Summer Meeting. 123 



season in the Fayetteville and Monett districts. ]\Iany long-time growers 

 declare that the conditions were the most unfavorable they have experi- 

 enced. The O. F. G. A. did but little business in Van Buren, having 

 only one association in that .district in its membership. Notwithstanding 

 the berries "arrived soft" the fourteen cars of the association netted $1.17 

 per crate to the growers, which was 9 cents per crate more than a neigh- 

 boring association received that decided not to work with the O. F. G. A. 



Headquarters were opened at Fayetteville, Ark., May 2. Fifteen 

 of the local unions of Washington and Benton counties, the two counties, 

 by the way, that rank first and second in the United States in apple 

 orchard area, shipped all their cars of strawberries through the O. F. G. 

 A. Our shipments from Washington county were 196 cars. Counting 

 express shipments, and the cars shipped by two associations not co-operat- 

 ing with us, Washington county sent out 300 car loads of strawberries, 

 which places her at the head of all other Arkansas and Missouri counties 

 in strawberry production. 



As the shipping season was now fairly on, additional representatives 

 were sent to the larger markets. These were stationed at the following 

 important cities : Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Milwaukee, Detroit, 

 Cleveland, Chicago, Sioux City, Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln, Denver, 

 Topeka, Kansas City and St. Louis. These representatives examined 

 every car sent to their respective markets and reported as to their con- 

 dition on arrival. In cases of damage to stock from lack of ice or rough 

 handling, the facts were noted. These men were in close touch with our 

 headquarters and performed valuable service. The O. F. G. A. shipped 

 from Arkansas 245 cars; net returns to growers, $1 to $1.30 per crate. 



General headquarters were moved to IMonett, May 12, and the 

 Fayetteville office was also maintained by two of the office force for two 

 weeks after the last Arkansas car had been shipped, to settle for the de- 

 layed consignments. 



The Missouri season opened encouragingly, with sales on track as 

 high as $1.75. Had there been no damage from rains, the entire Missouri 

 crop could have been sold on track at an average of $1.50 at shipping 

 stations — if all the local associations had co-operated. Until the rains 

 came, the O. F. G. A. placed all its cars for cash. For a few days the 

 berry transactions were heavy. Our association shipped seventy-five 

 cars in two days. Total shipments by our association in Missouri, 281 

 cars, making our shipment for the season of 1905 525 cars of strawber- 

 ries, a good record as the amount of business for first effort. The return 

 for Missouri, which for a time promised to exceed those of Arkansas, 

 were less than hoped for, yet they were above those of other seasons. 



