142 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



cent of the fruit growers of the United States know Hood 

 River, yet one county in California ships more apples annually 

 than the whole state of Oregon. Hood River ships from 500 to 

 600 cars of apples annually. Watsonville, California, ships over 

 3000 cars annually, yet who of you know Watsonville? Wat- 

 sonville apple growers have no exchange. Their apples are han- 

 dled by private companies, and these advertise themselves 

 and not Watsonville. You all know of the Earl Fruit Co., the 

 Pioneer Fruit Co., the Pacific Fruit Co., and these are the com- 

 panies that the Watsonville apples have made famous. Why 

 should such apples not make Watsonville famous? 



You may ask. Are conditions in the West such that exchanges 

 would be desirable there and not in New England? I see no 

 reason why the fruit industry of the East should not be encour- 

 aged in every way possible. You are justly proud of your 

 apples, because you know that an impartial judge will select 

 your fruit instead of the more highly colored western stock. 

 Knowing that you have better fruit, and knowing that your 

 cost of production and placing that fruit in the hands of the con- 

 sumer is less, why not demand the prices that your western 

 neighbors get? 



The fruit industry of the New England states amounts to 

 $10,000,000 annually. One per cent of this sum would equal 

 $100,000 — more than five times the amount needed to operate a 

 successful New England Exchange. Yet who would not give 

 this one per cent to see the industry put on a sound financial 

 basis, and it is possible that five per cent might be saved with 

 increased selling efficiency of a well organized exchange. 



Only 15% of the land area of New England is under im- 

 proved cultivation, while fully 50% is capable of being so placed. 

 If you bought an apple orchard in Hood River, you would pay 

 from $800 to $1000 an acre, or an orchard in Watsonville would 

 cost even more, yet you can buy land in your own state for one- 

 tenth this amount that will produce just as good fruit as the 

 West. Is this not a just and sufficient cause for encouraging the 

 fruit industry of New England? 



Such an organization could be easily effected. Each state 

 would form a district association, and these could be combined 

 into one by electing one delegate each to the general office in 

 Boston. These six delegates would constitute a board of direct- 



