MAEKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATION. 377 



interested were assisted at conferences held with railroad officials 

 and the South Carolina railroad commission in securing adjustments 

 of the intrastate grain rates and of the outbound interstate rates on 

 grain. Certain phases of the transportation of dairy products in 

 North Carolina have been investigated in conjunction with the 

 project Marketing Dairy Products. 



STORAGE. 



The question of storage has been dealt with incidentally in con- 

 nection with transportation problems and a detailed study has been 

 made, under the direction of Mr. C. W. Moomaw, of the storage of 

 apples. 



This work began in July, 1914, with a study of connnercial crop 

 and market prospects. Reports were secured from a large number 

 of organizations throughout the country, and on the eve of the crop 

 movement information and definite suggestions were published 

 through the Office of Information and the Agricultural Outlook, 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. 620, page 16, Marketing the Apple Crop. 



Early in the winter of 1914-15 inquiries were addressed to hor- 

 ticultural societies and others in the apple trade and to all cold- 

 storage firms whose addresses could be secured to determine which 

 of these storages were engaged in the storage of apples. As soon as 

 this list was compiled their cooperation was requested in an effort to 

 make public through monthly reports transmitted to this office the 

 movement into consumption of apples held by these firms. 



Each of the reporting cold storage companies made a statement 

 as of December 1 of the number of barrels and number of boxes of 

 apples then held, and on the first of each month thereafter a state- 

 ment was given of the number of barrels and the number of boxes of 

 apples remaining on hand, the number which had been withdrawn 

 during the preceding month, and the corresponding figures for the 

 year 1912, when the country as a whole had a commercial apple crop 

 comparable with that of 1914. 



These reports made it possible to issue percentage figures show- 

 ing the rate at which the apples in cold storage were being con- 

 sumed, and the public was thus advised throughout the season of 

 the proportion of the crop originally placed in storage which still 

 remained to be consumed. These figures were made public through 

 the Office of Information, through the Agricultural Outlook, and 

 were sent by mail to all of the cold storages holding apples, to se- 

 lected lists of growers and dealers, and to any others upon request. 

 The work was regarded with some indifference by commercial inter- 

 ests whose own sources of information were well organized, but 

 was greeted with satisfaction by a large number of persons interested 

 in the industry, and the demand for the information increased 

 steadily while the work was in progress from January until June, 

 1915. The total number of cold storages which furnished informa- 

 tion during this investigation was 444. 



During the fall and early winter an investigation of special phases 

 of apple marketing was conducted in the producing districts of New 

 York and in the markets of New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, 

 Louisville, Kansas City, St. Paul, Detroit, and Cincinnati. The 



