234 Cooperation in Agriculture 



him at the mercy of a predatory combination. The same 

 plant may be used for cooling peaches, strawberries, pears, 

 or other quick-ripening fruits before shipments, and for 

 the commercial storage of other products that may be 

 stored between the apple storage seasons. The plant may 

 also be used for the manufacture of ice for local use and 

 for the initial icing of the cars. 



COOPERATION IN THE DISTRIBUTION AND SALE OF FRUIT 



The cooperative fruit-growers' organizations of the 

 United States usually sell their product to the wholesale 

 trade. They do not sell to the retail dealers except at 

 auction points and almost never attempt to sell the fruit 

 to the consumer. The cooperative association makes it 

 possible to assemble and offer for sale large quantities of 

 fruit that is uniformly graded and packed. The associa- 

 tion is in a position to transact business in a large way. 

 It can perfect an economical and efficient business system 

 and can protect the producer against the abuses of the 

 haphazard methods that are common in the distribution 

 and sale of farm crops. It is in a position to give stability 

 to the distribution of a crop on account of the volume it 

 handles, a condition that is seldom realized in the busi- 

 ness of the individual farmer. 



The large volume of business which an association can 

 transact in contrast with the small quantity that an in- 

 dividual has to handle is a business asset. It replaces a 

 chaotic business system by a method that is capable of 

 being systematized. An association can develop brands 

 that will be bought and sold confidently by the trade. 

 The association with a large quantity of high-grade fruit is 



