I04 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



pool. But during the rush season of March and April when 

 shipments are very heavy and the market is likely to show 

 wide fluctuations the time of the pool may be shortened. 

 Besides, there are general pools, open pools and voluntary 

 pools. The open pool is most frequently used in connection 

 with odd varieties where but few boxes are shipped during 

 the entire season. In this case all the returns for the season 

 are divided by the total number of pounds sold to find the 

 rate at which members shall be paid. The time of the sale, 

 therefore, is immaterial. Grapefruit, seedlings, Mediter- 

 ranean sweets and St. Michaels are often handled in this 

 manner. The open pool means that the directors merely 

 specify dates between which growers may deliver as much 

 or as little as they see fit. This arrangement is often used 

 at the opening and close of the fruit season when shipments 

 will perforce be very light. Voluntary pools are little dif- 

 ferent. To them a member contributes or not as he pleases, 

 but he must not exceed a certain percentage of his estimate. 

 This is a favorite device for a holiday pool. 



A pool, then, as the term is used in the citrus industry, 

 signifies the quantity of fruit that is delivered to an associa- 

 tion by all members between two specified dates. The fruit 

 does not retain any definite, connection with its grower but 

 is commingled with all deliveries and is sold not in the name 

 of the owner but in the name of the association. Hence the 

 owner does not know what price was paid for his particular 

 product and his dividends depend on the relation that the 

 number of pounds of his contribution to the pool bears to 

 the total number of pounds included in that pool. In other 

 words, total proceeds for the fruit delivered to a pool are 

 divided by the total number of pounds to find the rate a 

 pound which the fruit brought; then each grower's share 

 is computed by multiplying the number of pounds he fur- 

 nished by this rate a potmd. 



