FORT\ -FIFTH ATSTNUAL REPORT. 19 



sell all, part or none as they choose. The manager has these lists in 

 his office and can estimate how many packages will be needed, and 

 what fruit he will have to sell. That enables him to contract for pack- 

 ages at favorable rates and sell fruit in advance. 



Fruit is picked into crates, hauled to central packing house, weighed, 

 graded, packed and loaded into refrigerator cars. Growers can draw- 

 reasonable advances on fruit as soon as delivered at packing house. 

 Final settlement is based on average {)rice for grade and variety. 



r>mall fruit is handled in a different manner. As soon as your fruit 

 is in the packing house it is covered by insurance, so that all possible 

 risks are reduced to a minimum. 



Through our neighborhoo<l it has been the practice towards harvest 

 for the buyers to drive through the county telling growers how cheap 

 and plentiful fruit is going to be and contracting orchards when xjrice 

 suits them. The majority of the buyers do not have any great amount 

 of capital ; a few represent good concerns. As a general proposition 

 if the buyer does not have a sure jtrotit your fruit is not sold. 



On account of not having anything back of him, the buyer cannot 

 stand a loss. Often tliere is ten to twenty buyers in same district in- 

 side of a week. All their expenses and time have to come out of the 

 grower. The same is true wlien they have something they want to 

 sell us. It is a most expensivt,' way for us, either to buy or sell. 



When you do your buying and selling through an association you 

 greatly cheapen cost of doing business. Think of the disadvantage you 

 are at when a buyer comes to your farm. He is thoi'oughly posted in 

 every phase and change in the market. When yon tell that buyer you 

 are not posted on prices and only know local conditions, and it is im- 

 possible for you to quote values on your fruit, he knows you are tell- 

 ing the truth and he res]>ects you. You tell him he can buy your fruit 

 of your salesinan at the warehouse, ottice, exchange, ])acking house or 

 salesroom, whatever you care to call it, in the town. Where he can 

 have it jjacked and packages that suit his trade. If he is a genuine 

 fruit dealer he will pay more for fruit handled in that manner than 

 any other way and the oilier kind of Ituyer will not buy your fruit un- 

 less he thinks he has it all his own way. Any desirable buyer will 

 always go to the Exchange first; should he think i»rices too high. He 

 may then drive through the countr3^ 



But the salesman in town will always have first chance at buyer. 

 As soon as you have started doing business with him and when you 

 pack the way he wants, he is bound to be satisfied. He will then order 

 by wire or phone and still fnrther reduce cost of handling. In grading 

 I would never grade 1 and l!, or A and B. No consumer is very willing 

 to pay much for 2 or B grade. A grade that is 2 in one market might 

 be first in another, because it is all that locality needs. Brand your 

 fruit and sell it by brands, not grades. The buyer soon gets to know 

 your brands and will so order. 



While a State grade may make uniform packing, it may not help 

 the selling price. For instance, a dealer may offer No. 1 Michigan a]»- 

 ples at cost. He may do it to bother a competitor or to get trade to his 

 store where he can sell other goods. But the other man will not use 



