250 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral EJdltioD. 



A Forward Step in Co-operative Marketing 



AjUICULTURAL cooperation passed 

 another milestone in its progress 

 wiien arrangements were made this 

 season by which the apples of the Ontario 

 fruit growers affiliated with the Cooperative 

 Fruit Growers of Ontario, Limited, were 

 sold directly to the consumers in the prairie 

 provinces. This has been made iiossible by 

 an agreement between the Cooperative 

 Fruit Growers of Ontario, Limited, repre 

 senting the growers, and the Grain Growers' 

 Grain Co., who represent their farmer 

 patrons, the consumers. The details of the 

 arrangement entered into between these two 

 imix)rtant organizations were explained to 

 The Canadian Horticulturist recently by Mr. 

 Elmer Lick, of Oshawa, the President of 

 the Ontario Association. 



"At first sight," said Mr. Lick, "it seemed 

 an impossible task to bring these two asso- 

 ciations together. On one hand was the 

 Fruit Growers' Association, whose aim was 

 to market the fruit of its members at fhe 

 highest possible price. On the other hand 

 • was the Grain Growers' Grain Co., which 

 aimed to buy fruit for its patrons at the 

 minimum price. Thus, to begin with, tlie 

 aims of these associations were radically 

 opposite. The keystone which finally bound 

 them together was arbitration. 



Years of Work Rewarded. 



"The bringing of these associations to- 

 gether represents several years' work. The 

 basis arrived at is this: The middleman has 

 received on an average one dollar a barrel 

 for handling the fruit. The ideal working 

 of the new plan will give fifteen cents com- 

 mission to each of the associations, and the 

 remaining seventy cents a barrel will be 

 divided, giving the grower thirty five cents 

 extra profit per barrel for his fruit, and sell- 

 ing this fruit to the consumer at thirty-five 

 cents a barrel less than he would otherwise 

 pay. Of course there will be the problem of 

 fixing prices, but this will be worked out by 

 an arbitration board, which will take into 

 consideration the cost of production, etc., in 

 setting prices. 



"It looks now," said Mr. Lick, "as if all 

 the apples we can get will be needed for 

 the prairie provinces under this plan. We 

 are not using the economy crate at all. The 

 Grain Growers want all fruit packed in 

 barrels. 



Special No. 3. ' 



"A noteworthy feature is the formation of 

 a No. 3 special grade, to be known as Con- 

 sumers' Brand. This grade will contain 

 large, well-colored fruit, albeit scabbed,, and 

 will provide a market for good fruit which 

 would otherwise be unavailable." 



Terms of the Agreement. . 



The terms of the agreement between the 

 two organizations, as set forth in a letter 

 from the Grain Growers' Grain Co. to the 

 Cooperative Fruit Growers of Ontario, 

 Limited, and confirmed by them, as as fol- 

 lows: 



"The apples which you are to ship us will 

 be classed as follows: 



"Class A:- Spies, Kings, Snows and Mc- 

 intosh Reds. 



"Class B: Baldwins, Golden Russets, 

 Greenings, Wagners, Blenheim Pippins, 

 Spitz, Baxter,^ Starks, Ontario, Seeks, Cana- 

 da Reds, No. 'l Talman Sweets, Roxburg. 



"Class C: Bellefleoir, Pewaukee, Mann, 

 Rlb.ston, Phoenix, Fellawater, Hubbardston, 

 and kindred varieties of good winter apples. 



"The approximate percentages of the vari- 

 ous classes and grades to be shipped are ac- 



cording to the following table, and at the 

 price set forth: 



25% 50% 25'/r 



Grades. Class A. Class B. Class C. 



» 10% No. 1 $5.00 $3.25 $2.75 



No. 2 3.25 2.25 2.00 



Spec. No. 3 3.25 2.2.'; 2.00 



"The above prices are f.o.b., Clas." A rate.-i, 

 Ontario points. 



"The No. 3 Special are to be a special 

 brand put up by your company for our trade, 

 and shall be as follows: Over 2^ inches in 

 diameter, free from worms, and of good 

 color for the variety, with defects that are 

 not' likely to cause material waste. To be 

 known as Consumers' Brand. Higher than 

 domestic grade. 



"You are to Invoice us at these prices, 

 plus 15c per barrel, and we will undertake- 

 to remit to you each calendar week 75% of 

 the value of all invoices received within tho 

 week. The remaining 25% is to be held by 

 us until the business is finally cleaned up 



and all adjustments made for loss in ship- 

 ment, poor quality, damage in transit, etc. 

 We will use our best offices to assist you in 

 handling claims against the railway com- 

 panies, and will endeavor to have the deal 

 finally closed out by the end of the present 

 year. 



"■Vour company undertakes that these ap- 

 ples shall arrive at destination in good con- 

 dlUon. 



"The prices set forth in the foregoing 

 table are tentative, and made as a basis f 

 knowing approximately the prices which v. 

 will have to name to the consumer. The 

 final price will be fixed about October 1st, 

 and must not exceed 25c per barrel over or 

 under prices before nameid, in the absence 

 of exceptional circumstances. 



"Details in regard to shipment to flag 

 stations, in order to hold the railways r" 

 sponsible, will be worked out on a ba,'- 

 mutually satisfactory. • 



"Should differences of opinion arise in re- 

 gard to final prices, claims, etc., a com- 

 mittee will be appointed as outlined In draff 

 of memorandum of proposed agieement sub- 

 mitted to us by your company," 



The Fruit Display at the Canadian National Exhibition 



a. 



T 



HE fruit exhibit at the Canadian Nation- 

 al Sept. 5-9, was most attractive to vis- 

 itors owing to the better arrangement 

 of the exhibits, and to the artistic effects 

 attained in the four large miscellaneous dis- 

 plays of fruit. The prize for fruit displays 

 was a new feature, and can hardly be too 

 highly commended. It gave to the visitors 

 some idea of the variety of the fruits which 

 are being successfully grown in Ontario. 

 The displays of fruit each covered an area 

 of 124 square feet. 



It was not an easy matter to arrange 

 them in the attractive manner in which they 

 were exhibited this year. The exhibits were 

 "•nil worthy of ^the prizes, which were award- 

 ed as follows:* 1st, Dalhousle Farm, Port 

 Dalhousie; 2nd, W. G. Farminger, St. Cath- 

 arines; 3rd, Wm. Armstrong, Nlagara-on-the 

 Lake; 4th, W. H. Bunting, St. Catharines. 

 The quantity of fruit shown this year in 

 the general exhibits was not so large as a 

 year ago, owing to the peculiar season, 

 which seems to have delayed the entire 

 fruit crop from ten days to two weeks. Thus 

 some of the fruit was rather immature for 

 exhibition purposes. 



Fortunately the prolonged dry season did 

 not have a baneful effect on all fruits. 

 While apples and grapes had been retarded 

 in their growth, and had not the quality of 

 fruit grown last year, the quality of plums, 

 peaches and pears was unusually high. 



The commercial packages of fruit were 

 judged by Messrs. P. J. Carey, Dominion 

 Fruit Inspector, Toronto, and 'W. G. Smith. 

 Burlington. Prof. .1. W. Crow. O.A.C.. 

 Guplph. .iudged the .Tinglp plates of apples 

 and pears. Mr. C. . Secord v.-as iudse of the 

 "onches; and Messrs. E, F. Palmer and L. 

 R. Jones, of "Vineland Horticultural Station, 

 were in charge of grapes, plums and collec- 

 tions of fruit. 



Prominent among the exhibitors in apples 

 were W. E. Weese, of Carrying Place. Ont.: 

 T»obt. Cameron, W. H. Bunting and W. .T. 

 Farminger, of St. Catharines, Ont., and C. 

 V Marshall, of Hamilton, Ont. 



Plums and peaches were much better 

 this year than usual in quality, but, owing 

 to the fact that many of the late, varieties . 



•Wliile thi.s is an approximatelv stn^ftM' c^; 

 there will 'be wide variation.-? this ye,Tr/ ' " ■'' 



were not yet mature, the quantity was not 

 as large as last j^ar. "A very nice lot," 

 was the opinion of the judge. The chief 

 exhibitors in plums and peaches were; 

 Messrs. R. Cameron, W. J. Farminger and 

 W. H. Bunting. The crop of peaches thii 

 year varies from 30% to 60% of a full crop, 

 according to variety and district. 



The best pears came from Prince Edward 

 County. They were exhibited by W. E. 

 Weese and Pemberton Peck, who stated 

 that their crops were good but light. They 

 naturally were elated over their winning 

 from growers more favorably situated cli- 

 matically. 



There was a larsrer display of grapes than 

 last year, but the quality was not up to the 

 standard, as most grapes were immature. 

 Mr. Haynes, of Lincoln County, who was 

 .successful in carrying off the lion's share 

 of the honors, stated that only once in 

 twenty years had his grapes been so green 

 at that time of the year. 



In the Government Building there were 

 two very attractive fruit exhibits provided. 

 The 0"tarin Fruit Branch exhibit provoked 

 much favorable comment on the arrange- 

 ment of their fruit. In the exhibits put up 

 bv this branch the aim was to make an at- 

 tractive mass display of the various fruits 

 grown throughout the province. The fruit 

 was obtained from the branch's demonstra- 

 tion orchards and the best individual grow- 

 ers in the Niagara district. 



The Horticultural Experiment Station of 

 ■Vine/land, Ont., had an exhibit of fruit in 

 bnxps. showing careful packing. The ex- 

 hibit put up by the station was more of an 

 educational character tlian the fruit branch 

 display. A mass display wasn't the object. 

 Instead it was to disseminate knowledge 

 concerning varieties of fruit, vegetables and 

 cultural methods. Hence manv of the stand- 

 ard, as well as new and promising varieties 

 which were ripe, were shown at Toronto. 

 All this fruit was grown on the station 

 grounds. 



The varieties shown were: the St. John 

 peach, the America. Shiro and Bradshaw 

 plums, the Bartlett pear, and the Duchess 

 and.Alexander apples. An exhibit of grapes 

 on plates was also provided. A special 

 Jt<>ature was the display of strawberry and 

 peach jam and canned peaches. 



