2 BULLETIN 547, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



English workers, formed similar associations. A number of organi- 

 zations were formed, but before any extensive efforts of this kind 

 could be earned out the plans for organization were disrupted by 

 the Civil War. 



TREND. 



After the close of the Civil War there began a general movement 

 of population toward the virgin lands of the Middle West. The con- 

 ditions resulting from the rapid development in the Middle West led 

 to a widespread demand for cooperative organization among the 

 farmers of that region. The need of organization was not felt so 

 keenly in the Eastern States, where the population was more dense 

 and business was established on a firmer basis. Affairs in the South 

 were badly disorganized as a result of the Civil War. Extensive 

 changes were necessary in the industrial system, and the readjust- 

 ment took a considerable length of time. Conditions for organiza- 

 tion, therefore, were not as favorable as in the Middle West, where 

 the cooperative movement spread with greatest rapidity after it once 

 had started. 



TYPES OF ORGANIZATION. 



The history of cooperative organization among farmers since the 

 Civil War consists of the growth and decline of a number of organiza- 

 tions. Many of these organizations were of a local nature, while 

 others were State-wide or national in their scope. Among the latter, 

 the Patrons of Husbandry, or The Grange, as the organization is 

 commonly known, is illustrative of the movement during the late 

 sixties and seventies. 1 The Grange is a farmers' fraternal order es- 

 tablished in 1867 for educational and social purposes. The National 

 Grange, which is the central organization, was first formed. Later 

 a large number of local granges were organized and in many of the 

 States these formed State Granges. On account of the demand 

 among farmers, the scope of The Grange was soon enlarged to include 

 such activities as cooperative buying and selling. This movement 

 proved to be very popular among the farmers and resulted in the 

 extension of the organization over a large territory in a comparatively 

 short period. 



The early growth of The Grange was confined mainly to the North 

 Central States, as conditions in this section were favorable. The 

 rapid growth of the organization brought it to the notice of the 

 rest of the country, so that the movement soon spread to all parts of 

 the United States. The activities entered upon by The Grange 

 included not only purchasing and marketing ventures but also manu- 

 facturing enterprises. Some of the undertakings met with success, 



1 For a more complete history of The Grange see: Aiken, D. W., The Grange: its origin, progress, and 

 educational purposes, U. S. Department of Agriculture Special Report 55, 1883; Atkeson, T. O, Semi- 

 centennial History of the Patrons of Husbandry, 1916; Buck, S. J., The Granger Movement, Harvard 

 Historical Studies, vol. 19, 1913 (this book contains a comprehensive bibliography relative to this subject). 



