COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AND MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS. 33 



are not of comparatively recent origin. There are a few exceptions, 

 such as several of the district organizations in the Pacific Northwest 

 which have made rapid, progress during the short periods in which 

 they have been in existence. 



Cooperation in the marketing and distributing of fruit and vege- 

 table products is found to exist in its greatest strength in sections 

 which are far removed from the consuming centers of the country. 

 In other words, necessity will bring about cooperative organization 

 in order to overcome such handicaps as a long distance from market, 

 the perishable nature of the product which requires skill in marketing 

 and distributing, and lack of sufficient buyers in the fields to purchase 

 the entire crop regularly for cash. 



Business transacted. — The average annual volume of business 

 reported is $161,458. Since the total number reporting was 871, 

 this amount gives an estimated total annual volume of business of 

 $140,629,918. In determining this sum care was taken to exclude 

 the figures for the large central organizations, in order to have a 

 representative average, for, if several of these large enterprises were 

 included, the increase in the average would lead to considerable 

 error in estimating the total volume of business. The volume of 

 business of the central organization is the sum total of the business 

 of the local organizations of which it consists, so if these as well as 

 the centrals were included, there would be a duplication. 



Box shooks, paper, nails, spray materials, and general growers' 

 supplies are handled by practically all of these organizations. As 

 most of the companies finance the members in purchasing supplies, 

 they have found it less difficult to handle the articles which are 

 needed in large quantities than to depend on various outside sources. 

 Prices, quality, and supply fluctuate to such an extent that many 

 growers have been seriously handicapped in securing the desired 

 articles at the proper time from the miscellaneous sources available. 

 The handling of supplies has been found a profitable business to 

 both the company and the grower and when once begun the practice 

 is seldom discontinued. 



Products and supplies are handled by 190 of the fruit and produce 

 associations reporting. Forty-five are engaged in canning; the 

 handling of fertilizers is reported by 1 1 ; grain is handled by 5, and the 

 same number report fuel; 4 report merchandise; 2 ship live stock; 

 and 118 handle a number of products classed as miscellaneous. 



Members. — The average number of members reported by 778 fruit 

 and produce associations is 124, and the estimated total membership 

 of 875 associations reporting is 108,004. 



Usually producers must take out a membership in order to ship 

 their products through these organizations. Membership fees range 

 85964°— Bull. 547—17 3 



