HANDLING THE CITRUS CROP. 461 



ter. If a large quantity of fruit is to be sold, distribute 

 it to two or three markets and ship it right along, week 

 after week, day after day. 



Choose a Trade-mark. If a good grade of fruit has 

 been grown, it will pay to select a design and put it on 

 the packages. Put up neat, honest packages and send 

 them forward. The result in time will be, "Have you any 

 of that Crown Brand to-day?" "No, but a shipment is 

 due to-morrow." "Well, I'll wait." Or the reply may be, 

 "Yes, we have a shipment of one hundred boxes." "What 

 is the price?" "Three dollars and fifty cents." "Very 

 well, I'll take it." The buyer has not seen the shipment, 

 but he knows that that Crown Brand stands for the best 

 quality of oranges, first-class all the way through, and 

 buys them on their reputation. That sort of a reputation 

 pays. Read E. Bean's letter again. 



Associations. The association has been brought for- 

 ward as a substitute for the commission men to do away 

 with the middleman and to bring the retailer and pro- 

 ducer into closer contact. Much can be said in its favor 

 and considerable can be said against it. It possesses 

 some of the advantages of the large corporation over the 

 small dealer. Lower rates of transportation can fre- 

 quently be secured and fruit can be distributed to better 

 advantage. Advertising can be done better, and more 

 fruit can be handled. Uniform grades of fruit can be 

 put up, if central packing houses are used, and many other 

 desirable advantages can be secured. 



But in practice the association has not always been 

 an unbounded success. The fruit is generally sold by 

 pool and this is unsatisfactory to those who grow fine 



fruit; result trouble. Too frequently the salesman of 



the association is lacking in business capacity and ability. 



