514 CALIFOK^•lA FKUIT SOCIETIES. 



Encouraged by these dissensions among the growers, the 

 forwarding houses which, during 1894 and 1895, had gener- 

 ally been compelled to close their establishments, returned in 

 full force and recommenced business, and for a year or two 

 there was a very bitter triangular war between the associated 

 and independent Exchanges and the commission merchants. 

 Each year there was an active and expensive canvass on the 

 part of the Exchanges, for contracts, which was more or less 

 openly opposed by the forwarders, the contest being accom- 

 panied by a wonderful outpouring of printer's ink and bad 

 language. The associated Exchanges, in the face of such 

 opposition and misrepresentation, were unable to longer secure 

 seventy-five per cent of the crop, and the practical control of 

 the market, nor could they do so with the aid of the independ- 

 ent Exchanges, with whom, had that been done, some common 

 plan of action could have been arranged. In the end these 

 annual contests were abandoned. The Exchanges, as I under- 

 stand it, have ceased to solicit, and do only the business which 

 the cooperative element voluntarily brings to them. This 

 business, as has been stated, is large, well managed, satisfactory 

 to the membership, and appears to be increasing. They seem 

 to control about one-third of the citrus product.* 



*The following letter, received after the text was prepared, from Mr. A. H. 

 Naftzger, president of the Southern California Fruit Exchanges, will be found 

 of interest, as giving some details for which there is hardly space in the text. 

 Mr. Naftzger says: — 



"Referring to your favor of late date, I have to say that there is, perhaps, 

 not much that is new to be said on the subject of the cooperative system among 

 citrus fruit-growers of California. So much has been said and written, that 

 perhaps every phase of the subject has been thoroughly gone into. 



" However, as you say that your information brings the matter down to 

 1894, there may be some facts of later development not unimportant, I shall 

 not attempt to give you anything that would be in form for the printer. I take 

 it, you simply want me to make such suggestions as might be serviceable to you. 



"The Exchange system was rather crude in the year 1894, in fact, we did not 

 incorporate until 1895, since which time we have been in shape to operate in a 

 business-like way. You ask if we still canvass for signatures from year to year. 

 I am not entirely familiar with the amount of work that is done in the different 

 communities, but I am under the impression that the local Exchanges and 

 Associations arc generally organized now, and have either contracts for a term 



