76 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We had a board of directors and they appointed an inspector. He had 

 a hibel which was issued to the nieml)ers by number and he could cause 

 a htbel to be placed on evei-y package. We sent a statement to the 

 ti-ade calling their attention to the fact that there were to be about so 

 many cars of peaches packed at this certain point, that one man would 

 have charge of the sale of same, that the stock was guaranteed abso- 

 lutely, and that it was guaranteed as good as it appeared, according 

 to the specifications, and that there was a cash guarantee that the car 

 was free from fraud. On receipt of that car, the buyer examined the 

 goods and if anything was wrong would Avire our association within 

 twenty-four hours after receii)t of the goods, giving the number of the 

 label and the nature of the fraud. On this basis we sold our peaches 

 at from twenty-five to thirty cents above the regular market price for 

 three years and did not have a comyilaint, but if we had had the in- 

 spector could easily have traced the offender by the number of the label. 

 Anyone Avho will build up a reputation and send a line of goods they 

 can stand back of will be able to sell all his goods. Mr. Hale used a 

 label which said "You see top, you see all." It is good because he made 

 it good. You can put on the finest label in the world and if you do 

 not put the goods behind- it, your name is disgraced. You have to 

 do it on the square, just as you would like to be served. 



There must be a system of inspection. You may have three grades 

 if you like, as follows — fancy, choice and tree run, then the buyer knows 

 what to expect. In this way, if you fonn an association, you can hold 

 each member responsible for his own work. Many people object to 

 associations of this kind as they were originally formed, as they did 

 not guarantee anything and you could not make an individual stand 

 behind his work, but you let him put up his cash in the hands of a 

 competent committee, then you can depend upon them. Commission 

 men are just as honest as we are. Every bit. 



In Texas the cost of producing and putting a bushel of peaches in 

 the car was forty -eight or fifty cents, when we had a good crop. Sixty, 

 sixty-five or seventy cents was often the selling price. The guaranteed 

 association packed would sell for fl.OO or fl.lO per bushel. This was 

 all brought about by liaving one competent general inspector who went 

 to each packing house and we had in each packing house one inspector 

 who received |3.00 per day and his board. The general inspector train- 

 ed the inspectors and saw that they were doing proper work. The in- 

 sj)ectors trained the packers. 



I want to call your attention to the fact that this is one organiza- 

 tion that I know worked and it would work just as well in Michigan 

 as it did in Texas. The only thing to do is to start right and go all 

 the way right. Eliminate the trash from your shipments, pack the 

 goods and establish a reputation for yourself and your fruit. Then, 

 the market problem will be solved. 



Q. If there were a fraud committed, would the owner be compelled 

 to j>ay the loss if he had no control of the inspector? 



A. The owner packed his own fruit. We did not have a single com 

 ])laint in three years. The fruit was packed under the instruction of 

 the inspector. We secured the best young men we could find. 



Q. Why did you quote farmers' pack? 



