TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 21 3 



As a rule, our fruits and vej^etables pass througli too 

 many hands before reaching- the consumer, resulting in in- 

 creased cost and loss of quality, both of which curtail demand 

 and tend toward a condition of under-consumption, often im- 

 properly termed over-production. \n many cases, produce is 

 shipped a long distance to a large market to be sold, and after 

 passing through from two to four hands, is often shipped 

 back over the same road and delivered to dealers in the town 

 or county where it was grown, the result being an increase 

 in cost of 40 to 60 per cent for double railroad transportation, 

 carting, handling, commission and dealer's profit, besides de- 

 terioration of goods from age. exposure and frequent han- 

 dling. If such loss and delay is a part of our present indirect 

 and awkward system, can we not see the need of a cheaper 

 and more direct route from the farm to the consumer's table? 

 How can this be obtained? First by a reduction of at least 

 50 per cent in the number of dealers now handling fruits and 

 produce. Rut what will become of those dealers is asked. Let 

 them become producers, as there will be an increased demand 

 under reduced cost of delivery. 



As there is little prospect of this reform, we will consider 

 another way in which this problem can, and doubtless will, 

 be solved, namely through the establishment in all large cities 

 of large co-operative distributing stores or clearing houses for 

 farm produce, to be owned by growers, who would furnish the 

 necessary capital by each juirchasing a share of the company's 

 stock. Expenses to be divided pro-rata, according to the 

 amount of sales of each member or stock-holder. 



The success of such an enterprise will depend upon the 

 business-like and harmonious management by the board of 

 directors and in no less a degree upon the su]ierintendent or 

 manager, who must be a broad business man as well as an ex- 

 perienced and efficient marketman. Under siich a system of 

 distribution, grower and producer would alike profit in many 

 ways, a few of which I will briefly outline. Many of the 

 orders received at the store would be filled by shipping direct 

 from the farm to the retailer. Methods of o-radino- and 



