18 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I heard a leading eomiiiissioii inei-cliaiit on South Water Street say: 

 ''The wonder is not how little we get for the frnit, but that we get as 

 much as we do under the circumstances. After the moving rush is 

 over if canners and bargain hunters only knew how badly we were load- 

 ed, I doubt if they would even pay charges." 



Who is to blame for these conditions? W^e are, and we are the only 

 one who can change them. We must have some system so that the 

 bulk of our shipments are sold before they leave our home town, or dis- 

 tributed when demand is about as great as the supply, so that only 

 a small portion has to be consigned. If we arrange so that Chicago 

 market only received what it needed, we could get good returns, for 

 South Water. Street market will pay fine prices when not overloaded. 



It would make little difference whether we are large or small grow- 

 ers. The largest fruit grower in Michigan is only a speck compared 

 to the market. We have fine home markets in sunmier, but a dozen 

 groAvers could take care of that demand. 



For the past fifteen years at Horticultural Institute and Grange 

 meetings we discuss and acknowledge the necessity of co-operation. 

 Why don't we get together in buying and selling? Many say, ''Oh you 

 cannot get farmers to work with their neighbors." Why not? You 

 sign each others notes; you lend and borrow tools; do errands for each 

 other, and your neighbors average just as good as any neighbors any- 

 where. 



Last winter a professor in Pennsylvania University wrote some arti- 

 cles in the Youth's Companion under heading, "Why I Am Raising My 

 Sons to be Farmers." And one of the reasons he gave was, (now remem- 

 ber this was in Pennsylvania, not Michigan) ; he said: "There is less 

 competition with brains than in any other business." Was not that 

 an awful indictment of us? Is it true? 



If you Avant to rai.se some heavy object we know how easy it can be 

 done with leverage. Why not use leverage in the business end of the 

 farm and bu}' and sell in business-like way? 



Now I believe the farm of the future will pay as good returns as any 

 other business with like investment and labor. Our labor will not be 

 increased, rather the reverse, and you cannot i)revent it. 



The question is, shall we allow it to come by elimination, or proceed 

 to collect our just share? Elimination is slow but Avlien we notice that 

 the average age of farmers in the middle Avest is 55 years, we see it 

 coming. Why not let us get benefit in our lifetime? We oAvn the 

 earth, Avhy let some one else collect the income? 



In times of war panic, etc., the first business to right itself is the 

 food products. It has the soundest basis of any business. We cannot 

 expect some one else to adjust our aft'airs, Ave must do it ourselves and 

 its an old but true maxim, "When you Avant a job done right, do it 

 yourself." 



In South Haven Ave made a start by organizing under the name of 

 South Haven Fruit Exchange. While fruit is our main crop Ave can 

 buy and sell anything a farm has to offer or needs. We employ a man- 

 ager by the year, other help as needed. Members notify manager about 

 July 1st what fruit they expect to sell through the Exchange. They can 



