LIGHT FROM THE SOCIETIES. 



691 



from cuttings. Stand by the older varieties and do 

 not venture much on untested kinds. Do not take the 

 advice of interested persons unless you know them. Do 

 not expect to accomplish without experience the same 

 results as are accomplished by experienced persons. 

 If you can succeed as well as they, you are either a 

 great genius in this direction or this is a world of 

 chance. Different advice is given by persons of exper- 

 ience. This comes from different conditions. Study 

 your conditions. Do not change your business. Be 

 patient. — M. A. Thayer, befor,- a recent Wisconsin 

 Meeting. 



The Possibilities of Economic Botany.— The methods 

 of improving plants are already known so well that if 

 all our present cereals were swept out of existence, our 

 experiment stations could probably replace them by 

 other grasses within half a century. New vegetables 

 may be reasonably expected from Japan, which has al- 

 ready sent us many choice plants in all departments, 

 and it is likely that some of our present vegetables, 

 which are now much neglected, will come into greater 

 favor and be improved. The fruits of the future will 

 tend more and more toward becoming seedless, just as 

 pineapples, bananas and some oranges are now. There 

 is no good reason why we should not have seedless 

 raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, and also 

 raise, by cuttings, plums, cherries and peaches, free 

 from stones. — Prof. Goodale, before the American .As- 

 sociation for the Advancevient of Science. 



Ohio Horticultural Society. — The Ohio State Fair at 

 Columbus always attracts many fruit growers, either 

 as exhibitors of fruit or admirers of the fruit displayed. 

 This year the fruit exhibit was the best made of late. 

 There were three thousand plates on the table, apples 

 taking the lead. These were excellent for fairness, 

 fine color, and large size. The display of pears and 

 peaches showed that their culture in Ohio was fairly 

 successful. There was a good display of plums, although 

 it was past the best season for most varieties. Grapes 

 made a fair showing, but were not up to the standard 

 of last year, probably because of frosts. Twelve coun- 

 ties competed, with one hundred plates each, of all 

 varieties of fruit. Lucas county led, with Lawrence, 

 Ottawa and Lake following in order named. Thursday 

 evening about fifty horticulturists assembled in Repre- 

 sentatives' Hall, President Campbell presiding. Ra- 

 venna, Portage county, was chosen for the annual 

 meeting in December. The question of the society's 

 exhibit at the Columbian Exposition was referred to 

 the executive committee. They will report at the 

 December meeting. — E. H, C. 



Co-operation in Marketing Fruits. — E. J. Howland, 

 in introducing the subject, said : Commission men at 

 present are a necessity. If we would make an organi- 

 zation and say we want some reform of abuses we 

 might accomplish something. In the first place the 

 commission men take a good percentage. I am not 

 prepared to say that it is too much. Then the risk is en- 

 tirely on our side. The commission man takes no risk. 



I don't see how we could organize a State Union, but 

 where in a neighborhood 200 or 300 acres of fruit could 

 be secured, much might be done. 



The following points, if answered in the affirmative 

 would make cooperation a success. These are : 



1. Will cooperation correct the abuses practiced by 

 commission men ? 



2. Can we buy our supplies more advantageously ? 



3. Can we secure lower rates from railroads ? 



4. Can we secure better prices for our produce ? 



I might add a fifth : Will horticulturists organize 

 harmoniously and work together ? 



As to the first point, I will give one instance : I once 

 sent in some twenty-four half-cases of red raspberries. 

 When the returns came in there were three naughts, 

 and I did not even get the cases back. I thought at 

 least I should have got something on the cases. 



As to the second point, we could buy in car-load lots, 

 and so could buy to better advantage. 



In regard to securing lower rates from the railroads : 

 Southern Illinois growers have secured a reduction 

 from thirty cents to fourteen cents. What others have 

 done we may do. 



And as to the fourth point, I think we could get prices 

 sufficiently better to cover cost. My plan is this : As 

 soon as persons subscribe sufficient acreage to warrant 

 the outlay, let an organization be made. Let an agent 

 be appointed to receive all shipments, and send all to 

 him. Let him choose his commission men, and receive 

 one-half per cent., or so, pay. I am satisfied that we 

 are liable to overstock one commission man. If we had 

 a man at the market, he could see where to put the 

 stock. We could afford to pay a good man five or ten 

 dollars per day to do this, rather than to have a poor one 

 do it for nothing. If a man was there all the time, he 

 could see who could use the stock. 



Another way would be for five or six men to establish 

 a commission house of their own. I think 400 acres of 

 fruit would justify keeping a commission house the 

 whole year, and pay interest and rent. Ten per cent, 

 is a good deal. I would like to hear now from some 

 men who have had practical experience in this direction. 



Prof. Lazenby states that six Tompkins county (New 

 York) fruit and vegetable growers formed a cooperative 

 society for the sale of their products in Ithaca, the 

 county seat, and for a number of years have very suc- 

 cessfully maintained the same. Each of these men had 

 from twenty to forty acres in cultivation. They had la- 

 bored under the same difficulties you are experiencing, 

 and determined to throw off the yoke. They planned 

 and planted together, each one growing the special 

 class of fruits and vegetables his ground was best 

 adapted to. In this way they were enabled to supply 

 the best of articles of their own growing. They can- 

 vassed the city and made their contracts with con- 

 sumers, giving the best of assurance that their articles 

 should be fresh and in good order. They secured the 

 services of a competent, reliable man to attend to the 

 deliveries, and each morning they met at headquarters 



