FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 197 



growers is down in X'irginia, and it is known as the Eastern 

 Shore IVochice h'xchange. Last year their total sales were 

 over two million dollars, and they paid ten per cent, on its 

 stock of $50,000.00; the next thing they did was to spend 

 $12,000.00 on telegrams notifying the members and farmers 

 what the conditions of the market were; they handled 2,395 

 cars of Irish potatoes, 2,495 ^^^^ °^ sweet potatoes, and a 

 large number of cars of strawberries, and cabbage, and vari- 

 ous other produce of that kind, and as I said before they paid 

 ten per cent, on their stock. That produce exchange was 

 organized down there several years ago. It was a regular 

 business proposition ; they issued stock to the amount of 

 $50,000.00, and the farmers and fruit growers were invited 

 to come forward and take stock. I have here with me a copy 

 of the by-laws and constitution of that organization, and if 

 any gentleman desires to see them I shall be pleased to show 

 them to him, and explain the workings of the association to 

 him. Before that organization started, the trucking business 

 in that section of the state was at a standstill ; a great many 

 of the growers had given up business entirely, mostly because 

 they did not know where to send the goods or whom to send 

 them to. The markets were glutted, but to-day the fruit 

 growing is in a high state of prosperity, and people all over 

 that section are members of this organization, and the com- 

 mission man has gone out of business — he is not known in 

 that country. The Winchester Exchange handles everything 

 that goes out from that section. A great many fruit growlers 

 and farmers seem to think that there is something about 

 organizing among themselves that is impossible and imprac- 

 ticable; they do not seem to know what objects they have in 

 view. AI}- 'School-teacher used to tell me if I didn't know 

 where I was going, I would never know when I got there, 

 and it seems to me that is the way with the fruit growers and 

 farmers. I do not think there is any harm in organizing to 

 know where there is going to be a glut in the market. Sup- 

 posing you have got a supply in Hartford and there is a 

 demand in Philadelphia ; is there any harm for you to know 

 that? Supposing a gentleman comes into your orchard some 

 Saturday afternoon, a nice looking young fellow with patent 



