AMERICAN POMOEOGICAE SOCIETY 
*52 
Now in this diversification one of the chief difficulties is size of busi- 
ness. I think that we as farmers are more inclined to overlook this matter 
of volume of business than almost any other. Last winter I went through 
a shoe factory, and was told that the manufacturer of those shoes is per- 
fectly satisfied if he can make a profit of three cents on each pair of shoes. 
I suppose on a bushel of apples there is a profit of much more than three 
cents on the average. We can not make the cost so definite as the shoe 
manufacturer can, and perhaps we can not turn out so many bushels as pairs 
of shoes. I do not know how many automobiles were sold last year in this 
country — say the Ford. It runs into the thousands, and even if those manu- 
facturers made a profit of but one dollar net on each automobile they 
would still have a good total profit, but it comes by volume of business. 
We need in our lines of farming, whether it be fruit growing or others, 
to make it large enough so that we will get good total profits. On many of 
our products the trouble is we do not grow enough and they make the total 
return too small. Perhaps it is easier to secure that volume of business 
along one line rather than by diversifying, but I believe for our Eastern 
fruit growers, represented by Pennsylvania, there will be greater safety in 
diversifying — building the volume by several lines which work and fit well 
together, rather than by limiting it to a single one. 
These are a few of the business problems and adjustments which have 
occurred to me. I believe they are important enough for us to consider them, 
and each must work them out for his own situation, for his own locality, 
and in respect to his own ability and opportunities wherever he may be. 
Discussion. 
President Goodman: This matter is under discussion now. Would 
you like to ask Mr. Card any question along any of these lines? There" 
Is no question in my own mind but that these business arrangements of the 
fruit grower are one of the most important things in profitable fruit grow- 
ing. I always tell the buyers and dealers as far as I am concerned in the 
fruit business that I would rather grow my fruit and have nothing else to do 
with it. 1 love to grow the fruit, take care of the trees and all that part of 
it, but the handling of it afterward is a different thing. And although I 
like business in some ways, I would grow the fruit and take all Scare of the 
orchard; but I would have a man who would pick the fruit, take it out of 
the orchard, sell it, and divide the returns with me. I would give to him one- 
half if he take charge of all of the operation of that part ; all of the expense 
ot gathering; and all of the troubles and little problems of marketing and 
getting the money out; do the fighting in the way of transportation and 
so on. Perhaps such course would, after all, merely emphasize the point 
Mr. Card has been bringing out — that is, that we do not take the business 
management of farming and orcharding seriously enough. 
Mr. Van Deman: I would just like to add a few sentences on some 
of the points Professor Card mentioned. I think he has hit the cardinal 
points so far as I see. In planning for the best sites there are lots of peo- 
ple who plan to go far away from the opportunities of transportation for 
the sake of getting cheaper land. I have often asked the question about it, 
and heard the question in regard to it by word of mouth, “Is not my land 
