42 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



Mr. Graham: Who decides where this fruit is to be shipped, where it 

 is to go, the owner? 



Mr, Thayer: The owner can do so if he wishes. 



Mr. Kellogg: The board of directors simply do it by courtesy, they 

 are not required to? 



Mr. Thayer: The board of directors ship the fruit and direct where it 

 shall go, unless the grower himself has a preference, but it must be 

 shipped to certain commission houses — he is restricted to that. For 

 instance, we sold to three commission men in St. Paul. The fruit must go 

 to some one of these, all the berries from Sparta. 



Mr. Graham : Suppose the grower says he wants it shipped somewhere 

 else, to some other party, what then? 



Mr. Thayer: Outside the association he can ship wherever he likes — 

 by keeping outside of the association. 



Mr. Graham: Can he ship part of his stuff outside and part in the 

 association? 



Mr. Thayer: Every member has a right to sell his own stuff at home 

 if he likes. 



Mr. Graham: If a consignment of berries did not bring him a satis- 

 factory price through the association, would he have to ship to the same 

 party tomorrow, or could he ship anywhere he saw fit? 



Mr. Thayer: Yes, sir, I think so. 



Mr. Graham: Then there is no controlling force there whatever? 



Mr. Thayer: If you ship differently from the instructions of the board 

 of directors you would be dropped from the association. 



Mr. Graham: I do not understand it. I thought he had a right to sell 

 individuallv. 



Mr. Thayer: You can sell individually, but if you ship tliem on com- 

 mission to St. Paul or Minneapolis, or any of those points which are 

 designated by the board of directors — you have no right to do that, you 

 have no right to put your berries in competition with those of the associa- 

 tion. 



Mr. Graham: You can put them anywhere else you see fit? 



Mr. Thayer: You can put them anywhere else, you can ship them 

 anywhere else you see fit. It is only to dispose of the large surplus. By 

 doing that we charter special refrigerator cars, and this gives the smaller 

 growers the benefit of the cheap rates of shipment, and it gives them also 

 the benefit of the experience of the board of directors, who are supposed 

 to be men of experience in that line; and it has worked very harmoniously, 

 to the great satisfaction of both the large and small growers. 



Mr. Kellogg: How long has the organization existed? 



Mr. Thayer: It was formed two years ago. I wish to emphasize the 

 remarks made by our president and those of Mr. Kellogg yesterday. You 

 should have no false motions in growing fruit. When it is possible to 

 make one motion and get a plant in and have it right, you should learn to 

 make that motion, even if you have to practice a good while. You can 

 not afford to grow poor plants, you can not afford to produce poor fruit, 

 you can not afford to do anything in a loose and slovenly way in growing 

 berries. I tell you, the trouble is not so much with the commission men; 

 it is more with the people who are growing berries today. You can not 

 afford to grow a whole lot of poor stuff that keeps prices down all the time. 

 If there is an over production, let us find it out, and let us grow better 



