318 The Commercial Apple Industry 



the inherent individualism of farmers as a class to be con- 

 sidered and also their strong inclination toward inde- 

 pendent operation of their own business affairs. 



There can be little argument advanced against coopera- 

 tion among fruit-growers, the question being as to just 

 how fafr this cooperation will extend and what form it 

 will assume. The following are some of the necessary 

 elements for successful cooperative marketing : 



(1) There must be a community spirit in the region 

 which will prompt growers tQ act cooperatively. 



(2) There must be more or less compactness and con- 

 centration of planting. Growers operating scattering 

 orchards at a considerable distance from one another can 

 seldom be brought together under a cooperative plan. 

 There must be a sufficient quantity of fruit produced 

 within a more or less limited region in order that the crop 

 may be handled economically under cooperation. Many 

 cooperative organizations have failed on account of excess- 

 ive overhead expense. 



(3) A desirable membership must be secured. One 

 danger with newly organized associations is that in their 

 eagerness for new members they are likely to acquire a 

 quantity of undesirable fruit which must be handled by the 

 association. Rather than lose members and political 

 prestige, the management very often fails to enforce grad- 

 ing rules and thereby permits the low-grade fruit to deter- 

 mine the selling price. 



In trying to bring too many growers under one associa- 

 tion, the organizers lose sight of the fact that only a small 

 percentage of the apple crop of the United States is pro- 

 duced in any one state or region. The advantage of 

 controlling a large percentage of the tonnage in any one 



