LEASING ORCHARDS 123 



and true to the representations that it bears on tlie outside of the package. 



Now, this plan that I have given you is one that is largely mine, and 

 one that I have evolved from a careful study of these other associations 

 that are a success in the large fruit belts of the country. It is not a 

 creation of my own mind by any means, but I present it to you simply for 

 discussion, and so far as I am concerned I have no private opinion in the 

 matter at all, but I would like to see a fruit growers' association formed 

 that would improve the standard of our fruit, and that would improve the 

 pack so that we would have less of this riff-raff, or what I call junk, that 

 goes on the market, simply glutting it, and that not only interferes with 

 the sale but decreases the price of good fruit. 



Gentlemen, it seems to me that it is up to the fruit growers of this 

 state and of this valley to claim our own. You go down into the city of 

 Lincoln or the city of Omaha, and go into the grocery stores, and you see 

 packed up in tiers box after box of Washington or Colorado or Idaho 

 apples, and I would not be afraid to leave to any man who has any taste 

 for fruit at all the question as to the superiority of our fruit over fruit 

 grown out there. We can not get apples quite as large, or always put the 

 color on them, but we get the quality. We not only have texture and 

 quality but for keeping our fruit will stand up better in storage than theirs. 

 It has been demonstrated time and time again that as far as the texture 

 of the fruit is concerned, our fruit is away ahead of theirs. 



Should we sit idly by and permit these men of the Northwest to come 

 here and supply our market with fruit? It does not look right to me, and 

 I do not believe we will ever meet the situation gentlemen, until we get 

 together and form a workable marketing association, where we establish 

 brands and grades, and then make that name of the association, when we 

 put it on there, an absolute guarantee that it is as we represent it, and 

 when you reach that point, I think you will see less of the Oregon and 

 the Washington and the Colorado, and Idaho and Utah fruit on our market, 

 and it will be a Nebraska apple, or Nebraska fruit, and I think that is the 

 point we should reach. 



The Chairman: This discussion is very interesting, and it is very 

 important, but the time is passing rapidly, and we have one here with us 

 who has duties elsewhere, and he must go to meet them, so we will listen 

 to a paper from Mr. Val Keyser of Fairbury, on the subject of "Leasing 

 Orchards." 



LEASING ORCHARDS. 



Vai Keyser, Fairbury. 



I will have to take just a few words to explain this subject. Of course 

 I can only discuss from the standpoint of the lessee, and one who is going 

 out to lease an orchard. I thought about this considerably before starting 

 the preparation of the paper, and I wanted to touch on both sides of the 

 quesion, but I do not own an orchard. In looking over the country and 

 the situation and the men, and making a financial comparison between 



