The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-03-07
HOLDS SECOND
ANNUAL MEETING
IMPORTANT TOPICS DISCUSSED
Hood River Horticultural Society
Holds Interesting Meeting-Ad. :,
jOurn for Two Weeks.

Hood River horticultural society was
held in the opera house on last Satur
day at 2 O'Clock p. N. The meeting
was called to order by President
Chas. Sproat. J. l.. Carter, the Sec
retary, read the minutes Of the prev
ious session and also made financial
report, which we're adopted as sread.
The financial report indicated bal
ance in the treasury. The secretary
then read the constitution OF the so
ciety. On motion of Mr.. Samuel
Campbell, tho second Saturday in
February was ordered inserted as the
time for holding the annual meeting.
The constitution was adopted as
amended.
The chair appointed Il. II. Shep
ard, j. L. Cater aud @. X. Castner
as committee to draft memorial
to the memory of the late Il. II.
Sears, foIm president OF the socie-
ty. Il. A. Franz then read the follow
ing excellent and well prepared essay ;
There is probably no community
where the Importance OF high class
work In grading aud packing fruit
has been brought home so forciEly as
in our own beautiful valley. By
bringing it home iorcibly is meant in
the matter of dollars and cents tu the
grower, high reputation in the
world over OF our fluit, and the great
satisfaction of having accomplished
something that is way ahead of any
thing ever accomplished in this line
of work in any fruit growing district.
As the evolution OF making vehicles
has been going on for years from the
crude two wheeled cart to the splend-
id finished carrisge of today, from
the roughly sewed moccasin to the
comfortable, well made shoe of today,
so has the packing of fruit progressed
from dumping it into barrel or box
to the well packed, selected as to col
or and size box sent out from the
packing houses of Hood River. The
name OF Hood River today represents
the highest standard of excellence In
the packing of apples, straw berries,
cherries and other fruits. In order to
accomplish the best result in any line
of business, 1t is necessary first of all
to study the wants and taste of the
consumer, of the man who pays you
his cash for your goods. The same
kind of a product may have to be put
up in a different style package for
different markets; all those details
must be studied continuously in or
der to get the best returns for your
products.
The retailer is the man who gets In
close touch with the actual consumer,
be Is the man whom it is necessary to
interview in order to find out what
size packges sells the most readily,
what syle pack is the most acceptable,
what size fruit sells first out of GER
tain assortments, what influence a
neat clean package has in making
sale, what value neat label on the
outside of the box has to attract the
consumes.
OF course, it is almost out Of the
question for the producer to get In
close touch with all the retailers of his
goods for that reason he must rely
m ore or less on the wholesale dealer
or broker who distributes the goods.
But after once knowing the require
ments of the trade in a certain local.
ty, it is an easy matter to comply
with those requirements and impIo owe
them at every opportunity.
No matter who ~Euys your goods,
whether it is north, south, east OF
west, the same fundamental principles
apply in all cases, fancy fruit, honest
pack, and neat, clean package. The
reputation that We are enjoying today
has been built up on the above three
essential qualities of the iIuit bust
ness. but because we have attained
that high reputation, we must not be
content to rest on our laurels, or get
lax In our methods, but we must forge
ahead and try to improve at every op-
portunity, for to be stationary means
to 90 backward. The honesty and re-
liability OF our pack Is so well estab-
lished that this season one buyer
bought apples, the deal involving in
round numbers $50, 900, on our guar
anty that we would deliver the fruit
according to the conditions of con
tracts made, he paying for the apples
as soon as the fruit was placed on
board cars without seeing them. for
two weeks afterwards, and some of
| the fruit that went into storage was
not inspected for three months after
being loaded and paid for.
One day stranger walked into the
office of the Apple Growers unon
wanting to buy several carloads OF ap
pies. After being told what we had
to sell and what the prices were, he
said, "Ship me all you have" Being
asked if he did not want to inspect
the fruit, several cars being in the
warehouse at that time, be replied,
at is not necessary, l know what
your fruit H."
Another fruit buyer made the re-
mark, alter being told the price of &
certain variety of apples, that ht
could buy the same variety at 80 cent
less per box in the state across tht
river (Which, by the way, was q va
riety OF apples we we're selling at 81
cents per box. Upon being asked
why be did not buy them when b.
could secure them at such bargain
h. replied, 81 can make more none!
on your fruit at So cents than | coult
on the other at 80 cents, because ] an
sure Of the grade and pack" and b.
bought all we had to spare.
These conditions have been brough
about after years Of careful study o
the requirements of the trade, by con
ecientiously working up to an ideal o
perfection in packing and grading on
fruit. Honesty is one Of the most es
sential points in packing fruit. N,
matter how good reputation an srti
Gle may enjoy, as soon as the trad
finds worthless goods are put on th
market on the strength of that repu
tation, confidence is lost at once, ant
1t would take years to repair the dam
age done, for confidence once lost
the buyer will always b, skeptical
and afraid that 1t will happen again
Fancy fruit, fancy pack and fame
package should always 60 together
Leave out either one and you deprecl