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BETTER FRUIT 



Page 35 



about fifty dollars in stock at one time, 

 after paying all running and living 

 expenses, sent $3,000 to Italy in one year. 

 I believe these exorbitant retail prices 

 are preventing the consumption of fruit 

 and are limiting the amount of business 

 that you gentlemen are doing. The 

 greater the consumption of fruit the 

 greater will be your business, and the 

 larger the business you do the more 

 profit you will make. It is consumption 

 that the fruit grower wants; it is con- 

 sumption that your business wants. We 

 both have the same object in view; there- 

 fore we can assist each other. Our 

 profit is not too large; I grant that your 

 profit is not too large, but I do claim 

 that the profit of the retailer is exor- 

 bitant, and I believe that you, being in 

 closer touch with the retailer than we 

 are, should give this important matter 

 serious consideration and if possible 

 devise a ways and means to control and 

 regulate retail prices on fruit. We know 

 that the retail prices are not only con- 

 trolled, but regulated in many lines of 

 business. I will cite you a specific 

 case in the fruit business. The Puyal- 

 lup Berry Growers' Association, which 

 handles the raspberry crop of that val- 

 ley, in past years sold their berries to 

 the dealer, who sold them to the retailer, 

 who retailed them at twenty cents per 

 quart, and sometimes more. The berries 

 netted the association one dollar and ten 

 cents per crate. As raspberries are very 

 perishable the markets which could be 

 reached were somewhat limited and the 

 territory that could be supplied in past 

 years was not large enough to consume 

 the entire raspberry crop of this valley 

 at these figures, and, therefore, a large 

 per cent of the crop had to go to the 

 cannery. Last year the manager put 

 into effect a new policy; he made a trip 

 East and contracted with the dealer at 

 a certain figure so that the dealer would 

 have his legitimate profit, and he made 

 contracts with the retailer so that the 

 retailer could get these raspberries laid 

 down at two dollars per crate, guaran- 

 teed, provided he would retail them at 

 ten cents per quart. This arrangement 

 was so successful that the territory con- 

 sumed the entire crop of berries on an 

 increased acreage, and it being only nec- 

 essary to send such berries to the can- 

 nery as were too ripe for shipment. The 

 surprising part of it all is that when the 

 berries were retailed at ten cents per 

 quart instead of twenty cents the berry 

 grower netted one dollar and thirty cents 

 instead of one dollar and ten cents per 

 crate. I think this object lesson worthy 

 of consideration as a plea for reasonable 

 retail prices. 



The Citrus Fruit Growers' Exchange 

 in California offers us another example 

 which is worthy of a moment's attention. 

 I understand that the Exchange so con- 

 ducts its business that ordinarily a box 

 containing one hundred and fifty oranges 

 is sold to the retailer, delivered, at two 

 dollars and forty cents, which enables 

 him to retail them at thirty cents per 

 dozen, making a good profit. Thirty 

 cents per dozen means two for a nickle, 

 or four for ten cents. I believe such 



prices as these on medium sized apples 

 of good quality will be important factors 

 in increasing the consumption. We must 

 create a greater distribution and estab- 

 lish reasonable retail prices if we want 

 to market the increased crop of fruit to 

 advantage in future years. I will cite 

 another instance to illustrate both of 

 these features. A few days ago a Hood 

 River man received a letter from a friend 

 who lives in Memphis, Tennessee, who 

 stated that at last a car of Hood River 

 apples had reached Memphis, and added 

 that they were being sold at one dollar 

 and twenty-five cents per dozen. These 

 apples could have been sold at thirty 

 cents per dozen retail, which would have 

 paid the freight, given the retailer and 

 the jobber a legitimate profit and still 

 leave good money for the fruit grower. 

 Another point that I believe is worthy 



CHILI PINE 



of your consideration toward securing 

 an increased consumption is selling retail 

 by the box instead of by the dozen. A 

 consumer who buys a box of apples will 

 use more apples and use them faster 

 than the consumer who buys a dozen. 

 I was told by some of our people who 

 have just returned from New York City 

 that in all the large stores where fruit 

 is being handled that not a single box 

 is placed on sale in a retail way. Not 

 long ago a friend of mine who lives in 

 Portland called at one of the big gro- 

 cery stores in New York and wanted to 

 buy a box of apples, and he was told 

 that they did not retail them by the box, 

 but that they sold them by the dozen 

 only. Gentlemen, if you want to do more 

 business you must endeavor to increase 

 consumption, and I think by creating a 

 sale for apples by the box will assist in 

 doing it. Exactly the opposite of selling 

 apples by the box is also true. Some 

 package should be perfected not only for 

 apples and oranges, but for other fruits, 

 that would contain a small quantity 

 already done up ready for the purchaser. 

 I believe we need, and should have, a 

 package that would hold a dozen apples, 

 a dozen oranges or a dozen of some 

 other fruit, and such packages should be 

 made of such size and shape so that six. 



eight or ten of them might be put in an 

 ordinary sized case. 



Mr. A. C. Rulofson, Monadnock Build- 

 ing, San Francisco, California, is the 

 inventor of a small package which bids 

 fair to be an important factor for increas- 

 ing the retail sale of apples. The paper 

 bag is a very inconvenient package in 

 which to carry home a dozen apples, 

 particularly if you get into a crowded 

 street car and hang on to the strap. You 

 know the bag will burst and, therefore, 

 you won't buy the dozen apples. The 

 package made by Mr. Rulofson is com- 

 posed of corrugated paper, holds a dozen 

 apples and is supplied with a small, neat 

 wooden handle similar to the ones used 

 on shawl straps. It is a very convenient 

 package and one which the retail fruit 

 dealer can have ready for immediate 

 delivery — one that will not go to pieces, 

 and one that the customer can con- 

 veniently carry in the crowded car or 

 anywhere else. 



There are many other features con- 

 nected with the fruit industry which are 

 important that will be so ably covered 

 in an excellent address by the manager 

 of the Hood River Apple Growers' 

 Union, who follows me on the program, 

 that it will be unnecessary for me to dis- 

 cuss them. However, I want to empha- 

 size the necessity for closer relationship, 

 more sincerity, between the grower and 

 the dealer. Pardon me for being frank 

 in saying that this spirit is lacking. Your 

 representatives come to us fruit growers, 

 and after exchanging a few courtesies, 

 get down to what they call "brass tacks" 

 and begin to tell us of the enormous 

 crops we are going to have this season 

 in all the different sections of the United 

 States. On the other hand, the grower 

 is just as bad and hollers "light crops." 

 One is "bearing" the market and the 

 other is "bulling" it. Gentlemen, this is 

 all wrong. I do not believe it is always 

 your policy, but it is frequently the 

 policy of your representatives. If two 

 men want to do business sincerity is the 

 the best policy. If two men are frank 

 with each other they will do business 

 more satisfactorily, quicker and at less 

 expense. Therefore, let us both be lib- 

 eral in our system and in our dealings, 

 and we will get better results and be 

 happier. 



The Northwest is already a great fruit 

 country, and is rapidly growing. It will 

 be the greatest apple producing country 

 in the world. We have the climate and 

 the soil to produce perfect apples, apples 

 beautiful in color, unsurpassed for their 

 excellency in flavor, keep and size. The 

 fruit growers are an intelligent people, 

 people of ability, people who will get 

 results. Permit me to quote a short 

 paragraph from The Spectator: 



"The Spectator has lingered on the 

 commercial side of this apple raising 

 country, as it is at that side which has 

 attracted capitalists, professional men 

 and college graduates to try their hand 

 in fruit culture and country living, but 

 aside from the perfect apples which have 

 given the valley its fame, there are scenic 

 attractions which would cause one to 

 linger here, but he who lingers is lost. 



