THE FRUIT EXCHANGES. 



on them, and if the fruit was so poor that they were 

 ashamed of it they put a stencil with their number on it 

 in place of their name. 



In this manner our growers launched their new method 

 of doing business upon the unsuspecting public in Chi- 

 cago. The city buyers met the shippers fairly, thinking 

 that at last there was a show for a fair deal, but in less 

 than two weeks the stamp had no character or reputa- 

 tion on the street, and the ' ' Michigan Fruit Exchange " 

 went quietly where the woodbine twineth. 



For fear that some of your readers may think that I 

 have some interest counter to the fruit-grower, permit 

 me to say that I have no other visible means of support 

 nor source of revenue than growing fruit and vegetables 

 for Chicago market, with a little straight farming added. 

 After eighteen years acquaintance with Chicago markets 

 and the people who supply it, I may, perhaps, be per- 

 mitted to say that I believe exchanges can only flourish 

 in a locality where the intelligence and honesty of the 

 growers are above the average, and at points where ship- 

 ments must be made to a number of cities. In such 

 places, under competent management, organizations of 

 this kind can be made to accomplish great results, as 

 they do in California and elsewhere, but it is not clear 

 in my mind yet but that individual reputation can be 

 made to bring better returns under certain circumstances 

 than any organization, as the difference in surround- 

 ings, markets, transportation facilities, etc., cut quite a 

 figure in our business. Still a number of good features 

 in organizations, applicable to any locality, will appear 

 to any thinking man. I do not wish to be considered as 

 being opposed to such organizations, as I am a member 

 of three good societies, and am one of the original di- 

 rectors of the Michigan Fruit Exchange, whose record I 

 have written. R. Morrill. 



Benign County, Michigan . 



ONTARIO. 



In Ontario there is the Niagara District Fruit Growers' 

 Stock Company, which works very well. All the stock 

 is controlled by fruit growers, and they appoint agents 

 in various towns who send daily reports to all shippers, 

 and account sales daily on postal cards. Every week 

 they make returns of all cash, and full details of sales 

 and charges to the secretary-treasurer, a fruit grower 

 also, at headquarters, who issues cheques from his office 

 to shippers to cover all shipments. This company has 

 a good capital, with limited liability, and has the confi- 

 dence of the growers. 



The following extract from the annual circular, issued 

 to fruit growers early last year, indicates the method 

 of business ; 



' ' The delay in issuing this season's circular was caused 

 partly by the reorganization of the company, through 

 which the company has more than doubled its number 

 of stockholders, thereby largely increasing the stability 

 of an institution which has always been admitted by the 

 fruit-growers of our province to be one of the most reli- 

 able and beneficial institutions yet established. We 



have already added one additional agency to our list, 

 viz : Kingston, with a prospect of establishing one in 

 Winnipeg, if the fruit crops (which have not, up to the 

 present time, maintained the promise of a few weeks 

 ago) of the present season will warrant the company in 

 doing so. It is one of the prime objects of our company, 

 by establishing so many agencies, to cause the distribu- 

 tion of our fruitsover as large an area as possible, thereby 

 preventing " gluts " in our principal markets and main- 

 taining prices. The usual commission of ten per cent, 

 for selling will be charged by the company, and cheques 

 will be issued every two weeks (or more frequently if 

 desired) on the Imperial bank, St. Catharines. Any 

 shipper wishing to use a number, instead of his name, can 

 do so by notifying the secretary, who will forthwith 

 allot him one. We learn that some fruit-growers and 

 shippers have a wrong idea in reference to our company, 

 believing that only members of the company or stock- 

 holders have a right to consign fruit to our agents, or 

 that permission has to be obtained from the company to 

 consign to them. Now, we would say, for the informa- 

 tion of such, that no such requirements are necessary. 

 We solicit consignments from all shippers, and would be 

 pleased to make every fruit-grower and shipper a patron, 

 promising on our part to use every endeavor to handle 

 promptly and carefully all consignments, and to render 

 accounts of sales with the least possible delay. The agen- 

 cies of the present season are well equipped for doing a 

 large business in a most satisfactory manner." — Corres- 

 pondence ivitlt /.. ]\'oolverton, Ontario. 



IN FLORIDA. 



The Florida Fruit Exchange was organized in Feb- 

 ruary, 1885, with capital stock of $50,000. The organi- 

 zation was perfected and the stock taken by orange- 

 growers of this state. The purpose for which the ex- 

 change was organized was systematizing the distribution 

 and sale of Florida oranges and lemons, and to break 

 up, if possible, the system of consigning fruit indis- 

 criminately all over the country. The original intention 

 was to concentrate the Florida crop to about four mar- 

 kets in the United States, and sell it under the auction 

 system in the same manner as the foreign fruit is dis- 

 posed of Owing to the very large number of growers 

 in the state, it was impossible to carry out all the in- 

 tentions of the management in this respect. We ha^■e 

 now been in operation five years. We have handled 

 about one million boxes of oranges at average net return 

 to the grower of about $1.60 per box. So far as we 

 have progressed we have been successful beyond our 

 expectations, and our patrons have, as a general thing, 

 expressed themselves as perfectly satisfied with the man- 

 ner in which their interests have been managed, and 

 with the results thus far obtained. We have, at pres- 

 ent, no very strong hopes of eventually bringing all our 

 people together, as it seems to be impossible to bring 

 about a combination that will satisfy all the growers. 

 We have succeeded in reducing the consignment system 

 to a very fine point. When we started out every ' ' curb- 



