THE CALIFORNIA FRTTIT EXCHANGE. 508 



experienced man, knowing the detail of business, and its neces- 

 sary cost, if he is lionest, must make an estimate of expense which 

 seems, to farmers, very extravagant; if he needs or desires the 

 position, he will be tempted to make inadequate estimates, in 

 order to encourage liis people and retain his place. The most 

 successful cooperative enterprises have grown from small begin- 

 nings, conducted by inexperienced men whose ideas expanded 

 with experience. The circumstances of the California fruit- 

 grower seemed to render it desirable to begin operations on a 

 large scale; selling goods in large quantities, from first hands, 

 requires a rarer ability and costs much more money than buy- 

 ing goods, or than selling at retail, and this is true whether 

 the operations be conducted on a cooperative or competitive 

 basis. For operations on this scale farmers are not well pre- 

 pared; and when, as in this case, the management pointed out 

 the detail of selling fruit as conducted by those in the trade, 

 and estimated the necessary, but much smaller, expense of 

 the same work done in the same way, but cooperatively, and 

 wholly in the growers' interest, many at once lost confidence, 

 and were inclined to listen to those who proposed to accom- 

 plish large results with trifling expenditure. If cooperation 

 can accomplisli this, it will be a great boon, but the danger to 

 be appreliended in the attempt is the furnishing of an ineffect- 

 ive service, which will not satisfy those who are to support 

 it, or be able to retain their business. Tiie experience of the 

 state Exchange also made it quite evident that it was more 

 difficult to unite a large number of societies under a common 

 head than to bring individuals into the local societies. The 

 moment there is a feeling of strength, there is an unwilling- 

 ness to cooperate. Tlie local societies seemed to the small 

 farmers who controlled them, perfectly able to stand alone; to 

 this was added a certain amount of sectional jealousy. The 

 Santa Clara societies,* especially, felt that their district was the 

 largest producer of dried fruit, and should be the headquarters 

 of cooperative action. The Santa Clara societies, also, having 

 enjoyed the reputation of leadership in cooperation, were 

 unquestionably, although quietly, averse to the establishment 

 of any state Exchange which should seem to put them in a 



