146 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tlie lack of progress in Berrien County is that all fruits except grapes 

 are either sold on the local markets or consigned. From strawberries 

 to winter apples local buyers are very active and these agencies are in a 

 favorable position to harass and compete strongly with cooperative 

 organizations. 



An examination of the organization in the Michigan belt reveals an 

 error into which practically all have fallen and which has proven a 

 constant source of weakness. It consists of overlooking the importance 

 of local and individual initiative. The associations were usually formed 

 at a certain center including a limited area in which the growers were 

 well known to each other. 



From this point they spread out including other stations farther and 

 farther away until a large extent of territory was included in Avhich 

 many of the growers were entirely unknown to each other. Now these 

 stations are all pooled together so that a farmer in one station is obliged 

 to pool his interests with another unknown farmer, whose farm or fruit 

 he may never have seen. This proceeding kills local pride and initiative. 

 Prof. Bailey has made this point very clear and his conclusions have 

 never been questioned. He maintains that the vitality of the country 

 must always depend upon local and individual initiative and any institu- 

 tion organization that overlooks this principle is fundamentally wrong. 



Tlie attempt to unite a large territory into one organization such as 

 our present pooling systems indicate, must have a leveling effect that 

 destroys local pride and interest to the end that the organizations are 

 looked upon as a more or less foreign institution. The remedy lies 

 in strengthening the local units. 



^'It is desirable from every point of view that each rural community 

 and each individual should retain its individualit,y to the greatest pos- 

 sible extent, that it should not have local pride and ambition stifled by 

 too general a mixture Avitli other sections and that it should be en- 

 couraged to build up a local reputation for its products that distinguish 

 it from other communities."* 



These rural communities which correspond in grape organizations 

 closely to loading stations, should each have their own organization and 

 take care of all matters that are of a local nature. The larger interest 

 must necessarily be delegated to a central organization with which these 

 local units should be federated. 



The fruit in one station may, on account of soil or elevation, ripen 

 earlier, another station with heavier soil may not be prime until much 

 later. In one locality certain varieties may predominate and in another 

 superior packing may prevail. These ditferences ought to be emphasized 

 by establishing a local brand, or otherwise made assets in individualizing 

 the local product. 



Certain other administrative policies of some of the organizations are 

 open to criticism. The practices of paying salesmen commission and 

 allowing managers to furnish supplies independent of the organization 

 are especially objectionable. 



The organizations are led to adopt these methods in seeking to avoid 

 complicated executive problems and financial responsibility-. For in- 

 stance, paying a commission instead of a salary relieves the organization 

 from establishing a sinking fund or making other arrangements to pay 



* Powell — Cooperation in Agriculture. 



