40 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The passing of laws by the last legislature regulating the 

 packing of fruit, and the desire on the part of many to market 

 their fruit in a better way, will be a stumbling block to many 

 for some time to come. The cooperative association could 

 either pack the fruit, or engage someone to go about giving 

 instruction in the packing and grading. Here is a good chance 

 for Maine fruit growers to take a lesson from the cow testing 

 associations that have been organized so successfully by Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture Oilman and Doctor Leon S. Merrill. 

 This is cooperative work of the highest order. The same kind 

 of work is possible in fruit growing. 



An orchard survey of the fruit growing counties of this 

 State would be of great value. Not only could an estimate be 

 made of the extent of tlie orchards, the varieties, etc., but an 

 accurate account of the methods practiced could be obtamed, 

 and, wherever necessary, advice which would lead to the pro- 

 duction of a higher grade product could be given. High grade 

 products are one of the unalterable demands of cooperative 

 marketing. In short, why not cooperate and hire a traveling 

 fruit growing instructor just the same as the dairymen have 

 traveling dairy instructors. Some railroads already employ 

 just such men to go up and down their lines giving instruction 

 to farmers. They find it pays them in extra volume of freight. 



Coming to cooperative marketing, there are the railroads to 

 be considered. No man, railroad man or other, has been able 

 to explain how railway rates are made. Why a rate from the 

 Pacific Coast to Omaha should be the same as a rate from the 

 coast to Boston or New York, and why the railroads in this 

 State should attempt to charge twice as much on a car of fer- 

 tilizer between Portland and Bangor as between Boston and 

 Bangor, is unexplainable. But successful cooperative enter- 

 prises, with a sufficient volume of business, can bring the rail- 

 roads to time. Cooperative advertising enters into the market- 

 ing problem too. Individuals cannot afTord to advertise ex- 

 tensively. One of the largest fruit growers' associations of 

 California has a committee on advertising, which is spending 

 fifty thousand dollars this year where twenty-five thousand dol- 

 lars was spent last, against five thousand dollars two years ago. 

 This advertising in Sioux City alone doubled the consumption 

 of California fruit consumed there last year. Why should not 

 Maine fruit be advertised? 



