No. 4.] RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER. 113 



dignity of the association, and people are willing to pay 

 for it. The middlemen are mnltiplying even in our towns 

 and villages. Every man meets it when he goes into town 

 where there is a market. That is the situation that confronts 

 us, and we must meet it by some method by which we may 

 cut loose and reach the consumer direct. 



Mr. Ellswortu. Aside from Mr. Harwood and myself 

 there is another gentleman here who was at that Xew York 

 show, Mr. Xewkirk of Easthampton. Perhaps he saw some- 

 thing we didn't. Mr. Xewkirk, a member of the Board, was 

 there as an observer, and wasn't otherwise interested in the 

 arrangements, so had the time to look around and compare, 

 and he might say a word about that little show. ♦ 



Mr, Frank P. ISTewkirk. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 

 Of all the association exhibits that I ever attended this beat 

 them all, and little Massachusetts did it beautifully. When 

 the people came along there, and looked at that beautiful 

 array of apples and vegetables, they just stopped. There 

 wasn't a place in the whole arena that was so fully peopled 

 as in front of the New England stand. I stood back from 

 the rail a little way, and a lady and gentleman came along 

 and proceeded to admire the " artificial fruit and vegeta- 

 bles." I picked up one of those cucumbers and handed it to 

 that gentleman, who was heartily surprised to find that it 

 was real. 



Xow as regards the apples. Those that we had in the 

 exhibit were so uniform in size that they were simply beau- 

 tiful. I had quite a talk with the packer from the Hood 

 River district, and his opinion was that we in Massachusetts 

 do not realize our opportunity. All we need to do is to clean, 

 grade and pack our fruit properly in order to practically 

 monopolize the best eastern markets. 



All we had in our exhibit was just the fruits and vegeta- 

 bles. We didn't have it festooned and all lighted by elec- 

 tricity and beautifully decorated, as a good many of them 

 did. We just had the goods, and the goods drew the people. 

 Gentlemen, you have the best land right here. I am not 

 much of a farmer, but if I had the room and were inclined 

 to horticulture, I would go into the apple business. There 



