Smyrna times., 1926-03-31
KENT COUNTY GRAPE GROWERS
FOR COOPERATIVE MARKETING
RE-ORGANIZED ASSOCIATION TO
HANDLE CROP FOR MEMBERS
Growers By Cooperation in Marketing
Hope to Raise Standard of Pack
ages and to Realize Better Prices

Hope to Raise Standard of Pack
ages and to Realize Better Prices
Over twenty commercial grape
growers representing the chief grape
producing sections in Kent County at
tended the fourth of a series of meet
ings in the office of the Delaware
State Farm Bureau at Dover on
Thursday evening of last week, and
perfected plan for the reorganization
OF the Kent Grape Grower AssOcia-
tiOn, Inc, which was formed two years
ago. One of the principal items of
business transacted was the election
OF new members to serve on the
Board of Directors for the ensuing
year, as all but three members of the
previOu Board of Director resigned at
the close of the year 1925, and two
more resigned at one of the recent re-
organization meetings held this
spring. DR.. Alfred Smith, president
OF the Association was the only mem
Der remaining on the old Board, con-
sequently, it was necessary to elect
four additional growers to serve in
this capacity with DR.. Smith. After
considerable balloting, the following
growers were elected at the meeting
last Thursday evening to serve on the
Board of Directors for the coming
year: James H. Hughes, Ed Willim,
B. B. Chase, and w. V. Cosden. These
five men will meet and elect the Of
ticers of the Association, and then
the organization will be in a position
to handle the 1926 crop of grapes for
its members. All cars loaded and
handled by the Association this wear
will be subjected to government in
spection, which will be conducted by
the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
under the local direction of the Bu-
reau of Markets of the Delaware
State Board of Agriculture. The As
sociatlOn will adhere to the standard
grades of grapes as established when
the organization was being formed
two years ago, and the sales agency
will be authorized to select which
grades shall be placed in each car.
In this manner, each car will be load
ed with grapes of uniform quality,
and no mixed cars of grapes l and 2
will be shipped by the Association, as
has been done in previous years. This
change in the system of cooperative
marketing calls for a car pool instead
of weekly or season pool, and will
give each grower the full benefit of
his own crop. The sales agency will
be instructed to handle all the grapes
of the members on a commission basis
and any growers selling outside of the
organization are duty bound to give
the sales agency the commission
which the agency would have been en-
titled had the deal gone through the
organization channels. Bert Wharton
4 w. V. COsden, and Ed Willim, were
appointed on a committee to solicit
memberships among the growers who
were not present at the last meeting
of the association, as it is desired that
the majority of the acreage of bearing
vineyards be represented in the or
ganizatiOn this year. In addition to
those growers who joined the associa-
ton at the previous meetings held
during the last month, ten growers
signed for memberships at the meet
ing last Thursday evening. 1t is the
opinion of practically all the growers
in this county that a marketing or
ganizatiOn formed on a practical basis
will be an influential factor in stabil-
izing the market prices for grapes in
this district each fall, and such an or
ganizatiOn deserves the support of all
the commercial growers.