97 
Farmers, however, have hauled their products to town, or 
shipped them by rail or boat, in packages indifferently pre- 
pared. Their produce arrives on the market in an unattrac- 
tive condition, the result being that the buyer prefers to go to 
the regular dealers and pay his added profit. The only remedy 
for this state of things is to be sought by the farmer in study- 
ing the art of marketing produce, and the business end, as well 
as the producing end, of agriculture. It is necessary to com- 
bine in cooperative associations, if necessary, raising money by 
subscription to build markets, and to hire experienced men to 
manage these markets. The immediate results of such coop- 
eration have everywhere been increased profits to the pro- 
ducer and a lower price for produce to the consumer. It is 
easy to understand how this occurs when we consider that 
the present system of distribution is well calculated to pre- 
vent the consumer from dealing in any direct manner with 
the producer. The number of links in the chain of distribution 
has been increased beyond all reason, with the result that we 
pay too much for farm produce and the farmer gets too little. 
The farmer and his patron must, therefore, get together. The 
merchant’s business is based on the principle of buying at 
wholesale prices and selling at retail. The farmer, on the 
other hand, buys at retail and sells at wholesale prices. He 
buys farm machinery, fertilizers, groceries, clothing and other 
necessities of retail dealers. Fie sells his produce to commis- 
sion men and wholesalers and, of course, at wholesale prices. 
The merchant often complains that it is difficult to make a 
living at his business, even with the shrewdest management. 
How then does the farmer succeed in making both ends meet 
with his utter lack of business methods? 
In Hawaii we should have cooperative associations of the 
])roducers of pineapples, rice, coffee, cotton, bananas, rubber, 
tobacco, beef, mutton, and poultry. The producers of each 
of these desirable commodities have mutual interests to ‘i>e 
best served by cooperation, and secondary affiliation between 
these groups of producers could be made later to nrutual ad- 
vantage. 
. COAST PLANT INSPECTION. 
The following is from the Sacramento Union, and will be of 
interest to local shippers of fruit : 
According to the report of the horticultural commissioner 
of the C|uarantine work done in San Francisco last year, there 
were 254 steamers which brought fruits and vegetables, plants 
and bulbs into that port during the twelve months. 
These shipments, all of which were carefully inspected, were 
classified as follows : 
