STATE POMOLOGICAI. SOCIIiTY. 57 



whether they would appoint a salesman, an actual salesman, or 

 have a packer who would be capable of making the sales. That 

 would be a matter of local option, I think. 



Prof. MuNSON : Two or three years ago I tried to present 

 before the Society an outline of cooperative marketing, and 

 urged upon the Society the importance of just the line of work 

 which Mr. Craig has given to you tonight. I believe just as 

 strongly today as I did at that time that cooperative storing and 

 marketing is essential to the highest success in fruit growing 

 in New England. As I have said so many times before, we have 

 a lesson to learn from our California brethren. They have 

 solved the problem of marketing. And until we Yankees get 

 over our provincial characteristic of trying to get ahead of the 

 other fellow every time, why we are not going to succeed so well 

 as our California friends do. 



I was talking today with a large shipper of fruit who is with 

 us — and he has been interested in our Maine fruit for several 

 years — and I was pained, but not surprised at the report which 

 he gives us of the attitude taken in the foreign markets toward 

 our Maine fruit. He tells me that Maine does not hold the 

 place in the foreign market that she did three and four years 

 ago, for the reason that our fruit is not packed properly. Now 

 that is something we have been drumming and drilling on every 

 year, but it has not been brought home to us as it is when a man 

 comes to us directly from the foreign markets and says, " Here, 

 you fellows, you have got to pack your fruit better or you are 

 falling behind." Now that is just the condition we find our- 

 selves in at the present time. This matter was brought up at 

 our meeting last year, and in discussing this matter of coopera- 

 tive marketing and of honest packing — I don't think any of 

 those people are here, — but do you know, those other fellows 

 said, " Why, I don't care what the fruit is after it is packed. I 

 grow the fruit and if they are fools enough to put in all their old 

 rubbish, why the money is m my pocket, I don't care." Now 

 isn't that kind of a selfish way to look at it? It is just that 

 don't care spirit that is ruining our reputation in the State of 

 Maine. Now I desire for this Society and for the friends of 

 Maine, for those who take an interest in Maine's reputation, to 

 rise up and use not merely moral suasion but if necessary legal 

 suasion to insure honest packing of fruit. 



