ADVANTAGES IN FRUIT GROWER'S ASSOCIATION . 389 



busy solving his problem of how to produce the most and the 

 best from his available acreage, the successful manager of an as- 

 sociation is equally as busy in solving his problem of how to get 

 the most money for that which is delivered to him. Both these 

 tasks taken together are too much for one person to do well. 



Notwithstanding these advantages there are certain people 

 who should not join an association : such as, for example, those 

 who have a minimum amount of fruit and a maximum amount of 

 time. Such people should spend their time in retailing their fruit 

 themselves, thereby utilizing their spare time and relieving the 

 association of the danger of unmerited criticism. Then there is 

 another class of people who have some fruit but who always seem 

 to be afraid to trust the association with it. They are always 

 inquiring after "returns," and seem to forget the fact that it takes 

 a few days to market the fruit and get in the returns. 



The writer's experience, however, with members is that the 

 great majority of them fully appreciate the advantages of an as- 

 sociation and are reasonable in their demands ; and we would pay 

 a special tribute here to the members of the Excelsior Fruit Grow- 

 ers' Association, who have stood by their manager most loyally for 

 the past three years, and by careful packing and grading have 

 won for their fruit a most enviable reputation. 



Now, on the part of the dealer, it is manifestly to his advantage 

 to buy direct from the assodation. If he values fresh fruits, 

 where can he get them fresh as direct as from the farms where they 

 are grown? The middleman may be able to supply him, but he 

 must get his supply from the grower, and some time at least is 

 consumed in doing this and in transit from the farm to the middle- 

 man. Now this time is subtracted from the time the fruit will 

 keep after it reaches the dealer, and this time, although but a few 

 short hours perhaps, may determine whether the dealer makes a 

 profit on the shipment or suffers a loss. 



Again, when the order is sent direct to the association, there 

 is the least possible amount of handling, loading and unloading 

 and hauling back and forth by expressmen and draymen, and this 

 is of great advantage to the dealer. This rough handling of ripe 

 fruits, as you know, may easily reduce the profits 10 nothing, and 

 is a matter which every grower and dealer in the state of Minnesota 

 should watch most closely. Let every dealer demand damages for 

 loss by careless handling, not from the grower but from the trans- 



