46 BULLETIN 547, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE OZARK FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION, MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS. 



The Ozark Fruit Growers' Association is found in southern Mis- 

 souri and northern Arkansas. The principal products marketed are 

 strawberries and peaches. The organization consists of a central 

 association which markets the fruit of a number of local associations 

 affiliated with it. The secretary reports that there are 500 members, 

 that the capital stock is $2,000, divided into shares of $1 each, no 

 member owning more than 10 shares. Several hundred carloads of 

 strawberries and jjeaches are marketed annually. The total business 

 transacted in 1915 amounted to approximately $600,000. 



This association has been successful in standardizing its products 

 and making its brand known to the trade. A new venture recently 

 undertaken is the use of various trade papers in advising the trade 

 generally of the association's output through advertisements carried 

 during the marketing season. Marketing conditions and returns to 

 growers have been much more satisfactory since the creation of this 

 sales agency. As in the case of most successful fruit associations, 

 better distribution has been obtained, together with a standardiza- 

 tion of output and sales methods. 



TILLAMOOK COUNTY CREAMERY ASSOCIATION, OREGON. 



Previous to 1904 both the private and cooperative cheese factories 

 of Tillamook County marketed their output individually by shipping 

 to Portland dealers. This method was unsatisfactory because there 

 was not a proper distribution, and as a result the dealers took advan- 

 tage of the gluts in the market during the season of heavy production. 

 In 1903 the Tillamook factory adopted the plan of distributing the 

 output among several cities, according to demand. This venture 

 was so successful that several plants appointed a sales manager to 

 handle their output in a similar manner. The success of these 

 plants was an impetus to cooperation, and gradually most of the 

 private factories were taken over by the farmers. 



In 1909 nine of the farmers' cheese factories organized the Tilla- 

 mook County Creamery Association. The association engaged an 

 inspector whose duties included, general supervision over the cheese 

 making, regular visits to each factory, and the giving of suggestions 

 and lending of assistance where needed. This proved to be a wise 

 move, as it has made the factories more efficient and has resulted 

 in a product of better quality and greater uniformity. The associa- 

 tion has a trade-mark for all cheese which measures up to the associa- 

 tion standard when inspected. 



The factories also cooperate in having a secretary-salesman who 

 at the present time keeps the books and looks after the marketing 

 of the product from 20 of the 23 factories in the county. The secre- 

 tary receives frequent reports from the inspector and from the cheese 



