WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 179 



■your conscience, watch your pickers and do not let them put in any sandy or 

 injured fruit. I forgot to say that in packing we throw out all imperfect or 

 over-ripe fruit, as well as all trash, in fact putting it in prime order for the 

 table. By this means I have succeeded in getting much larger prices for 

 berries than 1 could otherwise. 



It does not seem necessary to suggest anything farther in regard to pack- 

 ages and packing, to this audience, except to say that in all our packing we 

 should always put our fruit up in just exactly such manner as we would like 

 to purchase it, and it will surprise some of us to find out how easy the 

 marketing problem becomes after following such a course for a year or two. 

 Prints in the market will have no terror for you, and no human influence will 

 work you a loss, as it stands solidly in your favor at every stage of your busi- 

 ness. Always remember that there is plenty of room at the top of the lad- 

 der for those who are willing to climb, and know how, while the man .who is 

 crushed is always in the crowd on the ground. 



THE TRANSPOETATION PUZZLE. 



As for marketing, a great deal might be said and done to improve our 

 present facilities. If you are well toward the top of the ladder it need not 

 worry you, as Chicago will always pay more for a prime or fancy article than 

 the citizens of any other city accessible to us can afford to do ; but for the 

 great bulk of our poor to fair fruit, it is well to plan for a better system of 

 distribution and sale, as there are hundreds of cities with from 5,000 to 20,- 

 000 inhabitants, which are as yet poorly supplied with fruit, and in which 

 reasonable prices can be obtained ; and numerous other larger cities which 

 are supplied with our products from Chicago, to whom we have to pay 

 tribute in the way of commissions and buyers' profits. This might be 

 avoided to a certain extent by a fair co-operation of fruit growers and rail- 

 road companies, but as it now stands these expenses are counterbalanced by 

 the excessive rates and poor service rendered us to all points west of the lake, 

 except Minneapolis and St. Paul, which, for the past two years, have been a 

 great dumping ground for New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, resulting 

 sometimes in a fair profit and often in a serious loss. There still remains to 

 us all our interior towns, as well as our northern cities, northern and central 

 Indiana, and it would surjDrise some of us to know how good some of these 

 markets are ; and if proper influence can be brought to bear on our express 

 companies we should be able to supply them profitably. I hope some day to 

 see the Michigan fruit exchange so well organized that it can successfully 

 manage these things for us. 



In the meantime, our main reliance must be in Chicago. So let us see what 

 can be done there. Our worst trouble there is our standard. It is not high 

 enough. Other fruit regions are pressing us hard and may drive us to the 

 wall, unless we wake up and demand a reform in our methods all along the 

 line. I recollect that a few years ago a movement was on foot to black-list 

 certain commission men; but it did not take long to discover that the shippers 

 loudest in favor of it were the best candidates for such a list. It is simply 

 ridiculous to attack our salesmen in a body until we have done our part hon- 

 estly, and in a body. My acquaintance with them has shown me that as a 

 class they are as bright and shrewd a lot of men as can be found in the city* 

 the very nature of their business compelling them to be honest if they expect 



