The 1949 board of directors of fhe llllnott 

 fruit Grower* fxchonge It shown following 

 reorganization at the organization's recent 

 annuo/ meeting In Carbondale. front row, 

 (left to rigitt), K. S. McBrlde, general man- 

 ager; t. G. Anderson, secrefory-freosurer. 

 Union; A. O. ttkert, president, St. Clair; 

 I. D. McGuire, vice president, Jackson; back 

 row: C. R. Bolond, tdgar; N. A. Cummins, 

 Jefferson; W. H. Beauman, Johnson; Dwight 

 Powell, Clark; Dr. L. A. Floyd, Bond; Arthur 

 foreman. Pike; and R. B. [ndlcott, Pulaski- 

 Alexander. Not present was Roy WIeneke, 

 Calhoun. 



By JIM THOMSON 



Ass't Editor, lAA Record 



More, Better Fruit 



Fruit Growers' Annual Meeting 

 Warns That Consumers Will be 

 More Particular About Quality in '49 



HIGH QUALITY truit was again 

 uppermost in the minds ot mem- 

 bers of the Ilhnois Fruit Growers 

 Exchange gathering in Carbon- 

 dale recently tor their 28th annual 

 ^jiring meeting. 



"Better fruit, and more of it, is our 

 1,'oal for 1949," President A. O. Eckert. 

 ^1. Clair county, told southern fruit 

 LTOwers. Illinois Fruit Growers Ex- 

 liange, with offices at Carlx)ndalc, is an 

 itfiliate of the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 Mxiation. 



"People are now more particular about 

 ilieir buying," Eckert saici. "so our fruit 

 must be good to sell. However, em- 

 phasis on quality the pa.st few years has 

 shown results because today our pack 

 is as good as an\ 

 in this area." 



Principal speaker 

 was C. G. Watkins 

 of the Fadler Pro- 

 duce Company. 

 Springfield. Mo., 

 who spoke on the 

 importance of pre- 

 paring a pack that 

 will retain its high 

 quality appearance 

 until the moment 

 the consumer buys 

 it. 

 Speaking as a middleman. Watkins 

 lid the grower shouldn't forget that the 

 ■ holesaler has his problems too. "His 



C. G. Watkins 



job, NX atkins said, is to sell a^ muili 

 of your fruit as possible." 



I'm not a grower." NX'atkms said. 

 but I know what the consumer wants. 

 Pack quality truit and keep your pad. 

 uniform. The truit business has a great 

 future. There is no food more h.ibit 

 forming than fresh fruits. But never 

 forget that S'i per cent of all fruit is sohl 

 on eye appeal." 



William Clemens of the Kroger chain 

 stores advised the growers to "live up to 

 the reputation of your labels so that 

 when the buyer sees your label she will 

 know your fruit is good without even 

 sampling it." 



Speaking as a fruit grower. E. I.. C ol 

 \is. lAA secretary of marketing said, 

 we, as growers, have a responsibility to 

 our organization to grow the cjualitv ot 

 fruit the Exchange wants, and pack it as 

 the Exchange wants it packed because 

 the Exchange knows what sells best." 



In his annual report to the member- 

 ship. Man.iger R. S. McBride predicted 

 an Illinois peach crop ot two million 

 bushels in 19 19 compared with l.i2.s.- 

 000 bushels in 19t8. His report .showed 

 that 70.000 less packaged units were 

 handled in 1948 than in 19-i7 although 

 gross sales returns were up nearly S40.- 

 000. Expenses increased $10,000 over 

 the previous year — half of which was 

 attributed to depreciation. The cold stor- 

 age building, operating on its first full 

 year made a profit of S-t200. 



.\h Bride reported good reception of 

 the 1 ruit E.\ihange peach brand lalx-leW 

 Prairie Chief wiiich was introduced m 

 I') IS. People began asking lor Prairie 

 ( hicf brand." McBritle said, '.md thai 

 i> whai \\c arc aimini.' at." 



Manager McBritie said he thought 

 more atten:ion should be paid to fruit 

 maturity anil tree-ripened fruit. It hurts, 

 he said whe-n we market unripened fruit. 

 Heniand sKukens and it baiks uy on you 

 'Our e|uali(\ i^ gooW now ". |-,c said 

 hui I here is always room lor iinprOM 

 inent Deniaiiil tor our i-iatk gives us 

 wiuse' to be o]MimistK about l'>t'>. bu; 

 let's r.iise our sights on i|ualitv . 



Reporting On I'M'.* pest infestation tivr 

 F.ntomologist S. ( . Chandler. Dr. Dwight 

 Powell of the U. of I. f^i''^ the tollov. 

 mg intormation: coddling moth, possibh 

 severe; plum lurculio. worse; leii 

 hoppers, light European red mite, 

 heavier; .siale. moderate to se\ere; peadi 

 . attacing. worse; oriental fruit moth 

 worse; blotch on apples, light; black rot, 

 building up. brown rot, worse; rosy 

 apple aphis, building up; and -ipplc 

 measles, general increase. 



I he annual meeting in resolutuHis en- 

 dorsed "tlie program of horticultural no 

 ■ icties in enacting a l.tx law to Ixiietit 

 Illinois horticulture." backed efforts to 

 improve, develop, and expand facilities 

 at .Southern Illinois L niversity and called 

 tor strengthening the laws of the state 

 division of markets. 



Elected to three \ear terms on the 

 Fruit CVowers Exchange board ol di 

 re-ctors were C. R. Boland. Edeir; Dr. 

 I.. A. Flovd. Bond; E. D MeCiuire. lack- 

 son; Dr. bw!t;ht Powell. Clark; and Ro\ 

 Wieneke. Calhoun. 



Officers re-elected were A. O. Eckert. 

 St. Clair. pre-Nident; E. D. McQuire. lack- 

 son, vice i^resident; and I'. G. Anderson. 

 Union, sec retar\ -treasurer. 



APRIL, 1949 



13 



