REPORTS OF DISTRICT AND LOCAL SOCIETIES. 543 



have been slow in securing all of the advantages of their location for supplying the great 

 northern demand for early fruits and vegetables. The long line of production in the 

 lower Mississippi valley has generally made Chicago their distributing point; but 

 through individual enterprise, and organized co-operation of growers at large fruit- 

 growing centers, car loads are being sent direct to many large cities without paying 

 tribute to Chicago. 



Having given a cursory glance at general methods of marketing fruits in other locali- 

 ties you will expect some allusions to our own system, and references to proposed 

 reforms which are being suggested by growers at the principal shipping points up and 

 down our lake shore. 



During the early years of fruit shipping from the St. Joseph region, Chicago was the 

 only market, prices were high, and the commission system satisfactory. But periodical 

 gluts of some varieties of small fruits soon occurred, though we never had a positive 

 glut of peach market. While we must continue to rely upon Chicago as our principal 

 market for small fruits, we should be prepared to utilize a surplus by shipping to other 

 points or selling at home to manufacturers of fruit goods. We can not foresee the con- 

 tingencies of the season; last year one half of the immense crop of strawberries went to 

 waste; our blackberry crop would all have been sold at home had shipments been with- 

 held, and the entire crop of grapes, apples, and pears grown in this country could have 

 been sold at Benton Harbor, if offered for sale at that point and buyers notified of the 

 withdrawal of the fruit from other markets. But during seasons of general fruitful- 

 ness, combined and intelligent efforts will be required all along the line by fruitgrowers 

 if remunerative prices are realized. 



Many fruitgrowers ignore the efforts of fruitgrowers' societies; they plod along in the 

 old ruts and characterize the members of horticultural societies as " Threshers of old 

 straw," but they are finally compelled to adopt new varieties of fruits, new methods of 

 cultivation, and recent appliances for exterminating insect enemies or "get left." It is 

 true that horticultural societies are not strictly business associations, but all questions 

 pertinent to the gradual evolution of the material interests of the fruitgrower are dis- 

 cussed and the formation of efficient business organizations suggested and encouraged. 



Last year the Berrien county society issued a large number of pamphlets inviting 

 fruit dealers to purchase and order their supplies directly from the grower. Several 

 hundreds were sent to dealers in many towns, and more will be distributed which will 

 probably bring forth good results in a more prolific season. But a business organization 

 will be necessary through which the quality and quantity of the goods will be guaran- 

 teed, and a large number of growers pledged to supply all legitimate demands. Our 

 society has also effected an arrangement with the express companies whereby the 

 tariff of rates on fruit to all points are greatly reduced. And now the South Haven, the 

 Saugatuck and Ganges societies are considering the sizes of packages in which the 

 coming peach crop shall be marketed. It appears that many of the Allegan county 

 growers think that a fifth-bushel will sell at the same price of the full peck and will use 

 all sorts and sizes of packages. The South Haven and Casco society are placing them- 

 selves on a business basis, as the following, which was signed by the members of their 

 society, indicates: 



" To R. T. Pierce & Co., fruit package manufacturers, or to whom it may concern: — 

 The undersigned fruitgrowers of South Haven, Casco, and vicinity hereby agree to use 

 in the shipping and selling of peaches the full peck basket, and if a large package is 

 required, then the bushel or an aliquot part thereof." 



This agreement will give our South Haven friends a great advantage if — as they pro- 

 pose — the baskets are branded " full peck " and they sell a part of the crop at home. It 

 is a broad notice and fair warning to package manufacturers. If legislation is neces- 

 sary to compel the use of the aliquot parts of the dry measure bushel for fruit ship- 

 ments, why not enact a law prohibiting the manufacture or offering for sale of the odd 

 fractional parts of the bushel. Such a law would give us uniform size packages and 

 prevent the continued pandering to the small side of human nature by the box and 

 basket makers. They ought to do it without compulsion. 



But the successful marketing of our fruits is of more importance than the size or 

 style of packages. Should nothing occur to mar the present prospects, the prospective 

 crop of peaches for the coming season in the lake shore counties of western Michigan 

 will exceed five million baskets. Other tree fruits and small fruits will probably approx- 

 imate to the net value of the peach crop. 



Chicago commission houses will handle the bulk of this fruit under our present 

 system of marketing. No other agency can supply the demand in that city, but a large 

 part of the fruit consigned to Chicago is sold there to shippers or forwarded to other 

 points by reshippers, who govern the prices. The daily supply is usually much larger 

 than necessary to supply the city trade. The shipper "bears" the morning market and 



