13G NEBRASKA STATE IIOllTICULTUltAL SOCIETY 



marketing sliouid begin; the deniaud of our cities lor good fruit has 

 been stimulated by the beautifully packed and artfully displayed product 

 sent from the Northwest until apples inttead of selling 'oy the bushel or 

 the barrel as once was common, now sell by the dozen. The demand is 

 here; whether we shall meet that demand with a supply which will take 

 its rightful place in our home market is up to the growers of Nebraska. 



In the second place, we should advertise the apple in order to justify 

 the faith which has induced the pioneers to plant these orchards and keep 

 up this splendid society with its great educational work for nearly a 

 half century. The effort and money which you have put into this enter- 

 prise may be fairly reckoned as an investment which is now about 

 ready to pay dividends. How much is an apple tree worth after you 

 have brought it to bearing age? Shall we say ten dollars,- — a sum at 

 V, hlch most of you would scoff as miserably Insufficient, but even at the 

 valuation cf ten dollars, the apple trees of Nebraska represent a capitali- 

 zation of nearly eighty millions of dollars. We should look to our divi- 

 dends. 



Legitimate advertising through the channels of publicity should now 

 be seriously undertaken for the further reason that an unusual oppor- 

 tunity exists to reap advantages from the preliminary advertising which 

 has been done by our friends of other sections; this advertising they 

 have paid for, but a large measure of the profits v/iii be ours if we seize 

 the opportunity. 



Now 1 trust that the hearer v/ill not assume that I am advocating a 

 campaign of booming for the apple or for the inauguration of a craze 

 for speculation in the undeveloped orchard lands of this state. There is 

 danger that this may come as a result of some of the successes in Ne- 

 braska orcharding; it has characterized much of the development of the 

 NortliNVff.t, and we will be fortunate if we escape its baneful influence. 

 The particular thing which I desire and which I believe that public senti- 

 ment is reflected is that it should be possible for the consumer to go into 

 the market in Omaha or Lincoln, and buy Nebraska grown fruit under 

 its own name in open competition, with such as we are now compelled 

 to buy because the packer buys your apples at the orchard and ships 

 tbeni east. There is scarcely a day in which some person does not 

 ask me, "Why can't 1 get Nebraska apples on the. market of the quality 

 which you have been writing about in the newspapers?" You growers 

 know why, they can not get th<^m. It's your job to remedy this condi- 

 tion, unless you prefer the eastern market to the home market. 



And this brings me logically to the next thing, — the organization for 

 marketing: 



One can net blame the grower for getting th.'; best price for his croy 

 l-ut it slKnild l;c cvidtiit l)y this time that the Northwest has great ad- 

 vantage in its excellent marketing organization. They have learned out 

 (here thaL it is easier and more profitable for the comnuirity to stand to- 

 j',P(her and operate co-operatively alone than take their individual chance 

 with the buyer; we will have to reach ihis position in Nebraska before 



