FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 15 



sent to unreliable and dishonest men, the returns, if any, have been dis- 

 appointing, but there are some notable instances of where reliable com- 

 mission men have done very well for men who have stuck by them, 

 year in and year out, who have packed their fniit honestly and have given 

 the dealer a chance to work up a reputation for them. The advantages 

 and disadvantages are similar to the preceding methods. Though the 

 grower requires more help and working capital and the returns may not 

 be quite as quick. It is not as common to find a grower who ships his 

 fruit to one of the cities to be held in cold storage and sold at a favorable 

 time to dispose of it in Michigan as it is in New York. In New York 

 state there are many large cold storage houses in the apple belt and this 

 is a thing that must come for Michigan. This system has advantages that 

 are well worth taking if the grower has the necessary capital to do it 

 and if the packing is done so that the fruit does not have to be repacked 

 before it is sold. 



Whenever a grower is found giving more attention to his fruit and 

 making the growing of fruit a more specialized business to the exclusion 

 of general farming, you find he is giving more attention to the dispo- 

 slition of his crop and is eager to get the most for it, if it does take 

 more time and trouble. 



In any of the ways mentioned, the "middle man," the "go between," 

 is always to be found. True he fills a certain useful place and probably 

 will always be with us, but it is of interest to see how some of the 

 progressive Michigan fruit growers have gotten along very well without 

 him and to their decided advantage financially. 



May I call your attention to a few that have come to my notice? 



Mr. S. G. Power, Northport, sold his crop of Steel's Red in 1909 to a 

 grocer in Detroit for $1.25 per bushel for tree run. The grocer furaished 

 the x)ackages. sent them to the orchard (which is situated on an interur- 

 ban road from Detroit) and Mr. Power has only to pick the apples into 

 the crates and put them on the electric car. He thus saved the expense 

 of packing, packages and hauling. A straight, clean deal, with a 

 man Avho retailed them to the consumer and satisfaction to both parties. 



It is possible for Mr. Henry Smith of Grand Rapids to secure $6.00 

 per barrel for fruit in a barrel of Jonathans where Mr. J. H. Crane of 

 Fennville got but |3.25 for his barrel and all. The fruit in both cases 

 was very fine but Mr. Smith sold direct to the consumer and charged 

 |2.00 per bushel for the fruit and in addition, the cost of the barrel. 

 Mr. Crane sold to a dealer and probably the consumer had to pay more 

 than |6.00 a barrel for the fruit. 



The method of marketing that Mr. David AVoodward of Clinton has 

 worked out for himself is unique and interesting. 



Mr. Woodward has an orchard of but five acres, four miles from Clin- 

 ton and for the past four years has boxed his apples. Sometime during 

 tlie fall, he will load a car with boxes of No. 1 and No. 2 and a grade be- 

 tween No. 2 and cider stock, which he calls "bulk" and ship it to some 

 medium sized city in Indiana. He would go to the city and work up a 

 trade. After it as established, it would take care of itself. Another 

 year he would send a letter to his customers stating what varieties he 

 would have and what the price would be and asking for the amount 

 they would want. This year he secured |2.50 a box for No. 1 Steel Red 

 and Grimes; |2.00 and $1.75 for No. 2 which were also boxed and $1.00 



