MARKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATION. 399 



formation thus gained will be of special value in connection with the 

 new project, market reports on live stock and meats. 



STUDY OF STATE LIVE-STOCK MARKETING PROBLEMS AND CONDITIONS. 



The entire time of the field assistant of the office who is stationed 

 in Louisiana has been devoted to problems pertaining to the market- 

 ing of live stock and meats. A comprehensive survey of the live-stock 

 marketing facilities and conditions of the State has been made; 52 

 parishes have been visited, and personal assistance in marketing live 

 stock, wool, meats, and other products rendered to a large number 

 of farmers; many talks on various phases of live-stock and meat 

 marketing have been delivered in different parts of the State. One 

 cooperative shipping association has been organized and preliminary 

 arrangements for such organizations have been made in four other 

 parishes. The owners of two ice plants have purchased dressed hogs 

 from farmers, cured the meat at their plants, and disposed of the 

 cured products locally, and four other plants have been induced to 

 carry on the work during the next winter. Investigations have been 

 conducted relative to the meat supply of various cities, the distribu- 

 tion of meats, and the establishment of proposed public abbatoirs. 

 Important conferences pertaining to the reorganization of the cen- 

 tralized live stock market and slaughtering facilities at New Orleans 

 were participated in by invitation of officials of the New Orleans 

 Chamber of Commerce. 



The agent representing the Office of Markets and Eural Organiza- 

 tion in Arkansas has devoted special attention to the purchase and 

 handling of dressed hogs at local ice plants. Approximately 50 

 plants have been visited for the purpose of explaining the advantages 

 of purchasing dressed hogs from farmers and giving instructions on 

 the curing and marketing of pork products. As a result of this work 

 eight ice plants in the State purchased 3,258 hogs from farmers 

 during the past winter; at three other plants 310 hogs were chilled 

 for farmers; three plants advertised for dressed hogs, but received 

 none, and three others have improved their storage facilities so as to 

 engage in this business next fall. As a further result of this work 

 in Arkansas, three plants in Mississippi have engaged in the business 

 during the past winter and purchased and cured 730 hogs. The 

 project also has been extended to include retail meat markets, three of 

 which have installed cold-storage facilities to handle hogs, and others 

 have signified their intention of doing so during the coming season. 



Intensive work has also been performed by field men stationed in 

 Tennessee and Vermont. Special attention has been given to the 

 marketing of farm-prepared meats and to the question of marketing 

 live stock locally, and much information of value has been secured. 



Reports on live-stock marketing conditions and problems in Colo- 

 rado and Wyoming were prepared from data obtained in investiga- 

 tions conducted during the latter part of the fiscal year 1915, and 

 were submitted to the governor of the State in each instance. 



MARKETING OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



The investigations in the marketing of dairy products have in- 

 cluded butter, cheese, and milk. Special attention has been given to 



