THE CALIFORNIA FRUIT EXCHANGE. 491 



the welding of twenty thousand fruit-growers distributed 

 unevenly over a territory two hundred miles wide, and of a 

 'length extending from the latitude of Connecticut to the 

 latitude of Georgia, into a compact mass, knowing the same 

 facts, and consequently thinking the same way, the obvious 

 course was to enter upon a year's campaign of education, 

 attempting no positive action until all were prepared to act 

 together. The conditions for this were in many respects 

 favorable; the columns of the entire press of the state were 

 open to the Exchange, the transportation companies were glad 

 to contribute to the movement by the free carriage of those 

 engaged in promoting it, the manager's experience and 

 abilities were well adapted to that work, but the effort failed 

 for the lack of the few thousand dollars necessary to pay the 

 expenses of the first year or two. Its history, however, is of 

 value. 



The composition of the board of directors illustrates one 

 of the greatest difficulties of cooperation on a large scale. 

 Selected by a convention of members mostly unacquainted 

 with each other, the choice was necessarily somewhat hap- 

 hazard, but resulted — as was almost certain to be the case — in 

 the choice of excellent men. Of course, however, they were 

 entirely unacquainted with each other, and for the most part, 

 were without experience in cooperation or positive views in 

 regard to it, and were so widely scattered throughout the 

 state that the cost of each meeting was over $100. They were 

 very slow in reaching conclusions or in formulating a defi- 

 nite policy or plans. They were also unacquainted with the 

 manager, and it did not occur to them to instruct him to pro- 

 ceed at his own discretion, on the lines upon which he had 

 been working, and which had been approved by conventions 

 of growers, until the directors should have had time to 

 become familiar with the situation, agree upon an order of 

 proceeding, and select a permanent manager. In conse- 

 quence, an entire month was lost in inaction, which in a 

 movement of this kind, is quite sufficient to have it pass 

 from the public mind. The impetus thus lost was never 

 recovered, although in due time the directors did meet and 



