148 STATE POMOLOGICAI. SOCIETY. 



be some gain to you. Now when we get together, so that we 

 can work in combination and on equal terms all over this great 

 country of ours, how much better it will be for the whole of us. 

 How much better it will be for the smallest apple towns here in 

 Maine. Now the buyers, do you know what they are doing? 

 Some years they come and they want the largest apple, they 

 won't touch a No. 2. A year ago they wouldn't buy No. 2 

 Russet, Bellflower, Talman Sweet, wouldn't have them. They 

 would take No. 2 if we gave them No. i to have them. Look 

 at the schemes of these commercial men. You know that cor- 

 porations are sometimes said to have no souls. That means a 

 good deal; that means more than just a soul, sometimes, doing 

 all their business through an agent. They have an agent in the 

 office in New York, wherever the association is located; he 

 does all the fighting. They have another one to go about the 

 country and find out what the supply is and what the demand is 

 going to be ; they have another agent to go into the community 

 and see what they can do with the farmer, and they beat you 

 down and down and down until they get them as low as they 

 can, and then they will make their purchase. Now then when 

 apples are plenty and they have got a good market for winter 

 apples, in order to make good sales and good returns they are 

 not going to put any slush in the middle of the barrels that year. 

 They won't take the No. 2s. This year they w^ant everything 

 they can get and they are putting everything into the middle of 

 the barrel. 



Now where is my reputation? My reputation is at stake in 

 the hands of these speculators in New York who care no more 

 for Maine orchards than they do for any other people any- 

 where else. Now give us this legislation. Give it to us now. 

 If you can get the thing going any quicker or any better by 

 starting it in your Maine legislature, commence here and work 

 out into the National legislation. If you can do better to go 

 right to the National legislature, go right off. The dairymen 

 have a law to protect their butter, and it is worth more today 

 than ever before. We want to protect the apple just the same. 

 I don't know but the day will come when we will protect our 

 orchards from insects and pests of every kind through legis- 

 lation. I may have a neighbor who won't care much about the 

 good condition of the orchards for the next few vears and he 



