1 86 BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 



certain other European capitals. These agents were 

 in constant touch with the markets, and also in com- 

 munication with Los Angeles. Thus market informa- 

 tion was communicated as necessary to the districts, 

 and the local societies took charge of the collection of 

 fruit from the growers, and of the grading, packing, 

 and bulking in complete truck-loads, which in due 

 course were put in trains for their destinations. In 

 this way the fruit growers received a higher price for 

 their fruit, and at least 50 per cent of the expenses of 

 marketing have been cut away. 



That, of course, is an example of an organization on 

 a very large scale, but there is no reason at all why 

 smaller organizations of the same kind should not be 

 started, and successfully started, in this country. Cer- 

 tainly there are some, but not many. The essential 

 factors are a thorough study of market conditions, 

 really good management, and insistence on first-rate 

 quality. This last is a point of the utmost importance. 

 I know a pear grower in Oregon who can practically 

 fix his own price for dessert pears on the London 

 market, 6000 miles away, and he only does that by 

 absolutely refusing to pack anything but fruit that 

 is quite perfect. In packing he rejects, without hesi- 

 tation, fruit that most of us would call first rate. He 

 will only include fruit without spot and of perfect 

 form, and he dominates his market because his cus- 

 tomers can absolutely rely on receiving nothing but 

 perfect fruit. In this country it is most necessary that 

 the small fruit grower's standard should be constantly 

 raised. At present he is extraordinarily slack about 

 quality, and expects to sell fruit which is often very 

 inferior. Particularly he does not understand what 

 is called grading that is to say, the sorting out of 

 fruit into different sizes and qualities, and then putting 

 each on its proper market. The value of every kind 



