COOPERATIVE CITRUS-FRUIT MARKETING AGENCIES. 
O 
California Fruit Growers Exchange. These companies are organized 
for the purpose of manufacturing various products from oranges and 
lemons, which are not of sufficiently high quality to be shipped as 
fresh fruit. 
The number of cars and the total value of California citrus ship- 
ments from 1910 to 1922 are shown in Figure 1. At the present time 
approximately 75 per cent of the citrus fruit shipped from California 
is sold through the California Fruit Growers Exchange. Shipments of 
the exchange during the 12-month period ended October 31, 1923, 
exceeded 45,000 cars, and. returns to the associations affiliated with it 
exceeded $55,000,000. Purchases of the Fruit Growers Supply Co. 
exceed $10,000,000 annually and the by-products companies con- 
verted 10,000 tons of lemons and 15,000 tons of oranges mto various 
by-products during the year ended October 31, 1922. 
VALUE 
THOUSANDS 
OF CARS 
1910 1911 1912 1913 \9\k 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 
■i Selling Price V//A Shipments 
Fig 1.— Carloads and total shipping-point value of California citrus shipments, 1910-1922 
HARVESTING OPERATIONS AND EXPENSE. 
The fruit owned by the members of an association is picked by a 
crew employed by the association, and under the direction of a fore- 
man or field manager who is responsible directly to the manager of 
the association. (See fig. 2.) 
The harvesting problem is two-sided: (1) The fruit must be 
handled carefully at all times; and (2) each picker must pick a sufficient 
quantity to keep labor costs within reasonable limits. A desirable 
relation between the quality and quantity of work performed by a 
picking crew is secured through efficient supervision, and by a 
system of wage payment that encourages both rapid and careful 
work. Several associations now employ a quantity-quality bonus 
system of paying pickers. 
Inspection of the work of each picker is made at least once a day. 
Frequently a picking inspector is employed who checks the work of 
all crews employed by the association and visits each crew two or three 
times each day Other associations have the inspections made by 
