could raise them, and get better fruit, and this statement was made by men who in times past, before insect pests and other unfavorable conditions seemed not so prevalent as at present, sold considerable quantities of apples to me. With a lively recollection of the many pleasant days spent in spraying and other duties necessary to produce a good apple crop, have partially overcome my natural timidity and when my former acquaintance comes to me to buy apples for his personal use, I think of the 25-cent sirloin steak, 23-cent bacon, dollar-a-bushel potatoes, 60- and 80cent corn he has been selling me indirectly, or would if I could afford to buy, have been able to ask him a good price for my product, and GET IT. This article scatters somewhat, but possibly some of the missiles thus scattered may touch the spot, and now having found proper terminal facilities, will tie up.

The President: The paper is now open for discussion.

Mr. Marshall: I would like to ask Mr. Spencer if he would recommend that the average farmer cut out his orchard or let it go to decay and not replant the family orchard? That is a question which comes up quite often; does it pay the average farm home to have an orchard?

Mr. Spencer: Mr. Marshall, how many men are there in your neighborhood that are farmers who have home orchards and are equipped to spray and care for them and will do it?

Mr. Marshall: Not very many.

Mr. Spencer: Is there a good tree of apples in your state this year that was not sprayed and cared for?

Mr. Marshall: That answers the question.

Mr. Wiley: I have made a little effort this fall and succeeded in interesting quite a number of farmers. They say they will buy a sprayer and will spray. In that case, I am in favor of the farmer's orchard.

Mr. Beebe: I was going to ask Mr. Spencer how many boxes he used in marketing his crop. I understood him to say one thousand boxes for 40 acres.

Mr. Spencer: These are boxes we use to pick in. I am packing them in barrels. As long as I find men who want to buy apples in barrels, I am equipped to pack them in barrels.

Senator Dunlap: Here is a question I am interested in. I will say, with regard to the farmer's orchard, we certainly ought to do one thing; we ought to make him spray his trees or else cut them

down, and there ought to be a law to that effect. I think the sooner we will come to that proposition, the sooner he will spray his orchard. He can unite with his neighbors and buy a spraying outfit. Perhaps it is not economical for a man to spray 100 or 150 trees. I think it is, if he would only get busy and do it. But they could get together by neighborhoods and employ some one to do this spraying, and they could do it very successfully, if they would try it once; I think they would be very much gratified with the results. There is a man in my neighborhood who has what is called a family orchard a few old snags-apple trees 25 years old-have been neglected. In good years they will grow apples; that is, they look like apples in the spring; in the fall they don't look so much like them. They look like a little animal, the prairie dog; they look like somebody had been burrowing in them. With these little orchards all around a commercial orchard, you will find across the fence within an area of five acres, there were many apples there that had the second brood of codling moth, while off from there a way, the apples were all right. If you will take into consideration the fact that every codling moth that escapes from the first spray -if you don't get the spraying material in the blossom end, you are liable to make a harbor for some apple worm, and when it gets out and happens to be a female moth, they will lay 200 eggs. If they get into the third generation, as they have in a few instances. this year with the extended, long, dry, hot season, beginning early in the spring, that one worm that gets out there will have 40,000 worms. This year, those of us who harvested summer apples wouldn't have one worm in 5,000 apples. I have been in the packing shed all day long and had not a single worm reported. Yet the Grimes Golden and Jonathan that come later on, after the Duchess were gone, those had considerable more worms. Those were the ones that entered from the side. The first ones enter from the calyx end. So it would indicate that this year we had three broods of codling moth worms in some instances. You can see the importance of one worm escaping and multiplying to 40,000 at the end of a long season, that it is important that our neighbors' orchards are sprayed as well as our own.

I would like to say, that I favor Mr. Spencer's idea of a packing shed. I think they are very essential, as a rain-shield especially. If a man can get away from the weather, he can pack in the open, perhaps a little more economically than in the shed. We have a flat wagon that hauls 48 boxes at a load, setting flat upon the plat

form, about 6 feet wide and 16 feet long. Have your packing shed as near the orchard as you can, so as to be saved the transportation and hauling back and forth.

I also like the idea of having a good many boxes. We use boxes that consist of pine ends, probably about 14 inches, with a hand hole cut in each, the side and bottom slats are three inches wide and 3⁄4 inch thick, of elm. This makes a good, strong box and lasts for 10 or more years.

Mr. Wiley: Do you pick in sacks from the tree?

Senator Dunlap: We use the bottomless sack for picking. The man who has charge of the picking in the orchard will see to it that the men let the sack down into the box and pull it out, instead of throwing it into the box. There is quite a little contention between the basket and the bag; but my own experience is, there are objections to both. Everything considered, the bag is much to be preferred, with the exception to such apples as the Transparent, where you have to be very careful not to bruise them.

Mr. Ritchey: It seems to me the impression ought not to go out in this meeting that we are discouraging home orchards. I believe, as the Senator, every one who grows fruit ought to be compelled to spray their trees. I believe we ought also to encourage the growing of apples for home use, because many families would be without apples if it wasn't for growing them, and a half acre given to growing of small fruits will supply the ordinary family. I think it would be a mistake to say that the ordinary farmer should cut his trees down, but I do believe the Legislature should take action and compel every man who grows fruit trees to spray them. The suggestion that the farmers in a neighborhood should get together and buy a sprayer and see that their orchards are sprayed, is a good one.

Mr. Spencer: I believe the experience of a good many growers will bear me out, whenever you pass a compulsory spraying law, you will wipe out the farmer's orchard. I am nothing but an apple raiser. When you talk about fruit, that is all there is to me, apples. I think every farmer can grow small fruit successfully. They don't need to spray. When you pass a compulsory law, you will wipe. out the farmer's orchard.

Mr. Hinds: I am surrounded with timber and wild crab apples. I am in the bottom. I think I can raise apples without applying five sprayings on the trees. I think Professor Herrick can bear me out on that. I think we can fight out our own battle without

I

having the Legislature enact a law. I am alone on 50 acres. have produced apples this year without the codling moth. I do not see that a law of that kind would help me out, because I am out in the jungles.

The President: The next paper we will take up is "How I Sold My Crop," by Miss Minnie Avery, Council Bluffs.

HOW I SOLD MY APPLE CROP.

BY MINNIE AVERY, COUNCIL BLUFFS.

When I was invited to appear on the program it was a puzzle to me to decide what subject I could write or speak on that would be of interest to you.

We have heard and read much about spraying, pruning, and the care of the orchard; also the picking and packing of the fruit. But little has been said about how to dispose of the fruit after it is ready for the market. This has been the most difficult part for me, as I had to depend on others to sell my crop.

If there are any ladies here who are thinking of entering the horticultural ranks, or who have already enlisted, perhaps I could help them by telling how I handled my apple crop this year.

My experience in former years has been very trying. There was either a poor market, or I had a poor salesman, and I had a serious time trying to dispose of my little crop at any price. The first year that I had charge of the farm, the apples were fairly worn out carrying them around and trying to sell them, and the last few barrels were sold for 90 cents per barrel, the barrel being returned to me.

I could not help feeling a little discouraged, and I almost felt, as many others had said, that Iowa was no apple state and that the land was more valuable without a tree than with an orchard. My fruit was not high grade, so I decided to do all that lay within my power to improve the quality.

After a few seasons of spraying, pruning, and cultivation my orchard was yielding good crops, but the problem of disposing of it was still unsolved. I sold my other fruit through the association, but they did not care to handle apples, so I was obliged to find my own market. I generally sent them over to the Omaha market and took whatever the man chose to return me. Some days the market would be overstocked and it would be impossible to sell at a good price. At last I succeeded in securing a good salesman and I thought my troubles were over, but one day near the close of last season I made the sad discovery that he was making a good commission besides his wages. So I was compelled to make another change.

This year I decided to handle my crop as nearly as possible myself. I put a little notice in the papers stating that I had apples for sale, and that I made family orders a specialty. My sales were better than I could have hoped for. I was kept busy taking orders over the phone and by letter.

I personally helped pack every load, and was careful to have the baskets well filled and the apples carefully handled. As often as possible I went with the driver to assist him in making the deliveries and to see that everything was satisfactory.

One customer, who gave me a large order for Ben Davis, sent me word that they ran a little too small. I immediately told him that if there were any that were too small to sort them out and either return them or feed them to his horse and I would make them good. I soon received a note from him saying that after looking the apples over they were all right and that one so willing to please a customer would succeed, and he wished me success.

I have sold all my apples in baskets and received my baskets back. If any one wishes to keep a basket he is charged for it.

In this way I have saved all the extra labor and expense of grading and packing in boxes and placing in cold storage.

I knew when I had a load ready just how many bushels there were what kinds, the price, and where they were to go.

I am more than pleased with the success I have had this year, and hope to have the same trade another season.

For a

I have handled over a thousand bushels in this way this year. small grower I believe this would prove a very satisfactory method of disposing of the crop.

The President. This paper is now open for discussion.

:

Mr. Beebe I would like to ask how large a community this crop was sold in?

Miss Avery: I sold it in Council Bluffs, South Omaha and Omaha. There was one gentleman in Omaha who wanted to see first what they were. I sent him over a bushel. Soon afterwards he sent me an order for 32 bushels and a check in advance, and he was well pleased, and sent me another order.

Mr. Hinds: This is my first successful year for disposing of some of my crop. I have not fruit enough to meet the carload buyer. I am speaking especially for the grower around a town of three to five thousand how to go to work and side-step the commercial organization. I am by nature and temperament a scrapper. I think I can help solve that problem. I have prepared for it. I have been 18 years growing fruit, and now I want all there is in