20 FRUIT HARVESTING, STORING, MARKETING 



The principal troubles which have to be met/ are 

 these : 



I. Distrust. — All classes of farmers are constitu- 

 tionally and proverbially distrustful of other people 

 and of one another. In a fruit association there arise 

 — such is the experience — the most inveterate jealous- 

 ies. Each man thinks he is furnishing a better grade 

 of fruit than his neighbor, though all share alike in 

 the profits. Each one fears the other will reap some 

 special advantage somehow. In particular, the ap- 

 pointment of managers, superintendents, supervisors 

 of grading, shipping agents, and all other officials of 

 the company, offers a sufficient opportunity for the 

 elaboration of all sorts of neighborhood quarrels. 

 Each man thinks he ought to be manager, and when 

 one man is finally chosen he is usually suspected of all 

 sorts of favoritism. In any case he is apt to be ham- 

 pered in his business relations by committees, boards 

 of directors, and various kinds of red tape and foolish- 

 ness. Often he has to consult a committee before 

 taking any important action. Think of J. H. Hale 

 consulting a committee before selling a couple of car- 

 loads of peaches, or of T. B. Wilson calling a directors' 

 meeting to see if he should accept or refuse $3.45 a 

 barrel for his apples ! Most men don't even consult 

 their wives ! 



Another difficulty which arises from the same 

 cause is that the subscribers to such an association 

 never want to pay a manager manager's wages. Two 

 or three dollars a day is considered good pay. Yet 

 such a man is compelled at times to handle thousands 



