54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is not. Over in Holland and Denmark it is practically universal to 

 market by co-operation. 



Another problem, is netting the jieople to have an idea of a stand- 

 ard — you knoAv we all have a most tender regard for our own i)roduc- 

 tions. If you do not think that your fruit is not as good or a little bet- 

 ter than your neighbor's, you are not human. AVe do not like to be in- 

 terfered with. We had two problems come to us in our Exchange last 

 summer. One set of people said, "You ])eople are running expenses so 

 high; yon are actually si)ending |40 a week, (and they said it with 

 abated breath,) for a man to inspect your stuff. The fact was, Ave had 

 to get some one far enough away so that they Avould not be influenced 

 by cousins or uncles or aunts, and so Ave sent to another state. We 

 paid him |20 a Aveek and exi)enses, and Ave should have had him even 

 though he had cost us |4(». It is a matter of getting a standardization. 



Our shipping point is Traverse City. We should get into little groups 

 Avhere there are not large farmers — our geographic conditions are not 

 all the same — but one thing we must do — we must all come to a central 

 packing house — aa e can not afford to pack in an orchard any more. 



Another of the problems Ave have is that the men Avho buy the stuff are 

 not very much interested in liaving us Avork this thing out. Some of 

 them Avould very much rather Ave Avould not, but so after Ave had gone 

 to a good deal of expense in regard to the grading idea of cherries — 

 tAvo grades, Avhen Ave came to get returns from a car-load of sour cher- 

 ries, Ave Avere met Avith this — ''I'll give you so much for your cherries"; 

 One said "I packed my cherries on the table — others did not — if that 

 car Avas manipulated that Avay, and those who did not pack the cher- 

 ries in the careful Avay that I did, get the same price, I Avill not have 

 any more to do Avith them." 



Another problem that Ave have to meet is the attitude of a professional 

 buyer. I Avill relate one experience. There Avas a little block of cher- 

 ries Avhich looked at the time as though it Avould be the largest block of 

 cherries in the neighborhood. The representative of a certain house 

 came and waited upon the people of this farm for two days. Every 

 argument Avas used to induce them to get hold of that fruit. Thtiy Avere 

 told very firmly that they could only get it through the Exchange 

 office. Failing to accomplish their pur])ose they left with this threat: 

 "You fellows are making the mistake of your lives; Ave knoAV Avhere 

 there is another block sixty miles from here, and Avill go there and ar- 

 range for our cherries and it Avill be impossible for you to put a car of 

 cherries into the city Avhere Ave do business." After a time these fel- 

 loAvs came back and ate their humble pie and bought nine carsi of our 

 cherries. They Avent around in the person of their agents and secured 

 a little shipment here and there and Avhen the oAvners got back to their 

 returns, they Avere from 50 to 75 cents more than Avliat Ave Avere receiv- 

 ing — and this much more than any market Avould give for the same cher- 

 ries at that date. These felloAvs said to them, "of course ou.r firm 

 bought your cherries by the car-load, but see hoAV much more you Avould 

 have had had you sent these to us on consignment." The good friends 

 and neighbors that stood on the outside of the organization to protect 

 himself, is the nmn that is doAvning the organization by alloAving fel- 



