394 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



EXPERIMENTAL SHIPMENTS. 



Experimental shipments to the number of 1,825, aggregating a 

 weight of almost 39,000 pounds, were made by parcel post and by- 

 express over distances totaling 530,756 miles. The commodities 

 shipped include apples, peaches, pears, plums, berries, cherries, citrus 

 fruits, pineapples, maple sirup, cane sirup, honey, nuts, eggs, butter, 

 assorted vegetables, meat, and poultry. Some of the observations 

 made during these shipments resulted in the publication of Farmers 

 Bulletin 703, Suggestions for Parcel Post Marketing. 



The work done in experimental shipping of farm products indi- 

 cates that it is physically possible to ship almost any commodity by 

 parcel post when packed and handled according to postal regula- 

 tions, but emphasis can not be placed too strongly on the necessity for 

 the producers to grade and standardize their products and to use 

 suitable containers. The price which can be obtained by marketing 

 through other channels is a factor in determining the desirability 

 of this method of marketing. 



FIELD STUDIES. 



Field studies were made in Boston, Lynn, and Lawrence, Mass.; 

 Providence, R. I. ; Birmingham, Ala. ; New Orleans, La. ; Baltimore, 

 Md. ; Washington, D. C. ; and Chicago, 111., to ascertain the possi- 

 bilities of direct marketing from producer to consumer and to de- 

 termine the relative success of the farm-to-table campaign instituted 

 by the Post Office Department in cooperation with the postmasters 

 of these cities. 



A campaign to foster and promote direct marketing by parcel post 

 is now being conducted at Pittsburgh, Pa., in cooperation with the 

 post-office officials there. 



COTTON HANDLING AND MARKETING. 



COOPERATIVE HANDLING AND MARKETING OF COTTON. 



Studies regarding the cooperative handling of cotton and the ad- 

 vantage to the farmer of knowing the grade of his cotton before 

 sale have been continued in North Carolina and Arkansas. The 

 results of the study in North Carolina, which are applicable to many 

 other States in the South, have been prepared for publication. 



The cotton classified at Camden, Ark., in the course of these studies 

 was accepted as collateral on the basis of 6 per cent when the legal 

 rate is 10 per cent for the State. It is estimated that it was worth ap- 

 proximately 62 points, or $3.10 per bale, for the farmer to know the 

 classification of his cotton before sale. Similar work was done in 

 Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas. 



In cooperation with the Bureau of Plant Industry, further coop- 

 erative work has been conducted in the handling and marketing of 

 cotton in the Imperial Valley, Cal. Improved marketing conditions 

 have been developed, relative values of different staple lengths em- 

 phasized, and direct connections made with southern and New Eng- 

 land buyers and dealers. 



