The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-08-29
POTATO MEN HELD A MEETING
State Horticultural Inspector and w.
N. YOst of Boise i'm Attendance
and Discuss Plan of Market.

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Thursay evening, August 21st,
there was a meeting at the city hall
for the purpose of laying before the
potato growers a plan of marketing
their product through the same or
ganization or on the same plan as
that developed by the Northwest Dis
tributors, an organization Of many
years standing in Oregon, Washing
ton and Montana, with headquarters
at Spokane.
The meeting was addressed by
= State Horticultural Inspector j. U.'
Mcpherson and w. N. Yost OF Boise
who is one of the directors OF the
district or district managers and vice
president of the Northwest Distribut-
ors
Mr.. Yost explained that producers
and small shippers acting independ-
emily, or small organizations cover
ing a few small towns or a few coun-
ties are destined to meet with failure
in marketing their produce because
they cannot with reasonable expense
keep in touch with the markets and
the movements of crops so complete
ly as to. avoid losses through shipping
into wrong places or at wrong times.
He says their organization covers
three states for assembling their ap-
Pile crop, which is all they have been
shipping heretofore, and it covers
many states in distribution. The ter
ritory at both ends of the line, the
producers and the consumers, is di=
.vided INTO districts, and there is a
superintendent to govern the assemb-
ling and distributing in his territory.
The producers are under an iron clad
contract to furnish their certain
amount of product to the association
when called for, and that places the
organization in position to know
exactly how much they can furnish
of given variety, when and of what
quality. They simply sell for the
very best price they can, and they
prevent Cutting of the markets in
their territory by preventing the
shipment of too many cars into CIV
en- city. For example, the independ-
ent shippers last year made great
loss on Jonathan apples by the follow
ing circumstances. Ft. Worth, Texas
had no Jonathan apples on It's mar
kets and it happened that nobody was
shipping any in The organization
did not cover that ter tory, and az
tue demand for Jonathans continued
ii attracted attention in many pr,-
ducing centers at orce; cars were bill
=. = to Ft. w VT, from all directions,
fr d soon the market was glutted and
there were 1875 cars of that variety
~ apples or tive sidings, of fine quail
ity but in no demand whatever They
simply would not sell at any price, and
had to be re-shipped or dumped. The
independent shippers found other pos.
, sible markets and centered lot Of
them into other places where the same
unfortunate thing was repeated.
If they had been handled by an Or
ganization acting under one central
office directing distributor, they
would have been scattered and con-
sumed where first shipped.
Another reason of much loss in
apples, he said, was that apples are
shipped or put upon the market out of
season. A good holiday apple, fully
developed and ready for use at Holi-
day time and delicious ct that time
and not capable Of being held longer
because it would spoil, Is often left
in the warehouse and a spring apple
placed on the market at Christmas
time because it is more beautiful.
People buy up the beauties regardless
of eating quality at that time, are dis
appointed In their apples and turn to
oranges or bananas or other fruits
for relief. This hurts the apple trade
and the ono that should be consumed
then is spelling while the one that
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