The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXXIX 



PETERBORO, AUGUST, 1916 



No. 8 



Co-operative Methods Not a Cure-AU 



H. Bronson Cowan, Editor of the Canadian Horticulturist 



FRUIT growers in the east have- 

 long looked upon the great fruit 

 growers' organizations of the Pa- 

 cific Coast States as being almost 

 models of all that fruit growers' or- 

 ganizations should be. The thorough 

 manner in which they have safeguard- 

 ed every step from the pruning and 

 spraying of their trees and the thin- 

 ning of the fruit to the packing of the 

 product in neat, attractive packages, 

 just so many apples, uniform in size 

 and color, to the box, has been pointed 

 out as the explanation of their ability 

 to outsell — not undersell — • eastern 

 fruit in the eastern markets. It has 

 come as somewhat of a shock, there- 

 fore, to many eastern growers to find 

 that in spite of their apparent perfec- 

 tion of method, all things are not well 

 with the fruit growers of the western 

 coast states. Tn fact, it hn=; scomofl nt 



times as if their situation could hard- 

 ly be worse. The very prosperity 

 brought about by their early successes 

 has led, in a large measure, to their 

 undoing. This success created a false 

 optimism, which resulted in over 

 plantings, excessive land values, in- 

 creased cost of production, and ruinous 

 competition between different coopera- 

 tive orgaaiizations. This condition, in 

 turn, culminated in glutted markets, 

 and such low prices for fruit that 

 thousands of fruit growers have been 

 ruined and large areas of fruit trees 

 cut down and the land devoted to other 

 crops. 



So serious did the situation become 

 that early last fall growers, selling or- 

 ganizations, hankers and commercial 

 clubs in the northwest sent hundreds of 

 telegrams and letters to the Depart- 

 in"iit of Asrriciiltnre at Washins'ton, 



urging them to have the Office of Mar- 

 kets come to the assistance of the fruit 

 industry. According to the Fruit and 

 Produce Marketer, of Portland, Ore- 

 gon, the department was advised that 

 the fruit industry was in a deplorable 

 condition, that this condition was real- 

 ized by all, and that the help of the 

 federal government was needed in or- 

 der that a plan might be found that 

 would place the industry upon a better 

 basis. In response to these requests the 

 department sent to the northwest three 

 experts to investigate conditions. These 

 men spent many days and a large sum 

 of monej' in investigating every fruit 

 section in the northwest, and calling 

 upon the selling organizations, bankers, 

 growers and leaders in the different 

 communities. \ Thej^ thtis secured a 

 thorough understanding of the needs 

 of the industry. With fh's informa- 



View in the fruit land.s of tlie St. John River Valley Fruit Company. Bur ton, X.B. The St. John Uiver Valley promises to become noted as an 

 apple producing district. It contains numerouis fine orchards and the Pro vlnciul Governimcnt Is making its advantages known. 



