570 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



passing through the office amounted ^o $1,411,000. A successful 

 year was reported and a handsome dividend declared on tfie share 

 capital. This co-operative company operates at forty shipping 

 points, ships all under registered trade mark and the business is 

 handled in a thoroughly up-to-date manner. A general manager is 

 the responsible agent for the buying and shipping. He advises 

 local agents to whom they are to consign their produce. He sends 

 them every morning or oftener, if necessary, to the various market 

 quotations. He must also see that the goods are properly inspected, 

 and keep a careful record of the number of packages shipped daily. 

 City commission merchants who are in arrears for 20 days in the 

 settlement of accounts receive no further shipments until the settle- 

 ment is made in a satisfactory manner. The general manager visits 

 the local shipping points once a month or oftener. In the local ex- 

 change the appointed officers are responsible for the storage in 

 packing houses, and make daily reports to the general manager. 

 Where the produce is consigned by the exchange, the local agent 

 mails to the consignee an invoice of number of barrels or packages, 

 together with the names of persons who have furnished it, and the 

 number of packages each person has in the consignment. The con- 

 signee makes separate cash returns to each person, first deducting 

 5 per cent. This is sent to the treasurer of the exchange, with a 

 full statement as to the source from which it comes. Thi.s accumu- 

 lating fund is, of course, handled eventually as the stockholders de- 

 sire, either in the way of improving the equipment after expenses 

 are paid or in dividends, etc. "The local exchanges have proper rep- 

 resentation on the board of directors of the exchange. Great care 

 is taken in packing and shipping, with special trade marks whicn 

 stand for something, on selected lots. This farmers' organization 

 handles in a season 3,000 to 4,000 cars of sweet and white potatoes. 

 In 1905 and 1906 it cost less than 5 cents a package in association 

 expenses to handle the crop. 



Growers of cauliflower in an important trucking section on Long 

 Island formed an organization several years ago for marketing their 

 crops, and have succeeded reasonably well. Last season was ex- 

 cessively wet during July and August, and the crop was badly dam- 

 aged, cutting down the business temporarily. Yet during the ship- 

 ping season, nearly 66,000 packages were handled, and to the general 

 satisfaction of shippers and receivers. In a good season as high as 

 130,000 barrels of cauliflower are handled by this association, mostly 

 on the New York market. The managers closely watch conditions, 

 and the moment the New York and Philadelphia market is over sup- 

 plied, the surplus is promptly shipped to other cities. Cauliflower 

 shipped to points outside those named were bought outright from 

 the farmers by the association, and distributed as far west as Chi- 

 cago. The association now has 400 members, and pays its manager 

 |1,000 a year salary. Great savings are effected in the purchase of 

 supplies and the utilization of refrigerator cars, etc. 



Keverting for the moment to the possibility of enlarging the 

 market outlet for apples, I want to call your attention to what is 

 really an encouraging i)hase of commercial orcharding. I refer to 

 the business of evaporating apples. As all of you know, this has 

 in recent years grown to a large industry, centered perhaps in a few 

 counties in Western New York, but also of considerable prominence 



