LOCAL GROWERS' ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR 

 POSSIBILITIES 



Paul Work, Ithaca, New York 



There is probably no single phase of the development of rural 

 life that has attracted more persistent attention for the last twenty- 

 five years than co-operation. Our periodicals have published articles 

 about it, books have been written about it, — we have an abundance 

 of material dealing both with the theoretical side and v^-iih the 

 practical side, both with suggested plans and with actual experience. 

 Hardly a horticultural meeting occurs but gives a place on its pro- 

 gram to co-operation. The Sunday papers have taken it up, and 

 we find their lurid headlines telling of the work of organizations, 

 and sad to say, these organizations have in too many cases been 

 exploited by men whose motives are entirely selfish. 



SUCCESSFUL SELLING ORGANIZATIONS 



We have many large, successful selling associations. The citrus 

 organizations of California, the apple societies of the Northwest, 

 and the produce exchanges of the South and East are all examples. 

 In New Jersey, the Monmouth County Farmers' Exchange did over 

 a million and a half dollars worth of business last year, the Burling- 

 ton County Exchange $650,000, one in Canada a quarter of a million, 

 and in our own state the South Shore Growers' and Shippers' Asso- 

 ciation last year handled §116,000. These organizations are cer- 

 tainly doing splendid work. They are pioneers. They are pointing 

 out the way that the growers of all agricultural commodities will 

 be following within the next two or three decades. They are tr^-ing 

 out methods and building up for us a body of knowledge that will be 

 of inestimable value in the future. 



We might well take up such organizations, study their methods, 

 see what they are doing and how they are doing it; but a glance at 

 the now extensive literature of co-operation indicates that a gTeat 

 deal of attention has been given to these, and a wealth of information 

 is already available. 



