i6 



the manager procures the cars, and has them properly sup- 

 plied with ice, ready for immediate use. He collects infor- 

 mation daily about markets and prices, receives fruit at 

 the cars, receipting to the owner for same, sees to it that 

 the fruit is placed properly in the car, makes a manifest 

 for each owner, and bills the car to the proper person at 

 its destination. In this way the best rates and service are 

 secured. The cars are shipped from one person in the pro- 

 ducing section to one person in the distributing market, and 

 takes away entirely from the railroad the important work 

 of loading and unloading. During the fruit season 15 to 

 20 cars are shipped daily from Cobden, representing of 

 course many thousands of packages, and securing to the in- 

 dividual grower a degree of uniformity in handling which 

 in the long run proves profitable to him. 



The Ozark Fruit Growers' association of Springfield, 

 Missouri, a section given over largely to both tree fruits 

 and small fruits, shipped last year 525 cars of strawberries. 

 This fruit was loaded at two or three points in southwest- 

 ern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas. The active Offi- 

 cers, manager and secretary, are paid salaries and the asso- 

 ciation has agents in the principal distributing markets dur- 

 ing the shipping season. A large proportion of the cars are 

 sold on track. Providing there is an average crop, it is ex- 

 pected that 1000 cars of peaches will be handled by the as- 

 sociation the coming year. The manager uses the telegraph 

 and long distance telephone very freely, and with the care- 

 ful system followed in packing and shipping, the carloads 

 of fruit can be handled just as readily as if the cars were 

 immediately before the manager and the prospective buyer. 



Something has been accomplished in Wisconsin. In 

 that state there is no general organization for the purpose 

 of co-operative marketing of fruits and vegetables, yet lo- 

 cal societies have been organized here and there, and carry 

 on the work with encouraging success, particularly in rela- 

 tion to small fruits. One of these is known as the Fruit 

 Growers' association of Sparta, now ten years old. Among 

 its objects is to induce buyers from city markets within 

 reach of that small but important distribiiting center to be 

 present during the fruit season; to provide for the careful, 

 systematic loading of fruit; to secure good service from 

 transportation companies, and to protect the grower from 

 fradulent commission houses. During the ten years this lo- 

 cal association has been doing business, a large part of the 



