288 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



only cement the shipping fraternity in closer relations to each other, 

 but will bring to bear a greater pressure of influence on transportation 

 companies. 



To accomplish these results your committee would respectfully 



Resolve, That we use every influence and inducement in our power to induce 

 fruit and vegetable growers to form themselves into societies or organizations for 

 the purpose of agreeing upon and counseling with each other as to kinds of crops 

 desirable to plant, as to acreage to be increased each season, also as to combinations 

 for shipment in order to bring transportation companies to a recognition of our 

 needs. 



Resolved, That we believe that, by close co-operation, we may avoid the too 

 frequent mistake of improper shipments and consignments. 



We would also suggest that the most probable source of relief 

 and benefit will be found in acquiring the advantages gained by ship- 

 ping to distant markets in refrigerator cars. This will necessitate, of 

 course, the ability to fill such cars daily or at stated intervals, and it is 

 not only necessary to have such quantity of fruit, but the growers of 

 the same shall have made some previous agreement or arrangement to 

 so ship it. It is also suggested that it is important that fruit growers 

 should raise such fruit as in their season of ripening would give con- 

 stant employment to the transportation companies throughout the sea- 

 son, and thus make it an object for them to give the best of modern 

 facilities for preserving shipments, thereby enabling us to greatly widen 

 the field of our operations. 



Eeceived and adopted. 



DISCUSSION. 



N. F. Murray— I fully agree with Mr. Robards that no one is so far 

 from market as he who has nothing to sell. We used to believe that 

 competition would give us low rates, but that day is gone. I believe 

 the only thing we can do to get relief is to present the subject to the 

 express and railroad companies, and show them that it will be to their 

 interest to give us lower rates. Our railroad in one case gave us 

 nearly fifty per cent reduction, and we still paid about fifty per cent 

 too much. Let us organize and go before them. Let the State protect 

 the individual, and make witnesses of those who have been robbed. 

 Let us organize in a sensible, businesslike manner throughout the 

 State, and ask for laws fixing the rates at something near what is just 

 and right. The railroads are public property, built by the aid of the 

 State and the public. 



Secretary Goodman— We want the local societies to work, and the 

 only way to get them to work is to keep the subject agitated. Pass 



