The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-09-20


cars were shipped from the Browns.
willie country in solid carlots. Besides
these solid cars were millions of pack.
ages that went by express, together
with small shipments of pears, plums,
figs, oranges, blackberries, grapes,
radishes, okra, peas and celery. So
il is a big business after all, and if the
crop could be sold for half what the
consumers pay for it, the value would
be $1S,OO0,00 TO $20,000,OOO. The OPP
portunity enjoyed by the farmers of
the southwest TO grow fruits and early
! vegetables for the northern markets
III addition to grain and cotton, pre-
sents vast channel of wealth if prop
erly utilized. The present output, large
as it seems in the aggregate, could
be consumed by the purchasing power
of the American people in a week, if it
were perishable products that each
market town or city would only re-
lceive that which it could consume in
four or five days withou deterioration
| To distribute the southwest's out
put is the most important marketing
question of the day, not only to the
people Of that section, but to consum-
ers everywhere. There are a few as.
sociations and exchanges in several
sections composed of growers in linn
tied areas that have made considerable
success in distributing and marketing
their products, but they have never
been wholly successful even for a sea
son. One of the principal reasons for
the failure of associations, aside from
the limited area in which they oper-
ate and their inability to have an eX.
tensive selling machinery, is the fact
that each year there are number of
new growers in the market from Sec
tions of the country that have not
been before known to produce them.
These new growers, having no knowl-
edge of markets, reliable dealers,
prices, measure of consumption or
other information, consign their prod
ucts to the larger cities, and in many
instances to commission merchants, or
persons who pose as such, about whom
they know nothing, either as regards
their integrity or ability. These grow
ers have no way in which to make pro-
vision for reconsigning shipments in
cases of overloaded markets, the con-
sequence Of which is congested mar
kets in one section and unsupplied
ones in another This causes unprofit-
able prices in the one and a restricted
consumption in the other, to the detri-
ment of producers and consumers
alike. Another feature which is cause
for the unsuccess of shipping associa-
tions is that unscrupulous commission
men who receive consignments from
growers not members of shipping as
sociations, use such sonsignments to
beat down and destroy the prices of
the legitimate dealers to be a losing
one
An attempt will be made at Dallas,
Texas, on October 19, to bring all of
the growers and shipping associations
of the states of Texas, Arkansas, Lou
isiana and Oklahoma into one great
exchange which can command busi-
ness enough to warrant an extensive
selling plan that will cover all of the
markets from Denver to the Atlantic
coast. Col. E. p Holland of Dallas,
Texas, is author of the plan and he
will be assisted by some of the lead
ing bankers and railroad men of
Texas, including Col. B. F. Yoakum,
chairman of the board of the Frisco
railway, and Jos. Hirsch, chairman of
the agricultural committee of the
Texas Bankers association, who rec
ognize the fact that vast revenues of
the farmers of Texas and contiguous
states are going TO waste, and mag
nificent opportunity to make the pro-
duction of truck and fruit of enOr-
nous value is being neglected. The
biggest men in the business will come
to Dallas to the meeting that Col. Hol-
land has called for October 19, during
the state fair; men who count their
orchard and truck land by the thou
sand acres will aid in organizing a
great exchange, with the money and
brains behind it to cope with the big
problem of handling a twenty-million-
dollara-year crop. The new organiza-
tion will add millions to the exchecqu-
ers of the growers, save other millions
to consumers, all of which great sum
is now wantonly wasted Another ben
eft to consumers will be in enabling
them to buy more and better fruits
and early produce instead of eating
out OF cans" the whole winter.