STATE POMOI.OGlCAIv SOCIETY. 5 1 



quality, and get anything out of it by way of profits. So up 

 to this time, for the reason that it was so easy simply to pick 

 his fruit and ship it to any of these near-by markets of which 

 we have so many here through the East, the eastern fruit grow- 

 er has not felt it necessary for him to work along any lines of 

 co-operation. 



But I believe the time has come now for co-operative work; 

 and. I have been very much interested since coming here at this 

 time to learn of a few young men not very far from here in 

 Maine who have formed themselves into a co-operative asso- 

 ciation. These young men have thrown the interests of their 

 orchards together. They have adopted the western system of 

 grading and packing. They are using the box instead of the 

 barrel, and they are shipping their fruit into your markets here 

 and receiving values far above those which are generally paid 

 for other fruit. Now I believe the time is coming rapidly as 

 the result of such meetings as this, where there have been such 

 splendid demonstrations given in the packing of fruit, and 

 where there has been such a magnificent exhibit as is seen here 

 at this time, when more of co-operative work will be done. The 

 evidence is before us that you can grow here in Maine and 

 throughout New England a quality of fruit that will equal the 

 finest that comes from any portion of the United States, not 

 only in point of size and color, but when it comes to quality it 

 leads the world. Now as fruit growers it is only necessary at 

 this point to take the right steps, and those are to form your- 

 selves as fruit growers into fruit growers' unions ; then to adopt 

 a rigid system of practice which must be insisted upon by every 

 member. Now this is going to be a test, to agree to come 

 into a co-operative association and abide by an agreement. I 

 believe in order to succeed in this matter it will be necessary to 

 make some very cast-iron rules. For instance, one of the re- 

 quirements in the western organization is that a contract must 

 be signed by the co-operators, by the members of these unions, 

 that they will turn their whole product into the Union. No in- 

 dividual is allowed to pack his own fruit at the West, just as 

 we have been told here, I think, this morning by the very skill- 

 ful, expert packer, whose skillful work interested us so 

 much. No individual can be allowed to pack his own fruit. 

 And why? Simply because there is so much difiference of 



