Handling, Distributing, and Sale of Fruit 233 



operations more uniformly and in the loading of cars of 

 desirable grades and sizes from the larger accumulation of 

 packed fruit in the storage rooms. 



There is some question, however, whether storage plants 

 should be erected by associations primarily to cheapen 

 the cost of transportation. The legal right of a shipper 

 to pre-ice a car is questioned by the Western railroads, and 

 the matter is now before the courts for determination. 

 The Interstate Commerce Commission considers the pre- 

 icing of the car a part of the preparation of the fruit for 

 shipment and has recognized the right of the shippers to 

 pre-ice a car by fixing a rate which the railroads may charge 

 when the shipper pre-cools and pre-ices a car and forwards 

 it under instructions not to be re-iced in transit. The 

 question has been carried by the railroads, who consider 

 pre-icing as a part of the service of transportation, to the 

 United States Commerce Court, and until it is decided by 

 the courts the status of the railroads and shippers will 

 probably not be finally determined. 



A cold-storage plant is most useful in the apple industry. 

 An association that can store a part of the crop is pro- 

 tected against the necessity of selling the fruit at the prices 

 that prevail during the harvesting season. The prices 

 at that time may be fixed arbitrarily through an agree- 

 ment by the buyers. The space in the large commercial 

 storage plants may be in the hands of the buyers, and the 

 grower is obliged to accept whatever price is offered. A 

 cold-storage plant makes it possible for the grower to 

 secure the highest price obtainable for the fruit by protect- 

 ing him against a combination of conditions through which 

 the competition of buyers is eliminated and which places 



