Co-operative associations of market gardeners. Market the West land. Co-operation amongst Dutch Market-Gardeners. An interesting feature of the Dutch market gardening industry is the great extent to which co-operative principles have been applied to the sale of vegetables and fruit. All over North Holland the small market-gardeners have formed societies for the joint sale of their produce, and in some districts they have erected their own auction marts. One of the largest of these associations is that known as the "Westland." The Westland is a district a few miles from the Hague, gardening in which is given up almost entirely to fruit-growing and marketgardening. The usual size of the holdings is about five acres, though a few run to ten acres and upwards. Rents are high, averaging about £5 10s. per acre, and when there are glass houses erected by the owner, the gardener pays 5 to 8 per cent. yearly on the cost of erection. The A short description of a market-garden of 10 acres visited at Poeldijk may serve as an example of the conditions existing in the Westland. In this case the occupier pays £5 17s. per acre rent, and he has 10 glass-houses on his holding for which he pays 5 to 7 per cent. on the cost of erection. These glass-houses cost 50s. to 58s. per 39 inches to build, or when built against a wall, as is frequently the case, from 33s. to 40s. per 39 inches. There is a polder tax of 13s. per acre on this holding, and the occupier also pays income tax. The soil is a clay loam, which the tenant has improved by the addition of sand brought from the dunes, and by heavily manuring it with horse-dung. Ún this holding, large quantities of grapes, also melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, pears, plums, early cauliflowers, endive, and strawberries are grown. The tenant works himself from early morning till night, and employs five labourers, to each of whom he pays 18s. a week. He keeps himself, a wife and five children on the profits from the sale of his produce, but his outgoings for rent, labour, and manure are so heavy that the standard of living of the family is necessarily a low one. To men in this position it is important that their produce "Westland" should be sold to the best advantage, and to secure this result Society. it is recognised that the quality of the articles produced should be maintained at a high level, and that the middleman should be as far as possible eliminated. It is with these objects in view that the Dutch market-gardeners have combined for the joint sale of their produce, through the agency of co-operative associations, of which the "Westland" society is one of the most successful. Objects of The object of the "Westland" society, as set forth in the the Society printed rules, is to promote the sale of market-garden produce of the Westland by supervising the quality, quantity and packing of the produce, by holding auction sales, by exporting goods of first-rate quality to foreign markets in order to direct attention. to the character of Westland market-garden produce, by improving the systems of cultivation, and by taking any steps which will further the disposal of the crops. trade mark The society has a registered trade mark in the form of a blue The diagonal label, which each member is allowed to affix to the Society's produce he brings to the auction, provided that the goods have been previously passed by the Committee whose duty it is to see that they are properly packed, that the contents of the packages, bags, or baskets agree with the weight stated on the label, and that the articles are sound and of good quality throughout. marts. The Westland society consists of a federation of seven branches, Co-operative five of which have erected their own auction halls with auction borrowed capital, while in two cases the auctions are held in hired buildings. Sales are held every night in summer, three times a week in the late autumn, and once a week in winter. These sales are largely attended by dealers and commission agents from Rotterdam, Amsterdam, the Hague and Delft, who arrange for the transport of their purchases to these towns, either for local consumption or for export. Members of the society bring their produce to the auction Methods of mart in barges, and arrange their goods on the stands. When sale. a large consignment of potatoes or other vegetables is offered for sale the purchase is made by sample, in other cases the dealer sees the entire lot of the articles he buys. Each lot of produce to be put up for auction is entered on a delivery note by the member concerned, and this note is handed to the clerk, who subsequently passes it to the auctioneer. All goods purchased at the auction must be paid for in cash; credit is seldom given. A purchaser is also required to leave a deposit to cover the value of the sacks, baskets, or other packages. The auctioneer is in each case the president of the branch The society. He receives nothing for his services, as the post is con- auctioneer. sidered one of honour. The only paid officer of the society is the clerk. The funds of the society are derived from a yearly subscription Funds of the of 1s. 8d. per member, and from a commission charged on the Society. amount realised for the goods sold. In the case of what are known as large auctions, which include large consignments of potatoes, Brussels sprouts, beans, peas, gooseberries, and plums, purchased by sample, the commission is fixed at one per cent., and for small auctions or sales of small quantities of grapes. fruit, cucumbers, and other produce, two per cent. of the sale price is deducted. The sum realised by the sales is distributed at the end of each week amongst the members who have sent goods to the auctions, each receiving the amount for which his produce was sold less the commission mentioned above. Distribution of sums realised by sales. Value of In 1901 the value of the market-garden produce sold through produce sold the agency of the auctions held by the seven branches of the "Westland" society amounted to £44,250. in 1901. Trial grounds established by co-operative societies. Objects of co-operative associations. Advantages of co-operative sale of produce. Some of the branches of the "Westland" society have recently established trial grounds for experiments in the improvement of market-garden produce, and for the testing of various manures. These experimental grounds are supported by a subsidy from the State, and grants-in-aid are also made by the local authorities. They are inspected regularly by the directors of the State horticultural schools, and are managed by a committee of market-gardeners elected by the society. Associations of the type of the "Westland" society, though on a smaller scale, are to be found throughout the market-garden districts of North Holland. Several of them are in operation in the districts of Alkmaar and Bovenkarspel, and the greater part of the cauliflower and cabbage crops grown in the neighbourhood of these places is disposed of by co-operative auction sales in buildings erected by such societies. The principal object of them all is to sell the produce of their members to the best advantage, and to maintain the reputation of Dutch produce for uniformity of quality by the inspection and marking of goods offered for sale. Unsuitable produce is either rejected, or, if it is inadvertently passed by the examining committee and a well-founded complaint is subsequently made by the purchaser, the producer is either compelled to take the goods back or to allow compensation to the purchaser on a scale fixed by the society. In the case of one co-operative auction mart near Bovenkarspel, a black board headed "Black List" is placed in a conspicuous position outside the mart, and on this the president of the society writes the name of any member who has endeavoured to pass inferior produce, and the name of any dealer who is in default in his payments. Specimens of the rules of these associations are given in the appendix. It is claimed for this system of co-operation that it has largely reduced the commission and charges formerly paid to middlemen, that it has served to keep up the standard of quality of Dutch produce, and that it has prevented the undercutting of prices which arises when individual producers compete against each other in the same market. Goods sold under the registered trade marks have an established reputation on home and foreign markets, and the enforcement of a high standard of quality by the marking committees has made it difficult for an individual to spoil the market for his fellow gardeners by topping up" inferior produce or by giving short weight. Dutch Market-Gardening Schools. These schools In the Netherlands there is one State School of Horticulture Schools for and Market-Gardening at Wageningen, where students receive market gardening three years' instruction in all branches of horticulture and mar- and horticulket-gardening. There are also four State supported "Winter ture Schools" for Horticulture and Market-Gardening at Boskoop, Naaldwyk, Aalsmeer and Tiel, respectively. arrange their courses of instruction to suit as far as possible the system of cultivation pursued in the districts in which they are situated. Thus, at Boskoop attention is given to floriculture and the management of nursery gardens; at Naaldwyk the cultivation of vegetables and fruit are the principal branches of instruction; at Tiel fruit culture is the chief subject; and at Aalsmeer the chief branch of study is gardening. But at all of them the general principles of market-garden management are taught. schools. These schools are conducted under regulations contained in a Regulations Royal Decree of 3rd June, 1901, in which it is stated that the of winter object of the instruction provided in the winter schools is to enable persons who intend to take up market-gardening as a livelihood, to obtain the necessary theoretical knowledge of the business at the lowest possible expense. The management of the schools is entrusted to local committees nominated by the Ministry of Waterways, Trade and Industry,and these committees report from time to time upon the progress of the schools to the Ministry, and to the Government Inspector of Intermediate Education. Candidates for admission must be 16 years of age and must Qualification pass an entrance examination in the Dutch language, arithmetic, of candigeography, and the elements of the English and German lan- dates. guages. They must also possess some practical knowledge of market garden work. The complete course at a school consists of two winter Course at a sessions, each of six months' duration, with a holiday at Christ- winter mas and New Year. No student is allowed to enter upon the school. second year's course until he has passed an examination to the satisfaction of the director of the school. At the end of the second year's course a diploma is granted to students who successfully pass a final examination. The school fees are fixed in each case by the Ministry, but School fees. they must not exceed 33s. 4d. for the entire course of two sessions. Students who exhibit great proficiency, but who are not in a position to pay the fees, may receive instruction gratuitously by special permission of the Ministry. Students must, however, in all cases provide for their own board and lodging, but the Director of the school is expected to assist them. to find suitable accommodation. Occupation of students during the summer. ▲ typical winter school. Subsidy from State. Scheme of The Director is required by the regulations to communicate with parents and guardians as to the arrangements made for the students during the summer months in order that their time may be properly employed with a view to their future occupations. He is also instructed to visit the students during that period, when this can be conveniently done, and to keep in touch with them by correspondence. The State horticultural school at Boskoop in South Holland may be taken as an interesting type of the winter schools managed in accordance with the foregoing official regulations. The buildings and land for this school were provided by the local authorities of the district. In the main building there are five class rooms in addition to residential accommodation for the director. The garden attached to the school is nearly two acres in extent, with seven glass-houses and about 100 frames. The students have also the opportunity of working in the market gardens in the district, which occupy about 1,000 acres. The school receives a grant from the State of £234 per annum for the payment of lecturers and maintenance. The school garden, which also serves as a trial ground, is separately managed by a co-operative gardeners' society which receives a grant of £125 from the State, and £80 from the local authority. The produce of the garden is sold, and from this a further sum of from £60 to £80 yearly is realised, making a total revenue of £265 to £285, which is utilised in paying the wages of the foreman and his assistant and in meeting other expenses connected with the upkeep of the garden. The scheme of lectures for the first and second year's sessions at this school is as follows: : |