TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 45 



to see thorough business men at the head of it. But first I would want 

 to see gold coin enough put up to pay the expenses. Resolutions are 

 nice enough, but it takes money to make a thing of that kind move. 

 You have got to have the necessary coin. If such an organization can 

 be formed I am willing to join and put up my crop if it is put on a 

 business basis, but I will not go in on resolutions for the fun of the 

 thing. I want coin and business men at the head of it. There are 

 some things absolutely necessary that some of the people in this county 

 do not understand. To get the advantages of the system you have got 

 to have warehouses; in many places in California there are no ware- 

 houses, and they will have to be built; the State will have to be can- 

 vassed and subscriptions would have to come in. You have got to have 

 coin raised by these subscriptions to pay the expenses. I am ready to 

 join such a cooperation and am willing to pay my share of the money, 

 but I want to see the money put up to insure me that the business will 

 be done and that it will be conducted in a business way. 



A. R. SPRAGUE, or Los Angeles. I am very glad indeed that this 

 matter is coming up in this way. We have spent time enough, I think, 

 upon general discussion as to whether it was wise to cooperate or not. 

 I do not think there is any one who needs to be convinced upon that 

 one question. The main question is: What is the best way to secure a 

 successful cooperation? Now, it is not a light thing to organize even 

 the prune industry of the Pacific Coast, and I see no reason why we 

 shouldn't organize the dried-fruit interest at the same time. As a gen- 

 eral thing, in other parts of the State, a man who raises prunes also 

 raises peaches and sometimes apricots. If you organize . simply the 

 prune interest you will have to go over the same ground again for the 

 other interests, and it will cost nearly three times as much. If you try 

 to organize the whole interest you will be able to get more of the whole 

 community. It is a large proposition — larger than many think for — 

 but you will get elements of strength in the whole that you will not get 

 in the separate interests. We must understand that this is a difficult 

 matter, where the prejudices of all the growers have to be overcome and 

 where the individualism is so strong, and that has to be in the collected 

 interest. A matter of that sort has to be taken up in detail — in the 

 same manner that a political campaign has' to be taken up. Some 

 arrangement for so difficult a canvass has to be made; this cannot be 

 done without cost. The idea that you must have seventy-five per cent 

 to start with is absurd. You should take advantage of every step. If 

 you get thirty per cent you will be successful, and if you get fifty per 

 cent you will be successful in a larger way. Every step gained is a 

 step toward success. I believe that before we leave this convention we 

 should determine upon those certain things — that we shall start for- 

 ward to success, and that we must have no such thing as fail. We 



