Marketing and Storage 317 



tions in the United States, known as the California Fruit 

 Growers' Exchange, was organized in 1905 for the purpose 

 of solving the complex marketing and distributing prob- 

 lems confronting the citrus-growers of southern California. 

 A similar organization exists among the Florida citrus- 

 growers and at present among the Georgia peach-growers. 

 Each of these organizations controls more than half of the 

 fruit production of its respective region. 



It must not be understood that the apple industry is 

 exactly analogous with either the citrus or peach industry. 

 The citrus region of southern California is extremely 

 compact; the same is true of the Florida citrus district. 

 These two sections embrace comparatively few counties, 

 yet represent in production nearly the entire citrus crop 

 of the United States. The Georgia peaches are among the 

 first to reach the market and competition is limited largely 

 by the production from Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

 The apple crop which comes on the market at about the 

 same time from many regions represents a different 

 problem. 



Cooperative handling of apples has played a very 

 important part in the industry of the western irrigated 

 sections, notably in the Grand Valley of Colorado, in the 

 Yakima, Wenatchee and Spokane valleys of Washington ; 

 in the Hood Eiver Valley of Oregon and in certain dis- 

 tricts of Idaho. It has been difficult to follow the growth 

 and development of each of the many cooperative organiza- 

 tions in the Northwest. Some have persisted and enlarged 

 their scope, while others have been abandoned. Many 

 more have failed than have succeeded. Very few of the 

 cooperative marketing organizations which were operative 

 a few years ago are in existence to-day. There is always 



