FRUIT STORAGE 117 
it leaves the home town the grower seldom sees it again 
and must rely upon the word of the storage people as 
to its condition. Much dissatisfaction and complaint 
has been heaped upon the storage companies for taking 
undue liberties with the goods stored by producers. In 
such cases cooperative organizations, by being able to 
have an agent at the centers of consumption, can better 
protect the interests of the producers. 
In the third place, the storage of fruit often causes 
an extension of credit. This in itself is not a great 
disadvantage, yet ultimately it cannot but react against 
the producer. For example, the grower places a large 
quantity of fruit in storage; he then asks the storage 
company to advance a certain percent of the value. 
This the companies are usually willing to do, but in turn 
charge an interest for the money advanced. 
Cold storage companies are willing to advance about 
half the sum to which the prospective sales will amount, 
charging from 6 to 8% interest until such time as the 
sales can be made. This enables the producer to pay 
for his help in preparing the fruit for market, to carry 
on his own business interests and live until the fruit is 
sold. On the other hand, he is not only paying storage 
for the keeping of the fruit but is also paying interest 
on the advance of money which rightly belongs to him. 
While this is considered legitimate business it is al- 
ways to the disadvantage of the producer in favor of 
the storage company. Another disadvantage is that the 
storage companies are often asked to act as salesmen, 
and this results not infrequently in certain questionable 
speculations on the part of the storage houses. The 
manager of a storage house may receive a bid on a part 
