206 State Hortiadtural Society. 



should organize and sell their fruit together. In refering to the 

 organization in Neosho, it is not an ideal association, but we are 

 trying to improve it year by year. We know that we do exceed 

 many in the growing and marketing of our fruit. We have an 

 organization of 125 members. I have the honor of being the presi- 

 dent, Mr. Christian is the corresponding secretary and business 

 manager. We have a constitution and by-laws, which specify the 

 kind of people admitted to membership, and specify the methods 

 used in growing and handling our fruit. It clearly states the kind 

 of grading and packing which each must do. We have a business 

 committee of five members, one of whom is the business manager. 

 This committee selects the commission houses to whom we will con- 

 sign our fruit. This selection is done before the shipping season 

 commences. We consign all our fruit to these commission houses ; 

 we never sell on the track ; we believe we get more money by con- 

 signing. This business committee provides the packages, and, by 

 buying in such large quantities, is able to get them at the lowest 

 possible price. They provide all necessary stamps and other needed 

 supplies, give instructions to growers, packers and pickers; in a 

 word, attend to all the details of the business part of the work, and 

 leave the growers to give their best energies to producing the best 

 fruit. Regarding the business manager, we feel better to have a 

 capable manager, to whom we can trust our work, than to do it our- 

 selves. Many people can grow Iruit better than they can market 

 it. We try to place a man in the front who has good business 

 qualifications, shrewd judgment and who can properly meet the 

 representatives sent by commission houses and railroads. Such a 

 man we have had in the past and will have in the future. 



I will speak a moment regarding the advantages of an associa- 

 tion. In a certain cook book there is a noted receipt for cooking 

 a hare, and it begins this way : First catch your hare. It is the 

 same with fruit. First grow ycur fruit, grow it right and then 

 market it well. An organization helps very much in getting good 

 banking arrangements. If a grower don't have money to buy his 

 crate material, he can get it at the bank on the recommendation of 

 the organization. The same as to paying help and many other 

 favors not extended to individuals. Again, organizations help us 

 greatly in securing crate material. Last year we shipped seventy 

 cars of strawberries ; the year before one hundred and five cars, and 

 bought ten cars of crate material one season. We get quotations 

 from the factories, who submit prices to us, and we buy from 

 where we can do the best. So in two or three years we have beaten 



