I02 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



buyers on the Eastern market offered invariably were re- 

 flections of the quahty of the fruit, the individual account 

 plan would be ideal. Efficient growers would be rewarded ; 

 careless growers would be penalized. But unfortunately 

 this condition does not obtain. Prices are a reflection of 

 the quantity of fruit that happens to be on the market at 

 any given time much more than of the quality of that fruit. 

 It was to get away from the sight of good fruit returning 

 red ink at one time while poor fruit brought fabulous re- 

 turns at another that the cooperative enterprises were 

 launched. Under individual account, a grower might face 

 a deficit for the season during a fairly successful year for 

 the industry as a whole. 



If every possible precaution had been taken in growing, 

 picking and packing and if the time of shipment had been 

 selected with the utmost care it is entirely conceivable that 

 each shipment of a given individual might fall on a de- 

 moralized market. And these might be the only poor mar- 

 kets of the season. Under collective shipment such a condi- 

 tion could not occur. Though all of one member's crop 

 might happen actually to sell below cost he would be af- 

 fected only to the extent that these low prices reduced the 

 general average for the pool. Insurance against unavoid- 

 able risk is tQO well accepted a principle to need defence, 

 and we may proceed at once to the less obvious advantages 

 and some of the disadvantages of the pooling system. 



If each member contributed exactly his proportionate 

 quota every time the directors made a requisition for fruit, 

 that is, if every time the directors decided that it would be 

 advisable to ship a certain percentage of the fruit each 

 member should contribute that percentage of his crop, there 

 would be no particular objection to having but one pool 

 during the season. But for various reasons members do 

 not contribute equal percentages. For example, one mem- 



