506 TwENTY-FlEST BlENNIAL EtEPORT 



were limited to the immediate locality. As more orchards came 

 into bearing, the prices had been steadily dropping and the busi- 

 ness was in a precarious condition. In 1902 they realized on an 

 average of 80c a box for their fruit. The following year the Hood 

 River Apple Growers' Union was organized and a majority of the 

 J'ruit mai'keted through it. The returns were $2.00 a box f. o. b. 

 shipping point. In 1904 it brought $2.10 a box and in 1905 $2.60, on 

 the average. So successful was this organization that many other 

 districts organized on the same plan. 



"Whenever an organization such as this establishes a price for the 

 product of that locality, the growers who are not in the association 

 benefit also, and for this reason it has been very hard to get a num- 

 ber of persons to join. The general farmer is the most individualistic 

 of men and is generally the hardest to get to act co-operatively. He 

 IS used to doing practically everything for himself and seems to 

 • lis I ike to have anyone else take charge of any phase of his business. 

 In a measure, this has been overcome in the western fruit growing 

 sections and the strongest marketing organizations in existence are 

 to be found there. 



These associations were at first very bitterly opposed by certain 

 commission men and they used all sorts of means to defeat them. One 

 of their ways was to offer some weak-kneed grower a little better 

 price than the union was selling for and have him break loose and 

 ship individually. It ^as then pointed out that the individual was 

 getting a better price than could be secured through the association. 

 Sometimes this was systematically followed up for a number of years 

 and added to the difficulty of holding these associations intact. In 

 organizing such a selling association it is necessary that a very 

 stringent contract be drawn up between the organization and the 

 grower. He is usually bound to ship his fruit through the associa- 

 tion for a number of years, with the privilege of withdrawing at the 

 beginning of any year. It is necessary that the management know 

 before the season begins what tonnage he can expect and what pro- 

 portion of the crop will be shipped through the association, before 

 he is in a position to do any business at all. 



This opposition to the unions on the part of the buyer has in a 

 measure disappeared. They find that it is often better to buy 

 through an association as they can then secure any quantity of fruit 

 of any variety that they desire, of any particular grade. For 

 instance, if a man wants a car load of extra fancy Spitzenburgs that 

 will pack from 80 to 96 to the box, he can secure this through an 

 association, but it probably would be impossible for any one grower 

 to furnish him exactly what he wants. Also he knows that he will 

 be protected in the matter of price when he deals with an organiza- 

 tion. If he is asked $2.00 a bos for a certain grade he knows that 

 the next buyer will have to pay that same price, and if there is any 



