COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AND MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS. 



59 



banks or cold storage companies. One large packing firm offered 

 to make advances of 12£ cents per box at 8 per cent interest. Upon 

 the improvement of conditions later in the season it was possible for 

 the large distributors to negotiate a heavy loan on the basis of 35 

 cents a box. This was for only "fancy" and "extra fancy" grades, 

 however, which were the best storage stock. In spite of this situa- 

 tion the stronger growers' organizations in the Pacific Northwest 

 were advancing to the growers as much as 40 cents per box on all 

 varieties, grades, and sizes, which was an exceptionally liberal 

 advance, and showed that the organizations were in an excellent 

 condition even in a period when marketing conditions were unusually 

 bad. 



Table VI. — Annual business of several of the larger cooperative fruit and, produce 

 associations in the United States. 



Name of association. 



California Fruit Growers' Ex- 

 change. 



California Fruit Growers' Ex- 

 change Supply Co. 



Eastern Shore of Virginia Pro- 

 duce Exchange. 



Monmouth County Farmers' 

 Exchange. 



North Pacific Fruit Distributors 



Georgia Fruit Exchange 



Florida Citrus Exchange 



Puyallup and Sumner Fruit 

 Growers' Association. 



American Cranberry Exchange. 



Product handled. 



Citrus fruits 



Members' supplies 



Produce, potatoes principally. . 



do 



Deciduous fruits 



Peaches 



Citrus fruits 



Fresh fruits; operates 2 can 



neries. 

 Cranberries 



Year. 



Year ending A ug . 3 1 



1915. 

 Aug. 31, 1915 



1914 



1914 



1913 



1913 



1913 



1914 



1913 



Sales. 



§19,737,850.00 



3,319,062.04 



5,752,690.36 



1,323,443.02 



3,372,196.30 

 2,250,000.00 

 3,500,000.00 

 1,300,000.00 



1,500,000.00 



AGENCIES WHICH ASSIST COOPERATION. 



Several agencies take an active interest in cooperative organiza- 

 tion and render assistance in forming new associations and in giving 

 aid to organizations already formed. Among such agencies may be 

 mentioned the United States Department of Agriculture, the State 

 agricultural colleges and experiment stations, State departments of 

 agriculture, State marketing bureaus, and various organizations, 

 companies, and individuals. 



THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Office of Markets and Rural Organization. — The Office of Markets 

 and Kural Organization has been devoting considerable attention to 

 cooperative purchasing and marketing; assistance has been rendered 

 to organizations already formed and to localities contemplating an 

 organization. In a number of instances personal visits have been 

 paid to organizations and localities and, after the local conditions 

 have been studied, recommendations have been made as to desira- 

 bility of organization, method of operation, and similar subjects. In 

 other instances similar assistance has been given by means of corre- 



