MARKETING THE CROPS 247 



democratic, all members having an equal A'oice in its manage- 

 ment and all sharing alike in its successes and failures. When 

 profits arise of necessity, they are distributed to the members 

 of the association in proportion to the amount of business each 

 has done. The work of the organization is conducted at as 

 near cost as possible and profits are declared only after expenses, 

 depreciation, interest on capital for future operations are 

 deducted. Thus it is seen that the plan of the organization is 

 to give each member as nearly as possible the exact price his 

 fruit has brought in the markets. 



Vineyard Returns 



Grape-growing as a business is a comparatively new industry 

 in America. It is true that the first attempts at growing this 

 fruit were made to found an industry, but these were complete 

 and dismal failures, and the start in growing grapes in America 

 eventually came as a pleasing hobby. In evolving from a 

 hobby into vineyard culture on a large scale, the business side 

 of the industry long lagged. At present, with increasing com- 

 petition, manifold uncertainties in vineyard conditions, and 

 much unbusinesslike administration, interest in cultural opera- 

 tions, with which pioneers in the industry were chiefly concerned, 

 is eclipsed by the conception that grape-growing is a highly 

 developed commercial enterprise requiring for success careful 

 business management. 



Unfortunately there is nowhere a substantial body of figures 

 from which growers can obtain a fair conception of what the 

 outgo and income of average vineyards in grape regions are. 

 The value of such data to investors or to those making an effort 

 to keep track of the finances of their business is obvious, and 

 an attempt is made here to put the reader in possession of 

 figures that ought to be hel|)ful. The data gixen, although 

 scant and fragmentary, show fairly accurately the cost of 



