MARKETS AND EUEAL OEGANIZATION. 389 



Other work prosecuted in connection with the market surveys has 

 been of use in the publication of apple-storage reports described 

 elsewhere. 



THE DEMONSTRATION MARKET NEWS SERVICE. 



The experimental market news service, which was inaugurated in 

 a small way during the spring of 1915, has been gradually expanded 

 to include several new crops, an additional number of stations in 

 producing territory, and an increased number of permanent city 

 offices. It is conducted under the supervision of Mr. Wells A. 

 Sherman. 



Twenty-six temporary field stations have been established in 

 producing territory for the purpose of furnishing the latest market 

 news to the growers of strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, cantaloupes, 

 watermelons, early potatoes, and onions. Permanent city branch 

 offices have- been located in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, 

 Pittsburgh, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. 

 Temporary arrangements were made to receive market reports from 

 Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati. Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, 

 Des Moines, and Omaha. The field of action covered more than 

 half the States and reports were issued on radically different types 

 of commodities, ranging from the highly perishable strawberry 

 crop to the semistaple onion and potato crops. 



Daily reports on the crops were issued from 10 city offices, which 

 have mailing lists ranging from 100 to 500, and from 22 temporary 

 field offices which have mailing lists ranging from 50 to over 1,500. 

 By far the greater number of reports have been sent out from field 

 offices in producing territory, since it has been found that the best 

 results can be obtained from work done by representatives of this 

 office in producing areas who are able not only to distribute reports 

 but to interpret them and bring the information closer to the ship- 

 ping public. 



The market news service apparently has had as satisfactory results 

 as last year. Among the ways in which the market news service has 

 been most valuable is in assisting growers' organizations to plan 

 selling campaigns intelligently, in promoting better understanding 

 between growers, shippers, commission merchants, and consumers, 

 and in enabling growers to have an accurate check on daily f. o. b. 

 prices. 



MARKET GRADES AND STANDARDS. 



Work on market grades and standards, which is conducted under 

 the direction of Mr. C. T. More and Mr. W. M. Scott, has been di- 

 rected chiefly toward improvement in methods of handling perish- 

 able products from the field to the market and toward standardiza- 

 tion of grades and packages for such products. A study of the con- 

 ditions in the field and of the requirements of the markets has enabled 

 the Office of Markets and Rural Organization to render assistance to 

 State and national organizations in drafting standardization laws 

 and rules and regulations concerning the grading, packing, and 

 marketing of perishable products. 



HANDLING, GRADING, AND PACKING INVESTIGATIONS. 



Extensive and thorough investigations have been made concerning 

 the methods of harvesting, handling, grading, packing, inspecting, 



