CULTIVATION of fruit in this country has attained such proportions that, if we are to believe the statements of some growers, it is no longer profitable. If this is true we should investigate the cause, and then like sensible men apply the remedy. The cause of this depression in prices, I think, is the production of such large quantities of poor fruit, which must be sold for a price less than the cost of production. Thousands of quarts of berries, tons of unripe grapes, thousands of barrels of apples, pears and quinces which are not fit for consumption are sent to the market with the idea of getting some price for them.

Growers make a great mistake in shipping unripe grapes to market, for when the market is stocked with other varieties of ripe fruit there is but little demand for the ripe grapes, and none for the unripe. The continued shipping of the unripe grapes to market has the effect of depressing the prices for a time after the ripe grapes replace the unripe. If such varieties as the Champion, Hartford and Elvira were exterminated from our vineyards and only the later varieties cultivated and allowed to ripen before being picked, the grower would realize a greater profit from his vineyard than he now does; or if those sour varieties were permitted to ripen it would add to their value, as then they might be sold for wine. But now each grower vies with the other to get his grapes on the market first, and the consequence is that the returns from the sale of the fruit do not pay for the labor expended upon it.

Premature, wormy and imperfect apples, pears, etc., are an objectionable feature in the trade, and the continued shipping of these fruits has the same effect upon the market as in the case of unripe grapes. It would unquestionably be far better to keep this fruit at home and send to market only the ripe and perfect kinds. Not only would better prices be obtained, but the chance of having the fruit seized by the agents of the Board of Health would be reduced to a minimum. Each year these agents seize large quantities of unripe fruit and there is no redress for the shipper.

During the strawberry season there are many dealers from other cities whose business is to ship to their home customers, and I have frequently heard these men say that "although there are so many berries in market, we cannot procure enough desirable stock to fill our orders".

The self-evident remedy is to plant less acres, to devote more care to securing fruit of a better quality, and cease shipping premature and unripe fruit to market. Producers should remember that the taste of consumers is becoming cultivated and now the demand is for the best fruits. Each year it is more difficult for dealers to dispose of the immense quantities of inferior grades. To become a successful cultivator one needs brains, energy, capital and a large amount of patience and perseverance, in order to overcome the many obstacles to be met with in his business. Having succeeded in learning how to produce good fruit, the next item is to learn how to market it. One important feature is the selection of proper packages for each variety; for frequently the form of a package is objectionable to the purchasers, and one who aims at success in fruit culture must meet the wants of purchasers. Of late years the gift packages have become so popular that many refuse to buy fruit in packages on which a deposit is required. Choice fruit sells better in small gift packages than in larger ones.

Some growers ship their poor fruit in these small packages, thinking that if the size of the package affects the price secured for good fruit it will also help the price of the poor stuff; but that is a mistake.

Another important item is to establish a reputation for giving honest weight and measure; and to secure this reputation, the grower must give the packing of the fruit his personal attention, for some employes think it folly to be so particular, and imagine they know how to do it as well as the employer, and do not hesitate to deceive the purchaser, thinking that their employer will not find it out. The result is that the brand is ruined without the knowledge of the owner. Possibly the owner may wonder why his fruit does not sell for its accustomed price, and the receiver, supposing that the owner is aware of the change in packing, says nothing when reporting the sales.

Again the grower is apt to overlook the placing of the fruit wagon in charge of a trusty triver in transit to the station. A careless person can do much harm by driving over rough places without any regard to the tender character of the fruit. I would suggest to the shippers of tender fruit that they follow their drivers occasionally to the station and examine the fruit before it leaves for market. I know from personal experience that a large amount is injured in this way and the loss attributed to the transportation companies.

Let the shipper raise the covers of his berry crates and he will soon learn why dealers complain of the poor condition in which the fruit arrives. In some instances he will see berry baskets resting at an angle of 45 degrees, with one-third of the fruit gone, or he may see all of the fruit in the top tier of baskets so bruised by jolting as to be worthless. It would be wiser for the dealer to throw this tier away than to sell the whole at the value represented by the top.

An essential point for the shipper to consider is the selection of a commission merchant to sell his fruit. This being done, he will do well to inform the merchant of the varieties and quantity of each fruit he proposes shipping, and to obtain all the information he can upon the best methods of preparing and shipping the fruit; also, the kind of packages to be used in order to place the fruit upon the market to the best advantage. The dealer is generally much better informed on those points than the shipper, who would frequently save money if he would consult with the merchants more frequently. Every shipper should be on the most friendly terms with his dealer, as their interests are usually mutual.

No shipper should hesitate to ask for the information he needs, or take offence when the dealer points out defects in packages or methods of packing. I consider it a part of his duty to note and inform his patrons of these deficiences, yet I have frequently known persons to get angry at their dealers for mentioning these items, and quit shipping to them.

One of the great mistakes shippers make is to keep their dealers in ignorance of the quantity and varieties they have to send, or when they intend shipping. One day a grower may send a small lot of a certain variety, and should the dealer report its sale at a high price, the sale perhaps being made because it was a small lot, he may immediately double or triple the quantity, thinking it just as easy to sell much as little. On its arrival the dealer is compelled to lower the price or let it perish, whereas if the shipper had notified the dealer of the amount he proposed shipping, the dealer could have instructed him as to the quantity to send at once. Not only this, but the dealer could probably have arranged with his customers to take it on arrival at liberal prices. A curious feature of the fruit trade is that shippers demand a daily report of sales from the dealers, yet at no time during the season do most shippers give the dealer any notice of their intentions as to shipments, and be they little or much, a full price is always expected. Nor does it seem to enter the minds of some that the non-arrival of the usual quantity affects the dealer, or be a disappointment to the purchaser, who had been accustomed to get it regularly.

In fact, shippers show the utmost indifference to the whole matter. C. W. Idell.