PREFACE 



The purpose of this book is to point the way toward S. 

 better system of food distribution. The history of the co- 

 operative movement in the citrus industry of California 

 demonstrates by achievement the possibility of improve- 

 ment over the ordinary plan for getting farm products to 

 mafket. In the cooperative organizations of the citrus in- 

 dustry marketing machinery has been developed to a de- 

 gree not even approximated in other agricultural industries. 

 Organization is, in fact, the characteristic feature of the 

 citrus industry, while in other industries it is usually only 

 an insignificant factor. 



Without, therefore, attempting to trace the history of 

 the movement, the text analyzes the structure of the co- 

 operative associations of the citrus industry. The ordinary 

 problems that face the cooperative association are reviewed, 

 problems of organization, problems of internal management, 

 problems of relationship to other similar associations. It 

 is hoped that an accurate picture has been drawn of the 

 actual operation of the series of organizations that form 

 the distributing system as a whole. It is also hoped that 

 persons who contemplate organizing a cooperative market- 

 ing association can gain from the present analysis a satis- 

 factorily comprehensive view of the difficulties likely to 

 arise, and the manner in which a successful enterprise has 

 met them. 



Citrus literature is voluminous, but on the marketing ar- 

 rangements there are no connected accounts. So the com- 

 position of this treatise was attended by all the difficulties 



