"MARKETING PROBLEMS OF HIGHLAND CO-OPERA- 

 TIVE FRUIT EXCHANGE, MARLBORO, MASS. 



Mr. Sumner C. Gage, Manager. 



Ladies and Gentlemen, your applause comes from antici- 

 pation. There may not be any after the realization, I assure 

 you of that. I understand that I am to speak this morning 

 upon some of the problems of the Highland Co-operative 

 Fruit Exchange. I notice that in the audience we have two 

 of those problems, — as two of our members are here. It is 

 possibly assuming quite a little for a small exchange like ours 

 to come here and attempt to tell you of our common experi 

 ences, when undoubtedly there are men in the audience who 

 grow and sell more than the combined farms of our exchange 

 every year. 



But the problems of co-operation and the difficulties of 

 getting men to co-operate are probably as great in the small 

 exchange as in a larger one, and surely in the small exchange 

 we find the embryonic conditions which must t)e decided in 

 the larger exchanges before they can be made a success. It is 

 an easy matter to read of co-operation and how successful it 

 is, and how they conduct it, but rules that apply abroad will 

 not apply at home. I believe that each exchange has its own 

 problems to solve. 



In the fall of 1916 Highland Co-operative Fruit Ex- 

 change made its first attempt at co-operative marketing. 

 Several members signed an agreement to sell through the 

 Exchange, this to include a commission of 5 percent to the 

 Exchange and the grading of the apples by a disinterested 

 party. The manager, Mr. Ralph Barnes, interested several 

 buyers in the fruit, secured their bids and submitted the 

 same to the directors of the Exchange. The directors finally 



