54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



prove disastrous to all. The interests of both are identical in as far as 

 getting as much out of the goods as is possible is concerned. The 

 more the business can be concentrated, the better will be the results 

 obtained, and the less friction there is caused by over-loading or 

 shipping to irresponsible parties, simply because they have announced 

 their market, and in well written letters asked for the business, the 

 nearer will you all be satisfied with net results. Unbridled competition 

 in all its phases at this end of the line and at the shipping point, too, 

 raises more havoc in its serious results to all cencerned in the fruit 

 traffic than in any other on account of the perishable nature of the 

 articles handled, and to realize satisfactory prices, it is altogether 

 necessary to get as strong a hold on receipts as possible and have the 

 entire co-operation of the shipper in the furtherance of that end. 



There is no question but what complete and amicable co-operation 

 is entirely possible, and at the meeting called in October to be held at 

 Monett, you should push the matter to the extreme limit and obtain 

 the desired end. I, myself, after having ten years' experience in this 

 business, was almost persuaded to think that co-operation was not 

 feasible or possible. But, having knowledge of the vast strides made 

 this year towards such a consummation, I am led to believe that there 

 is nothing in the future but what foreshadows good results. At Sar- 

 coxie and Van Buren as well, where large shipments were of daily oc- 

 currence, they have overcome the disposition that is inherent in us 

 all, to take the best of everything for ourselves by first selecting from 

 telegraphic market report the houses tbat they would ship to on a 

 given day and place the names of these houses in a hat, would in an- 

 other article of head-gear place the car numbers, and drawing first 

 rrom one hat would announce the name of (he house selected and 

 from the other the number of the car to be consigned to that party. 

 This system has absolutely done away with all favoritism or inclination 

 of the shipping committee to place cars in which they had a large num- 

 ber of cases in any one market or to any one individual consignee. It 

 has been often asserted that the shipping committee or the secretary of 

 associations often billed out car-lots for pecuniary profit and personal 

 aggrandizement. But with the new order of things this is almost an 

 absolute impossibility. The same system of distribution might be 

 within the pale of possibility, and, to my mind, should be quite so 

 among the different shipping communities as well as it is locally. I 

 would suggest that a committee of, say three, five or seven, be ap- 

 pointed from the large shipping centers, and during the shipping 

 season have their headquarters at Monett — I say Monett because that 

 is the center of the strawberry universe so far as Missouri and Arkau- 



