COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE 41

with national, sectional, state, county, and local organiza-
tions that are engaged in the work of developing agricultural
interests concerned in cooperative buying and selling.

 2-To encourage, introduce, and apply better and more
economical methods in the purchase of farmers' supplies
and products.

 3-To secure efficient and economical methods in the
grading, packing, transporting, marketing and advertising
of farm products.

 4-To effect economical methods of distribution.
 5-To develop business cooperation among agricultural
interests and to encourage a cooperative spirit on the part
of the public.
 6-To encourage and promote a closer mutual relation-
ship between agricultural interests and industrial interests
and the consuming public, and a better understanding of
the problem pertaining hereto.


 Consumer's Cooperative

 Increasingly related to cooperative agriculture in a
 more or less definite sense, are the consumers' cooperatives
 which have developed over the country into one of the great
 groups of cooperatives. A rough estimate shows 6.500 local
 consumers' cooperative, with members approximating 2,-
 000.000 families and with a business turnover of about
 $500,000,000. in 1936.
 A considerable part of this business is done by farmers'
 purchasing associations. For the 1935-36 season the Farm
 Credit Administration placed the number of such associa-
 tions at 2.112 with a membership of 950,000 and total
 purchases of $315,000,000. Consumers' cooperatives are not
 only set up by residents of cities and towns but by small
 farmers.