80 Third Annual Report 



The immense co-operative gram elevators have been built 

 by the farmers, whereby a double purpose is gained. First, a 

 large amount of grain of different grades can be successfully 

 stored under one roof, where it is ready to be loaded into cars 

 or boats any day and in any quantity desired. Second, being 

 held in large quantities attracts attention of the trade, and is 

 always in the market. A new and wonderful co-operative work 

 is now being done by the American Society of Equity, a co- 

 operative organization for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 amount and condition of the crop in question, and themselves 

 setting the price on the product they have grown and are hold- 

 ing, instead of allowing some brokerage association to set the 

 price on the crop they have not. Farm products have been the 

 means of gathering up massive stores of wealth by railroad co- 

 operation, stock exchanges, banking institutions, etc., co-operat- 

 ing with themselves and each other to further the end of accum- 

 ulation, while the farmer, until quite recently, has been watch- 

 ing with a ^reat .degree of apprehension and distrust the action 

 of his neighbor. But today, even with the farmer, co-operation 

 seems to be the watchword. Nearly all the fruit interests of 

 the Pacific coast are conducted through co-operative efforts in 

 the purchase of nursery stock, of commercial fertilizers, of spray- 

 ing materials, and machinery, and the spraying itself, and all the 

 fruit product is shipped and handled by co-operative organiza- 

 tion. Michigan and New York now have many co-operative 

 organizations, for the handling of fruit both in its green, canned 

 and evaporated state. The Province of Ontario has several 

 town and district associations for handling and disposing of their 

 fruit. There is a fruit growing stock company in Niagara 

 district that has been in operation for twenty-five years. There 

 is also the St. Catharines, Walkerton, Chatham, in actual suc- 

 cessful operation, and through these co-operative efforts the 

 Canadian fruit is called for more and more, and the prices are 

 continually at the top. 



Let us compare this successful condition with the experi- 

 ences of the apple growers of the State of Maine. Both of these 

 sections have been shipping largely across the water. Prof. 

 Munson said at the Maine Pomological Meeting (as reported in 

 The New England Homestead), "I believe as much now as ever 

 in co-operative marketing. We are miles behind our California 

 fruit growers in this respect. The sooner we get over our in- 

 herited Yankee tendencies to get ahead of the other fellow the 

 better." He stated, also, that Maine apples do not hold the 

 reputation they did three years ago. R. E. McLatchy was called 

 and stated that, when he took hold of the apple business five 

 years ago, Maine apples had a good re])utation in foreign mar- 



