158 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



June, 1913 



Cooperation in Nova Scotia on a Large Scale 



The cooperative handling of the fruit 

 crop is probably further developed in the 

 )>roviince of Nova Scotia thaiv in any other 

 province in Canada. 



Probably two-thirds of this year's crop 

 will be handled through the local associa- 

 tions and their central org-atiization. The 

 cooperative movement has been making 

 wonderful strides in the fruit growinj? sec- 

 tion of Nova Scotia during the past few 

 years. The fruit growers of the Anina- 

 polis Valley can produce prime fruit and 

 believe that they should receive their fair 

 share of the price. The result has been 

 the developmemt of the cooperative move- 

 ment. 



Until a few years ago the entire export 

 crop was hamdled by Europeam commissioni 

 houses, who had local agents throughout 

 the Valley. The commission charges inci- 

 dental to this system are exceedingly 

 large ; the total charges for freight, com- 

 mission, insurance, etc., amounting to as 

 high as one dollar and fifty cents to one 

 dollar sixty cents a barrel. In some 

 cases wheni the shippers received their 

 sales account they found that their fruit 

 had sold for less than the commission 

 men's charges and were called upon to 

 make up the difference. 



The fruit growers naturally chafed under 

 these conditions, ahd as early as 1902 an 

 attempt was made to form some kind of a 

 cooperative society. The first successful 

 attempt, however, did not materialize until 

 five years later. The growers in the 

 neighborhood of Berwick organized under 

 the name of the Berwick Fruit Company, 

 with an authorized capital of teni thousand. 



The company built a large warehouse, 

 to which the fruit of the different mem- 

 bers was brought and packed by experts. 

 This assured a uniform pack and natur- 

 ally a higher price was obtained. The 

 first year the company handled nearly two 

 thousand barrels of apples. The next year 

 this number was doubled and the third 

 year it was trebled — ample evidence of the 

 success of the movement. 



MOVEMENT 8PRE.\DS 



As a result of the success that attended 

 the formation of this first company, other 

 coonpanies 'wiere' formed until now the 

 number is about thirty. The members 

 agree to pool their apples and receive the 

 average price according to grade and var- 

 iety. Thus the better a member's fruit is, 

 the larger will be the proportion of No. 

 1 pack and the better will be the price. 

 The Provincial Government passed an act 

 esp>ecially designed for the formation of 

 such societies. 



The growers realized, however, that they 

 were not "-etting the maximum results that 

 the cooperative system could offer. If the 

 various separate companies were central- 

 ized they could do still better. Delegates 

 from the different companies got together 

 aind decided to give the centralization idea 

 a year's trial. This was in 1911. 



The different companies did not bind 

 themselves by any set rules. The central 

 organization* would make sales for the 

 different companies and also buy supplies 

 for them. Messrs. S. C. Parker, John 

 Dottialdson, and J. N. Chute were chosen 

 from among the delegates to act as an exe- 

 cutive. S. B. Chute, one of the well-known 

 fruit growers of the Annapolis Valley, was 

 employed as general manager. 



A small percentage was charged on all 

 apples shipped through the central organi- 

 zation. Each of the companies that en- 

 tered the organization, over twenty in 



number, paid a fee of five dollars. Nor 

 did the payment of this fee compel the 

 companies to sell their fruit through the 

 central. They could still act as free 

 agents. 



That year the Central sold over one hun- 

 dred thousand barrels for the companies. 

 An ageint was sent through the west, and 

 over ten thousand barrels of Gravensteins 

 were sold. This was really the advent of 

 Nova Scotia fruit on the western market. 

 Last year eighty-five thousand barrels 

 went to the same market. 



In 1911, Nova Scotia produced the larg- 

 est crop of apples ini its history. Tho 

 steamship lines were unable to handle the 

 unusually large export traffic. Right here 

 is where the association proved its worth . 

 Additional steamers were chartered and 

 the congestion was relieved. 



ON A PERMANENT BASIS 



The success attendinig this trial of a 

 Central Association was so pronounced 

 that steps were at once taken to make it 

 permanent. Last year the company was 

 incorporated with an authorized capital of 

 fiftv thousand dollars, nearly all of which 

 is subscribed. .At the time of organization 

 twenty-two companies became affiliated in 

 the Central Association, which was termed 

 The United Fruit Companies of Nova 

 Scotia, Limited. Each company subscrib- 

 ed twenty per cent, of its capital stock. 

 Since then, several more companies hav" 

 come in, making the number about thirty 



All compa/nies agree to give_ the Central 

 complete control of their fruit. Returns 

 are pooled, the same as was formerly 

 done' in the small companies. The Cem- 

 tral now controls over thirty warehouses, 

 with a storage capacity of over fotir hun- 

 dred thousand barrels. 



The company does not confine its atten- 

 tion merely to the shipping of apples . 

 Large supnlies of fertilizer, barrels, pulp 

 heads, nails, etc., are bought and distri- 

 buted among the 1,500 members. This co- 

 operative buving was conducted by many 

 of the small companies, but the Central 

 now buys for all and so gets rockbottom 

 prices. On account of the large amount 

 of business handled, insurance is procur- 

 ed at most favorable rates. Several eva- 

 porators have beeni erected for the utiliza- 

 tion of the culls. 



NEW MARKETS DEVELOPED 



The association is developing broader 

 markets. A European agent has been ap- 

 nointed and the merits of Nova Scotia 

 fruit are being made known to the Euro- 

 nean consumer. The South African mar- 

 ket is being developed also. The associa- 

 tion is kept in touch with the market con- 

 ditions throughout the world, and complete 

 statistis'cs are always kept on hand. 



The DUroose of the association is not 

 confined alone to the immediate require- 

 ments of the apple industry. It is aimin.g 

 high. The operating of refrigerator cars, 

 the manufacturer of barrels and boxes, and 

 the purchasing of all the commodities re- 

 ouired by the members are among the 

 developments that it has in view. 



r Better Service Needed 



That the establishing of icin<g plants 

 and a more regular freight service are the 

 two outstanding needs of fruit shippers, 

 was the opinion expressed by Manager 

 Robert Thompson in presenting his annoial 

 report at the annual meeting of the St. 

 Catharines Cold Storage and Forwarding 

 Company. Mr. Thompson emphasized the 

 fact that the company had suffered a ser- 

 ious handicap owing to irregular service 

 and slow delivery of cars at destination 

 points. In reference to the icing of cars. 

 Mr. Thompson said that more extensive 

 icing facilities were needed. If the rail- 

 way would establish am icing plant the 

 company would guarantee to take a supply. 



Mr. Baxter, district agent of the 

 G.T.R., stated that the G.T.R. was con- 

 sidering the feasibility of operating an 

 icehouse in the district. The car service 

 Mr. Baxter pointed out, had been bad all 

 over the country in 1912, and the conges- 

 tion in the larger centres had been un- 

 usual. This year the G.T.R. expected to 

 have their main line through all the im- 

 portant points in the west. 



Mr. Dawson, a Toronto commission 

 agent, remarked that the unusually large 

 number of delays last year was due to 

 the extensive alterations being made on 

 the main line outside of the city. The 

 greater proportion of delays was between 

 BathuTst Street, in Toronto, and the Mar- 

 ket. He was of the opinion that the Can- 

 adian roads would have to run their trains 

 on faster schedules as some of the United 

 States lines were now doing. 



Marking Imported Fruit 



Hon. Martini Buxrell, Dominion Minister 

 of Agriculture, has given notice of an 

 amendment to the Inspection of Sales Act 

 of 1906 to provide that the Governor-in- 

 Council may prescribe the kinds of im- 

 ported fruit, the packages containing 

 which must be branded or marked, the 

 marks to be used thereon and the manner 

 and places in and at which such fruit is 

 to be inspected and such packages branded 

 and marked . 



All packages of fruit not branded or 

 marked in accordance with such regula- 

 tions are to be forfeited. Persons violat- 

 ing any regulation will be liable to a fine 

 of not more than fifty dollars and costs. 



A land amd apple show will be conducted 

 ini the new auditorium of the Winnipeg 

 Industrial Bureauu October 10th to 18th 

 The show will be an aJl Canadian one. In 

 addition to liberal cash prizes, diplomas 

 will be awarded for the finest general dis- 

 play of grains and fruits exhibited by pro- 

 vincial governments, fruit growers' asso- 

 ciations, and other organizations. 



St. Catharines Cold Storage Co. 



At the recent annual meeting of the St. 

 Catharines Cold Storage and Forwarding 

 Co. . Limited, the leading commercial fruit 

 growrs' organization in Ontario, the finan- 

 cial condition of the company was shown 

 to be excellent. Assets exceeded liabili- 

 ties by $7,642. .'\fter allowing a refund of 

 .|2,903 in supplies, profit and loss showed 

 a balance of $1,424. The statement of 

 fruit sold totalled to $66,645. Supplies 

 bought amounted to $60,645. Compared 

 with the year of 1905, when fruit sold was 

 $716 and supplies $9,849, the success of 

 the company may be realized. 



The members were urged by Mr. Robert 

 Thompson, the manager, to stand by the 

 company. They could not expect to buy 

 supplies from other sources early in the 

 year and then expect to be helped out bv 

 the company in time of shortage. Loyaltv 

 must be the watchword and would ensure 

 continued growth. 



The Board of Directors was elected a> 

 follows: G. A. Robertson, A. Onslow, R. 

 Thompson, G. X. Walker, J. H. Broderick. 



Advisory Board : C. Secord, W. H. Se- 

 cord, A. Gregory, J. E. Pamell. J. A. Pay. 



