riri-: California fruit exchange. 403 



organizing in time; it was therefore determined, as the defi- 

 nite policy of the Exchange, that it should boldly assume, for 

 the first year, the position of leader, and in that capacity 

 promote the formation of local societies everywhere, which, 

 when organized, should, by ownership of stock, control the 

 Exchange, which should then become their mouthpiece and 

 servant,, just as it would naturally have been had their 

 organization preceded its own. 



In the prosecution of this work the manager was reason- 

 ably successful. Interest was everywhere awakened, his pres- 

 ence, and that of the other officers, being earnestly sought 

 from all quarters, to explain the methods of operation, and 

 aid in perfecting the details of organization. There was a 

 great difficulty, however, in the lack of organizing ability in 

 the various districts. One or two individuals would invite 

 the manager to meet their people at a fixed time, and when 

 he arrived, there would be nobody to hear him, because the 

 district had not been properly canvassed. In nearly every 

 case a second and sometimes a third meeting had to be called 

 before getting people out, and the local promoters in no 

 instance ever came to the meetings with definite detailed 

 plans and estimates of expenditure, although earnest efforts 

 were always made to induce them to do so. The mass of the 

 growers were distrustful and suspicious, and would trust 

 nothing to the common sense and honesty of their chosen 

 agents. They insisted on hearing and discussing the minute 

 details of the projected business, which consumed time and 

 tended to lead to nothing. The meetings, however, invariably 

 passed the resolutions requested, and appointed committees to 

 proceed to organization. If left to themselves, however, the 

 committees ordinarily did nothing, it being usually necessary 

 for the manager of the state Exchange to stay and assist, for a 

 time at least, in the house-to-house canvass. This, however, 

 was not always the case, and before the close of the season a 

 large number of societies were organized. 



But the principal difficulty was the financial one. The 

 more substantial growers almost universally held themselves 

 aloof from the movement; all these were anxious to have 



