306 RURAL NEW YORK 



approximate quantities shipped during the season, 

 together with a record of the places where shipments 

 are made and the dates of shipping. 



The last-named service has heen undertaken for 

 the consumer, as well as for the farmer, and should 

 react favorahly in preventing the abnormally high 

 price periods that result from congestion and waste 

 in the large shipping centers. The Bureau protects 

 also the consumer by carrying out those provisions of 

 the law demanding the inspection of licensed cold 

 storage warehouses. Such plants are inspected at 

 intervals of not less than two weeks and the handling 

 of cold storage food by retail stores is inspected in 

 so far as facilities permit. The Bureau gives advice 

 to cities in the establishment of farmers' markets 

 and assistance wherever investigation indicates that 

 such a market can be operated successfully in the 

 community. 



The functions of the Bureau of Cooperative Asso- 

 ciations are to assist communities in determining the 

 advisability of organizing cooperative associations in 

 their localities, to aid, where coojjerative effort seems 

 warranted, in organizing associations under Article 

 13 A of the Agricultural Law, with suitable articles 

 of incorporation, by-laws and management, and to 

 assist organizations once formed in installing simple 

 but adequate systems of bookkeeping and accounting 

 and to check up their annual reports and be certain 

 they are proceeding along lines of sound and approved 

 practice. The following are among the types of pro- 

 ducers' organizations that have already been incor- 



