560 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



the consumer in an effort to locate the sources of waste, record the 

 unnecessary changes of ownership, and also to study the work of each 

 type of dealer and the cost and efficiency of his service. 



The Office has undertaken to render assistance both to individual 

 producers and shippers and to associations of producers or consumers 

 in difficulties relating to the transportation of farm products. As a 

 rule, this assistance has been along general educational lines. The 

 Office has not attempted to act specifically with carriers as agent for 

 any person or association. Many communications have been sent 

 in the effort to explain to shippers technical details concerning rail- 

 roads and their methods. The endeavor has been to put them in a 

 position to handle their business with common carriers in an intelligent 

 manner. For the most part it is believed that better service is ren- 

 dered the public by helping them to help themselves in such matters 

 than by taking charge of the whole affair for them. Cases may arise 

 however, in which it would be advisable for the Office to handle 

 directly with shippers and carriers all of the details of some trans- 

 action, and in such an event it will undertake to do so as a demonstra- 

 tion, especially when better results can be obtained and the educational 

 value of the service to shippers can thus be increased. 



Special investigations are also being undertaken concerning the 

 possibilities of marketing by parcel post and express, marketing live- 

 stock and meats, dairy products, and cotton and its products. In 

 connection with this last project, experiments are made to determine 

 the relative commercial value of pure-bred varieties of cotton and the 

 percentage of moisture in cotton at the gins, compresses, and other 

 concentration points. Primary market surveys are undertaken to 

 determine geographical production, the quality and variety of long- 

 staple cottons, and other matters. An effort is made to demonstrate 

 to cotton growers the advantages of organizing co-operative marketing 

 societies to handle cotton in even-running commercial quantities, and 

 to assist them hi forming these associations. Illustrations of results 

 already obtained in this work are afforded by organizations of cotton 

 planters which have been formed in Arkansas and Arizona. More 

 direct dealing between grower and manufacturer is promoted in order 

 to reduce to a minimum injurious and unnecessary handling of cotton. 

 Investigations are made of the present methods of handling, marketing, 

 and utilization, and studies are carried <?n regarding the establishment 

 of standard grades and the standardization of conditions under which 

 cotton seed and its products are handled and stored. In the cotton 



