TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 



141 



handling as much as I could. I do my sorting and packing 

 in the orchard. The picking, and sorting and packing, would 

 be two handlings, loading the box on the rack would be 

 three, hauling to town and loading on the cars, four, and the 

 unloading at the warehouse of the wholesaler would be five. 

 That represents about the amount of handling that a box 

 of apples gets from the tree to the wholesaler. 



A Member: I would like to ask Air. Castner a ques- 

 tion. We hear a great deal about co-operation, or a great 

 deal about the theory of co-operation, at least. We hear a 

 lot of talk about it one way and another. Mr. Castner 

 knows how it works in the West, and I would like to ask if 

 he thinks it can be worked successfully where our markets 

 are right by us, as they are here? 



Mr. Castner : It can be. 



A ]\Iember : How might it be worked? 



Mr. Castner: It is just a case of the growers getting 

 together amongst themselves, and laying plans for the rais- 

 ing' of these better crops of fruit and handling the crops ac- 

 cording to approved methods. If one man can do it, why 

 cannot a body collectively do it? An organization of that 

 kind made up in that way can guarantee their fruit, and un- 

 doubtedly could find a ready sale for it. An organization of 

 that kind can do it better than an individual, because the or- 

 ganization can put up a better grade, and a grade which will 

 run more uniform, and guarantee it to the wholesaler. The 

 individual cannot do that. The Hood River organization has 

 a standing offer to make every box of apples, shipped by 

 them good. Each grower is required to put his name on 

 every box of apples he sends out. 



I think mysdf that you have got to do a little work 

 among individuals first, and then you can get them together 

 in an association. I tell you that a man buying a large 

 amount of apples will go where he knows he can buy the 

 best. If a man knows that he is getting the right kind of 

 goods, and gets an honest pack, he will take his chances in 

 shipping the stuff east. That is where you people fall down. 



