122 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



of stock would entitle a man to the privilege of the association. Now, 

 briefly, that would be the scope of the association, and its plan of organ- 

 ization, and then we would have a board of seven directors. Of course, 

 the number is not so important provided it is not too large; seven, I 

 think, would be the best, with president and vice-president, who would 

 be ex-officio members of the board and officers of the association, to be 

 elected at the annual meeting of the stockholders. And then we provided 

 for a general manager, who should have charge of the selling of all the 

 fruit grown by the different members, and that general manager we under- 

 took to hold responsible for the character of the packing. 



For instance, under the general manager, or by his direction, we pro- 

 vided for the appointment of a chief inspector, who was responsible to 

 the general manager, and a series of local inspectors to be responsible to 

 the chief inspector. And they should call upon each packing point where 

 the fruit was packed, at least once a month, so that he would be thoroughly 

 in touch with the work, and make sure that the fruit came up to a stand- 

 ard and to a certain grade. And then we provided that every packer 

 should have his name registered with the secretary of the association 

 and with the general manager, and that the secretary of the association 

 should give that packer a number, and he should be known by number 

 only, and that every package of fruit that went onto the market should 

 be marked with the name of the grower and the packer, so that when it 

 went onto the market there could be no question as to who packed that 

 fruit. Now, I know in my own experience when criticisms of certain 

 packages came to me of fruit that was put on the market, that because 

 of the fact that I have four or five men packing and occupying the head 

 of the table, that it is absolutely and utterly impossible for me to tell who 

 put up that faulty barrel. This one said he did not put it up, and this one 

 says he knows he did not put it up, but if the number of the packer is on 

 the package I know who put it up, who put up that particular package of 

 fruit, and then we will either see that the man puts up that package of 

 fruit properly or else his services can be discontinued. Now, briefly, that 

 is the plan of organization. 



We undertook to divorce completely the grading of the fruit from the 

 agent or the owner, so that when the owner indicated the grade of fruit 

 he was shipping — when the grower determined the grade that he wanted 

 his apples packed under, whether it should be fancy No. 1, or whatever 

 it might be, then he hadn't a thing in the world to say about what went 

 into that grade. It was the business of the general manager, through his 

 inspectors, to see that the apples were graded in strict conformity to the 

 grade established. In that way we would build up a reputation for hon- 

 esty of packing; and wiien the association puts a stamp on a package I 

 believe it can mean something. It would be a guarantee to Mr. Consumer 

 that when he got a package of fruit upon which was the association 

 brand, it was true to name. If it was marked "Fancy," it would be fancy, 

 or if it was marked "Number One," it would be number one. I think that 

 after we have formed an association and established those grades that we 

 should know when a package gets on the market that it is true to name, 



