440 CALIFORNIA FRUIT SOCIETIES. 



was familiar in former years, I do not wisii Lo imply that 

 altruism has been absent from cooperation in California. The 

 efforts for organization have been largely altruistic, but the 

 altruism was rather that of the public-spirited citizen, having 

 in mind the general welfare of his' city or his state, than of 

 great souls stirred to their depths by the sight of actual pov- 

 erty. The management of the society has not usually been 

 altruistic, except that directors, and in some cases presidents, 

 have served without pay. Another thing which has devel- 

 oped has been tlie competition of cooperative societies in the 

 same branch of the industry. The California Fruit Exchange 

 was broken up by the refusal of the older dried-fruit societies 

 to unite with tlie newer creations. These have learned a les- 

 son, and, as I write, are trying to come together. The Santa 

 Clara County Fruit Exchange was avowedly organized to be 

 the head and selling ngent of the other Santa Clara societies, 

 but when it was organized, not one would come in for some 

 time; the pioneer society never did come in, and none remained 

 permanently, although three finally united with the Exchange 

 in maintaining a common selling agency. The Citrus Ex- 

 changes have never been all united under one head. 



The history of the California societies shows the gradual 

 development among the people of the conviction that the 

 principle of cooperation in an industry for marketing pur- 

 poses is identical with that of the cooperation of capitalists in 

 what are called "Trusts," the arguments employed in their 

 promotion, and the obstacles encountered, being precisely the 

 same. The California Raisin Association is the first society of 

 farmers to actually realize this ideal of cooperative marketing. 

 Another fact disclosed in the California experience is the 

 unwillingness of the most competent to unite in cooperative 

 effort Many persons of large means are engaged in fruit- 

 growing in California, and, with a few notable exce{)tions, they 

 have been the meanest men we have found to deal with. They 

 desired cooperation to go on, fully recognizing its benefits to 

 the industry, but refused in any way to be compromised by it. 

 They kept their information to themselves, but undersold 

 whenever they thought best, and spoke in contemptuous 



