consisting of Williams, Smith and Nowlin, was appointed for the purpose of reporting a plan for raising the necessary funds for the support of the Society.

Mr. Galusha, of Illinois, from the committee to whom the report on Experimental Stations was recommitted, reported the following, which was adopted:

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS,★

WHEREAS, The attention of the Congress of the United States has been so often called to the importance of fostering the interests of agriculture, horticulture and the mechanic arts, as to induce them to provide for the establishment in the several States of the Union of agricultural colleges for the special work of teaching those sciences relating to agriculture and the mechanic arts; and,

WHEREAS, In the opinion of the members of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society these institutions generally devote an undue proportion of the instructions in these colleges to literary studies, and thus, in so far, fall short of accomplishing in the best manner and to the fullest extent the special objects for which they were created;

Resolved, That we urge upon the trustees of the various agricultural colleges the importance of giving prominence to the science and practice of agriculture, horticulture and the mechanic arts; and,

WHEREAS, A bill has been introduced into Congress for the establishment in each of the several States one or more Experimental Stations in connection with these agricultural colleges, for the testing of trees, plants and seeds, and different breeds of animals, etc.; therefore,

Resolved, That we urge upon the Representatives and Senators in Congress from the several States represented in this convention, attention to the importance of the objects named in said bill, and earnestly request them to adopt this bill, or another equivalent in its provisions.

Resolved, That a sufficient number of copies of these resolutions be printed by the Secretary and distributed among the members of this Society for their use in carrying out the objects sought.

Mr. Baker, of Kansas, a member of the same committee, asked leave to add the following supplemental resolution, which the Society granted:

Resolved, That in view of the rapid extinction of the forests of the country, the time has arrived when all government timber lands should be withdrawn from market, and the timber thereupon only should be sold, and in such a manner as to protect the forests from extinction. To do this effectually the forest lands should be divided into districts of reasonable extent, each under care of a government inspector, whose duty it shall be to supervise the forest growth, to bring trespassers to

* See page 104.

justice, and to see that only such trees are sold as can be spared without detriment, or whose removal would be advantageous, or that no trees below a certain size shall be cut on tracts designated. It should also be made his duty to exercise oversight of tracts from which the merchantable timber has already been removed, to see that the young growth is not injured, and especially that it be protected from fire. To this end there should be a body of young, energetic and practical men educated by the government, and standing in the same relation to it that the graduates of West Point and Annapolis do, competent, faithful, and fond of their work. To raise up this class there should be established such a number of national schools of forestry as may be found necessary, care being taken that the schools are distributed in the different sections of the Union according to climatic division and the character of their natural forests, as, for instance, the white pine regions, the southern pine and cypress country, the regions where the walnut, maple, elm and deciduous trees are the prevalent growth, and the high prairies and treeless plains and mountain slopes. Attached to each of these schools there should be an experimental farm, where every tree known to the United States should be planted, and in certain localities, as determined by their natural dryness and altitude, the methods of irrigation as applied to forest culture should be thoroughly tested.

The President appointed Mr. T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, a substitute for Mr. P. J. Berckmans, of Georgia, as chairman of the Committee on Fruits on Exhibition.

Mr. Smith, of Wisconsin, then read the following

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:

Refrigerator cars may be and are good where they can be governed by one person in air intelligent manner-our President does this.

But for general use we do not deem it practical. Well ventilated cars, both for express and freight, should be provided by transportation companies wherever fruit is to be carried during warm weather. The free circulation of air through the whole load is indispensable to its keeping in good condition. Instance-strawberries from Mississippi, Tennessee and Southern Illinois, by express, reach Chicago often so thoroughly heated as to be entirely unfit for shipment, and of little value to any one.

The cause cars packed solid with fruit and vegetables, generate sufficient heat to seriously damage them at any time; but packed in tight cars, often loaded to the roof, shut up tight, no chance for any air to circulate through the car, makes it suffocating to breathe and melts the fruit. To avoid this, express cars, particularly, should be so constructed as to admit all the air possible; if it were possible, they should be piled with inch strips between each tier of cases. Railroad men 'may say that ventilation admits cinders. This is true; but the openings can be covered with wire screens fine enough to admit air plentifully and keep out cinders; and all openings can easily be fitted with slides, to close when cold weather requires.

The enormous increase in growth of fruits and vegetables has made a corre

sponding increase of transportation, often taxing it to its utmost capacity, and crowding it far beyond the power of companies to properly handle it. It is a matter that should interest every grower to such an extent that, individually and collectively, they will make such demands as will bring the remedy. The shipments from the South to the North are large enough to warrant us in demanding of railroad and express companies

1. Cars properly constructed for the preservation of perishable property confided to their care.

2. Enough of such cars to properly load and carry it.

3. Asking that proper time be given at such stations as need it for careful handling, etc.

4. That such cars be run through from the point of loading to Chicago, or other distributing points, without breaking bulk or transferring.

Most of the above refers to express transportation. Railroad companies supply their customers with such cars and facilities much better than the express companies.

At certain seasons of the year the fruit carriage has now become a large part of the revenue of the express companies. It is right, it is just, that we, the growers and shippers of this produce, should have the best facilities afforded us to properly lay our products at the doors of our consumers, thereby stimulating our industry and increase the revenue of the transportation companies, and give the consumers all over the country sounder and more palatable fruit, thus making all "more happy."

One illustration, showing the value of currents of air through fruit for long carriage: Strawberries grown in Florida and South Carolina come North on steamers to New York. They pack in quart baskets, not tight boxes, in open slat crates holding four layers of baskets, layers separated by light racks. On board steamer they are placed in what they call a fan refrigerator, the air being forced through the piles of crates by a fan run by the steamer's engine. This fruit, after several days' voyage to New York, comes to Chicago by express, and if the weather is cool the seller need not hasten to sell. If out of order, by turning out, the spoiled fruit is easily picked out, the decay seeming to be in individual berries, not in masses. You say this fruit coming early, and the weather cool, it ought to keep. Very true, but by our present means of transportation can you pack and ship strawberries in any quantity and at any time, and have them in salable shape two weeks off the vines? They do.

Upon motion of Dr. McKay, of Mississippi, the report was amended as follows:

Be it further Resolved, That a standing committee of six members of this Society, exclusive of the President, who shall be chairman of said committee, three of said committee to reside north of the Ohio river, and three south of the same, be ap pointed. It shall be the duty of this committee to make every honorable effort within their power to secure such improvements in transportation as shall be most advantageous to grower and consumer alike, and will, as we believe, be advantageous to all concerned in this very important interest.

DISCUSSION ON THE REPORT.

Mr. Baldwin, of Michigan-I consider this one of the most important subjects yet presented to this Society. I feel a personal interest in it. The railroads should give us cheaper rates and better handling than they are now doing.

Mr. Porter, of Tennessee-I second Dr. McKay's motion. I think we should have two good committees, with the President as chairman, on a subject of such great importance. Let us bring all the force we can to bear on the railroads

The report as amended was adopted.

President Earle—Our next paper is a practical one by a practical man, and that on a subject second in importance to none heretofore presented to this convention. Many of us succeed better in raising fruit than we do in marketing it. The subject that Capt. Hollister, of Alton, Ill., will now present you is, "Markets and Marketing." Ladies and gentlemen, I now call your attention to Capt. Hollister's paper:

MARKETS AND MARKETING.

BY E. HOLLISTER, OF ILLINOIS.

Referring to your programme, I find myself distributed among those horticulturists who can tell you all about raising fruits and vegetables, and I am expected to furnish the market and tell you how to dispose of your products to the best advantage. This seems to me a one-sided affair. I came here to learn about this very thing, as well as have a good time.

Some of my experience has been bought at a very heavy price, the value of the goods being taken into consideration, and if any hints thrown out will be of value to others I shall feel much gratified.

The field is a broad and widening one, as we shall find, and I shall not, were I able, go over the whole of it, but here and there sketch a few salient points.

The question of latitude and railroad facilities are the chief factors for determining the market for your horticultural products. This mighty valley of the Mississippi, with soil practically exhaustless in its fertility and productiveness, capable of supplying the wants of much of the old world and the new, is most favorably situated, and the great question here, as with us, is how to prepare, in the best manner, the products for the Northern markets so as to obtain the prices adequate to the outlay, with fair margins.

The distance you may send any given product is very much under each

shipper's control; while one may succeed in sending strawberries from New Orleans to Chicago, others may not have their goods arrive in even fair condition at either Louisville, Cincinnati or St. Louis. Much, very much, depends on the manner the fruit is handled before the express takes it.

If it were possible for each shipper to be at the end of the route and see his fruit there, some degree of light would fall upon his vision, which, without it, he would emphatically deny the paternity, and insist that his neighbor's fruit had been substituted. Much, then, depends upon the handling of the fruit, especially berries.

The first requisite in this direction is the condition of the berries before picking. The strawberry should be clean, dry and free from dirt or sand. Never pick for a distant market wet or over-ripe berries. If you have no local or near market, pick and throw away; much less loss will come by heroie treatment, and your plantation will be in much better condition for the next picking, with few or no over-ripe or soft berries.

Watch the pickers' hands, when berries are in condition to travel. If any one has stained hands, discard at once, unless reform is sure. Each berry with the half-inch stem should be picked and put in the quart box before another is taken hold of. Do not allow the pickers of strawberries or red raspberries to retain in the hands more than two or three berries at a time at the utmost. Pick less and pay more for it. Insist upon great care on this point.

Each picker should have a case holding four to six quarts and provided with some covering to shade the berries from the sun while the picker is at work. Much damage is caused by neglect in this direction. If no natural shade is convenient, you must provide one, as indicated. While on the stem or twig the fruit can withstand a great degree of direct heat from the sun, but when once taken off a much less heat will cause serious damage. Fill the quart box full and round up; press with the hand slightly but firmly so as to leave the box full and firm, but do not press enough to bruise or break the fruit. Use the twenty-four quart case and put double bottoms to the quart boxes, well fastened with tacks to the four sides, sufficient for onehalf the top layer of every case-one-half a bottom will do for the double. The reason for this is obvious. Should the bottoms of the quarts become unfastened, as usually made, they sink down upon the berries beneath and the consequent result of the " jam" manufactured in this way is to find no market, they are absolutely worthless; besides the stains of the bleeding fruit deface not only the poor sufferer, but all with which it may come in contact, especially those beneath, and when unloaded from the car the appearance is more that of the slaughter house than the clean, dry looking conveyance in which they were placed. The verdict at the inquest will be "murdered in the house of its friends." This is no fancy picture. Such results are seen daily during the berry season, and the wonder is that such fruit sells as well as it often does.

As the managing of the pickers and packers is distinct from my subject, I