I30 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



production, as was done last year in many cases, would be 

 gladly welcomed by the bulk of the growers in this vicinity. 



Mr. Butler : Mr. Eddy speaks of the southern peaches 

 and berries brought into our market. There is no question 

 that the berries brought from the south this year, after 

 our native berries were gone, did sell at a loss, many sell- 

 ing at not over 2 cents per quart. As Mr. Eddy says, it 

 is the small-fruit growers with a small acreage, from one- 

 fourth of an acre up, who are doing the mischief in our 

 markets. They do not come to market every day and do 

 not know the market conditions and prices. After going from 

 store to store, continually lowering the prices, they finally 

 sell out to some huckster because they are in a hurry to 

 get home and see to their hay: and so the market becomes 

 thoroughly demoralized from such agencies. Large growers, 

 I think, could be held together very well if it were not for 

 this competition of the irregular producer. We might gain 

 some relief from the competition of the southern grower, 

 if we could make some arrangement either for uniform 

 markets, for having one central market, or for commission 

 men to handle all our berries. I think this latter Avould be 

 the most feasible plan, but the great and lasting difficulty 

 is to get the growers to put all their berries into the hands 

 of the commission men. No doubt Mr. Eddy would be 

 willing to do it, and some of the rest of us, but there are 

 others who make the mistake of thinking that if they sell 

 their own berries they get all there is in it. I think we 

 will have no difficulty in arranging with the local whole- 

 salers here in Hartford, that if we will give them our 

 berries, they will not handle any outside berries, or have 

 others come in during our season. This would improve 

 the market at once and save us all the labor of peddling 

 our berries, all the chance of bad bills, and also make a 

 really better cash return for our berries. 



It would also benefit the small grower to come in with 

 us on any such basis. I think all here would be willing 

 to put their berries in the hands of one or the other of 

 the leading commission men, if any such agreement could 

 be made by those delivering berries in Hartford by teams. 

 There might be one or two of the large retail stores that 



