PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 5 



issue a circular letter containing in brief the sentiment of the members 

 present. The letter issued contained the following: 



"That every district should form associations combining all the 

 walnut-growers if possible, after the plan of the Los Nietos and Tustin 

 associations; that after the completion of the district associations there 

 shall be formed a central organization to have entire charge of the sale of 

 the walnuts; that there shall be established a uniform system of grading; 

 that inspectors shall be appointed to examine and pass upon the quality 

 of nuts before shipment; that the brand of the central organization, 

 showing the grade and quality, shall be placed upon every sack, also the 

 private brand of the grower, at least where any considerable quantity 

 is shipped, so that in the event of any dispute arising as to quality or 

 condition it will facilitate the adjustment and place the oversight where 

 it belongs, and the loss, if any, to the proper party. It is the opinion 

 of the committee, conforming with the unanimous expression of the con- 

 vention, that such rules and regulations as briefly indicated above, will 

 relieve the growers of walnuts from any anxiety as to the sale of their 

 crops. It will insure cash returns as soon as shipment is made. It will 

 increase the net result for the product twenty-five per cent. The entire 

 cost to the producers in carrying out this plan of marketing will not be 

 over one per cent." 



The fruit-growers sho.uld have a house, managed by themselves, in 

 every large city, where every kind of fruit grown in the State, including 

 wines, should be on sale in original packages, and so advertised that the 

 resident citizens would know where to go to obtain such goods. The 

 prices should be fixed, so that there would be no competition as against 

 honest and fair dealing merchants who kept similar goods on sale. At 

 least ten competent men or' women should be kept traveling through 

 smaller towns and places to make new markets. 



They should, where it was possible, hold public meetings and lecture 

 on fruits, and should have samples (to show to the audience) of such 

 fruits as could be supplied, and should be sufficiently versed on the cost 

 of transportation and commission rates so that they could publicly state 

 what price the consumers should pay for such goods. It was shown in 

 the discussion of the Wilson Tariff Bill that raisins sold f. o. b. Fresno 

 at 5i cents, while in Washington they were selling at 30 cents. Nuts, 

 rancid and musty, are sold in the East, in out of the way places, for four 

 times the price that good, fresh, and sweet nuts could be sold at. Spoiled 

 dried fruits are sold at higher prices than good fresh fruits would 

 command. Olive pickles — I quote from a letter I have in my possession, 

 as follows: "I hear those that have eaten the so-called bottle olives at 

 hotels in this vicinity say they were sour, bitter, puckery things, and I 

 did not wonder at the verdict when I was told that a fruit-grower in a 

 neighboring town said that he sold thousands of bushels of green plums 

 every year to be put up as bottled olives." 



These conditions must be changed before we can hope to greatly 

 increase the consumption of our fruits. 



The subject of marketing fruit was very ably discussed at the last 

 convention. (See pages 35 to 46 inclusive, of the report.) A careful 

 perusal would seem to justify the conclusion that there was but little 

 more to be said. We are here now to organize a plan which I hope will 

 unite all parties and lead up to something feasible that will save the 

 fruit industry. One of the most important features to secure the 



