MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 



CO-OPERATION IN FRUIT SELLING. 



BY HON. R. D. GRAHAM. 



The Grand Rapids Fruitgrowers Association was organized about 

 three years ago. There had long been felt the need for some united 

 action on the part of the fruitgrowers of this vicinity for the purpose^ 

 chieflj', of advertising our fruit, and with no very definite idea of w'hat 

 w^e could do or, indeed, of w^hat we wanted to do, a meeting was called 

 and largely attended by the farmers and fruitgrow^ers, and out of that,, 

 although I believe it was in the following year our organization sprung. 

 Of course there were nearly as many ideas as there were men present. 

 Some advocated a strong legal organization, incorporating under the 

 laws of the State; but this step was too radical for the conservative 

 element, and we finally agreed upon our present plan, leaving every 

 member perfectly free to do as he sees fit with his fruit, both as to 

 packing and selling; in fact the association has no control whatever 

 over any member or his product, it only acts as a moral support. First, 

 every member is required to give in an estimate of his probable crop, the 

 quality, time of ripening, etc. With this data the secretary of the asso- 

 ciation, after having procured from the railroad and express companies 

 a complete list of freight and express rates to cities where we are likely 

 to ship, with probable time in transit of fruit, gets out a circular setting 

 forth these facts wath such inducements and embelishments as may 

 seem proper, mailing them to a large number of dealers all over the 

 country, advising them to come to our market and purchase fruit direct 

 from the grower. During the fruit season we have maintained a central 

 office of sufficient dimensions to allow outside buyers an opportunity 

 to store (temporarily) and pack their fruit. We have also at such fjlace 

 kept for sale fruit packages and covers, with every convenience for 

 packing. By this means only have we been able to induce outside buy- 

 ers to purchase direct from the grower, which is a matter of great im- 

 portance. I said the association was a moral support. By this I mean, 

 for instance, if the market is dull and buyers are bearing, reporting out- 

 side markets flat, etc., our secretary or business manager, who is always 

 to be found on the market or at his office, is supposed to have the latest 

 telegraphic reports, which may not and often do not confirm the state- 

 ments of buj'Ors, and then the grower alw^aj's knows that if he does not 



