FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
91 
the crate leaves the packing house. This 
however, is practically beyond the grow¬ 
er’s control and about all he can do is to 
take his medicine cheerfully. We have 
tried both express and refrigerator and 
do not find much difference to us. They 
both generally run a close race for the lion’s 
share of the proceeds. Mr. Chas. Ed¬ 
wards Russell’s article in the April num¬ 
ber of ‘‘Everybody’s Magazine” gives 
some interesting information on shipping 
peaches in refrigerator cars, which is es¬ 
pecially enlightening to the grower and is 
well worth his reading and considering. 
It does not appear that the peach crop 
will be heavy in our neighborhood this 
season. We account for it by the large 
amount of fall bloom last year and the 
presence of Thrip in the bloom this spring. 
In conclusion I would remark that the 
old idea of one crop of peaches in three 
years paying the grower is entirely ex¬ 
ploded and further that unless he can 
put fruit on an early market and get the 
best prices, he will find it a hard task to 
cover the expenses of growing and 
marketing them. Perhaps the latter is the 
worst to contend with, for then the fruit 
passes more or less out of the ordinary 
grower’s control and he must take what 
he can get. The fruit is moved very quick¬ 
ly, a good market will often go to pieces in 
a few hours and the grower is lucky if 
this does not happen to his heaviest and 
finest shipments. 
Fertilizers and Irrigation. 
By Df. Wm* C* Richardson. 
Mr. President^ Ladies and Gentlemen: 
The subject of fertilizers and irrigation 
are possibly the two most important mat¬ 
ters connected with horticultural pur¬ 
suits in the State of Florida. 
Some years since the writer made a visit 
to California and from obser\^ations of 
the field there, reached the conclusion that 
the California grower had to pay as much 
for irrigation, which was an absolute 
necessity, as the Florida grower had to pay 
for fertilizers. Since that time it has been 
found that for success and best results the 
California producer must fertilize, and 
the Florida producer must, in order to get 
the best returns, irrigate. 
It seems that the merest tyro needs only 
to keep his eyes and ears open to learn all 
about the subject of fertilization. The 
ubiquitous fertilizer expert and agent is 
ever ready and anxious to impart all and 
even more than can possibly be known on 
the subject. The writer has no desire 
or intention to belittle or underestimate 
the fertilizer man who spends all of his 
time, and much of his money, to learn by 
study, experience and observation all that 
may be discoverable in his business, but at 
the same time it may be well to discount 
