61 



the case of a cooperative society, where the records are open 

 to inspection by the members at any time. 



After the apples are hauled to the ears for shipment the 

 individual member has nothing more to do with them. The 

 Association looks after the whole business of marketing. It 

 . attends to the billing, invoicing, tracing of cars, and, in 

 short, everything pertaining to shipping. It also, in the 

 ease of export stuff, sees that space is obtained on the best 

 steamers to the most likely markets. The Association also 

 collects all moneys from the sales, paying the grower for 

 apples delivered by him. We have always found it well to 

 keep our members supplied with money during the season, 

 paying them on account from time to time. We are able to 

 do this because of the prompt manner in which money comes 

 in from our sales. Immediately upon consummating a sale, 

 the foreign agents make up our account and cable the 

 amount due us to our credit at the bank. 



It has never been our policy to increase our membership 

 merely for the sake of having our amount of business look 

 big. We have thought it best to limit our growth, keeping 

 it healthy and within manageable limits. 



At the present time we have thirty members. Since 

 organization we have returned to our members nearly 

 .^100,000. This present season we .shall handle nearly 8.000 

 barrels, and return the members !f=30,000. One thing we 

 think remarkable. In doing this large amount of business, 

 vce have never lost account of a single barrel or box, and 

 v.hat is still more remarkable we have never lost a cent in 

 bad bills. 



While the most important achievements have been in 

 the marketing of our crops, we have also been aT)le to save 

 our members considerable by purchasing supplies coopera- 

 thely. We buy fertilizer, lime, spray materials, barrels, 

 head linei's. pulp-heads, and other materials in large quanti- 

 ties, thus taking advantage of discounts. Last Spring, by 

 immediately accepting an offer, we saved sixt}" dollars on 

 a ton of lead arsenate. 



