42 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



we noticed quite a number of orchards. We noticed also the condition 

 of the roads, possibly because they are so different from what they are 

 at our own home. We would feel that we were confronting a rather 

 serious problem were we to draw our fruit even two or three miles over 

 some of the hills v/e passed this morning. I might state our conditions 

 briefly so you Avill realize the conditions. Our packing houses — one of 

 them is within a half mile of the station and an electric line. Our 

 road is a stone pike and one horse Avill draw two tons. The other pack- 

 ing house on my place where we live is not quite a half mile from the 

 stations, so you see that one horse would load a car very easily with a 

 one-horse wagon in a day's time, and you see why the transportation 

 facilities required are very limited. I feel that one thing your section 

 here needs is good roads with lighter grades, so that you can bring your 

 fruit to market at a much less expense, because if we are going to get 

 the largest result out of our fruit in dollars and keep them, we have to 

 eliminate some of the expense of handling that product. So I would 

 suggest first an improvement in your roads. As I said to a young man 

 who came to our place a few years ago to get some practical experience — 

 (he had capital back of him to buy a farm), as he was going into the 

 fruit business. He asked me many, many questions and one of them 

 was "What is location worth?" and I told him that would vary, but I 

 considered it would be worth |200 per acre for bare land for location 

 alone. He thought at first that was a rather exaggerated statement, 

 but before he left us in the fall he realized that it Avas the truth. There 

 is another suggestion that has been offered here a number of times. I 

 know the failing in human nature, in Ohio as well as in all parts of the 

 world, every fellow is afraid of the other. One fellow Avill SAvear that 

 I am a rascal and I will sAA'ear that he is a rascal; in fact, we are A^ery 

 jealous and hard-hearted — we put our heels together and kick each 

 other. It does seem Ave cannot get together and organize, and that one 

 point in the marketing question is Avhere our Western brothers have us 

 doAvn. They are organized for the simple reason that they are obliged 

 to organize or starA^e to death.. Here you are making a good living — (as 

 your presence here would indicate) — but I am perfectly satisfied in 

 my OAvn mind that by thorough organization you Avill help yourself 

 and the state at large very materially. And right along this line I might 

 mention a suggestion that I believe is to be put into operation in our 

 own state, A week ago this last Tuesday there Avas a meeting of the 

 executive committee of our State Horticultural Society Avith our Agri- 

 cultural Commission to see if they would assist the state, or the people 

 at large, in the marketing question. This plan Avas suggested, Kealizing 

 that our people in Ohio Avere of this independent disposition, and I be- 

 lieA'e the farm suggests independence, the Agricultural commission is 

 to fix a standard package. It is somewhat like the Sulzer bill, but the 

 package was to be a box or basket or barrel containing a certain num- 

 ber of cubic inches. Then fix a standard for grading, and after the 

 standard has been fixed put this matter in the hands of the inspector and 

 his deputies, in combination Avith our pure food commission. They 

 were to use stamps. We have somewhat combined a number of plans, 

 but believe the stamp plan could be used to adA^antage. This is to be 

 carried out through the Agricultural Bureau. We have them fix the 

 standard package and a standard grade; then put the inspecting pow- 

 ers in the hands of the Bureau and Food Commission. As the inspector 



