26 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



ing is the possibility of a peculiarly clean, independent and 

 interesting form of outdoor life amid comfortable, beauti- 

 ful and healthful natural surroundings among people whose 

 watchwords are cooperation and progressiveness. 



With this general description of the California orange 

 or lemon ranch, we are in a position to proceed to an ex- 

 amination of the rather technical processes involved in the 

 care of the grove and preparation of the fruit for market- 

 ing. Such a survey is necessary, for it is this very intricacy 

 and specialization which have caused and which maintain 

 the system of cooperation which is our primary interest. 

 Without difficult problems, localized within a comparatively 

 small area, it is exceedingly doubtful whether the present 

 marketing methods could have been developed. From the 

 fact that citrus growing is a peculiarly skilled occupation 

 tenancy has not developed to any extent in the orange area 

 as it has in so many other branches of agriculture. Owners 

 sometimes live away from their ranches and exercise con- 

 trol through managers, but leasing or the share system is 

 practically unknown. 



First and most important for most agricultural under- 

 takings is the quality of the soil. In citrus growing, how- 

 ever, there are many far more important considerations. 

 While a deep loamy soil is to be preferred, orchards are 

 successfully grown on soils that appear to be almost pure 

 sand and on heavy adobe and clay soils. "Hardpan" is to 

 be avoided, and in general groves on heavy soils require 

 the most careful and skilful culture. But California soils 

 are so variable, all kinds appearing within the same district 

 or even within the same grove, that no hard and fast lines 

 can be drawn, and if other conditions are favorable, the 

 soil will usually be found to be satisfactory. 



Among the most important cultural processes is irriga- 

 tion, for upon this the very life of the industry depends. 



