224 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ket with a bushel of potatoes that are inferior and my neighbor 

 takes a good bushel of potatoes, he is compelled to take less for 

 his potatoes simply because I have established the price with my 

 poor potatoes, whereas, if we were working together through 

 one central organization we could get more money and better 

 results all round and everybody would be better satisfied. Last 

 winter our committee got a bill into the hands of the legislature-, 

 but it was held up by some of my friends, and the first thing I 

 knew I was placed on a committee to go down to the legislature 

 and protest against those packages. Of course, I declined to 

 serve. I stand for the best package you can get. 



You can only arrive at an understanding by discovering what 

 your customer wants. I take it this business is not all for pleas- 

 ure. There is pleasure in it, of course, but the main business is 

 the dollar, and if you get your produce into the hands of the 

 consumer the way he wants it you will please him and you will 

 make money, and both will be satisfied. That, I take it, is your 

 object in trying to raise fruit. There is some pleasure in it, in 

 fact, a great deal of pleasure, but from a commercial standpoint 

 you want to grow what the people want and that for which they 

 will pay the largest price. One or two associations out here at 

 the lake have demonstrated that the way to sell fruit, small fruit, 

 is through an organization. I simply urge that you adopt a 

 uniform package and that you reject old and second hand pack- 

 ages. We got in an order the other day for second hand butter 

 tubs. I cannot imagine what a man can be thinking of who 

 would use a second hand package for butter. What we want is 

 the best, the sweetest and the cleanest package, and we want it 

 for our fruit. (Applause.) 



THE BETA GRAPE. 



Mr. Tiegland: Is the Beta grape hardy enough to stand 

 without protection? 



The Chairman: The Beta is the hardiest grape I know of. 

 It has stood on a trellis at our place for three or four years with- 

 out any injury, while the other varieties were severely injured. 

 That same Beta grape has stood on a wire fence on Mr. Peter- 

 son's place at Waconia for many years without injury. It is a 

 grape of inferior quality, but very productive, very hardy, and 

 the only reason I recommend it is because it is a good farmer's 

 grape, and it is good for general planting. It is fairly good for 

 eating out of hand, and a hungry boy will eat lots of them. 



Mr. Pendergast: Is it as hardy as the Clinton? 



The Chairman : I think it is hardier, and the flavor is far 

 better. I think it is an improvement over the Clinton and the 

 Janesville. 



