no COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



only, let us say that an association through its board of 

 directors and manager declares a March pool and decides 

 it is for the best interests of all concerned to move 20 per 

 cent, of the crop during that month. The manager an- 

 nounces by telephone to the member that the picking crew 

 will arrive at his ranch at such and such a time to pick 20 

 per cent, of his estimated crop, and that certain varieties 

 and certain sizes are wanted. It is then incumbent upon 

 the grower to procure from the packing house field boxes 

 and ladders enough to keep the gang amply supplied and 

 to distribute them in those parts of his grove from which 

 he desires the fruit to be taken. He also is responsible for 

 hauling the gathered fruit to the packing house. Then the 

 crew, often Japanese, under the direction of its foreman 

 comes and begins work. Each picker has his own number, 

 which he must place on each box he fills, so that responsi- 

 bility for careless work can be readily placed. And to en- 

 courage the pickers to put quality first, they are often paid 

 by the day rather than by the box. Perhaps four cents 

 would be a fair average of the cost of picking a box when 

 done in this manner. After the same fashion the gang 

 moves through the district picking for each member in 

 turn. Of course, some large houses operate several gangs, 

 and these would not be likely to work on the same ranch 

 at the same time, as the owner woujd have difficulty in 

 hauling the fruit as rapidly as picked. 



With delivery at the packing house the last vestige of 

 control of the fruit by its owner ends. After passing 

 through the washer or brusher, the fruit is carried on belts 

 before graders who inspect each separate orange and decide 

 by color, texture, form and weight into what class it shall 

 go. Passing on, the fruit is automatically weighed and 

 recorded, each grower being credited with a certain number 

 of pounds of each grade. After his fruit passes the scales 



