The record-union., 1899-02-08

is a hard one to manage, as the fruit is
delicate and hard to- handle There are
often more berries than there are or
ders.
C. Towle said there was one question
not yet touched on, and that was the
packing. Last year the grapes We're
poor, and many boxes were shipped by
been sent. His own grapes were poor,
but he shipped only the best. The
trouble is in the poor trimming.
Another grower said that the boxes
are packed too full, and are crushed
| by the cover. He thought the man
ager should have authority to fix the
price of grapes.
Mr.. Gage thought so too, as it was
not fair that the careless packer should
get the same price for his grapes as
the good packer who ships through the
same association. There should be a
/ difference in favor Of the good packer.
He SO moved.
Mr.. Buell. did not think a motion of
; the kind at this meeting would do any
good.
| George Hunt said that one great
! trouble was that members of the asso-
citation undersell each other in the
home market at Sacramento, in order
to sell their own fruit, thus breaking
down the market. 1t was bad policy.
Mr.. Towle said he was willing to trust
the managers elected by the associa-
ton to do their best for it.
Mr.. Hunt said he had understood
they wished to be instructed.
Mr. Reese thought that the members
should give the management some
pointers as to prices to be asked
A member said he had been told that
if he sold his grapes outside the associ-
alton he would be fired out He wanted
to know if this was so, as he wanted
to do the best he could.
Mr. Towle said that any member who
wished could sell his grapes wherever
he wished, but he. could only ship
through the association.
| Several members stated the prices
they would take for their grapes, rang
ing from 81 to So
Mr.. Murphy said they might set their
prices, but they could not get them.
The most important point is to find a
market for the fruit For the rest, it
was better to leave details to the man
ayers to decide.
Mr.. Reese said it was of no use to
send out man to find a market unless
he was instructed to ask a certain
price. He thought a minimum price
of 65 cents a crate for Tokays would
open up a market. Of course he would
like to get more. if he could.
Mr. Ogden said that one morning last
summer he took in strawberries and
fixed the price at 65 cents a crate, but
another member, a Director, took his
in and sold them for 40 cents. He
later met an outsider who told him
that he tried to sell his berries for 60
cents, but could not, as the dealers
were buying from the association. That
sort of thing should be stopped.
l.. S. Dart favored leaving authority
to fix prices with the managers. There
was another thing that should be done.
No one but the manager should know
where there is a carload of fruit for
sale, or the association win be turned
down always.
W. Davies said that no member of
the association should have power to
change the destination of his carload Of
grapes. The manager only should
have that power.
Mr. Reese said it would be impossible
to keep the growers from knowing
where an ordered car of assorted fruit
is going, but the manager should have
the power to inspect and reject any
unsatisfactory fruit.
| BY a unanimous vote the manager
was instructed to fix the price of all
fruit sold f. o. b.
j. L. Stubbs said that if part of the
fruit was to be sold f. o. b. by agents
and part by Porter Bros. on commits
sion, he did not see anything had been
gained 1t should be settled one way
or another.
P. H. Murphy thought it would pay
to send one man into Montana and the
north, one to the towns on the Missouri
| River, and one to find markets in the
| East He thought that two mills on
the box of the fruit shipped from Florin
would pay the cost. If it resulted in a
gain of 5 cents box, it would be a
paying proposition. The merchants
! send their travelling men all over and
find it pays to do so. !
Mr.. Davies said that at the last meet
ing it had been decided to send a man
North and as far as Utah East, and
| also to send man later to the East.
Mr.. Ogden moved that it be the sense
of the meeting that the Directors send
out one or more men, as they see fit.
Carried.
Mr.. Mott, for the committee, appoint
ed at the Farmers Institute on Farm
ers' Clubs, reported in favor Of organ
izing a club at Florin
Mr.. Ogden reported that there were
seventeen members who had signified
their intention of joining the club.
The meeting then adjourned.
Bacca Sent to Jail.