No. 4.] FRUITS FOR LOCAL MARKETS. 69 



putting them in cold storage. Just the minute the winter 

 apples mature on the tree, each wants to be harvested and go 

 straight into cold storage. Then the small grower says, "I 

 can't afford a cold storage house." That is true ; the smaller 

 grower cannot, but every neighborhood could, if farmers 

 would co-operate as other men have to do, or fail. These 

 banks here in Springfield have to work together, and the 

 manufacturers have to, or the tariff might cut down their 

 profits ; they dig in and work together, and make us pay it. 

 The fruit grower, to get the best profit, will have to have a 

 business big enough to own a cold storage house, or a soul 

 big enough to co-operate with his neighbors and have a co- 

 operative cold storage house. 



Now, the selling problem of all these fruits. The selling 

 problem is the big end of the business. We may have as 

 fine a product as can be found anywhere, but if we do not 

 get on to the selling part of it, it is a loss ; and it is the 

 business of the farmer — of every man, but specially the 

 farmer — to succeed. Judicious advertising pays as well in 

 fruit marketing as in any other line of business. Just what 

 form of advertising you take will depend on each man and 

 the location ; but with a local market, which the grower is 

 going to reach with his own teams, the team and wagon it- 

 self should be well painted and always clean, with a good 

 lettering on it, — the name of the farm, the name of the 

 grower ; and the horse should be a good one, and he should 

 have a well-dressed driver. No long, lanky farmer or sales- 

 man, poor and raggedly dressed, whiskers needing cutting 

 for two weeks and hair two years ! It is bad advertising 

 for any fruit. It is essential that the driver, whether the 

 owner himself or the man he sends to market, should have 

 a gentlemanly appearance, and a clean, attractive team; it 

 is part of the business. The clothes won't cost him any- 

 thing ; the fellow down town will pay for them. Any frills 

 I put on to business I would make the other fellow -pay for 

 in the higher prices of fruit, because he is tickled to do it if 

 the fruit is perfect and the best of its kind. An}- lady would 

 rather pay a little more to a neat, attractive driver and 

 wagon and harness, than she would to a filthy, broken-down 



