2 * *
Fruit Gr' word Exchange, which
markets for the citrus growers- of
California, oranges, lemons, and
grapefruit under the trade name
of Sunk!si. This organization
is a farmers’ cooperative pur
chasing and marketing organizatioi
doing a volume of business of
more than $100,000,000. a year .
Sunkist -oranges, lemons, and grape
fruit are known the world over fa’
their .qualify- and true representa
tion of grade. Buyers purchase
on the bais of grade, knowing
that the goods Will arrive as
designated by the grades ordered.
The same thin0 can be said of
Liamond walnuts, Sun-Sweet prunes
and apricots, Land O'Lakes butter,
and Sun-Maid raisins, all of which
are marketed by well-established
farmers' cooperative purchasing
and marketing organizations.
Back of all orders placed is a
guarntee of quality repr esentative
of the grade indicated or money ,
refunded. A si ert time age a
private dried-fruit packing con
cern approached a large farmers'
cooperative, whose output is nat
ionally and internationally known,
offering the cooperative .f 5,000,000
for the privilege of packing and
selling' under the well knevm
trade-mark of the farmers’ cooper
ative.
These are examples of accomplish
ments resulting .fr m building on
the foundation of quality and
true representation.
The wholesal rs, retailers, and
consumers knbw precisely what they
are buying when the product is
label- d under any of these trade
name s.
In our own ease in North Carolina
the reputation of PCX—Farmers’
Cooperative Exchange -- is being
built on the foundation of quality
goods handled and true grade re
presentation. In the beginning
at least it is likely that PCX
will bo more significant in the
purchasing of production goods for
farmers than it will he in the
marketing of farm products. In
the handling of such items as
feed and fertilizers open formulas
are used by PCX so that the pur
•
chasers know not only the sou: .
from which the fertilizer or
feeds arc derived hut alsc tha
amount;In pounds of; each ingred
ient that cjoos to 'make-up a tor.
of fertilizer or a bag of feed..
It is possible to manufacture a
food or fertilizer of as high
quality-with a closed formula
as \.i th an open one-. However,
in a closed formula it is poss
ible for t he manufacturer to
decrease the amount of higher
priced ingredients and increase
the amount of lower-priced in
gredients in order to place on
the market a lower-priced c. n
modity of inferior worth, but
showing the same total chemical
analysis as that of t he highor
priccd.and superior commodity.
Any such shift in an open-formula
commcditu is immediately indicat
ed on the tag. The ch.oe.pcst feed
fertilizer, or seed is ordinarily
the highest-priced when measured
in terms of final rcculfcs. Vtfhcn
selling a brand of'fertilizer
or feed with a closed formula
the appeal is made to the pros
pect on the basis of the par
ticular brand without conveying
to him any knowledge as to the
amounts of the various ingred
ients that make up the product.
Open formulas tffor the purchaser
the opportunity to specifically
know just what he is buying.
FCX, in its stocking of fertil
izers, seeds, and fc eds, is very
largely guided by the recommen
dations of the State College of
Agriculture and Experiment
Station. If better and mere
economical fertilizers, feeds or
seeds can bo developed, the
College of Agriculture and the
Experiment Station should bo the
agencies leading in this devel
opment. _
Another factor contributing to
an effective farmers' cooperative
is an enlightened membership.
"/There there is lack of informa
tion and understanding there is
a receptive and fertile .field
for suspicion, doujbt, end prop
aganda. > v r '