TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



61 



POSSIBLE AND IMPOSSIBLE CO-OPERATION. 



By a. R. SPRAGUE, of Sacramexto. 



This day marks a critical period in the development of California. 

 Her progress must be slow unless conditions justif}' the expansion of 

 her orchard industries. No other form of development will so rapidly 

 draw hither those people of the East who form the most desirable 

 citizens. Xo other industry permits a subdivision of land which can 

 secure a dense rural population. Cattle ranges were cut up into vast 

 wheat farms, and these in turn must be cut up into small ranches fitted 

 for mixed husbandry, in which the culture of fruit should be an im- 

 portant part, but owing to the disorganized condition of the dried fruit 

 industry the limit of wise expansion in fruit planting is but just ahead. 

 I believe this is so evident to this Convention as to need no discussion. 

 If this is a fact, it is a most important fact to every citizen, whether 

 orchardist, manufacturer, banker, or merchant, and it should command 

 their most serious consideration. 



In this brief paper I must regard as fully established such proposi- 

 tions as have been steadily before the people for several years past and 

 have never been publicly controverted. Most prominent among these 

 is that co-operation among California fruit-growers is absolutely neces- 

 sary to the steady success of the industry. Such co-operation is, as yet, 

 very limited in its scope, and covers but a small part of the whole field. 



What, then, can be done to extend its influence ? is the all-absorbing 

 question which I shall seek to discuss. 



In my judgment the chief obstacle is the prejudice against every form 

 of co-operation, caused by the failure of the great California Cured Fruit 

 Association. This antagonism would be justified were that the only 

 method of co-operating that has been tested in California, but it is not. 



A form of organization is but a piece of machinery by which we 

 seek to accomplish a certain work. Most farmers have, at some time 

 in their experience, purchased a machine which would not work well. 

 Did they, therefore, forswear the use of any sort of machine designed 

 for such work? By no means; they were instructed by their mistaken 

 purchase and used greater care before again purchasing; they were 

 careful to find out if any other machine had been thoroughly successful 

 in performing similar work. Exactly such should be their attitude in 

 reference to co-operation. 



Examine with me the only two methods of co-operation that have 

 yet been extensively tested in California. The one method is that of 

 the Cured Fruit or Prune Association and also of the Raisin Associa- 

 tion. The fundamental principles of this form of organization are 

 two, viz: 



First, it is a great democracy; all growers in this great State who 



