16 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



Then, let us all face this issue like men and women devoted to the 

 permanent upbuilding of our greatest and most distinctive industry. 

 The real issue is not overproduction as much as it is under-consumption 

 of our orchard products. That is to say, there is yet room for all the 

 first-class fruits- — first-class not only in quality, but in ability to hold 

 up weir while being offered at retail. This brings to consideration the 

 fact that California has gone head over heels into too many fruit enter- 

 prises, without proper reckoning with the market day: instead of 

 establishing these enterprises by unfolding them in a natural way the 

 State has inflated them, too often, into the full-blown achievemenl of 

 production, without businesslike provision for selling the output, or 

 even offering it in a way to prevent congestion. We are not here to 

 join in the mad chorus of promoters that has so long glorified Cali- 

 fornia horticulture without a grain of caution or a mite of common 

 sense. The members of this convention are neither fogies nor faddists 

 nor men given to bloviation for the sole purpose of stimulating activities 

 in real estate. They will voice hopeful, inspiring sentiment concerning 

 the present and the future of California horticulture, outspeaking with 

 the optimism of faith the confidence of power and the courage i t 

 understanding. But they are endowed with the wisdom to condemn 

 the foolishness and shun the danger of blindly grinding out increasing 

 tonnage of both inferior and superior fruits without thought of the 

 future. If I do not mistake the spirit of this conference of fruit men 

 it will reaffirm the doctrine of "California fruit for the world," and 

 at the same time refuse to sanction the horticulture of the "Hurrah" 

 kind that is now menacing the very life of several of our most cherished 

 enterprises ; if I do not mistake the attitude of this convention upon the 

 subject of overproduction, it will neither color its action to suit the 

 exigencies of land sales nor encourage any doubt as to the future that 

 is not justified by the experiences of the past ; and if I do not miscall 

 the courage and independence here represented, this assemblage will 

 resolve with unmistakable emphasis upon the folly of trying to build 

 a great and permanent industry without giving attention to the 

 foundations upon which it must rest. I hold these ideas with confidence 

 and serenity, notwithstanding the grave crises we are facing, for I have 

 seen within the last few weeks convincing evidence that the fruit men 

 of the north are not afraid to face the truth with open minds, and are 

 not afraid of their own conclusions. 



STANDARDIZING FRUITS. 



One of the corner stones of a successful and permanent business is 

 the recognition of the interests of its customers. Whole communities 

 of orchardists are preparing to recognize this principle in greater faith- 

 fulness than ever before, and in looking into the causes that may have 

 violated this tenet it is not surprising that the growers of good fruit 

 are realizing that their strongest business opponents are the growers 

 of poor fruit. This feeling has given life and vitality to a series of 

 remarkable meetings of late, and in which the sentiment to this effect 

 was unanimous. It is encouraging to the fruit business that growers 

 and shippers not only realize this, but are working out plans to escape 

 from this deadly internal peril. Suppose we could at one stroke reform 

 the conditions of farm labor, idealize our selling facilities, provide 



