8 DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 407, U. S. DEPT, OF AGRICULTURE 
would be more difficult to obtain. There is, therefore, considerable 
difference between the two commodities. 
The questions, “ Has the association helped the outsider?” and, 
“Tf so, how ?”, were included to throw further light on the influence 
credited by members to their organizations. Table 4 shows that of 
316 members reporting, 294 believed that their associations had been 
of help to outsiders. In answer to the question, “If so, how has 
the association benefited outsiders?” 96 members of association 1 
replied that the market had been improved or the price made higher, 
85 members of association 3 reported that this had been true in the 
fall at least, and 83 members of association 2 declared that the 
market had been stabilized. 
TABLE 4.—Replies to question, ‘‘ Has the association helped the outsider?” 
Meinbers reporting 
———— 
Reply Association 
—| Total 
1 2 3 41 
Number| Number| Number| Number| Number 
96 88 110 
SACS ae oa ee ea A el eT Sy et ee Bn 96. se" 88rl pee OR =e Se 294 
NORE SAE A OER i Pk AER AP ES Se ie een eek SS Rod Ae Ee eS Op | sree 14 
Doub tek Bee Oe al DE ae ee ee 2 3 3a eee se Bee 8 
Total's: *© festa ge bP EE ES PER. ey He sats 98 100 Ocha) ees & ie 316 
1 Question not asked of members of this association. 
These answers show a preponderance of opinion among members 
that the associations have increased the prices received by non- 
member growers. In the case of the cotton associations, the feeling 
seemed to prevail among many members that the associations helped 
prices in the fall by their policy of distributing sales throughout the 
year and that nonmembers benefited thereby. This conclusion has 
a connection with the popular belief that prices are considerably 
lower in the fall than at other times because of the practice cus- . 
tomarily followed of marketing a large share of the cotton crop dur- 
ing that period. 
Tobacco associations have been more dominant factors in their 
markets, and in the absence of well-organized markets that supply 
market quotations according to grades they have been compelled to 
take the lead in deciding upon their asking prices. The prices of 
these associations appear to have been an important factor in deter- 
mining the prices for outside growers. 
POSSIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS EXPECTED IN PRICE CONTROL 
Problems of price inevitably play a large part in cooperative 
associations, particularly in large-scale enterprises of the kind in- 
cluded in this study. The schedule contained questions relating to 
price control by cooperatives. These questions were, (1) “ Will co- 
operative associations ever be able to fix prices on farm products?” 
(2) “Get cost of production?” (8) “Control acreage?” and (4) 
