Description of Fruit-selling. 479 
out of the question. He studies the needs of each 
customer, and having secured the amount needed to 
fill his orders, at once commences to send by ex- 
press, and to many points where through freights 
run the fruit goes largely in that manner. It is 
safe to say that there is no spot within two hundred 
miles of Chicago that, with fair means of connection 
with this market, can not have a full supply of fruit. 
“Now, as to the expense or cost of these ship- 
ments. The broker, dealer or shipper is well satis- 
fied if he can realize 10 per cent on his purchases. 
Let the shipper of fruit to this market consider what 
it means. There is the careful selection of fruit, the 
marking, billing, practically guaranteeing of safe de- 
livery, chances of failure of his far-off customer — 
and collecting his bill at the end of two weeks to 
three months. Applying the test to the fruit broker 
or shipper, but few get much more than a living out 
of the business. The express and freight companies 
charge only a fair compensation for the service per- 
formed. Although fruit may come high in central 
Minnesota or northern Wisconsin, the dwellers in 
those regions can not reasonably expect to have fruit 
brought to them without labor and expense.” 
