'> 



things. We've got to begin experi- 

 menting in our packaging." 



Talmage Defrees, vice-president of 

 the lAA, and vice-president of the 

 Fruit Exchange, declared that perhaps 

 there is not enough stress placed on 

 just what a cooperative is. "A co- 

 operative is you at work through your 

 selected men. The cooperative is in- 

 terested in selling your products at the 

 best price and returning the proceeds 

 to you. There is no one taking a hand- 

 out from these proceeds before they 

 come back to you. 'The reserve that the 

 I'ruit Exchange has built up is yours. 

 It is up to you to decide liow it shall 

 he used." 



Cieorge E. Metzger, lAA held secre- 

 tary, warned growers that cooperatives 

 face stiff competition in the coming 

 change from war to peacetime condi- 

 tions. There will undoubtedly be many 

 changes in marketing, he added. Co- 

 operatives must be ready to meet the 

 challenge. He also declared that this is 

 a good time to capitalize cooperatives. 

 "Then after your cooperative has set 

 up the machinery, it is up to the mem- 

 bership to furnish the volume that will 

 make it possible for the ccooperative to 

 do the best job." 



Stewart Chandler, entomologist. 

 .State Natural History Sur\ey. outlined 

 the insect prospects for the coming 

 year. He said that peaches are in a 

 more favorable position than apples. 

 The coddling moth, he reported, is 

 coming in strong and advised growers 

 to hit the first brood as hard as pos- 

 sible. 



Roger B. Corbett, .secretary of thc 

 American Farm Bureau I'ederation. 

 jTincipal speaker of the annual meet- 

 ing. ^.Wf an address packed full of 

 (acts relating to the future economic 

 outlook with particular reference to 

 agriculture. 



Corbett declared that he believed that 

 history would repeat itself after this 

 war and we would be faced with con- 

 ditions similar to those following 

 World War I. He pointed out that 

 while most postwar planning was con- 

 cerned with the adjustment period im- 

 mediately following the cessation of 

 war, the real period of stress would 

 come some years after the Allied vic- 

 tory. It was 1 1 years after World War 

 I. he said, that we had the depression 

 of iy29. 



Corbett also pointed out that the de- 

 pression of the '7()s came some years 

 after the Civil War. The most im- 

 portant thing to agriculture, he said, is 

 a stable price level. One of the favor- 

 able factors in the agricultural outlook, 

 he declared, was the reduction that has 

 occurred in farm debt. 



"We are hearing, " Corbett said, 

 that in order to have prosperity, labor 



must be fully em|s|oyed. 1 believe that 

 we should have full employment, but 

 even if we have that it does not fol- 

 low that we will have- a prosperous 

 agriculture. In 192", \92S and in the 

 first part of 1929 we had full employ- 

 ment, but agriculture lagged behind. 

 Maybe that's whv the depression came 

 in 1929. " 



(Corbett also stressed the need for a 

 balance between agriculture, industry 

 and labor. We cannot have industry 

 and labor curtailing their production 

 after the war while agriculture con- 

 tinues to produce to a maximum, he a^ 

 sertecl. I here must be a balance. 



Agricidture's only postwar protec 

 tion, Corbett said, is the Steagall 

 amendment. This promises go\ern- 

 ment supported prices of 90 per cent 

 of parity for a period of two vears. 

 starting from the first [anuary after 

 hostilities eease. i he Steagall amend 

 ment covers about 115 commodities. 

 However, Corbett j-'ointed out that if 

 farm prices dropped to 90 per cent of 

 parity it would mean a reduction of 

 one-third in the total n.itional farm 

 income. 



We must tighten our helt^ and get 

 ready tor adjustments in .igric ultiirc 

 (iorbett concluded. 



Another featured speaker at tlic 

 Iruit Exchange annual meeting was Dr. 

 ( hester F. Lav. new president of South 

 ern Illinois Normal University. He 

 welcomed fruit growers to the campus 

 and gs\i: them a brief outline of the 

 work the univcrsitv is carr\ing on and 

 its plans for the future. We are just 

 a part of the American tradition of 

 trying to train our young boys aivl 

 girls so that they can take o\cr when 

 we desire and when we must step 

 aside." 



Directors re-elected at the annual 

 meeting included: President Ixkert. 

 Belleville : "Vice-President D e frees, 

 Greenville, and Secretary-Treasurer I" 

 G. Anderson. Anna. 



sr.^Pi<»fe:i«^.s^:; 



Fruit growers trade orchard reports be- 

 tween sessions at their annual meeting on 

 the campus oi Southern Illinois Normal 

 University. 



Those attending the IlUnois Fruit Growers 



annual meeting enjoyed a free dinner in 



the university cafeteria. 



Dr. Chester F. Lay, new president of 

 Southern Illinois Normal University, left, 

 and Miss Helen Shumon, center, admin- 



E'tlt 



istrative assistant to the president, were 

 luncheon guests of Mr. and Mrs. A. O. 

 Eckert at the annual meeting. 



MAY, 1945 



