WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 129 



cents per basket from his last shipment. Now, the paint is, in the end the man 

 who paid one dollar per basket is perfectly satisfied with his bargain, but the 

 man who only paid fifty cents per basket, feels as though he had been swin- 

 dled out of about forty cents per basket for all he got; and sure enough, 

 he was. 



So, you see, the commission man is not always to blame when he is 

 " blessed." We must make our own reputation. Our commission man 

 can't do it for us. We should keep on the right side of our salesman, and 

 we can best do that by sending nice, large consignments regularly, every 

 shipment, so he can tell his customers he will have them by every boat or 

 train without fail, and oftentimes your fruit will be sold before it arrives. 



I ship a great deal direct to consumers on orders. Selling at depot or dock 

 is a very desirable way to deal. There is no risk at all, as you have sold 

 your goods and got your money without any commission or freight to take 

 out. 



We need more first-class fruit and less second and third class. We can 

 have it so if we will make it so. 



"WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAT. 



L. H. Wilcox of Benton Harbor remarked that there was great lack of 

 system upon the whole lake shore in the methods of marketing fruit. We 

 consign to strangers and have to take what they please to give us. Mr. 

 Linderman's plan is a good one for a large shipper. A man may so build up 

 a trade. But co-operation of the whole body of shippers is necessary to the 

 welfare of all. 



W. A. Brown: If possible, the Linderman plan is a good one, so for as 

 individuals are concerned; but the peach interest is assuming vast propor- 

 tions and some system is necessary. The great northwestern regions are tribu- 

 tary to us for peaches, but we can not reach them to good advantage through 

 the Chicago market and two or three middlemen. Combination to make 

 shipments to the far west is the best plan, but how best to do it will require 

 much consideration. 



Rev. E. Andrus: The plan of building up a reputation for honesty is an 

 admirable one. Large shippers may do this, but the greater number of 

 growers raise not enough to become well known. A board, or something of 

 the kind, making a guaranty for all the members, would be beneficial to 

 such. 



C. W. Whitehead of Benton Harbor spoke of the Inter-State Society, an 

 association of horticulturists in Illinois, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Missis- 

 sippi, having headquarters at Cairo and making direct shipments to other 

 northwestern cities besides Chicago, members being notified daily of the state 

 of markets and directed where to send and how much. The Chicago men 

 fought this, so as to hold northwestern markets, but the plan has been suc- 

 cessful and something of the kind must be resorted to here. 



Mr. Whitehead further remarked upon the mischievousness of sending culls 

 and second-grade fruit to market, and even the raising of such. The first 

 requisite to first-class prices is first-class fruit. 



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