Appendix. 153 



of my neighbors, who visited there last fall, that they would come to 

 Hood River and buy our Newtown apples f. o. b. cars there, if they 

 could be insured not less than 10,000 boxes in the deal. This illus- 

 trates the necessity of the fruit growers of any vicinity selling under 

 one management. It is the only way you can remove the many useless 

 commissions between the producer and the consumer. 



It is the only way you can secure a uniform packing of your fruit. 

 The improvement in packing of our fruit has been many fold greater 

 than it would have been, had it not our two fruit organizations been in 

 the field acting as instructors in many directions. Our quality of fruit, 

 our system of packing, and our prices obtained have all been improved 

 by these two organizations. 



And when I ask you to go home and organize your fruit growers, I 

 do so knowing full well that it is your duty, not only to yourself, but to 

 your fellow fruit growers and to the general reputation of your vicin- 

 ity as a fruit producing district. 



Lest you may not fully realize your duty to become a member of 

 your home organization of fruit growers, let me tell you a few things 

 that we have done in our organizations in Hood River Valley. We have 

 raised the price of our standard varieties of apples, Newtowns and 

 Spitzenbergs, from $1.25 to $2.60 per box, selling our entire crop at 

 one deal f. o. b. cars at Hood River. We are placing upon the markets 

 of the world a better quality of fruit and are packing it in such a 

 uniform and perfect system that we fear no competition. We have built 

 two large warehouses, the last one being 40x100 feet, two stories high, 

 and it is fire proof, water proof and frost proof. 



Wc have bought a $4,000 site for a box factory and intend to erect iv 

 the near tuture a plant on the same. We have forced the price of 

 apple boxes, which was dictated to us by the Northwest Box Associa- 

 tion, down from 10% cents to 8% cents. We have supplied ourselve? 

 with apple paper, in carload lots for the last two years, and have saved 

 our growers several hundred dollars by this act alone. We are now 

 ordering a car load of arsenate of lead spray for next season's work, 

 and in doing so we will save about $500. 



And yet, in view of all these acts, we still have a few in our midst 

 who are not with us. Why? Because they are leaning upon our struc- 

 ture and grasping all they can reach without any cost or loss of efFoi'ts. 

 These people we will always have with us. Are you one of them? If 

 so, go into your closet and ask yourself candidly: "Am I doing my 

 duty?" You may be able by standing on the outside of the organization 

 to reap some of the financial gain given by it, but you are losing its 

 educational and moral influence. Can you afford to do this? Duty ■ 

 calls; be a man amongst men. Have you no interest in assisting your 

 fellow man, especially if by doing so you assist yourself? In con- 

 clusion let me beseech of you to do your duty. Don't depend upon 

 others to labor for you. Try to help carry out your share of life's 

 burdens. Try to help lift yourself and help to lift others. Don't be a 



