736 THE FRUIT INDUSTRY or XEW YORK STATE 



rangements with commission houses in the different large markets. 

 It is the custom of commission houses to charge 10 per cent for 

 selling the fruit and paying a soliciting agent 3 per cent for his 

 services. We therefore arranged with a limited number of com- 

 mission houses to pay the exchange this rebate on all fruit sold 

 for the members of the exchange. It has been our policy to con- 

 centrate our shipments, and to that end we selected a limited 

 number of commission houses to sell our fruit. In the beginning 

 they were a little backward about signing up in this way, but 

 since we demonstrated that we are here to stay, we have many 

 more applications than we care to sign up for. Our office being 

 centrally located, and with telephone connection with almost 

 every member, it becomes an information bureau in the truest 

 sense of the word. In the fruit-shipping season, telephone and 

 telegraph messages are received from all the large markets, and 

 the manager and his assistant are kept busy advising the shippers 

 of the best market to which to ship their fruit each day. 



BUYING AND SELLING DIRECT 



The office also receives quotations on all kinds of feed and 

 other supplies needed by the members. As soon as the wants of 

 the members amount to a sufficient quantity, the manager orders 

 a carload or less, as the case may be; in the case of feed it must 

 be not less than a carload. Our office is constantly mailing let- 

 ters to prospective buyers of our fruit, in this way continually 

 reminding them what we have to sell. We have thus worked up 

 a reputation which has resulted in selling a great deal of our fruit 

 at the station at a price equal or better than the wholesale price, 

 thus saving the express charges and commission. In 1913, we 

 sold all of our strawberries and pears and a large amount of our 

 other fruits in this way. 



I will now state in actual figures just what has been accom- 

 plished. During out first year we purchased 20 carloads of feed- 

 ing stuffs at a saving of at least $2,500 to our 40 members. We 

 purchased 200 tons of commercial fertilizer, saving $5 per ton. 

 Spraying material, fruit packages, and in fact all we need on our 

 farms was bought at the same average saving. 



