UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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Washington, D. C. 



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January 16, 1923 



SALES METHODS AND POLICIES OF A GROWERS' 



NATIONAL MARKETING AGENCY. 



A Study of the Organization and Achievements of Twenty-six Years of Cooperative 

 Marketing by Part of the Cranberry Growers of the United States. 



By AsHER HoBSON, Specialist in Market Research, and J. Burton Chaney, one time 

 Research Agent in Marketing, Bureau of Markets. 



Columbia University in the City of New York and Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department 

 '^ of Agriculture cooperating. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction ■ 1 



The evolution of marketing methods: 



Early cooperative selling associations 5 



The rise of nationa 1 cooperation 7 



The American cranberry exchange 9 



Improvements resulting from cooperation: 



Grading 12 



Pooling 13 



Advertising 14 



Cooperation with the trade 19 



Coordinating demand with supply 20 



Impracticability of price control 22 



The expense of marketing cranberries: 



Local associations 27 



The central association 28 



Transportation 29 



Jobbers (wholesalers) 31 



Other wholesalers 31 



Retailmargtas and prices 32 



All marketing expenses 34 



INTRODUCTION. 



The cranberry has fared better in times of stress than other farm 

 products. For this reason the marketing methods of the cranberry 

 growers have been analyzed in detail in the hope that this analysis 

 may furnish suggestions that will be helpful in the marketing of other 

 farm products. Although this discussion deals specifically with the 

 marketing of cranberries by cooperative methods, it is not written 

 for the cranberry grower alone. It is addressed to all growers 

 interested in successful marketing methods. It deals with the 

 economic and not the legal aspects of the subject. 



The noteworthy achievements of the cranberry growers are the 

 outcome of evolutionary practices based upon 26 years of experience 

 in selling through growers' cooperative agencies. The results of 

 organized efforts in this industry are the more remarkable because of 



1936°— 23-BuU. 1109 1 



