No. 7. DEPARTMENT OI' AGFtlCULTURE.. 567 



In a word, this association is essentially for growing and ship- 

 ping strawberries on an extensive scale. There are 140 members 

 in the association, and they grow a total of 800 acres of strawber- 

 ries. Last season they shipped 70 carloads, the year before 105. 

 Frost reduced the last crop materially as here indicated. Ship- 

 ments are made from Neosho to Kansas City, St. Joseph, Topeka, 

 as far west as Denver, as far north as St. Paul, and as far east as 

 Detroit. The association consigns to reliable and responsible com- 

 mission merchants in these various cities. The fruit is never sold 

 on track. In a recent letter from President J. B. Graves of this 

 association he informs me that with the kind of berries his associa- 

 tion grows, and with the excellent care taken in packing, he finds 

 better results with commission merchants than with track buyers. 



Now very briefly as to the by-laws of this association. The mem- 

 bership fee is |1, annual dues |1, and when growers in the associa- 

 tion ship berries as a firm or company, each individual member of 

 the firm must become a member of the association. The usual offi- 

 cers are elected annually in August, president, vice-president, record- 

 ing secretary, treasurer, also chaplain, and a business committee 

 consisting of five members. The secretary' keeps all records, col- 

 lects all moneys due the association for dues, fees, fines and forfeit- 

 ures, turns this over to the treasurer monthly, taking the hitter's 

 receipt therefor, thus constituting a bookkeeping account for the 

 work of the auditor. The secretary is under bonds of |400, and the 

 bond is kept by the president. The secretary receives |25 per year 

 for his services. The treasurer is under bonds of |1,000, and he also 

 receives |25 annually for his services. He handles the money of the 

 association, paying out on proper warrants which are to be signed 

 by the president and secretary. 



So much for the ordinary bookkeeping of the association. Now 

 for the most important part of this management, which rests in 

 the business committee, which it will be recalled consists of five 

 selected members of the association. After election these organize, 

 naming one of their number chairman. This committee is prac- 

 tically responsible for the success or failure of the years business 

 as an association. Each member receives |2 for each meeting which 

 he attends. This business committee elects one of its number as 

 secretary and treasurer of the business committee, and this man is 

 really business manager and corresponding secretary. Naturally, 

 the best man in the association is none too good for this. He is to 

 keep a full record of all transactions of the committee, and attend 

 to all the correspondence of the association. He receives all cash 

 returns and rebates from commission merchants, and from other 

 sources, and makes disposition of same as directed by the rules 

 of the association. 



The manager and his assistant are in full control of the loading 

 sheds. The business committee pays all the expenses of the associa- 

 tion such as just indicated out of the rebates in commission charges, 

 etc., and 25 per cent, of ':he remainder they also pay to the treas- 

 urer of the association to hold. They also pay over to each grower 

 his proportionate part of the returns after the cost of handling is 

 deducted. The business committee each season selects the commis- 

 sion merchants who are to handle the berries of the association. A 

 most important proviso is th.at every member pf the association 



