38 



ANNUAL REPORT 1920 AND 1921 



The proposition to turn all fruits over to a single large retail house in sev- 

 eral cities was found to be impracticable as the retailers declared they had no 

 means of disposing of large supplies of surplus fruit. The suggestion that all 

 fruit be consigned to a single wholesale house in different centers was canvassed 

 by correspondence and personal interview. The largest of the Los Angeles 

 firms prefers to buy the fruit outright, at the market price, but would handle 

 large consignments on a commission of 25%, while a San Francisco house, which 

 makes a specialty of avocados, would take all shipped to them on a commission 

 of 10%. The independent fruit companies prefer to receive the fruit on con- 

 signment. 



Unless some workable marketing plan is mapped out at this meeting, I 

 would suggest that an all-day conference of growers be called for an interchange 

 of ideas for it will soon be imperative for the growers as a matter of self- 

 interest to take up some definite action. It may take a large crop with low 

 prices to awaken us to the necessity of co-operation, but with the experience 

 of the citrus and walnut men before us, such a severe lesson ought not to be nec- 

 essary. The first requirement is to instill in our membership the will to co- 

 operate and the oftener we can get together by ourselves as growers to exchange 

 ideas the stronger will grow the will to co-operate and out of it will undoubtedly 

 spring the foundation of a co-operative association for the distribution of the 

 avocado crop. This is the solution of the marketing problem which other groups 

 of producers in California have adopted. When our members decide to form 

 a co-operative association for the conduct of their business, it will become neces- 

 sary to confine the membership exclusively to producers who actually use its facil- 

 ities, and a competent manager will be absolutely essential to success. The 

 fundamental principles of co-operation are so admirably expounded by Mr. G. 

 Harold Powell in Circular No. 222, University of California, College of Agri- 

 culture, that I heartily advise our growers to secure and study the pamphlet. 



Advertising. The most conspicuous bit of advertising during the 

 year was the issuemce of the Recipe Booklet. This neatly-bound and carefully 

 arranged list of recipes, showing how the avocado may be prepared and served 

 from cocktail to ice cream, deserves wide circulation. The booklet will have 

 its influence in popularizing the fruit and in educating the public taste. Wisdom 

 was shown in omission as well as in contents. No recipes of cooked avocado are 

 included, the soft pedal is used in oily dressings and emphasis is placed upon the 

 fruit as the most complete and nourishing food product of the vegetable kingdom. 



Circular No. 2 was issued containing the revised list of recommended 

 varieties with brief descriptions. "From Seedtime to Harvest," by T. U. 

 Barber, was not reprinted because the author decided that it should be rewritten 

 in order to bring the cultural information down to date, and he preferred that 

 someone in closer touch with growing operations should do this. There is need 

 for such a primer and we pass the suggestion on to the next administration, 

 together with a few other items of unfinished business on the year's program. 



While speaking of advertising I desire to mention the interest displayed by 

 Mr. E. C. Dutton of Anaheim. Mr. Dutton believes that publicity for his 

 product is what the avocado grower needs and that we should be eternally 

 vigilant to secure it at every possible opportunity. He noted that the editors 

 of The Encyclopedia Brittanica are preparing supplementary volumes for the 

 purpose of bringing the work down to date, and that at present the avocado is 

 disposed of in some five lines, most of that small space being consumed in the 



