PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 15 



thieves,' etc. The fact is, they should not grow that kind of fruit. It 

 does not pay; it destroys the confidence of the consumer, and he buys just 

 as little as he can (this alone causes a glut). Besides, it establishes low 

 prices for good fruit. Of course, there is a certain amount of fruit on the 

 market at ^11 times, on which the owner has made a good reputation. 

 This never fails to sell above the market, and usually brings the owner a 

 good profit. 



" If all growers would ship only good fruit, honestly packed in standard 

 packages, the prices would certainly be satisfactory and it would have a 

 tendency toward better cultivation and better methods generally. In 

 order to produce more prime fruit to supply the demand, which would 

 certainly increase as fast as the supply, we often hear men say that the 

 proper manner of packing fruit is to 'top it off.' They say everybody 

 else does so and that is excuse enough for them. To such I would ask, if 

 my neighbor is a rascal is that any reason why I should be one? 



" We have all noticed how the oyster business has been reorganized 

 within the past few years. Only a few years ago, oysters were sealed in 

 cans and the opportunity was given to swindle the public in the quality of 

 the product, and it was done with a vengeance, the same as it is done in 

 fruit today. But the reaction came, and something had to be done, as the 

 markets were glutted because the public would not buy any large quantity 

 of trash at any price. They then began to send out honest oysters in large 

 pails, to be measured out in honest quarts and gallons, and the public 

 began to buy at good figures; and now they have become an article of food 

 necessary in nearly every family, and the trade has grown to such propor- 

 tions and become so profitable, that the states having oyster grounds have 

 been compelled to pass stringent laws to protect the supply from being 

 exhausted; and often dealers are unable to get supplies. One of our 

 local dealers tells me that he has sold about 1,000 gallons this winter, and 

 I presume that six years ago that many quart cans would have glutted our 

 whole market. This should be, to any honest, observing man, all the 

 argument necessary to convince hira that the one thing more necessary 

 than any other is a general reform all along the line in our methods of 

 packing and selling fruit. If we will only appear before the public with 

 fruit of good quality and appearance, honestly and carefully packed, in 

 honest standard packages, there is not the slightest doubt that they will 

 respond with open pocketbooks and increased appetite, and will thank us 

 from the bottoms of their hearts for the change. 



"In connection with the above, it becomes necessary to study our 

 transportation and distributing facilities, which are very imperfect. As a 

 rule, when the large cities, like Chicago, are over-loaded, there are many 

 villages and small towns and cities which are poorly provided for, but 

 which would consume large quantities of good fruit if they could get it; 

 but usually they have to depend on the large markets for a supply, and in 

 the large city the best is sorted out for the home trade and a large quantity 

 of your inferior fruit is shipped, perhaps past your very door, to supply a 

 neighboring city. What is the matter with us that we do not take care of 

 these markets? The fruit re-shipped to them is usually in bad order by 

 the time it arrives, consequently the demand is not nearly as large as it 

 might be for good fruit in good condition. It often occurs that our local 

 markets even are poorly supplied. I have frequently seen the time in 

 Benton Harbor when we were shipping from 2,000 to 10,000 bushels of 

 strawberries per day, that it was almost impossible to find a quart of really 



