THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 361 



THE CANNERS' INTEREST IN THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.* 



By C. H. Bentlky, Sales Manager California Fruit Canners' Association, 



San Francisco. 



Ill some respects the relation of the canner to the fniit grower may 

 be likened to that of the mother-in-law ; she may be cranky and fault- 

 finding, but she's very handy when things go Avrong. So the canner 

 with all his faults is helpful to the fruit industry, not only in emer- 

 gencies, but in the ordinary course of the grower's troublesome business. 



Time was — and that recently — when business was conducted on the 

 principles of a horse trade, each party to a transaction figuring that 

 one or the other must get the worst of it, and each taking good care 

 that the other got it : but in these days, ■\vhen efficiency in business has 

 demonstrated the fallacy of such methods, canners and growers are 

 recognizing that permanent successful business can only be founded on 

 the square deal. The grower may now talk with the canner without 

 hiding his watch. He may now sign a contract selling his crop with a 

 confident belief that the crop is sold, even if the market goes down. 

 The canner signs the contract with full confidence that the grower will 

 hide his best fruit on the bottom of the box. and believes that if the 

 market goes higher he will get the fruit he bought and not the crop 

 of all the grower's neighbors in addition. 



The canner has been of practical service to the fruit industry in 

 many ways that probabl.y escape attention : He often experiments with 

 new varieties on his own farms and orchards, demonstrating on a prac- 

 tical scale new and improved methods: he has led the way and assisted 

 financially and otherwise in fighting pests that threaten important 

 varieties of fruits and vegetables ; he gives a profitable and convenient 

 market of great importance to the growers of many varieties ; by can- 

 ning the surplus in a season of plenty, he extends the market for the 

 producer; he gives employment under healthful, pleasant, instructive 

 and remunerative conditions to thousands of employees during the sum- 

 mer and vacation months: he supplies a superior article of cliet at low 

 cost and great value throughout the year: he exploits new markets, 

 advertises the State and opens up markets not only for the canned 

 article, but for the fresh and dried fru,its; his market is largely for 

 labor, for fruit, and for other materials produced for the most part 

 within the State ; he often a.ssists the responsible grower in a financial 

 way through loans and advances — though in many cases growers have 

 come to such prosperous conditions that they are often creditors rather 

 than borrowers. 



These, then, are some of the points of contact showing the relation of 

 the canner to the fruit industry. Assuming that you accept these as 

 credentials, I shall undertake to discuss some things which I believe 

 to be of common interest. 



I am instructed by your organization committee to present facts of 

 practical use, telling the particular kinds and varieties of the various 

 fruits which are most desirable for canning. In order that we may 

 understand each other, let me explain some fundamental things relating- 

 to fruit canning. While there is a limited quantity of jams, jellies and 



•Address before the State Fruit Growers' Convention, Davis, California, June 1 

 to 6, 1914. 



