FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 17 



instances, I am told, these people have invested their savings and have 

 lost. The speculator has gained by their loss and perhaps the dollars 

 he has thus filched have been sufficient as a salve to soothe his small 

 conscience. 



But what the deceiver has done deliberately in such robbery of the 

 unwary settler, the well-meaning "booster'' may also do by indiscrimi- 

 nate laudation of the sand lands of west Michigan. Lecturers and writ- 

 ers in the past few years have been treating the public with well-in- 

 tentioned assertions of the possibilities of sand lands without any ade- 

 quate recognition of the varieties among such lands. Along with this 

 promotion movement there should be a careful survey of the lands, in- 

 cluding their gcolotjical history and topographic and botanical features. 

 When the lands have been thus properly studied and classified on these 

 bases the}^ can be i)ut upon the market with an approximation to their 

 true values and recommended according to their natural adaptations. 



M0I)1]KN METHODS OF DISPOSING OF OUR FRUIT. 



MR. JAS. NICOL, SOUTH HAVEN. 



Along the west shore of Lake Michigan we seem to be in same posi- 

 tion as the boy whose fatlier pays all his bills and when he dies leaves 

 him a good estate. 



Marketing was too easy a proposition. All we had to do was pick 

 and pack our fruit, ship to South Water Street and wait for our check. 



When things are made too easy for you results are generally poor. 



We have lio (juarrel with South Water Street. They undoubtedly 

 average as honest as we do, and they are the greatest fruit market in 

 the world. 



JBut look at the conditions from St. Josepli, as far north as can be 

 reached in a night's run. We load fruit tor ('hicago. We have no 

 knowledge how much our neigiiliors or what otlier towns are forward- 

 ing, neither has the conimission merchant. 



If you wrote him your fruit would arrive ahead of the letter and he 

 would not have time to read it anyway. 



There has been experts appointed to consider traffic conditions in 

 Chicago. In their report they say the downtown or Loop district in 

 Chicago is the most congested business district in the world. We load 

 South Water Street with fruit, a most perishable article, until they 

 can hardly move. They could not close their doors at night unless they 

 disposed of the bulk of the day's receipts, and next day's receipts may 

 be larger. Thev have only a guess as to what tomorrow's arrivals may 

 be. 



When we consign our fruit to the most congested business district 

 in the world; when a building rents, if favorably located, in one year 

 for all it cost when erected; whose traffic congestion makes hauling 

 and other expenses high, remember, we pay the bill. 

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