COMMENCEMENT, JUNE, 1898. 649 



their associations, of Chicago especially. These business houses receive 

 fruit from growers at a distance and having sold it, are supposed to remit 

 the sum excepting the freight and their 10 per cent, commission. Some- 

 times a suspicious fruit grower not only ships his fruit but accompanies 

 it to its destination, and, a complete stranger to the commission men, buys 

 his own fruit, takes a purchaser's receipt, and quietly departs. At home 

 again he receives as a fruit grower the commission man's bill of sale. The 

 receipt of purchase often shows an excess of 25 or 50 per cent, over the 

 bill of sale, showing that the commission merchant has pocketed much 

 more thnn his 10 per cent. 



To sum up the situation, we see that the total production varies on ac- 

 count of unfavorable seasons and differences in acreage, that total con- 

 sumption varies on account of great political or business crises. This 

 natural difficulty is many times increased by the carelessness and lack of 

 thoroughness of our middlemen. Finally, our tandem monopolies of 

 means of transportation and agents of distribution completely ruin the 

 soundness of our markets, defy all accurate calculations and make mar- 

 kets what they now are, arenas of chance for the merchant, the assurance 

 of poverty to the farmer. 



The only course under these circumstances left for the farmer is a 

 necessity. He must control his own markets and make his own terms 

 with the railroads. 



And the most intelligent farmers are beginning to do this. Instead 

 of shipping to overstocked cities they supply grocerymen in small towns; 

 others deal directly with their customers, giving them better produce at 

 less cost. 



Fruit growers are perhaps succeeding best. Some shrewd men in our 

 fruit belt are supplying Chicago fruit stands with best fruit at best prices. 

 Several large fruit growers' associations in California are shipping fruit 

 to large and small cities all over the United States, and sometimes even 

 to Great Britain. Whv should not the farmers deal successfullv as have 

 many other business interests or industries, which handle as great sums 

 of money, and successfully support as great responsibilities? Our great 

 factories have agencies of their own that sell their produce. They would 

 not give railroads or middlemen the profits. Our giant insurance and 

 loan associations are partnerships in which one man disposes of another's 

 money for their mutual profit. 



On such a plan two or a hundred farmers, the more the better, could 

 associate in a lawful partnership. Several should be especially good 

 business men with a large practical knowledge of markets. These 

 specially fitted men could fill and more than fill the place of our middle- 

 men. The association could better succeed in controlling than the in- 

 dividual farmer because today, as ever, union means strength. First, they 

 could control the great prime cause that we have found disturbs our mar- 

 kets, i. e., supply and demand. They could build store-houses and store 

 the nonperishable staple foods, giving to the market when needed, with- 

 holding the surplus of an immense harvest. In this way flour would not 

 as now be f 1 per sack one month and $2 the next. If associations com- 

 bined they might ultimately control the number of acres of staple crops 

 planted. 



Secondly, They could do away with the ignorance and carelessness of 

 the middleman. The fruit associations of California are now distribut- 

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