3SG ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



why A'oiir pi-esident wanted this discussion this afternoon unless 

 because you have failed, in your attempts at practical organization 

 as we have done in \'irginia, or unless you have tried and succeeded, 

 as we have not d<»ne in \Mrgiuia. ]Mr. Coliill thinks the small apple 

 grower will be put out of business by the large coiui)any or syndi- 

 cate orchards. I believe that, if his business is properly managed, 

 the snmll fruit grower will, in the future, raise the best fruit and 

 secure the largei* returns, ])rovided he secures pro])er organization. 



There is (|uite a ditierence between fruit growing and ordinary 

 farming. Most farmers consider fruit growing, to some extent, as 

 a side issue. In the first place, if any of you gentlemen have 50 

 bushels of wheat or a load of corn to sell, you bring this grain to 

 the market and you are certain to get the market price for that pro- 

 duce. You know the price of timothy hay. No matter how small 

 your crop may be, and no matter how little ])ains you have taken 

 to ascertain the price, you get the market price. That is not so in 

 fiuit growing. You raise your crop of fruit and you are ready to 

 sell it, then it becomes at once a battle of wits between you and the 

 buyer. Y^'ou are at a loss whether to store, to sell it to a local buyer 

 or ship it yourself. You have no notion where or to whom to ship. 

 When you decide where to send the fruit you will likely strike the 

 lowest market. 



Let us see in what way a fruit growers' organization can help 

 us leaving out of consideration for the moment any question of 

 selling the fruit. 



A number of you may be planting trees in the near future. You 

 have no co-operation. 



Each man is selecting his own orchard site and his own trees. 

 What mistakes is he likely to make? First the mistake of location. 

 What way could co-operation help the orchardist in selecting a 

 location for his orchard? I take it that perhaps you may have 150 

 acres of land and that you probably wish to plant part of that land 

 in fruit trees. Whose advice are you going to take? It seems to 

 me the question of location is such a very serious matter that it 

 is going to involve your whole career as a fruit grower. If you 

 have expert advice here in your county, well and good. The chances 

 are, however, that you do not have. Perhaps some of you do not 

 agree with me in what I am about to say, but in view of the grave 

 mistakes that I have made, I am very slow in taking any serious 

 steps in advance without the advice of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, or the Experiment Station. Are you able as individuals 

 to secure the services of an expert in soil conditions to come here 

 and locate your orchard for you? Y'ou ivoiild be in position to secure 

 such advice if ten, twenty of fifty of you need his services at the 

 same time. Y^'ou could not secure such helj) without an organi- 

 zation. 



Suppose, again, after selecting the site of your orchard, you are 

 troubled about where to buy the trees. What you are most in- 

 terested in is getting a sound, healthy tree. You are pestered to 

 death by people who want to sell trees. You do not know whether 

 to buy from a local nurseryman or from a nurseryman outside of 

 the county or state. What are you to do? Send for an expert 

 again. Have this gentleman go to the nursery and select the trees. 



