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



note that considerable has been accomplished along these lines, and 

 a good deal of the prejudice has been eradicated. We feel confident if 

 this work is continued it will only be a question of a little time until 

 Lodi will stand at the head of the list." 



All of this inspection had the effect of shutting out many ears of 

 inferior grapes. Not as many as we should have shut out. but quite 

 a considerable number, at least 50, possibly 100. In comparison to 

 this, we of the Lodi district had the same old game to contend with 

 of the commercial companies accepting any and everything offered in 

 the shape of a crate of grapes. And here we take occasion to say that 

 our association might never have been in the shipping business had 

 these same commercial companies ever shown at Lodi any disposition 

 to inspect or hold down the poor f. o. b. pack. Their system in the 

 past has been a premium for a poor pack. We are pleased to note 

 there is some disposition to remedy this next season. 



Returning to our marketing agencies : With one of the.se. Denney £ 

 Co., we made a contract by which they were to receive as their com- 

 mission, not a flat rate per cent, but so much per cent above the auction 

 charge in the East. Our reason for this was that the auction charge 

 varies a great deal in different cities, and we thought possibly we 

 would get better distribution if our agent received the same per cent 

 no matter to which city he sent our cars to instead of getting 5 per 

 cent net in some large city and 2 per cent in some small one. We 

 believe that this system would greatly aid distribution if adopted by 

 others. 



Under the present systems, our organizations find that growers ' fruit 

 is sometimes used (and I may say quite often) to fight other people's 

 battles with, the grower receiving no advantage thereby. If the differ- 

 ent firms wish to fight, why not use their own fruit ? Our instructions 

 to our principal agent. Denney & Co.. was that if any one wished to 

 fight to let them fight, but to keep our fruit out of it. to only drop them 

 when, other people had already dropped. Otherwise go to auction. In 

 connection with this, however. Lodi district and our organization in 

 particular wishes to give notice to the various other districts and the 

 various commercial companies that another season we are not going to 

 sit around the first part of the reason while prices are good and let 

 some other f . o. b. district drop its prices 10 cents per crate for a whole 

 week, as was done by one district three times this season while Lodi 

 held an umbrella over it. Whenever it is necessary to drop the price, 

 it must be for the whole Tokay belt. 



As an association there is a situation that we realize we have got to 

 meet. It is the marketing of 10,000 cars of table grapes from Cali- 

 fornia. This to be done in the same market and at the same time 

 that they are marketing 10.000 cars of Michigan, New York, and Ohio 

 grapes. Washington and Idaho prunes and Eastern and Colorado fruit, 

 all under present conditions to be used up in a short time. This can 

 best be done by organization, whether it be the getting together of 

 the various commercial companies or whether the growers are forced 

 into a growers' organization. 



We have got to get our grapes on the market for less money, and 

 we have got to get some way of extending the marketing season. I do not 

 mean for less money than has been received by the grower this year. 



