COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AND MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS. 35 



The capital stock company plan of operation seems to be the 

 favorite plan for the cotton associations, 156 reporting this form and 

 40 reporting the cooperative form. The cotton organizations resemble 

 the grain elevators hi this respect. 



The average volume of business of the organizations reporting on 

 this point was $161,465. This makes a total for the 213 organiza- 

 tions of $34,392,045. 



One hundred and forty-five associations reported an average of 

 87 members, which number gives a total of 18,531 members for the 

 entire 213 associations reporting. 



The handling of other products and supplies was reported by 25 asso- 

 ciations. Of this number, 7 handle fertilizers, 3 grain, 1 fuel, and 14 

 miscellaneous products. 



COOPERATIVE STORES. 



The 275 stores that reported are well distributed over 35 States. 

 Kansas has 36, Wisconsin 32, Minnesota 30, North Carolina 17, and 

 Iowa 14. (See Table I.) It is probable that there are a number of 

 cooperative stores in existence whose names have not been secured, 

 for it was found that the agencies that furnished the names were 

 more likely to overlook cooperative stores than any of the organiza- 

 tions engaged more directly in the marketing of agricultural products. 



More stores reported as operating under the cooperative plan than 

 under the stock company plan of doing business; 163 reported the 

 former and 90 the latter plan. 



The average volume of business reported was $52,919, making a 

 total of $14,552,725 for the 275 stores which replied. The average 

 number of members reported by the stores was 220 per association, 

 a total of 60,500 for the 275 stores. Of the 275 stores, 97 reported 

 handling side lines; 15 reported fruit and produce, 6 of these being 

 in Kansas; 9 reported grain; 8 reported fuel; 6 ship cream, 4 of these 

 being in Kansas; 5 handle fertilizers; 4 cotton; 3 lumber; 1 live stock; 

 and 46 handle miscellaneous products and supplies. 



TOBACCO ASSOCIATIONS. 



The State of Kentucky is the home of 21 of the 43 tobacco asso- 

 ciations reporting. There were 7 in Ohio, 5 in North Carolina, and 

 5 in Virginia. Of the 39 tobacco associations concerning which infor- 

 mation on the type of organization was obtained, 32 were placed in 

 the capital stock company class and the remaining 7 in the coopera- 

 tive. The average volume of business of those reporting on this point 

 was $156,890, making a total annual volume of $6,746,270 for the 

 43 organizations reporting. The average membership reported by 

 tobacco associations is larger than for the other kinds of business, 

 being 336, or a total of 14,448 members in the 43 associations. The 



