TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRUIT-GROWERS* CONVENTION. 25 



it was a dead community; at that time, we were away ahead of it. 

 When we are organized thoroughly here, our lands will increase in 

 value and our country in population. We can get money for five and 

 six per cent. That shows progress. While I brag about this valley, I 

 cannot brag as much about our business men, and the other day it was 

 suggested to me by one of them who possesses a great amount of energy 

 that we should get some of them together, and take them down to Los 

 Angeles or up to Seattle, along the coast, on an excursion and let them 

 see how they do business and acquaint them with the energetic methods 

 of the business men of those places. 



JOHN MARKLEY. I agree upon the advantages that come by 

 organization. I was once connected with the California Fruit Exchange. 

 At that time, we did not all agree as to what should be done or as to 

 how it should be done. I did not agree with all of the management. 

 My idea was then that we should be organized in separate and distinct 

 organizations — a distinct organization for the prune men, another for 

 the peach men, and another for the raisin men, without regard to any 

 headquarters; but I will accept now any plan of organization that 

 possesses good business methods. I do not believe that you can get too 

 strong or too well posted a man at the head of it. I believe we should 

 have a ten thousand dollar man if he has got a ten thousand dollar 

 ability, and I think it would take a ten thousand dollar man to organize 

 the prune men of Santa Clara. When we do get to the organization, we 

 ought to organize right; we ought to get down to the bottom of it. I 

 think we ought to get a list of the fruit-growers of the State and what 

 they own and grow, and then we can organize a permanent organization. 

 We could then say that we own this land, and that we have the ability 

 to sell the products of it, but we should not go to a man who has not got 

 a tree or an acre of land. As matters now stand, somebody who has no 

 interest in land, or who don't own any fruit, fixes the prices for us. 

 I hope the fruit men will get together before we leave here and devise 

 some plan by which the prune men of the State can be brought here at 

 any time and unite with these people, and if there is any such organiza- 

 tion as suits us, we will accept it; and put strong men at the head of 

 it — men who can go to the banks and get money if they want it, because 

 money is a strong feature. I think this can be done. I travel all over 

 the State of California, and have been in many places recently, and con- 

 sider myself pretty well acquainted with the fruit industry, and the 

 outlook for it. Some two or three years ago, I was in Fresno, and it 

 was awfully dull, owing to the unorganized condition of the raisin-growers 

 and the poor methods used by them at that time. I know of my own 

 observation and my own individual knowledge that it was largely the 

 Sheriff and banker that organized those people. Recently, I heard a 

 man in Fresno say that he could sell his vineyard for $250 an acre, and 



