EXTENSION DIVISION. 195 



proximately 403 buyers, located in all the states of the Union east of 

 the Mississippi except the state of Mississippi, and to several states west 

 of the Mississippi. It is a noticeable fact that very few potatoes of the 

 Michigan Potato Growers' Exchange were sold to the city of Detroit. There 

 was also a noticeable absence of piling-up of potatoes in certain preferred 

 markets. One of the most valuable results obtained by the efforts 

 of the Potato Exchange was the work done in the standardization 

 of the product. It was found that a large number of varieties were being 

 grown in the section, and a still further number of mixed varieties. Con- 

 sistent effort was made throughout the year to reduce the varieties grown, 

 as far as possible, to the variety known as the Russet Rural, and which has 

 been named by the Potato Exchange, the Petoskey Golden Russet, and 

 it is hoped to eliminate practically all the varieties except this and certain 

 types of round white potatoes which are suitable for the heavy soils. 



Not only the elimination of a lot of undesirable varieties, but also the 

 improvement of the varieties recognized, was made a permanent policy 

 of the organization. This improvement of the varieties was carried on 

 under the direction of Mr. C. W. Waid, Potato Specialist of the Michigan 

 Agricultural College, and it is hoped that this work will be continued 

 through the coming season. 



Demonstrations were also held throughout the territory of the Ex- 

 change by Bureau of Markets inspectors and county agents, to explain 

 the grades and to show farmers the great economic loss occasioned by the 

 lack of proper grading. The results of the efforts of organization along 

 the lines of standardization may be best shown by the fact that out of 

 the 403 customers who bought the Exchange products, all but three have 

 written commendatory letters on the quality of the output is recognized 

 to be of the very greatest importance, and the organization cannot hope 

 to attain any marked success unless its output is of distinctly meritorious 

 quality. 



Another result of the operations of the Exchange was a general re- 

 duction in the handling cost of potato marketing. The fact that there were 

 practically no cooperative marketing associations in the state during the 

 season of 1918 and that the cooperative organizations operated for the 

 first time on a large scale in the season of 1918-1919, makes it possible to 

 show the results of the organization movement, especially since the United 

 States Bureau of Markets reports were available for at least part of the 

 season of 1917-1918 and the season of 1918-1919. It is regrettable that 

 the reports for 1917-1918 do not cover the whole season, as regards the 

 prices paid the farmers, but these reports do cover the most of April and 

 May in 1918 which are sufficient., we believe, to warrant their being taken 

 as typical for that season, and it can be easily demonstrated that the re- 

 ports for April and May of 1919 are typical for the whole season of 1918- 

 1919. According to these reports, the average difference between the 

 price paid to the farmer and the price received by dealers and organiza- 

 tions from the Uth of April to the 24th of May in the year 1918 was 

 $.4871 per hundredweight. The average difference between the price 

 paid to the farmer and the price received by dealers as shown by the 

 government reports for the period between April 11 and May 24 of the 

 year 1919 was -1.2724 per cwt., making a total reduction in the cost of 

 assembling and sale of potatoes of $.2147 per cwt. 



According to the reports of the Bureau of Markets, the State of Michigan 

 has shipped to date something over 11,000 cars, the average weight of 



