62 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



association as interested in the affairs of the association as he would 

 be in his own personal affairs. 



We buy all material that the farmer needs, fertilizer, bran, tile, any- 

 thing that is wanted, and sell it to the members at r^% above cost, and 

 in this way we have reduced cost to the farmer 20%. That is one of 

 the main reasons why we are so strong. We have plenty of money, pay 

 cash and take all the discounts and can get as close figures as any 

 dealer, as we buy in such large quantities, and each member knows 

 just what things cost, and each member is treated perfectly square. We 

 employ as high as seventy men and women in packing peaches, pears 

 and apples. Under the roof of the association buildings, we may pack 

 our apples rain or shine, and thus save the time that is wasted in pack- 

 ing in the orchard on account of bad weather; besides this it can be 

 done at 1.5% less than by the individual. For one thing we buy 20,000 

 barrels at once, thus securing the low^est possible price. Last year the 

 sales of the association were between |»:?0,000 and |4(),600. It 

 was an easy matter to dispose of them all. I don't remember of hear- 

 ing a single complaint from anyone. 



This year was a harder year. We had to ransack the market to se- 

 cure orders. Of course, the members do not have to attend to the sell- 

 ing end of it. We are producers and not sellers, that is what we have 

 the manager for. 



Question: Do they all have confidence in the agent? 



Ans. : He is not an agent, but a hired man. 



Q. Did you have any trouble with labor? 



A. No, not a particle. 



A prominent peach man who raised 7,000 or 8,000 bushels told me 

 that he knew that the peaches sold through the association brought 25c 

 a bushel more than those sold outside. This year we sold 300 carloads 

 of fruit for |1 30,000.00 and out of this amount there Avill be none lost. 

 The people we have sold them to have paid the cash. We take no chances 

 and the cost of collecting is vei*y low. 



This year we have disposed of practically all the stuff that came in. 

 as high as 7,000 or 8,000 bushels a day. We have a few carloads of 

 ap]»les in cold storage, that we put in more as an experiment than any- 

 thing else. 



Q. How are the dividends derived? 



A. We charge 5% for selling and we have sold 50,000 bushel baskets 

 this year. AVe call 150 lbs. a barrel of apples and charge on this basis. 

 We derive our dividends from the sale of fertilizer and this class of 

 stuff, and also make a profit from packing apples, charging about 18c 

 a barrel, Avhen the cost to the association is about 16c. 



Our association has come to stay and it is being run on a sound business 

 basis. We were a long time getting started, but when we did get started, we 

 got started right. Our association is incorporated under the state 

 laws. It is a regular stock company. The call for stock became so 

 huge that we had to increase our capital stock to flO.OOO. We have 

 a good live board of directors, and there is no chance for the members 

 to be cheated in any way. The manager handles no money, the treasurer 

 handles all that and it is put in a bank. The goods are sold and the 

 association gets the money, not any one individual. 



We are members of what is known as the Produce Reporter. We pay 



