124 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



carry him, it seems to us there is something, if not exactly ' rotten,' at least 

 'half grown' or ' unmerchantable.' 



WHAT THE MERCHANT SHOULD REQUIRE OF THE SHIPPER. 



"In the paper which has been read, I confined myself very closely to the 

 discussion of what could and should be expected of the commission 

 merchant. The innumerable side issues that crowded upon me were reso- 

 lutely set aside, and no doubt a great many will think that a great many 

 items should be reasonably expected of the commission merchant other 

 than those mentioned. 



" We are accustomed to doing a great deal more, yet there seems to be 

 an idea that there is no obligation on the part of the grower whatever. 

 The goods are considered — and truly — his own, to do with as he sees fit. 

 Calling attention to the remark that I made, obligations are never all on 

 one side : If something is requiredof the merchant by the shipper, then in 

 all fairness something is required of the shipper by the merchant, and no 

 obligation becomes of force until this is agreed on. By common consent, 

 it is considered that it is the duty of the commission merchant to advise 

 intending shippers of the prospects, the supply, the demand, to keep them 

 posted on what is going on, and to suggest a course of shipment; but if 

 this is to be considered as one of the requirements fairly to be asked of 

 the merchant, then, on the other side, the commission merchant should 

 have a claim on the shipments of tJie shijjpers that would pay him for his 

 worJx and trouble. In other words, if the shipper asks information which 

 the dealer is to impart, and which may be, and probably is, of value to the 

 shipper, then the shipper should be willing to concede the right of the 

 dealer to his shipments until there is good cause to the contrary. 



"Another point I would mention, and that is, no shipper has the right to 

 expect that a commission merchant should falsify in order to make him 

 money — in other words, to swindle or cheat a huyer for the benefit of the 

 grower. 



SOME TOUGH SPECIMENS OF THE FRUIT SHIPPER. 



"During the last three months we have had many examples of this, 

 which have come under our observation or personal experience. Let me 

 cite one or two. A firm in Quincy, 111., believing that there was some 

 money in grapes, went to Villa Kidge, 111., and contracted the entire crop 

 of 1889. They made careful estimates as to what there was to be placed 

 on the market, and practically secured the entire crop. It is fairly to be 

 presumed that they made conditions that the goods should be well packed 

 and well handled. In fact, we had it from one of the firm that such was 

 the case; yet hundreds — yes, thousands — of baskets were filled in on the 

 bottom with broken, loose, and inferior stock, and the top of the baskets 

 fixed up in good shape, so that to all appearances (unless poured out) they 

 were all right. The result was, as we understand, a loss of some thousands 

 of dollars, directly traceable to this fraud. Two thousand baskets of this 

 stock were placed in our hands for sale on account of the purchaser, and 

 while the top of the baskets showed fine, firm, sound grapes, the bottom 

 was unfit to feed the hogs; and this, too, with a fair crop. I presume the 

 seller at home had a good home market. 



