332 The Commercial Apple Industry 



and in effecting successful distribution the association may 

 employ the pooling system very satisfactorily in securing 

 an average high price for its fruit. 

 1 The central packing-house which is playing so import- 

 ant a part in the cooperative handling and pooling of fruit 

 has been given separate treatment in Chapter XIV. 



Purchase of supplies. , 



A most direct benefit to be derived from cooperative 

 organizations, and one which appeals very strongly to 

 growers, is the purchase of necessary supplies in large 

 quantities at low prices. This factor very often proves 

 the tie that holds the membership together in the face of 

 adversity, since it offers a concrete example of the advant- 

 age of dealing in quantities. Spray materials, boxes or 

 barrels, and all supplies necessary in the production and 

 marketing of apples, can very often be purchased in quan- 

 tity by the association at a great saving to its members. 

 In many instances these materials are advanced to the 

 grower in the form of credit, his crop having previously 

 been signed up with the association as security for such 

 advances. A double saving may result from the ability 

 of the association to buy materials on a cash basis and 

 extend credit to its members, by using their combined 

 security as a basis for lower interest rates on borrowed 

 capital than the individual might be obliged to pay. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Better distribution is the keynote in all successful mar- 

 keting efforts. The methods by which the grower gets 

 his fruit into commercial channels have already been dis- 

 cussed. In studying the machinery of distribution, there 



