A SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE. 



413 



obtained are higher than 

 most of the growers in 

 this section, who are not 

 members of onr associa- 

 tion, have been able to 

 secure for their fruit. 1 

 look after all the grad- 

 ing and packing and the 

 sale of the fruit, in re- 

 turn for which I am 

 paid a regular salary. 



" We made a consid- 

 erable saving on our 

 supplies at the begin- 

 ning of the season by 

 purchasing in bulk. We 

 bought the stock and 

 contracted with a coop- 

 erage firm to make the 

 barrels. They have cost 

 us an average of 35c. 

 In this way we have 

 saved at least two cents a barrel, or $140 on 

 this item alone. In order that we might 

 work at night during the busy season v.e 

 have had the building equipped with elect: ic 

 lights, and in this way are able to g^* 

 through out work more expeditiously. 



" So far the venture has been a perfect 

 success. Our growers have been delighted 

 with the results obtained. Some bttye^j 

 have been offering our members induce- 

 ments to leave the company and to sell th^.ir 

 fruit independently, but as yet only ■■^p ■ 

 grower has done so. Every member of th? 

 company had to sign a statement at the be- 

 ginning of the season agreeing to sell all his 

 fruit to the company, and with the exception 

 of the one man referred to they have all 

 done so. 



" Some idea of the amount of the work 

 we do in a day can be gained from the fact 

 that we have been sending as much as two 

 tons of fruit a day to the evaporator. Dur- 

 ing a great deal of the time I have to keep 

 10 to 12 assistants at work, who are em- 



Packing Apples at the Oakville Fruit Growers, Limited 



plo_\ed by the month. In addition to the 

 packing house we have a storehouse which 

 will hold 2.000 barrels. Two teams are 

 kept going all the time taking the fruit from 

 the packing house to the station and store- 

 house and looking after other work." ■ 



" Have any of the growers complained of 

 the manner in which their fruit has been 

 packed?" was asked. 



" X"o," replied Mr. Inglehart, " they all 

 seem well satisfied. I have had experience 

 as a buyer of fruit, and they seem to have 

 confidence in my packing. One thing I 

 have noticed is the great difference in the 

 quality of the fruit sent in by the different 

 growers. The fruit of some growers 

 grades 50 per cent, firsts, while that of 

 other grades 50 per cent, culls. Consider- 

 able fruit has been injured by the codling 

 moth, but there has been little trouble from 

 fungi. To keep everything straight I 

 have found it necessary to balance all the 

 stock on hand and the fruit shipped during 

 the week everv Saturdav night. In this 



