Middletown transcript., 1901-01-12
FRUIT CULTURE.
The Peninsula Horticultural
Society in Session.
FINE EXHIBITION OF FRUIT.
Assemblymen Attend in Body Address on
horticultural Education MANY
Topics Of Importance to the
Farmer Discussed.

ton began its annual meeting at the
Opera House here Wednesday morning
and continued until Friday. One of the
features was most interesting exhibit of
apples, pears, &c.
After the convention had been called
to order by President Carter the opening
prayer was made by the Rev. F. H.
Moore. S. M. Reynolds made an address
Of welcome on behalf of the town and D.
w. Corbit, of Odessa, made similar
address an behalf of the county.
Robert Morren, of Michigan, made a
most interesting address in which he told
of his experiences in travelling through
farming sections. In the course of his
remarks he said: II thought when I got
to Delaware that had fonnd the best
groomed farmers and finest country l
had ever seen. Most of the farmers could
readily be taken for bankers" He was
greeted with great applause.
In his address to the society, President !
Carter made his greeting to the society |
with most excellent report concerning
the fruit yield on this Peninsula, with |
special credit to the work accomplished
by the Peninsula Horticultural Society in
shaping the policies and practices of the
fruit growers. He advocated strongly
the teaching of horticulture in the public
schools, study which would exercise a
far-reacliing and commanding effect upon
the fruit growing sections in the future.
PRESIDENT CARRIERS ADDRESS:
s'The past season has been a prosper
GUS one for fruit growers, and a large
majority of them have reaped substan.
tial profit from their crops. In some
intances there has been such an abun-
| dance of particular kinds of fruit that
low prices prevailed, but such result is
inevitable when the supply is in excess
Of the demand and the market il glutted |
The are but two remedies for such con-
dition. One is to reduce the acreage and |
the other to extend the scope of the mar
ket and send the fruit to distant points, |
by aid of refrigeration.
PEACH NO LONGER KING.
''The peach is certainly no longer the |
king Of the peninsular frnits We have
had big crop this year and the fruit as |
rule has been fine, but in many in |
stances the growers made money. In my |
opinion, if the crop is to be profitable in |
the future it must be made SO by judic- |
ious thinning and pruning, high cult |
ure, liberal feeding of the soil and exer-
clslng particular pains in picking, grad |
ing and marketing the products of our |
orchards. We must make it not only the |
best fruit in the market but also the best |
looking fruit and thereby restore to the |
Delaware and Maryland peach the undis-
puted prestige it enjoyed III years gone by.
"There was good crop of strawberries
in 1900. Once more the supply was
greater than the demand, and low prices
ruled to the detriment of the growers
The area of distribution enjoyed by the
strawberries is at present circumscribed
by its power to Withstand the natural
process of the decay without artificial pre-
ventives by the use of the refrigerator
car this area might be extended to such
degree that by judicious system of
distribution a glut could be made mat
ter OF practical impossibility.
'"The supply of raspberries and black
berries was limited and prices were fair
throughout. Early apples paid well
and we had a fair crop of "Yellow Trans
parent" and ''Red Astrakan."
THURSDAY AFTERNOON. |,
The session of the Peninsula Horti-
cultral Society Thursday was made much
more interesting by the attendance of the
members of the Delaware Legislature,
who came by special invitation to hear
Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey, of Cornell
University lecture, on Horticultural Ed
ucation." His talk was interesting, and
many of the legislature had no
knowledge of farming or agricultural
pursuits, they gave close attention to 4
Professor Bailey, who was an eloquent
talker and presented his subject in a
manner to be appreciated by all. Joseph
E. Carter, of Smyrna, presided over the
meeting and Lieutenant -Governor-elect
Cannon, President Ellison and Speaker
occupied seats on the plat
form with him.
Professor Bailey said that on his visits
nowadays he observes general elevation
and tone of uplift in the farming COM
nunities. There is more intelligence
abroad, greater interest and enthusiasm
N agricultural work. All this is brought
about by an agricultural education, he
notwithstanding the state
nents Of stump speakers, the daily press
md magazines that agriculture is on a
lecline, is afflicted with an incurable n
disease. This education is not school ed .
lcation specifically, but a general broad :
sning of information through experiment z
tation bulletins, agricultural papers, etc.
he recalled that few years ago educa- ii
lion was for the few. The great trend r
ince the day of the father of education
o the present day has been to give edu-
alton to the people, Now it is not artis-
ocratic, it is democratic.
Professor Bailey traced educational
progress in the world, linking with it the
teady, broadening desire to attain and
0 disseminate knowledge pertaining to
griculture and horticulture. George
Washington, he said, had much to do in 4
the condition of the farming Y
lasses. In the present day the speaker /.
aid something is needed to stand between "
he agricultural colleges and the people
0 fill in the gap existing between the N
we. The university extensions idea, he :.
bought would meet in this condition. ei,
yearly every college in the country to- pe 1s
ay is taking up this missionary spirit "
t is in Delaware to-day, Professor Bailey Fl
aid, referring to the plan of Professor IIs2 IsC
Teale and other attaches of the Delaware be
experiment. Station in lecturing on agri-
lltural subjects and issuing valuable in.
pertaining to that pursuit for On
1e benefit of the men following it. In
lis country any man who writes to an