38 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
November, 1916 
M arketing Ideas 
(Continued from page 34) 
that in 1914 paid its members 
one and one-fourth millions of 
dollars. 
From this splendid example, 
immense organizations have 
sprung up and prospered all over 
the Pacific Coast. They are 
today, and have been for years, 
teaching the world lessons in 
marketing. The result of what? 
Production? No! Salesmanship? 
No; the direct result of organi- 
zation, which made it possible 
to hire competent salesmen to 
market all that could be pro- 
duced and at a profit to the 
grower. 
The Department of Agricul- 
ture at Washington may spend 
its entire appropriation annually 
for the next ten years, and with- 
out organization, will accom- 
plish nothing for the fruit grower, 
and they are coming to realize 
this fact keenly. The State of 
Michigan can produce a greater 
variety of good fruit than any 
state in the Middle West, and 
they gel the lowest average 
price. There’s a reason. It is 
not a lack of markets, for mar- 
kets, and good markets too, sur- 
round it. The reason is this: 
There is not a solid co-opera- 
tive Fruit Association in the 
State, never has been, and I 
question if there ever will be. 
The Department of Markets, of 
the Michigan Agricultural Col- 
lege, undertook to furnish state 
inspection this year, and, after 
scores of sleepless nights, they 
learned the first requisite was 
organization. They found one at 
Paw Paw that showed signs of 
living through the season, and 
the Department was permitted 
to practice on it and did furnish 
a certificate of inspection on 
twenty-four cars that sold at 
practically the same price as the 
uninspected, but the point is in 
favor of Organization. 
Why don’t Fruit Growers or- 
ganize? Sometimes they do, but 
more often they do not; especial- 
ly in the Middle West and in the 
East. Why? Are they fully 
satisfied with their own efforts? 
No; usually, no. 
In my opinion the lack of 
organization is on account of 
one of the two following reasons: 
For the right material, with 
which to build a good co-opera- 
tive Fruit Growers Organization, 
you must have either growers 
who do not know enough to 
market their crops, (who know 
it themselves and are not too 
proud to admit that they do not 
know how to market success- 
fully), or, you must have grow- 
ers who know enough to realize 
that their crops can be marketed 
better by some specialist than 
they can market it themselves; 
growers who are not too proud 
to admit it. If you have both 
classes, you might succeed. 
Successful marketing does not 
consist, as is insanely imagined 
too often, in eliminating the mid- 
dleman. You can not dispense 
with his services unless you are 
able to supply his place with 
your own agent, but, through 
organization, you can regulate 
the middleman and get the bene- 
fit of his selling agency and his 
capital in distributing your crops. 
But, to interest these middlemen, 
you must have an organization 
worthy of their attention. Then, 
if you can put up an honest pack 
of quality fruit, your middleman 
will gladly invest his funds in 
your crop. 
There are two ordinary words 
“ORGANIZE” and “STAND- 
ARDIZE” that will solve the 
marketing problem, and without 
the former you can stand little 
show of accomplishing the lat- 
ter. When you have done all 
this, you will be ready for the 
next chapter. 
Earnestly yours, 
F. Kern, Mgr. 
Home Gardening Hints 
It may not be too late when 
this paper reaches our readers to 
take advantages of these very 
useful suggestions sent out by 
the office of information of the 
U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. 
Preparing Flowers and 
Shrubs for Winter 
Steps to be taken at this 
season (fall) for placing the 
llower garden in shape for winter 
will vary with the kinds of plants 
grown and the latitude, say 
specialists of the U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. In the case 
of perennials, which die down to 
the ground but which should 
live through the winter and send 
up shoots again on the advent 
of warm weather, the roots 
should be well mulched with 
manure 3 or 4 inches deep as 
soon as the ground freezes. In 
this group are included such 
plants as peonies, larkspur, holly- 
hock, columbines, iris, paltyco- 
dones, and perennial poppies. 
Leaves raked off the lawn now 
may be piled in some out-of-the- 
way place and will give a supply 
of leaf mold for next year or the 
year after. They may be used 
to cover plants in the garden, 
although clean straw is better. 
Onions that are exposed to 
the weather after pulling become 
rough and unclean in appearance 
and do not bring as much on 
the market as those that are 
kept dry. 
Trees and shrubs may be set 
in autumn, but do better if set 
in the spring. 
