Summer' Meeting. 117 



party, tind we shall eiideavoi' to present oiu- ideas of the best plans for 

 distributing small fruits from his standpoint alone. In doing so, we 

 feel quite sure of bringing upon ourselves the criticism of some whose 

 interests in the distribution and sale of our products are only entitled 

 (o a secondary consideration. Accepting the fact, however, that unless 

 the business of production is so managed in all its phases as to insure a 

 profit to the producer, w^e believe that the criticisms from these sources 

 will not be given more consideiation than they are entitled to by the 

 grower, and we will be justified in undergoing the same, if by it some 

 good may come out of it. In the Van Buren district an effort w^as made 

 to organize all the associations into a distributive union, managed by a 

 •.entral committee composed of one member of each association belonging 

 to the union. Their plan of distribution being as follows: The nunib-r of 

 the best markets were selected each day according to the number of 

 ears to be shipped. The number of the cars placed on slips of paper, 

 ]>ut in one box, the names of the cities on slips in another box. A slip 

 was drawn from car number box, a slip from box containing cities to be 

 used that day, the car number and the name of the city thus drawn, fixed 

 the destination of that car. Had all the associations gone into it and 

 the plan been honestly carried out no doubt but that it would have 

 accomplished great good. But for lack of confidence in its objects and 

 management they w^ere not able to control only a little over one-half 

 the car load output, besides the express shipments, consequently accom- 

 plished nothing. A co-operation in any district that does not control 

 almost the entire output can do but little good. North of the mountains 

 to the Missouri line the associations undertook a different plan. Each 

 association to have choice of market bv turn. The first to-dav would 

 have last choice to-morrow, which was not satisfactory, as it so happened 

 that some of the associations had an advantage in choice of markets for 

 several days over others, when prices were better at beginning of shipping- 

 season ; and several other points, shipping outside of this arrangement, at 

 the same time and to the same markets selected by these associates. In 

 Missouri but little attention was paid to distribution this season, owing to 

 the fact that some of the associations withdrew, some of the larger ones 

 did not belong, and principally owing to short crop, and little danger 

 of glutting any markets. IIoA\'evcr, if we had had as large a yield ac- 



