growers' xatioxal marketing agency. 
11 
The membership in the various companies is approximately as 
follows: Massachusetts 350, New Jersey 115, and Wisconsin 43, 
making a total of 508. In many cases a membership consists of a 
company rather than an individual. Consequently the number of 
members is not an indication of the size or importance of the associ- 
ation when comparing it with other growers' organizations. A 
single company holding only one membership may grow and ship 
through the association more than 75 cars of berries in a single year. 
The growing of cranberries requires, relatively speaking, large 
amounts of capital. It is not unusual for the cost of developing a 
bog to exceed S750 per acre. Furthermore, picking, sorting, and 
packing charges ordinarily run from SI 00 to $300 per acre for a 
single year. 
Table 3. — Cost of handling cranberries from the bog to the car at local shipping point, 
1920} 
State. 
Number of 
barrels in- 
cluded in 
cost records 
Total cost. 
Cost per 
barrel. 
Massachusetts 
41,612 
16,401 
4,936 
8119,120.36 
70,531.11 
18. 187. 54 
82.86 
New Jersev 
4.30 
Wisconsin 
3.68 
Total 
62,949 1 207,839.01 
2 3. 35 
* ^ i 
1 This cost includes picking, sorting, packing, storing, and carting. Expenses of growing and the 
interest and depreciation on capital and equipment involved in handling the crop from bog to car are not 
included. The figures are based on costs to a number of representative growers in the three districts. 
2 This average is obtained by weighting the cost per barrel in each State with the volume of cranberries 
shipped by the association from that State. 
The Massachusetts association operated four houses during the 
season of 1920 for the cleaning and sorting of the berries of members 
at cost. The operating expenses of these houses averaged 54 cents a 
barrel for cleaning, packing, sorting, and overhead expenses. This 
figure does not include the cost of picking, containers, storage, or 
cartage. 
The amount of capital required in- the growing of cranberries ex- 
plains the tendency toward group action in the production of this 
fruit. 
The organization of the American Cranberry Exchange is very 
similar to that of the State companies; the main difference is that 
it has only 13 directors. The members are elected in the same manner 
as in the State companies. The members in the three State compa- 
nies elect delegates to the annual meeting of the American Cranberry 
Exchange, who are elected directors of the exchange at the meeting, 
most of the members voting by proxy. Massachusetts supplies 6 
directors, Xew Jersey 5, and Wisconsin 2. No one State is allowed 
a majority on the board of directors. 
