TWENTY-SIXTH SESSION. 
71 
interests of the entire superstructure of our ennobling and beloved art? Has 
this great society, in the plentitude of its efficient counsel, no duty to per- 
form, no responsibility to face, in its guardianship of the glittering fame of 
American Pomology? There is not a member of this society, who does not 
know far better than I can describe, how disgustingly putrescent existing 
methods are. The wise counsel and encouraging recommendation of this 
society would serve as the leaven, to permeate, vivify and rescue from its 
preternatural sleepiness and apathy, the spirit of progress, equity and justice 
in prevailing methods of marketing. 
The President invited discussion. 
Mr. j. C. Evans, Missouri: It was said of Mark Twain, after he wrote 
the description of a coyote, that he never could have written it so well if 
he had not been there and seen the animal. (Laughter.) Now, I am in hearty 
sympathy with the gentleman who read the paper, and I wish I could suggest 
a- remedy for the evils he complains of. I want to say that we, in the West, 
are trying to get to a place where we hope to be better off than we are now 
with these conditions existing; that is, that we are selling our products on 
the track as much as we possibly can. We know that all reforms come about 
slowly, but a reform in this direction is coming faster than we expected it 
would. Many of our products, especially car load products, were sold on 
track during the past two years; and we hope to be able to sell everything 
in car lots on track, in the future. It relieves us of any responsibility after 
we get the product packed and loaded. 
We are willing to do that, and then we want the people who want the 
product to come to us and get it just as we go to New York to buy our goods; 
that is, we want them to come and get it at first hand. 
Mr. J. H. Hale: It is a very pretty theory, and may be satisfactory to 
some in practice, to sell your fruits right at home, either in the orchard or 
at the railroad station; and I can conceive of many instances where this 
might be the best thing that the small producer could do. But, after all, 
fruit growing and marketing is a business; and why should not the producer 
be business man enough to sell his own goods as well as produce them? 
There are plenty of honest commission men in all our large markets, and 
if the grower will only have business sense enough to thoroughly grade his 
goods, pack them honestly, decide carefully what markets he wants to supply, 
hunt up the commission man he believes will serve him best and then stick 
to that man and that market year in and year out, he can make more money 
than under any other plan. Of course he must take the risk of damage in 
shipment, or any other risk that may occur between the time of shipment and 
sale; but this risk must always be borne by somebody; and if you are to sell 
your fruits at the home station, the buyer is bound to buy at a price so low 
as to guarantee him against loss from any of these risks and a profit on top 
of it that would be far in excess of the average commission merchant’s 
charges. As to the honesty of the commission men, while I do not want to 
. belittle my fellow fruit growers, I would say that, in the light of past ex- 
perience, I think the percentage of thoroughly honest business men is rather 
greater among the dealers than among the producers. Business men have 
to be honest or they cannot remain in business long; and in every city can 
be found commission houses that have been established for a quarter of a 
century or more, that are always found doing business at the §ame place 
and that work longer hours and work harder than any of us do on the farm. 
They are entitled to fair compensation for their services. I count the com- 
