852 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



vent of his angry expostulations, for the employ^ cared only for the wages he earned 

 and the American express had an eye for the lucrative emolument of this business 

 rather than the satisfaction or accommodation of the fruit-shipperr All these grievances 

 consummating in the season of 1888. when the crop was unusually large, created such 

 dissatisfaction that the shippers began to look for a remedy. Our industry seemed to 

 be threatened with ruin, but as has been said, " circumstances are the mother of inven- 

 tion," so we find it. A few of the growers having learned of the granger system of 

 handling fruit resolved to organize what is now known as the Fennville Fruit Shippers 

 Association, having for its first object the loading and unloading of their own fruit and 

 the transportation of the same. 



Now to enumerate some of the past accomplishments of this association. By diligent 

 and untiring zeal they at last gained favor with the C. & W. M. railway company to 

 allow us the privilege of a special train as they had the American express company on 

 which to operate our system. The general freight agent and assistant general freight 

 agent met with us several times to promote and advance this mutual interest which 

 was growing between the fruitgrower and the railroad company and perfect this system 

 which we were going to adopt. It was finally agreed that we would do away with the 

 shelving and load cars to a minimum of 20,000 and they would make us a special rate 

 of 26c per 100 pounds on full cars and 293^^c on partial cars. By this arrangement the 

 association would be able to handle the fruit for 3J^c a basket instead of 6J^ and the 

 fruit would be under our care in loading and unloading. The railroad company agreed 

 to furnish us with one hundred new cars thirty-eight feet long with a ventilated door; 

 thus our fruit would have to be only five or six baskets deep to get in a carload and 

 with the ventilation, afford excellent transportation for the same. They also agreed to 

 bring up the matter of extension of platform with the Michigan Central railway, that 

 we might have room to unload six or eight cars at a time. Before the fruit began to 

 ripen in 1891 all these agreements were fulfilled. Thus began the operation of our 

 granger system of transportation. 



Now, to make this a success from the start we concluded it was expedient we should 

 employ agents both here and in Chicago who had some experience in loading and 

 unloading, and were also acquainted with our system of manifesting the fruit into the 

 cars, and checking it out carefully to the commission men. So for our loader we 

 employed Mr. Al Whitbeck, whose services for the American express company had 

 given him an opportunity to gain the knowledge of properly conducting the manner of 

 loading, and the propriety of giving the best service to the shippers He soon acquired 

 the mode of manifesting the fruit and when an assistant was needed he could properly 

 instruct. For our unloader. N. K. Goodrich, of Chicago, was employed; his excellent 

 service rendered us in organizing our association and his past experience in conducting- 

 the affairs of the southern Illinois associations which are operating this system of trans- 

 portation, induced us to show our appreciation for his instructions, feeling that he 

 would extend his best efforts to make this meet our approbation. 



We went through the season of '91 with a marked degree of success and with the 

 exception of holding the train a few times for some of our tardy shippers we made a 

 very good record and did our part of the work better than the railroad company, for 

 they were a number of times late when we were not instrumental in bringing it about. 

 We also demonstrated that it was not necessary for our unloader to have a solicitor for 

 Fennville and vicinity, for the people were much more inclined to patronize the railroad 

 company when they felt there was no third party in this deal. As the season came to 

 a close and we took a retrospective view of the operations of our acquirements, we con- 

 cluded that this system of dealing with the transportation of our fruit had almost met 

 our highest expectations. 



The report showed we had handled 398 carloads; paid freight to the amount of 

 $21,131.'10; labor, §2,985; amount of balance to our credit, $289.82; amount paid for 

 shortage and a few incidental expenses. $119.67; leaving in the treasurer's hands at the 

 close of the first season's operations $170.15. This was highly gratifying to the fruit- 

 shippers in general and filled the members with zeal for the work in prospect for 1892. 

 The executive board for this season deemed it very essential, to facilitate the advan- 

 tages of loading, that the C. & W. M. railroad should make a fill on the west side of the 

 west side track, grading up the driveway there, to make it convenient for one team to 

 pass another, giving a longer driveway and better acconamodations for getting back 

 into the streets of the village. By earnest endeavor they were able to get the officials 

 of the railroad company on the grounds to view the actual conditions. Then our request 

 was granted and before the season for shipment had arrived the work was finished up in 

 a very satisfactory manner. 



The directors next conceived the idea of road-building and thought by the aid of the 

 good will of the shippers as a leverage, they could induce the railroad company to fur- 



