98 PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



EVENING SESSION". 



Thursday, November 7, 1895. 



[Mr. Stephens in the chair.] 



DISCUSSION ON CO-OPERATION— RESUMED. 



Mr. Stephens: Cooperation was the subject continued for this evening. 

 Mr. Sprague: I beg leave to offer the following resolutions: 



Resolved, That this convention urgently recommend the formation of local coopera- 

 tive fruit-growers' unions in every one or more school districts in the State, wherever 

 there are any fruit interests. The purpose of these unions being to consider the subject 

 of cooperation, and to undertake only such and so many plans of cooperation as are 

 made possible by the local conditions, availing themselves of such counsel and assist- 

 ance as may be obtained from the California Fruit Exchange, with the purpose of 

 securing State unity of action through district, county, and State delegate conventions; 



Resolved, That to forward this movement a committee of five be appointed, who shall 

 prepare such explanatory literature as may be necessary to the beginning of the move- 

 ment ; 



Resolved, That the State Board of Horticulture be requested to print and distribute 

 such literature as may be prepared by this committee to such persons in the various 

 parts of the State as they may consider likely to aid the movement; 



Resolved, That we, as members of this convention, pledge ourselves to do all in our 

 power to secure such organization in our respective localities. 



Mr. Sprague: I have already spoken of the reasons that move us to 

 this action. We have for several years, three at least, met in convention 

 and resolved that we would cooperate. There has been an effort on the 

 part of the California Fruit Exchange to secure such action throughout 

 the entire State. Very much has been done. In fact, it has prepared 

 the way for just such action as is embodied in these resolutions. It has 

 made it comparatively easy for the fruit-growers to come together. It 

 has established some twenty different cooperative societies, and this is a 

 means of communication by which united action can be secured all 

 through the State. The thanks of the fruit-growers are due to those 

 men, and although there were some of them discouraged at the lack of 

 cooperation, there is a willingness to cooperate to be found among the 

 fruit-growers. It is my belief that now we may carry forward this 

 movement to success in far easier fashion than we could have done two 

 years ago, when the times were far more prosperous than they are now. 

 The universal sentiment had not been fixed in the minds of the fruit- 

 growers then as it is to-day. The time has come when definite action 

 should be taken. We must proceed to organize this movement and have 

 something clear and definite — in the manner that the shrewd managers 

 of the political parties set to work to organize those parties in the State 

 and Nation. The people must, in the first place, be brought together. 

 Those people who are living together must make it possible to gather in 

 one place to cooperate with any sort of success. There must be some 

 person who will undertake to initiate that movement in the several 

 localities. There must be some plan devised, by which all can cooperate 

 for some general object. The resolutions provide for those things. As 

 to the scope of the resolutions, we have not defined in what way or to 

 what extent cooperation shall proceed. That, of course, would be 

 wholly premature. We have only defined that the will of the conven- 



