TRANSPORTATION AND MARKETING 273 



report, fifteen cooperative fruit-growers associations 

 holding membership in the Michigan Fruit Packers 

 Federation. 



On November 1, 1917, the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture had listed twenty-five coopera- 

 tive fruit and produce marketing and six cooperative 

 celery shipping associations in Michigan. All were 

 in the southern peninsula and in the vicinity of the 

 Lake Michigan fruit district. December 24, 1920, 

 the Michigan State Farm Bureau estimated that there 

 were three hundred cooperative elevator associations 

 in the State. 



The production of milk in Michigan is an increas- 

 ingly important aspect of rural economy. In 1889, 

 22-4,537,-1:88 gallons of milk were produced, and ten 

 years later the output was 309,617,046 gallons, while 

 in 1909 it was 283,387,201 gallons. The recent 

 census of 1919 showed the product to be 337,954,884 

 gallons. The growth of urban centers has afforded 

 an increasing market for the milk supply of the 

 State. The associated milk producers of Macomb 

 County are reported to furnish approximately 

 70,000,000 pounds of milk to the Detroit market. 

 It is affiliated with a much larger organization styled 

 the IMichigan Milk Producers Association, of some 

 10,000 members, which sells milk on a contractual 

 basis, the Detroit price being established by a milk 

 commission representing the interests of producers, 

 dealers and consumers. The milk producer who be- 

 comes a member of this association agrees to "con- 

 stitute and appoint the Michigan Milk Producers 



