FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 75 



Q: I want to put the question a little differently. I understood, in 

 order to attract the attention of purchasers, that for a first class article 

 you used a special basket which would attract attention, so that the per- 

 son buying could know that he was getting something he could rely on. 



Mr, Morrill: That is a fact. I always keep my flag in sight and my 

 name on the flag, so that people may know that I am in town. For selects 

 I have used a crate that is used for another purpose, the ordinary four 

 basket, tomato crate. Each basket holds five lbs. and I put my selects 

 in that and T have had prices that would not be believed by the majority. 

 This last year, some of my neighbors have commenced packing inferior 

 fruit in that same package, and in order to get color on it, they use tarle- 

 ton. I may have to scurry around and get some other method, but ordi- 

 narily it is better simply to aim to have it as good as it appears, and 

 make it as good as you know how. You cannot market poor fruit at good 

 prices. You cannot cover the poor up with good, and deceive anybody. 

 The buyer in the big cities who makes it his daily work to buy fruit, 

 knows the moment he looks at a package whether it is sound or not, 

 because the man who does that leaves his earmarks on the outside. 



One commission house has handled my stuff for eight or ten years. I 

 depend upon one house and everything that goes to them, even my low 

 grade fruit, is guaranteed to this extent, that it shall be exactly as good 

 as it appears, clear down through. Of course, delays in transportation 

 or anything of that kind, no one will hold you responsible for. It is guar- 

 anteed to the extent, however, that if any customer finds that it is not 

 as good clear through as on the top, he can return it and take his money. 

 That of course throws the risk back on me, but I know what I have to 

 meet, and I have not had to return any money that P know of. But,' gen- 

 tlemen, when you do that, you have got to have pretty good control of 

 your business. You have got to be on the job yourself and you have got 

 to watch your packers. You have a good deal to do, and you will have 

 to be pretty numerous, but it can be done. 



I would like to say a word about Grand Rapids. Mr. Graham can talk 

 to you about that. Grand Rapids is clear in the front on marketing fruit 

 at home. A handful of men here have worked out the problem as to how 

 to market fruit at home and that is the ideal form of marketing. Mr. 

 Graham and Mr. Sessions and Mr. Munson have been identified with it. 

 Mr. Garfield knows it from A to Z, and if I make no mistake, the business 

 men begin to see the advantage of it and are trying to assist these men, 

 and if they keep on, they will make for Grand Rapids with peaches what 

 they have made it in furniture — the best market city on earth; and it 

 would not be any surprise to me to see spent in this town from half a 

 million to a million dollars per annum, for peaches distributed here, and 

 that inside of five years. 



Mr. Pierce: Mr. Rapp, one of our heaviest jobbers, is here with us, and 

 we would be glad to hear from him. 



Mr. Rapp : Of my experience in the marketing of peaches, I would say 

 to you that I don't think any of you would have any trouble in selling all 

 the peaches you can grow, if you put them up in the right shape. It will 

 be but a few years before we will have the greatest peach growing district 

 under the sun, and in order to market the crop to advantage you must 



