Missouri State Board of Horticulture. 369 



may combine under a central exchange and put the Missouri 

 river valley fruit, including tree and small fruits, up before the 

 world under a common brand that will stand for honesty of pack- 

 ing, uniformity of grade, excellence in appearance and flavor far 

 above that of our competitors, the fruit growers of the northwest 

 coast. We now have thirteen successful associations in this dis- 

 trict, and I am glad to say that they were all represented here. 

 We are going to get the benefits of the experience of these men 

 and build an enduring structure on the foundation furnished 

 by their experience. We must have a strong federation in 

 this valley. 



Missouri river valley growers paid in 1912 forty cents per 

 barrel more freight than did New York growers to get their 

 apples delivered to their markets. This is the comparison of 

 the average ton-mile cost for hauling from Missouri river points 

 and from New York points. New York apples are the com- 

 petitors of Missouri river apples. Taking twenty cents, which 

 is one-half of that really paid by our competitors, as the average, 

 and we see that Missouri valley growers paid $320,000 in excess 

 freights — a third of a million dollars in one year. If we were 

 joined together in a strong federation the funds necessary to 

 fight this discrimination would be forthcoming. It is up to 

 us to do all that is possible to unify our efforts as fruit growers. 



The western invader — and we are not afraid of him on even 

 footing — has taken our better markets to himself. And why? 

 Do not let us avoid the issue — because he has furnished con- 

 sumers with a product that he guaranteed to be good all the way 

 through. 



Has any district ever established and maintained a stand- 

 ard, dependable pack except through the agency of a co-opera- 

 tive marketing association? An individual has, but never a 

 district. 



W. S. Keeline of Council Bluffs, Iowa, sent his son, Frank, 

 west in 1906 to learn western methods in packing boxed apples. 

 Six years later, after building up a reputation among the people 

 of Council Bluffs for his standard pack, Mr. Keeline sold boxed 

 apples at prices uniformly fifty cents higher than western boxed 

 apples. Council Bluffs had learned that the "W. S. Keeline" 

 brand meant apples that tasted better. Are we afraid of the 

 western invader? Yes, as long as we are not working together. 

 We must establish a pack, make it cover a great quantity of 



