DISCUSSION 117 



Now I have given you a brief outline of the working plans of the 

 eastern Nebraska fruit growers' association, and what we did this 

 year. If there are people here who are interested in co-operation, 1 

 would be glad to have it discussed by asking questions or bringing 

 out the discussion in that way. Of course, if there is no one liere 

 who is particularly interested, it would be useless for me to go on and 

 go much more into detail. 



Discussion. 



A Member: I would like to ask what you do with your culls? 

 A. This year our home market out in the state took cid^-r apples, 

 and were glad to get them at very good prices. The fruit this 

 year that ordinarily went to the cider mill, much of it. Went out into 

 the state, and was sold at fairly good prices. The association handled 

 some of that for the growers, and some of it the grower sold liimself. 

 That is optional with the grower, if he wants to handle his own cull 

 fruit, he has the privilege to do so. Of course, that is a privilege 

 that he has also, to sell his own fruit, so far as that goes, but if he 

 sells his fruit independently, he pays only one half of the commission 

 to the association, as he does if the association sells it for him. You 

 see the member gets benefits aside from the selling of the 

 fruit. The plan of the association is to have an expert who knows 

 about growing, spraying and pruning and cultivation of the fruit, to 

 work with the members. His business, during the growing season, is to 

 go from one to another grower, and carry ideas where he can suggest 

 to the different members how they can better their methods of hand- 

 ling the fruit. That is his business, to help them in that way. So 

 they are getting benefits from the association, aside from having 

 their fruit sold. It was thought that where a man sold his fruit 

 independently, if he should receive an offer that was a little better 

 than the association could get for it, he should have that privilege, 

 but he should pay the association a commission of one-half of what 

 he would have, if the association sold it. The buyers came down into 

 the territory and we sold most of the culls on the track, in car load 

 lots. Our members would load a car and there would be buyers to 

 take it as fast as it was loaded. The association sold all the cull fruit 

 for the members when the members desired the association to sell it. 

 Q. Did you barrel two grades? 



A. Yes sir, in some orchards we barreled three grades. The 

 fi-st grade we call the association brand. That is the extra fancy 

 apple. Each apple in that grade must be perfect. That is, free from 

 Insects and fungus, and it must be free from physical defects, and 

 bruises, and it must have a good per cent of color, so that it must be 

 extra fancy for that brand. Then we have another brand or grade 

 which is also a cold storage grade and that we call our commercial 

 grade, and that takes a smaller apple, and an apple with less color. 



