Missouri State Board of Horticulture. 381 



organizations are the shortcomings of underpaid employes car- 

 rying responsibility and improper exploitation of growers' as- 

 sociations by selfish interests among the officials in charge. Too 

 often are these official positions striven for, as are some political 

 plums of the public employe, by men more imbued with the 

 desire for selfish gain than the furtherment of the welfare of 

 constituent growers. However, experience has shown this 

 practice to be greatly reduced by the elimination of salaries of 

 all officers not devoting their services exclusively to their as- 

 sociation, thus attracting to the elective offices only men with 

 upright, unselfish motives, more devoted to the interests of the 

 growers collectively than individually. 



The successful co-operative fruit growers' organization is 

 that one which does: 



1. Control all or a good majority of the commodities 

 produced in its district and such as are handled by it. 



2. Command the confidence and loyalty of its member- 

 ship. 



3. Be capitalized sufficiently as not to be required to incur 

 indebtedness, but yet be established as to credit as to be able 

 to secure loan accommodations, should that be necessary, without 

 exorbitant interest charges. 



4. Procure for its own needs and those of its membership 

 supplies, packing material, implements, fertilizer, seed, nursery 

 stock, etc., at low costs, quality considered, through purchases 

 by contract and otherwise in large quantities. 



5. Afford suitable and adequate facilities for the grading 

 and packing along improved economic lines of the products of its 

 membership. 



6. Through rigid inspection and careful packing, together 

 with judicious advertising, establish a reputation for high- 

 quality products, and thus create a distinctive demand for its 

 trade-marked brands among the wholesale, retail and con- 

 suming trade of the country. 



7. Control the harvesting and shipment of its growers' 

 products so as to regulate distribution as near as possible to 

 conform to supply and demand. 



8. Through competent management and with proper 

 facilities sell its output at profitable prices and make returns 

 therefor to the contributing growers without delay. 



So much for the ideal local association, but what about 

 those "proper facilities" that shall sell the output at profitable 



