40 PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



mission. They have charged you two cents to pay a commission on 

 their own commission. Do you see the point? You pay commission 

 on the whole thing, including the commission man's commission. That 

 strikes me as rather hard on the grower. 



MR. AIKEN. Some time ago we established in the East an agency 

 for green fruit. The commission was eight per cent, and we made 

 them return one per cent of it, which they did, and that proved that 

 they could do it for seven if they wanted to. We made them the offer 

 that we would give them the business for seven per cent and give the 

 growers the one per cent. 



Now, as to the Eastern grape- shipping business, I think it is seven 

 per cent we pay, and the business this year has been very profitable, I 

 think, to shippers generally, varying of course with small crops. I had 

 occasion to visit the Eastern states and cities this year, looking a little 

 after the fruit industry and the selling of grapes, and I found the busi- 

 ness well done there. The object was to display California fruit in the 

 auction-rooms so that the bidders could examine the quality and come 

 to a fair judgment of what it was worth; and it was observable in 

 attending the auction-rooms that where there was real merit in the 

 product there was some competition among the buyers and the price 

 would move up. But maybe a large quantity of those shipments would 

 be a little off in quality, and such shipments would be kind of divided 

 among them; but there was no spirited bidding outside of the articles 

 that showed real merit on the face of them. I want to say to people 

 who ship plums and grapes that they should pack them with honesty 

 and integrity. Try and have every box perfect — not only for this year 

 alone, but for all the years you are in the business. 



I have observed that the brand honestly established in the Eastern 

 market will sell any quantity of fruit at a paying price; so it comes 

 back with force upon the grower to be very honest and careful in the 

 selection, packing, and preparation of his fruit for the market. I say, 

 from my observations in the East, that an article showing real merit 

 upon its face does not go begging for purchasers, but brings good returns 

 that pay all charges and expenses, and returns double what is received 

 in San Francisco. I have a very large line of shipments of table grapes. 

 I have realized, after paying every commission, over $100 per ton, but 

 it is because I have established my brand for that kind of fruit. Those 

 who have shipped to the San Francisco markets have said that they 

 only received twenty-five per cent of that amount, and have paid ten 

 per cent commission out of that. 



MR. SPRAGUE. Now as to the condition of the San Francisco 

 and Coast markets — they must be treated as one market. Of course 

 those men who sell your goods will get all they can; we may expect them 

 to do that; and it should be our business to see that we so organize our 



