BUREAU OF MARKETS. 473 



COOPERATION WITH STATES IN MARKETING WORK. 



During the fiscal year 1918 work in marketing and rural organiza- 

 tion was conducted in cooperation with 27 of the 48 States. Work 

 in each State was under the immediate direction of a field agent in 

 marketing, stationed in the State, his function being to assist in 

 coordinating its marketing and rural-organization activities. Mr. J. 

 C. Skinner represents the Bureau of Markets in the administrative 

 supervision of this work. 



In the States in which agents were stationed, careful study was made 

 of local marketing problems, existing marketing machinery, trans- 

 portation facilities, and marketing outlets. Assistance was given in 

 cooperative organization work and in the marketing of various com- 

 modities, and extension work was done to bring to producers and 

 others the results of work of the Bureau of Markets and the State 

 agencies cooperating. Heavy demands were made upon the time of 

 the field agents in marketing by officials of the Food Administration 

 and the State Councils of Defense. They were called upon by these 

 authorities to render much assistance and service, and in many in- 

 stances devised and put into operation plans that resulted in the more 

 prompt, economical, and profitable movement of important crops 

 under emergency conditions. In several instances their work re- 

 sulted in relieving grave situations and enabled food crops to be 

 handled so as to prevent serious loss. 



The States in which cooperative work was conducted were: Arizona, 

 Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, 

 Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, 

 Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, 

 Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, 

 and Washington. 



SERVICE WORK. 



MARKET NEWS SERVICES 



The market news services of this bureau perform a highly useful, 

 if not indispensable, fimction in assisting in the marketing of the 

 various products regarding which reports are issued. The news 

 service on fruits and vegetables has been greatty expanded with 

 emergency funds. This is also true of the market news service on 

 live stock and meats. The services on dairy and poultry products, 

 grain, hay, and milled feeds, and seed are entirely supported by 

 emergency funds since they were instituted as emergency measures. 

 Producers, distributors, and others have come to depend almost en- 

 tirely upon these services for their market information, and this work 

 has caused the disuse of many commercial price-quoting agencies not 

 able to furnish information so reliable, accurate, prompt, and com- 

 prehensive. The daily telegraphic reports issued in connection with 

 the bureau's news services are transmitted largely over its leased 

 wires, which extend approximately 15,000 miles. 



MARKET NEWS SERVICE ON FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



This work, which is under the direction of Mr. W. A. Sherman, 

 has been greatly expanded since war with Germany was declared. 

 Reports have been issued in season covering approximately 32 com- 

 modities. These reports give information regarding daily car-lot 



97335'— AGR 1918 31 



