44 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



been a most successful cooperative enterprise. The following 

 statements have been taken from an article appearing in "The 

 Fruit Grower," published at St. Joseph, Missouri. 



"Early in 1905 a few of the growers met and debated that the 

 thing to do was to organize a shipping association and handle 

 their own fruit and buy their own supplies. As a result the 

 Wathena Fruit Growers' Association was organized, and the 

 first year the new organization had but twelve members. The 

 firms which had previously handled the fruit of the growers 

 claimed that the new association could not last ; that farmers 

 could not market their fruit to advantage, and all sorts of hind- 

 rances were put in the way of the association, in the form of 

 extremely low prices for fruit packages, and unwarranted high 

 prices for fruit at critical times, — this being done to discourage 

 the members of the association, and to entice them away from 

 their organization. 



The first year the organization did fairly well, but the mem- 

 bers gained much in experience. This year, the second season 

 of its existence, the association has made a splendid record. The 

 organization has 100 members. 



The association has bought all the material needed by its 

 members, effecting a considerable saving. For instance, grow- 

 ers near St. Joseph paid 6 and 7 cents apiece for one-third bush- 

 el baskets in which to ship peaches ; members of the association 

 at Wathena paid 5 cents for the same packages. 



At the beginning of the season every member signs a contract 

 to market his fruit through the association; if the St. Joseph 

 market offers a better price, he must receive the consent of the 

 manager before he can. take his fruit across the river. This 

 consent, however, is not withheld unless the association ii'^eds 

 the fruit to finish filling a car which has been sold. 



The association sells practically all its fruit on track, although 

 it sometimes happens tliat small quantities left after filling cars 

 are consigned to reliable firms. After the manager knows the 

 price to be received for a car of fruit, he makes the 'platform 

 price' to the grower accordingly. This platform price is usual- 

 ly about 25 cents a crate less than the price the association re- 

 ceives. Suppose a carload of strawberries has been sold at 

 $1.50 a crate, and every grower who delivers fruit which passes 

 inspection receives a ticket entitling him to $1.25 a crate, which 

 can be collected by him when he chooses. The next day a car 



