CO-OPERATIVE ORGANIZATION OF FRUIT GROWERS. 



By H. C. Atwell, Fruit Inspector for Washington County, and President 

 of Forest Grove Fruit-Growers' Association. 



I am asked to offer a few suggestions as to best means of effecting 

 and utilizing co-operative Organization among fruit-growers, and to 

 explain the work which the Forest Grove fruit-growers are under- 

 taking to do. 



My first suggection would be, do not organize hastily, nor before the 

 volume of fruit production in your Community is of sufficient proportions 

 to support your undertaking. Do not allow real estate exploitation to 

 force you to premature activity. 



LIMIT STOCK HOLDING TO FARMERS. 



As a first step, the farmers should organize a fruit-growers' asso- 

 ciation. When I say farmers, I mean farmers, not merchants and 

 bankers. Forest Grove Fruit-Growers' Association has over one hundred 

 stockholders, every one a farmer. The business men of the city are not 

 barred, but we did not ask them. We did not want them, because they 

 are not directly interested in fruit-growing. In times of stress they 

 would want their money out. The Organization and its equipment would 

 not appeal to them as in itself an asset, independent of their investment. 

 They would not be patrons. In other words, their interest would be 

 limited to their stockholding. We did not need the townspeople's money, 

 because we had enough of our own. It is a poorer Community than any 

 in Oregon where a hundred farmers can not raise five thousand dollars 

 during a year to capitalize a farmers' co-operative Organization. The 

 banks groan under the weight of the farmers' deposits, and the farmers 

 plod along, in need of various public enterprises, waiting for someone 

 to establish them with the farmers' money, and reap the rewards. Why 

 should not the farmers do it themselves? We limited the earnings on 

 our stock to six per cent, so stockholding in itself would not be attractive. 

 We limited individual holdings to five hundred dollars. We would have 

 placed the limit at two hundred dollars, had not an enterprising farmer 

 subscribed five hundred before our by-laws were adopted. 



A MODEST CAPITAL. 



An association without capital can not accomplish much in handling 

 fruit, either by way of shipping fresh or manufacturing. If your 

 association is to be more than educational, it must have some financial 

 resources. However, it is not good policy to try to raise a large capital 

 at the start. If you have a big capital, you will have big ideas and be 

 tempted to do things on a big scale. The results may be as disastrous 

 as those which have marked the history of many co-operative under- 

 takings among farmers. Better grow up from small beginnings, and 

 practice rigid economy, confining your Operations to a few lines, until 

 you have feit your way to solid ground. Capital can be increased when 

 more is needed. 



