76 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



what they brought, but we have not had time to figure to get 

 the average net price per basket. It will probably be between 

 nine and twelve cents a quart, against former years right round 

 fourteen to fifteen. This has been a very hard year in Maine. 

 The rainy season was on right at the picking time and berries 

 would not stand up to ship, as they have in previous years, or 

 as they normally do, consequently, did not bring the price in the 

 markets that they otherwise would have. I think one of our 

 largest growers in the state shipped half a car from our county, 

 into perhaps this market here, and they were moldy when they 

 arrived. You could not ship them any distance this year and 

 have them reach the market looking fresh. 



Mr. : We have had the same experience with 



mold. We shipped some to Jackson, N. H. When they arrived 

 there they said they were quite moldy. But we shipped some to 

 Fryeburg and they arrived in good shape and it was not so far 

 to go. We sold them by the crate — 12^ cents a quart box. 



Mr. Conant: It certainly was a hard year to handle red 

 raspberries, because it rained nearly every day through the 

 picking season and the berries were water-logged and soft and 

 would not keep any length of time. 



COOPERATIVE MARKETING OF FARM PRODUCTS. 



C. E. Bassett, Of^ce of Markets, United States Department of 



Agriculture. 



Farming is something more than the mere producing of agri- 

 cultural products, and to be successful, requires as much capacity 

 and as much judgment as any commercial or industrial pursuit. 

 Therefore, it should be not only an occupation but a business. 



Heretofore, the farmer has almost entirely disregarded those 

 things relating to the business end of his work, depending to a 

 great extent upon his banker and the wholesale nandlers of 

 farm products. Numerous agencies have done excellent work 

 in placing farming upon a scientific basis, especially that which 

 has been accomplished by the state agricultural colleges and 

 experiment stations and the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture toward increasing the production of agricultural pro- 

 ducts and making farm life better. However, we have now 



