Therefore I have found it best to get as much of the 
work as possible out of the way in the fall. 
Competition a Big Factor. 
Then, likewise, the question of price competition, demands attention, 
what will pay best? Not merely what will pay but what will pay as well 
or better than something else — to choose the things which will give us the 
most profit. For instance, I have been growing roots for my pigs for a 
series of years. I think they pay, but I have been studying carefully the 
question of whether after all that is a wise thing to do, whether that same 
time put on something else — on strawberries, raspberries, or on pruning — 
would not pay better; and if so I better cut the production of roots out; 
in spite of the advantage in feeding, it does not pay as well. 
