202 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



Besides these public activities, the league publishes fre- 

 quent bulletins of information to keep its members fully 

 conversant with the latest improvements in citrus technique. 

 It also gathers statistics of the citrus industry in all parts 

 of the world, keeps a citrus reference library, and main- 

 tains a bureau of information available to any one inter- 

 ested in the citrus industry. To secure all of these benefits 

 that have been enumerated the members have had to pay 

 but sixty cents a car a year, or one and one-half mills a 

 box. Freight savings alone have amounted to 7.2 cents 

 a box for oranges and 12.6 cents for lemons.* 



Probably no one would contend that the achievements 

 mentioned could possibly have taken place without organiza- 

 tion. It is difficult to imagine, for example, how an indi- 

 vidual farmer would proceed toward securing reduced 

 freight rates or obtaining an agricultural college. On the 

 other hand, is a Dakota farmer likely to know the statistics 

 and conditions of wheat production in Russia? But the 

 citrus grower has definite information about conditions in 

 Italy and in all other countries where citrus fruits are pro- 

 duced. An unorganized industry makes haphazard prog- 

 ress, as some one happens to stumble upon an improvement 

 in methods. But the citrus industry through its complete 

 organization can command the expert services of Federal 

 and State officials to solve problems of whose existence the 

 ordinary grower is hardly aware. Organization is the clue 

 to the rapid changes that are constantly taking place in the 

 citrus industry as contrasted with the placid conservatism 

 of most agricultural enterprises. Ancestor worship and de- 

 votion to the archaic are not characteristics of real coopera- 

 tion. For united and aggressive attacks on common 

 problems are bound to yield definite results, and close asso- 



* Data taken from a statement of the Citrus Protective League, 

 dated May 21, 1914. 



