188 MODERN FRUIT MARKETING 
eral manager’s office. In the morning the manager will 
then have all the information from all the larger markets 
which his agents represent. He would know the general 
conditions of each market, about what fruit they could 
handle, what varieties are bringing the highest prices 
and the general tendency of the market for the next two 
or three days. He would also have at his finger tips 
the amount of fruit in the warehouses of the organiza- 
tion, how much would need to be sold at once, and how 
much could wait. From this information he draws his 
conclusions as to what markets are best suited to handle 
his shipments for the next two or three days. In this 
way it is almost impossible to force fruit upon an al- 
ready overcrowded market while another city is decidedly 
lacking in certain grades and kinds of fruits. 
The information from competing points is not so im- 
portant as the other but still is highly desirable. A 
number of the Western exchanges have men in other 
states who collect information regarding the crop. One 
California exchange has its agents in Florida watching 
the conditions of the Florida citrus crop. Also the 
Florida organizations have their agents in California. 
In this way the exchange keeps in touch with the busi- 
ness. One exchange has its agents in Europe, collecting 
* information, and constantly keeps the home office in 
touch with the fruit situation. This information is col- 
lected and forwarded by letter usually, or, if considered 
important, by wire. The agents report the condition of 
the crop, quantity and the quality of the fruit, daily 
shipments, where the fruit is sent and the prospects of 
the market for the shipments of fruit for the next two 
or three days or a week, 
