THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 611 



stances performs his part of the transaction in a careless, indifferent 

 or haphazard way. The business is conducted on the plan that if there 

 is any profit it belongs to the commission man; and if any loss, it goes 

 to the producer. This frequently invites dishonesty, and much swindling? 

 has brought commission men as a class into disfavor and sometimes un- 

 justly. 



Selling through co-operative associations, which is more largely prac- 

 ticed by the fruit growers of the west than any other section of the 

 United States, has proven successful just in proportion as the members 

 have followed the rules, regulations and instructions of such associations, 

 which in many cases has been done with very gratifying re'sults. In ad- 

 dition to returning profits to the producer, which formerly went to a 

 number of middlemen, co-operation has taught the grower the economic 

 value of a first-class product; the economic importance of picking, pack- 

 ing and handling his produce; and fair dealing with the purchaser and 

 public. 



W. H. Chandler, of the Missouri Experiment Station, who has secured 

 information from quite a large number of co-operative associations re- 

 garding their methods of. distribution and marketing fruit, points out that 

 the growth of the co-operative movement among fruit growers in the 

 United States has been very rapid during the past ten years, even sur- 

 passing the expectation of the most sanguine and best informed men in- 

 terested in the fruit business. A number of failures among the organiza- 

 tions, hov/ever, are reported. 



From the reports of a number of successful associations submitted to 

 the station it is shown that co-operation enables growers to make use of 

 a number of better business methods. (1) By enabling them, through 

 their manager or representative, to meet on equal terms the men with 

 whom they deal. Their representative, thoroughly understanding the 

 markets, "with all the growers and a good pack behind him controls a 

 business that demands respect, and he should generally be able to set the 

 price." It must be remembered, however, that co-operation is not for the 

 purpose of creating a monopoly or forcing unnatural prices for the prod- 

 uct. (2) It frequently brings about or forces track selling, which in the 

 opinion of some brings better results than consigning, one association re- 

 porting that for 272 cars consigned it received an average of $1 per crate 

 and for 288 cars sold on track $1.66 per crate. (3) Wholesale dealing is 

 made possible, not only in selling farm products but in buying anything 

 the grower needs, especially packing materials, spraying materials, fer- 

 tilizers, and the like. (4) Because of the larger business it controls the 

 association is likely to get better service from the railroads, cold-storage 

 plants, etc. "Then it is in a position to secure adjustments with the rail- 

 roads and other large concerns on points of disagreement, when the cost 

 of litigation would make such adjustments impossible with the small 

 grower." (5) Men of better business ability than the average grower 

 can be secured to manage the association, which means much in the eco- 

 nomic disposition, of a fruit crop or most any other crop, for many of the 

 best growers, who understand their trees and the methods of care the 



