8 
The Colorado Experiment Station. 
to help himself, so must take what he can get. But of late years, 
the plan of selling F. O. B. is being practiced more and more, and 
this is largely due to the organized efforts of the associations. Con¬ 
signments are only made to well known firms, and much of this 
fruit is sold at auction. 
But even with this arrangement difiiculties arise, so in order to 
protect themselves, the larger associations have an agent at the 
more important distributing points. It is the duty of the agent, 
or broker, to inspect all cars which come into his territory, as near 
the destination as possible, and thus protect the association from dis¬ 
honest buyers. He also is on hand to adjust the differences which 
arise when the fruit actually reaches the buyer in poor condition. 
Express shipments are only made to comparatively near-by 
points, and with such shipments, the growers receive exactly what 
the fruit brings less the expressage and the association’s commission. 
It is usually the early fruits that are expressed, but prohibitive 
rates prevent any very large amount of business being done in 
this way. 
An association, well managed, is always a benefit to the entire 
community, in that it builds up a reputation for the fruit, and holds 
up prices, inasmuch as there is not that tendency, even among non¬ 
members, to bid one against another in marketing. This is well 
illustrated in the case of a prominent fruit grower who is a mem¬ 
ber of one of our successful associations. Because of superior 
ability as an orchardist and having a large orchard of choice varie¬ 
ties, he could easily get a price somewhat in excess of that which 
he receives through the association. But he realizes that it is the 
association which has built up and sustains the reputation of the 
locality, and should it fail, the chances are that local competition 
would again lower prices. 
In addition to this, it may be said that the managers are con¬ 
stantly insisting on the necessity of growing better fruit, and so have 
been instrumental in introducing new and improved methods of cul¬ 
ture and, in many instances, have been advance agents for the Experi¬ 
ment Station, and in this capacity have made our work pleasant, 
as well as acceptable, to the fruit growers. 
The Northern District —^By the Northern District is under¬ 
stood the territory which is adjacent to Denver and the country 
north along the foothills to Fort Collins. Associations are operat¬ 
ing in most of these towns, but as small fruits are the principal 
crops handled, express shipments are the rule. The managers find 
that, usually, it does not pay to make F. O. B. sales of small fruits 
to the retail dealers, for the reason that such stores change hands 
frequently, consequently many bad debts result. This is the prin- 
