2 BULLETIN" 547, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
English workers, formed similar associations. A number of organi- 
zations were formed, but before any extensive efforts of this kind 
could be carried out the plans for organization were disrupted by 
the Civil War. 
TREND. 
After the close of the Civil War there began a general movement 
of population toward the virgin lands of the Middle West. The con- 
ditions resulting from the rapid development in the Middle West led 
to a widespread demand for cooperative organization among the 
farmers of that region. The need of organization was not felt so 
keenly in the Eastern States, where the population was more dense 
and business was established on a firmer basis. Affairs in the South 
were badly disorganized as a result of the Civil War. Extensive 
changes were necessary in the industrial system, and the readjust- 
ment took a considerable length of time. Conditions for organiza- 
tion, therefore, were not as favorable as in the Middle West, where 
the cooperative movement spread with greatest rapidity after it once 
had started. 
TYPES OF ORGANIZATION. 
The history of cooperative organization among farmers since the 
Civil War consists of the growth and decline of a number of organiza- 
tions. Many of these organizations were of a local nature, while 
others were State-wide or national in then scope. Among the latter, 
the Patrons of Husbandry, or The Grange, as the organization is 
commonly known, is illustrative of the movement during the late 
sixties and seventies. 1 The Grange is a farmers' fraternal order es- 
tablished in 1867 for educational and social purposes. The National 
Grange, which is the central organization, was first formed. Later 
a large number of local granges were organized and in many of the 
States these formed State Granges. On account of the demand 
among farmers, the scope of The Grange was soon enlarged to include 
such activities as cooperative buying and selling. This movement 
proved to be very popular among the farmers and resulted in the 
extension of the organization over a large territory in a comparatively 
short period. 
The early growth of The Grange was confined mainly to the North 
Central States, as conditions in this section were favorable. The 
rapid growth of the organization brought it to the notice of the 
rest of the country, so that the movement soon spread to all parts of 
the United States. The activities entered upon by The Grange 
included not only purchasing and marketing ventures but also manu- 
facturing enterprises. Some of the undertakings met with success. 
1 For a more complete history of The Grange see: Aiken, D. W., The Granger its origin, progress, and 
educational purposes, U. S. Department of Agriculture Special Report 53, 1883; Atkeson, T. C, Semi- 
centennial History of the Patrons of Husbandry, 1916; Buck, S. J., The Granger Movement, Harvard 
Historical Studies, vol. 19, 1913 (this book contains a comprehensive bibliography relative to thi? subject). 
