158 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



Fourth, the product is improved by reducing the time 

 element in connection with citrus shipments to systematic 

 precision instead of leaving it to chance. By having a 

 comprehensive market information mechanism at their 

 disposal managers of packing houses can time their 

 picking according to the needs of the market, and when 

 a demand is foreseen picking, packing and trans- 

 portation are timed so as to lay the fruit down at the right 

 instant. Formerly oranges were picked and when it be- 

 came convenient to the grower were hauled. Then the 

 house often packed them at leisure and either allowed them 

 to lie around or forwarded them and allowed the cars to 

 stand on track several days in some Eastern market. In 

 due time the cars of imattractive fruit were sold to dis- 

 satisfied buyers. Now picking and hauling are s)nichronous, 

 packing is done with despatch, expedited service is de- 

 manded of the carriers and the trade is furnished with 

 fresh, reliable goods. So long as distribution was indi- 

 vidual it had to be fortuitous; now the time element in 

 marketing takes a coordinate place with growing and pack- 

 ing toward supplying the market with a fresh, sound, de- 

 sirable product. 



Fifth, cooperation can control the problem of frozen and 

 immature fruit shipments where the individual is helpless. 

 Mr. Powell well states the case : 



Unregulated competition between shippers has tmfortu- 

 nately defeated every effort to control food questions of 

 this nature, because the average grower and shipper will 

 violate the fundamental principles of sound business in 

 order to compete with his neighbor whenever he thinks he 

 will receive a higher temporary return, no matter what the 

 effect may be on the future of his own prices or on the in- 

 dustry as a whole.' 



* California Fruit Growers Exchange : Annual Report of the Gen- 

 eral Manager, 1913-14. 



