Smyrna times., 1926-04-14
KENT GRAPE GROWERS MEET To
DISCUSS COOPERATIVE PLANS
PROMISE OF PROFITABLE CROP
THIS YEAR CAUSES ACTIVITY
Government Inspection of All Cars of
Grapes Deemed a Vital Factor for
Success of Cooperative Association


Additional interest in the proposed
plan of reorganizing the Kent Grape
Growers Association was shown at
recent meeting of the members and
other growers, held in the office of
the State Farm Bureau at Dover, to
further discuss the proposed chances
in the methods Of handling the crop
this year. This meeting was attend
ed by thirty4two growers from the
grape producing districts of the coun-
ty, and one of the chief points dis
cussed was the advisability of selling
the grapes through one of the local
fruit brokers if a satisfactory ar
arrangement can be made between the
members of the Association and the
selling agent. At the previous meet
ing Of the grower, the executive COM
mittee of the Kent Grape Growers
Association was instructed to inter
view the various fruit brokers in the
Dover and Wyoming areas in an effort
to learn if any of these brokers would
be interested in handling the grapes
of the Association members this COM
ing season. As not all the brokers
had been interviewed regarding this
proposition, the growers decided to
hold another meeting on Wednesday
evening of this week at which time
a more definite cooperative marketing
plan will be presented.
Government Inspection Deemed Vital
The question of government inspec-
ton of all cars of grapes loaded and
sold by the Association was also an
important matter of business for dis
cussion at the last meeting of the
growers. 1t seemed to be the opinion
of the majority of the growers pres
ent, however, that this form of car
inspection was one of the vital factors
necessary to the success of the or
ganization, and according to present
indications the members of the Asso-
citation will have government inspec-
tion again this year. This work is
conducted under the direction of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture in cooperation with the Bureau
of Markets of the Delaware State
Board of Agriculture. How and when
the grapes should be pooled this COM
ing season, was another very vital
point to be considered at this meeting
but nothing definite was decided as
some of the growers were in favor Of
a weekly pool while others favored
the car or daily system of pooling the
crop shipped by the association mem
bers. At the meeting on Wednesday
evening of last week it developed,
however, that most of the growers
thought the car pooling method would
be the more satisfactory from the
standpoint of allowing each individual
member of the organization the priv
ilege of receiving the full value from
the sales of his own grapes. This is
not possible with the weekly or sea-
son pooling systems, as the prices are
based on the average quality of the
crop, and the returns are distributed
accordingly.
Cooperating Marketing Approved
The grape growers association de
serves the support of all the growers
in the county, as the rapid increase in
acreage of vineyards in this section
calls for an organized system of SELL
ing the crop each year, and this plan
can be accomplished only by the form
ing Of cooperative marketing asso-
citation on a basis that will prove at
tractive to the commercial grower.