The true northerner., 1899-03-08
FRUIT CULTURE.
THE chIEF TOPIC or CONSIDERATION Bi
THE ANTWERP AND PAW PAW FARMERS
CLUB


CLCR
The March meeting of this club was
held at the nome of ID. Woodman on the
2d inst, with a very full attendance,
only two OF the twenty families included
in the membership being absent Sew
eral invited guests were present and the
very pleasant and commodious parlors
were. amply filled before the dinner
hour was announced.
The social hour, between arrival and
the call TO order, is greatly enjoyed 10y
the members aud the hum of conversa-
tion is incessant.
The dinner on this occasion, as well as
at other meetings of the club, was of the
substantial kind, such as any farmer can
provide ample in quantity, deftly serv-
ed and delicately arranged-such din
ner as leaves pleasant taste lingering
in the memory.
Roll call was answered by some very
fine sentiments, either from the practi-
cal, intellectual, moral or literary stand
point
The paper of the meeting was by Mrs.
Emma r. Smith, upon Fruit Culture"
and it is safe to say that no person IN
this vicinity is more capable of giving
practical information than she. The
full text of the paper is as follows:
"How many of the club, when they
read over the program, wondered what
new could be said upon this time-worn
topic? | wondered myself when asked
to say something to start discussion.
"FruiU culture culture means the APP
plication of labor to render productive
or refining. | think | can tell nothing
new in that line. There are theories,
but all know that to get the best results
there must be thorough work in pruning
and cultivating; the drier the season,
the more cultivating. There is so much
fruit set in this part of the country that
everybody knows it all Even if he does
not he can't be told; he must learn by
experience, and good many are learn
ing that experience is dear teacher.
Now, if | tell you nothing new, you'll
not be disappointed, because you expect
ed old ideas Blessed are they that ex-
pect nothing, for they shall ne'er be dis
appointed
"The time was when people who did
not own any fruit, thought that to set
out trees and plants and gather the har-
vest of fruit and money, principally
money, was all there was of the business.
But the extensive setting of land in our
vicinity to all kinds of fruits has explod-
ed that fallacy, and all classes of people
recognize the fact that horticulture
means work, not only of the hands, but
of the head. OF the raising of fruit we
have made study and are fairly sue
cessful so far as human care and fore
thought can make it, but the marketing
of the same is still an unsolved problem.
When only the hills were producing
fruit, the local or home markets consum-
ed large proportion of the crop and
the balance was shipped to Detroit or
Chicago. Now, when hills, valleys and
plains are covered with trees and vines,
everyone has more than enough, the
local market Is no more and the fruit
seeks consumers in distant parts. The
method pursued SO long for disposing OF
the surplus over the needs of the two
cities mentioned. was re-shipping at an
advance of price to outside points away
from fruit growing regions. That was
: done by commission men when the mar
ket had gone to the bottom the bottom
is lower sometimes than at others and
they instead of the grower reaped the
benefit of the difference in price. The
aim of up-to date growers is to put the
fruit directly into the hands of the con
sumers; but that idea has never been
carried out i'm its entirity to perfect sat
isfaction. for the grower cannot attend
to the cultivation and harvesting of
crops and market it too; he must have
someone for middleman to see To the
shipping and distributing at distance.
Out of this need have grown the associa-
tions in frut growing regions, and these
when conducted honestly, are satisfac-
tory ways of handling the fruit. The
business is getting to be SO extensive
that manager needs TO be an expert
in his line He must be thoroughly
familiar with the whole country, must
know just how much fruit is being rails
ed in all the bearing regions, and know
It's rfi<e-~and place of marketing: he
must understand Just how expeditiously
fruit can be shipped to different points,
and he must know the tricks and trade
of railroading. | consider competent
manager for a fruit association a live
paragon. No country grower who per
haps has visited few times some of the
larger cities can, in my estimation, sue
cessfully manage large fruit business.
We require years of work right along
that line to acquire competency in man
aging large affairs We don't grow to
great things in hurry; never yet was
anything stupendous accomplished but
some one of the leaders had had exper
ience before hand. Long before the
marketing problem is solved, the pack
age will have to undergo change. The
fine specimens must not go i'm the same
kind of package in which inferior fruit
is packed. We must adopt the Cali
fornia wrapping scheme to safely ship
and put on the fancy market i'm good
condition our best fruit.
: "We have now in our midst an insti-
tufion for dignoGinO of that fruit which