The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-08-28
COOPERATION IN MARKETING
PEACHES.

AS soon as the fact became evident
that there would be a tremendous
crop of peaches throughout New Jer-
sey, as well as in other peach districts
the New Jersey Experiment Station
urged the Vineland peach growers to
cooperate and arrange for shipments
in carload lots. Clean fruit of high
quality was admitted to be an impor-
tant factor in order to secure good
prices in a season of such a heavy
crop, A meeting of the growers was
held early in April at the time the
trees were in bloom and a thorough
spraying campaign started to insure
fruit free from disease at shipping
time.
Mr.. w. w. Obey, the extension spec
ialist in fruit growing, offered to visit
the orchards at the time of each
spraying to criticise the quality of
the work and to assist with sugges-
tions as to methods and time of ap-
plication if the growers would CO.
operate and furnish him transporta-
ton from one orchard to another for
the work of inspection. This ar
rangement was enthusiastically adop-
ted by the growers. Later develop
ments proved this to be of the great
est Importance. The wet season has
caused peach diseases to flourish and
only well-sprayed orchards in the vi
cinity of Vineland are free from, dis
ease.
The next important movement of
the growers was to secure new crates
SO that the fruit could be packed in
an attractive manner. These were
purchased in car lots so that the
growers could cur them at the low
est possible rate. Distinctive cray
labels were urged and adopted.
The real question of how co-opera-
tive shipments could best be managed
was yet to be solved, however. Nd
merous meetings were held at which
growers and experiment station men
freely discussed methods. A work
able plan was finally drawn up and
adopted. Briefly, it consisted in en-
gaging a man to take charge of the
loading and shipping of the cars and
! their distribution upon the market.
This man is given full power to re-
fuse shipments that are not properly
graded, packed and marked. He also
has full power to ship and distribute
the fruit according to his best judg-
ment.
To make the venture successful,
however, it was necessary to have a
set of rules which each member would
agree to observe and which would be
enforced by the sales agent. The
| following conditions were accepted by
the growers:
The fruit to be practically free
from disease.
The fruit to be packed in new Geor-
gia carriers properly labeled.
A standard system of marking as
suggested by the horticulturist OF the
experiment station be adopted.
A minimum number of 40 crates to
be accepted as a shipment.
The expenses of the sales agent, IN
GLIDING salary, to be borne pro rata
by the members.
Expenses for loading and icing cars
to be charged on the basis of the
number of crates shipped by each
grower.
Each member to deposit his check
with the secretary-treasurer of the
association at the opening of the sea-
son to cover his share of the expens-
es of the sales agent.
Each member to deposit a check
each week covering any charges
against him for loading and icing.
This cooperative movement in
Vineland is now we'll under way. Ten
carloads of fruit we're shipped the
! first week. AS the fruit is shipped in
car lots the growers are saving a lit
tie more than 3b cents per crate for
freight between Vineland, N. j., and
New York, which amounted to more
than $3.50 on the first weeks ship
ments. The car lots are also sold on
a 7 per cent. commission basis, a re-
duction of 3 per cent. over the former
arrangement: By thus shipping CO.
reducing the cost of freight and COM
mission at least $4,000 on every car
that leaves Vineland for New York.
This amounts to considerably more on
long-distance shipments and does not
| take into account the added advant-