156 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



NOTES ON CO-OPERATIVE FRUIT MARKETING. 



PROF. S. B. GREEN, ST. ANTHONY PARK. 



At the recent session of the Wisconsin State Horticultural So- 

 ciety, which I attended, the subject of co-operative fruit growing 

 was under discussion, and much of interest to fruit growers gen- 

 erally was brought out. It was shown very plainly that a properly 

 managed fruit association is absolutely necessary for successful 

 marketing of fruit in many localities, that without such co-operation 

 the growers of fruits are at the mercy of transportation companies 

 and commission men. It was also shown how easy it was to co- 

 operate. 



Under the present conditions of society it is absolutely neces- 

 sary to unite together in this way in order to accomplish anything. 

 This does not mean that it is a case of one portion of society against 

 the other, but simply that things are done in a better way when 

 they organize to work together than when they go at it individually. 



Among the points brought out were the following : 



E. A. Richardson, Sparta, Wis., manager of the Sparta Fruit 

 Growers' Association, made the following statement : They sold 

 8,000 24-pt-. cases blackberries, average return $1.37; 1,600 24-pt. 

 cases black raspberries, average return $1.49; 5,000 24-pt. cases 

 red raspberries, average return $1.53; 16,000 i6-qt. cases strawber- 

 ries, average return $1.37. 



The association is a mutual one. They employ a manager by 

 the season, to whom they pay a salary of $1,000. They have a desk 

 in the office of the American Express Co., and have recently in- 

 vested $3,000 in land and buildings in Sparta, in which they will 

 manufacture crates and boxes for their members. 



They put their fruit in three grades, first, second and no grade. 



J. B. Graves, Neosho, Mo., president of the Xeosho Fruit Grow- 

 ers' Association. Neosho, Mo., states that they pay their manager 

 two per cent of the gross sales, and he pays all the office expenses 

 and for loading cars. This manager generally clears about $1,000. 



Members of the association are restricted in some ways. For 

 instance, a regular scale of prices is fixed for labor, and no one is 

 allowed to pay more — if he does he will be expelled from the as- 

 sociation. The association buys crate material, stencils, etc., makes 

 arrangements with the banks for loans to the growers, as well as 

 assists in other ways. 



By careful arrangement they succeeded in getting nearly as fast 

 service by freight as by express. They have found it desirable to 

 specialize in the matter of growing strawberries and select one 

 variety for their members to grow. This is the Aroma, which does 



