Description of Fruit -selling. 479 



out of the question. He studies the needs of each 

 customer, and having secured the amount needed to 

 fill his orders, at once commences to send by ex- 

 press, and to many points where through freights 

 run the fruit goes largely in that manner. It is 

 safe to say that there is no spot within two hundred 

 miles of Chicago that, with fair means of connection 

 with this market, can not have a full supply of fruit. 

 "Now, as to the expense or cost of these ship- 

 ments. The broker, dealer or shipper is well satis- 

 fied if he can realize 10 per cent on his purchases. 

 Let the shipper of fruit to this market consider what 

 it means. There is the careful selection of fruit, the 

 marking, billing, practically guaranteeing of safe de- 

 livery, chances of failure of his far-off customer 

 and collecting his bill at the end of two weeks to 

 three months. Applying the test to the fruit broker 

 or shipper, but few get much more than a living out 

 of the business. The express and freight companies 

 charge only a fair compensation for the service per- 

 formed. Although fruit may come high in central 

 Minnesota or northern Wisconsin, the dwellers in 

 those regions can not reasonably expect to have fruit 

 brought to them without labor and expense." 



