THE COMMISSION MERCHANTS. 227 



THE COMMISSION MERCHANTS. 



(Discussion at tin- An iin;il Mnt 111:4, 1 >l-( i-iiilier 7, \KC).) 



Mr. CokhetT: Ladies and ircntlemen: It was not with the idea of 

 coming' down here to make any talk, or to attempt auythinj^ in the 

 way of speech making- that I suggested to j'our president yesterday 

 the idea of meeting witli 3011 this morning. I thought it would be 

 well for the fruit handling commission men of the city to meet with 

 you in your session, rather in a friendly or social way to exchange, 

 perhaps, a few personal ideas in regard to our mutual interest. Not 

 anticipating that I would be called upon to make any remarks, what I 

 shall say will be entirely on the spur of the moment. I feel this, that 

 the commission men and fruit dealers of the city have the widest and 

 fullest interest in the success of horticulture in the state, and hav- 

 ing that interest at heart we certainl}' feel like expressing it and 

 feel like coming before you and exchanging some ideas with you in 

 regard to the matter. I have attended conventions two thousand 

 miles away from here of the great fruit growers of the countrj-, and I 

 certainly thought and felt that here in Minnesota, in our own home, 

 we could not manifest our appreciation better than bj"^ at least ask- 

 ing to come down to see you. We were glad of the opportunitjs we 

 were pleased to come here, and I can say for mj'self that I was not 

 only pleased, but I was surprised to see the exhibit j-ou made, and 

 I am glad that an opportunity has presented itself that we may 

 see what is being done in regard to the fruit industry in Minne- 

 sota. The display of apples and the displaj' of other fruits is cer- 

 tainly remarkable. It is remarkable to me, who has been in the 

 business and am in the business, that in Minnesota we are doing as 

 much as you people have developed here. 



I attended a fruit growers' convention in Spokane, where three 

 states were represented, and in addressing the convention I at- 

 tempted to show the close intitnac}^ existing between us and them, 

 they as the coming fruit growers of the country and we as a large 

 people here, non-fruit producers but large consumers. I am glad 

 to say I have occasion to change my mind in regard to that matter. 

 I can now say we have become fruit producers. 



There are some things that I would like to suggest to some of j'ou 

 gentlemen as shippers, and that is in the line of a little better pre- 

 jjaration of your fruit. Your apples that I have seen here on our 

 market have not been put up in the best way. They have not been 

 put up in the best way to bring the best returns to you. They have 

 not been satisfactory to us who handle them, because when we do 

 not get good results it is just as unsatisfactory to us as it is to j'OU. 

 The Duchess has been marketed in large quantities during the past 

 season. They came to us in sugar barrels, gunny sacks, cracker 

 boxes, shoe boxes, poultry crates and in every other way except the 

 right way, and the result was they did not bring the prices the Wis- 

 consin fruit brought or that the Illinois fruit brought, and it seenjed 

 to you as if the commission man here was not doing his duty. 



In regard to cral> apples, it is iny idea that a little greater concen- 

 tration on the production of the crab would be best as far as grow- 

 ing a nice apple, a standard apple from the middleman's standpoint 

 is concerned, and you could not grow too manj-. That is the apple 



