WEST MICHIGAN FRUITGROWERS" SOCIETY. 358 



Growers' Bureau of Information and Distribution was organized in the spring of 1887, 

 and through it a considerable part of the peach crop of 1887 and 1888 was sold. This 

 institution is practically a peach "trust." It is operated by an executive committee. 

 They ascertain the number of carloads of peaches that can be taken daily at profitable 

 prices by the markets within forty-eight hours' communication by rail. The Distrib- 

 uter or' Business Manager of the Executive Committee establishes the amount of 

 peaches that should be shijjped to each of these markets daily. Members of the 

 Bureau may consign their fruit to these markets by notifying the Distributer, but 

 when tlie quota for any town is tilled, the Distributer has the right to despatch any 

 car designed for that market to another point. If a member consigns a car to any point 

 whose (|Uota is already tilled, the Distributer can go as far as to confiscate the fruit 

 if necessary to prevent an over-supply at that point. The fruit is consigned to reliable 

 commission merchants, and the Bureau is accountable for prompt returns of sales. 

 The Bureau is supported by a tax of from five to ten dollars jjer member, according to 

 the size of his orchard. * * While third-rate or cull peaches are sent to many of the 

 numerous evaporating factories in the vicinity, because such fruit is unsalable, the 

 most successful evajjorators choose only the best ])eaches for drying. The few who do 

 this usually receive better prices for their crop in the dried form than if sold fresh, 

 but this is because they get fancy prices. It is a mistaken idea that only poor fruit 

 should be evaporated: the best is none too good. 



Mr. Lannin told how unsuccessful were the efforts to establish the fruit 

 exchanges at South Haven and Benton Harbor, but how good resulted 

 from the efforts in better packing. It would l)e a good thing if we could 

 bring all the fruit in western Michigan to a few points, for sale, but can we 

 doit? 



J. G. Eamsdell: Last season we did not get fruit enough to cause any 

 complaint as to price. It w^as better than usual in quality because there 

 was little on the trees, and the demand was great; but had there been a 

 big crop we would have heard the same complaints — all the hog feed would 

 have been sent to market. The exchange plan at South Haven failed 

 because most of the growers claimed they "knew enough to do their own 

 business." AYe can mass the fruit at a few points as well as lumber can be 

 massed at Muskegon. 



C. L. Whitney spoke of the value of exchanges for the sale of produce. 

 An impression prevails to some extent that tlieir methods and practice are 

 gambling. He had had experience with the potato exchange in Chicago, the 

 Southern friiit exchange, the Vermont sugar exchange, the peach exchange 

 in Delaware, the onion exchange in Connecticut. Each has some elements 

 of success of which we may avail ourselves in Michigan. He recited the 

 methods and results of the Delaware exchange, whose patrons are at many 

 jjoints, from Boston to Omaha. There are seven or eight counties in w^esteru 

 Michigan whose position is analagous to that of Delaware, though in terri- 

 tory as big as three Delawares, and exceeding the same in total product. 

 But we are much freer from competition, and why should not the processes 

 that have succeeded in Delaware be made so here ? Though such an organ- 

 ization means work for all, and needs money to run it, it also ^neans better 

 returns. After further pleas in behalf of an exchange for Michigan fruit, 

 Mr. Whitney urged careful and rigorous grading. The New' York Triliune 

 recently said it was difficult to find a single bushel of perfect apples in 

 that city. If we do not send perfect fruits to fairs, said Mr. Whitney, 

 what will be that which we pack? 



Wednesday afternoon session was opened by a paper furnished by G. J. 

 Carpenter of Fairbury. Nebraska, the subject being "Fruitgrowing in 

 Nebraska." 



Gentlemen of the West Michigan Fruit Groivers' Society — I regret very much that I 

 am unable to be with you and to listen to your valuable papers and discussions. 



4o 



