22 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



died, but we understaud how farmers as a rule do theii' work. It 

 is not all alike, and there are some obstacles that I imagine those. who 

 have attempted it have had to overcome. How well they have done 

 that I am certaiulv unable to sav, but so far as our marketing gen- 

 erally is concerned we are verj' much in the position of the old maid 

 who prayed for a husband, under the tree, and the owl in the top of 

 the tree asked, "Who? ^^'ho?"' and she answered, "Anybody, O Lord." 

 I think any way to get out of our unfavorable position would be accept- 

 able. I have always favored the Grand Rapids idea of encouraging 

 buyers to come to the growers. It seemed to me it was practicable. 

 They have taken the right course. Every man brings the fruit in there 

 just as he pleases, and the buyer is right there and pays good prices 

 to the man who delivers his fruit in good packages and in good con- 

 dition. The central packing-house system, if enough will undertake 

 it, seems a step in advance of that. It is a question entirely whether 

 we are read}' to accept these things. You gentlemen who have been 

 at the meetings for years have heard this thing agitated year after 

 year, and we have written precept ujjon precept and line upon line to 

 furnish evidence to the different fruitgrowers in the community that 

 there was money in moving ahead in this thing, improving our packing, 

 and in co-operation; but it seemed to work out to little advantage until 

 the time came that they were absolutely compelled to or wanted to. 

 Now, it seems that there is a prospect of some practical organization. 

 I know in our own town, for the first time, I see something that looks 

 I)racticable. They are moving out (and, by the yvaj, they had to have 

 the help of a great monopoly to do that). The Armour company came 

 in there, and an^ assisting tln^ growers by practically managing the 

 whole thing and simply taking what they can get and their transporta- 

 tion charges. They are shipping out from three to five, and I believe 

 as high as thirteen, carloads of strawberries every night, going all over. 

 They are furnishing the growers a good system. They are taking care 

 of the transportation, the icing, taking and putting in any man's ber- 

 ries in any condition that he brings them, and he takes the result. They 

 have cheapened the transportation and furnished good facilities, and 

 it is certainly a great improvement. This is foreign to the central 

 packing-house idea, but any way to im])rove our markets, our distribu- 

 tion, and our methods is acceptable to me. I think the central packing- 

 house system, applied to ])eaches and ap]iles, certainly a step in advance. 



Mr. Phillips: I would ask Mr. ^loriill if he was fairly satisfied with 

 the answers Mr. Owen gave in Holland while Mr. Morrill criticised 

 the central packing-house system? 



-Ml'. ]Morrill: O yes, sir. I criticised that to bring out those ideas. 

 It is a fact that many of our fruitgrowers do not catch an idea soon 

 enough to get much good out of it. It takes them years to catch a v^ery 

 simple idea. That is unfortunate, but true. When you come to a com- 

 bination of intei'osts, llici'e seems to be a fear running through the 

 minds of some of our fruitgrowers that somebody elst' is going to gain a 

 little advantage, and they are going to see to it that they do not, because 

 they intend to get the advantage first. We have found this condition 

 in an attemiit to let each grower pack his own fruit and grade it himself. 

 He will slight his baskets, ])erhaps, and others will bring in full measure. 

 Of course, the man that puts in full measure along with the man that 

 puts in a slighted basket is not satisfied. Those things creep in. unfor- 



